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Interested in an Animation Project?

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Interested in an Animation Project?

I have a very interesting proposal for all those people who want to build a great portfolio for getting a job or just being a part of a very creative project.

I've been working on a script for a 15 minute 3D animated movie which I will be submitting to film festivals in 2008. This project will start in January 2007 and I plan to finish the post production by December 2007. I am 90% done with the script and currently looking for passionate people like me who would like to work on this project.

Whether you are an expert or amateur, I would love to hear from you. If you are interested, you can help. It will be a great learning experience and you will be proud of the final product.

The movie will also get premiered on a very popular site http://www.reelnow.com

I look forward to hearing from you. To get hold of me, reply to this message on this post. Thanks guys!

What's your budget, and how are you paying for the animator's work? By the foot? Hourly? Is there profit participation if the film should make money?

Well, let's see: work to "build a great portfolio", "passionate people", "pros and newbies alike", "learning experience", "script 90% finished", no investors mentioned - all that points to two things: no budget to reimburse anyone and wanting to make it look as though just working on whatever greatness is cooked up here is payment enough.

I see your point. But the thing is, I would be willing to work on a project just out of pure interest and passion. I'm looking for other people who feel the same way.

If you are really good at what you do, and want to get paid, contact me anyway. If I can afford you, I'll try to pay you.

Profit Participation: I have a time tracking application. Based on the effort and the quality of work you put in, you will get re-imbursed if the movie makes any money.

I see your point. But the thing is, I would be willing to work on a project just out of pure interest and passion. I'm looking for other people who feel the same way.

If you are really good at what you do, and want to get paid, contact me anyway. If I can afford you, I'll try to pay you.

Kevin--
Permit me to do some math for you to make and clarify the points the other lads here have made.

15 minutes of 3D animation, is going to be anywhere from about 21600 ( film) to 27000 frames ( video). If one goes by the film ratio the footage for this amount of film would be 1350 feet.
A good animator, typically can produce anywhere from about 10 to 40 feet of animation per week. Let's assume they can do 40, so they would be working on your project for almost 34 weeks.
34 weeks, without pay, just on enthusiasm alone?
Now, if you offer pay.....a typical salary for that amounts of time can be quite high, but lets aim it low--really low, and call it $400 a week. You'd be looking at paying out $13,500 for the animation.
Just the animation.
Just one person.

You've got a script you say? What about a storyboard? Its 3D so do you have characters designed and rigged up for animation? How about locations/enviroments built for the characters to work in?
Do you have more than one character acting in this? Is there action sequences? Do you want a "say" in the look of this--calling for changes as you see them?
All of these things will ADD to that $13500, to the tune that it will reach $25,000-$30,000 and upwards before very long. And that's just for starters--its not even a truly practical amount for this kind of project.
Again, just one person doing this work, you'd be looking at a year of their life on this thing.
Are you prepared to front THAT kind of money for your project?

A 15 minutes storyboard can take 3 solid weeks to do, including timing and a animatic--which you'd need to do the animation properly. We are talking 10-12 hour days minimum to complete just that stage. Designs take time too, as do environments, and then there's rigging. The numbers of people required to pull this off--practically can go between 6-12.

All unpaid??? Or can you pay all of these people???

"Interest and passion" for someone else's project is pretty much bullshit when there's little or no pay involved, over that amount of time and with the effort it would demand.
If the project means ANYTHING to you, you'd want the best for it, so it can be the best it can. But if you cannot afford those things that make it look good--if all you can bring to the table are amateurs and inexperienced types, how can it possibly look good?

If you want someone who is "really good" you are going to have to pay through the nose for them. Professionals ( and really talented folks) cost.
You WILL NOT find people willing to commit that much time and effort just on "passion and interest".

Y'see, Kevin, these kinds of forums see a LOT of offers for these kinds of "Projects", and the savvy professionals that haunt these forums know just what's being asked.
Folks like yourself who make these offers haven't done their homework.
They are unawares of the time, effort and money that it takes to pull off this kind of work. That says to us that they DO NOT CARE about their project, do not care about the work that goes into it, or how it looks. There's major red flags that go up all over the place with that.
If they hire "just anyone" , just to get it done, it could look like anything--and almost never looks any good.
How would anyone with any talent want to be associated with something like that?

That's why such a big stink get's made about stuff like this.

Now, look on the bright-side here.
All the things needed to do this project are learnable.
The art skills, software skills, animation technique, film theory--all of it can be picked up by a dedicated soul, with passion and interest, and YOU could pull off this film single-handedly inside of a few years. And it can "cost" you nary a dime.

Ask yourself if that appeals to you. If it doesn't off-hand, then why do you think it would for anyone else?

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

But the thing is, I would be willing to work on a project just out of pure interest and passion. I'm looking for other people who feel the same way.

Of course you're passionate. It's your creation.
If I'm working for free, I'll be working on my own creations, too. I'm guessing 99% of animation students feel the same way.

If I can afford you, I'll try to pay you.

If you have to say "if I can afford ... ," then you won't be paying anyone. Even the shortest 3D movies can take hundreds of hours of work, so you're talking about thousands of dollars.

What if I asked you to build me a house for free so you could feel "passionate" and "proud" and put it on your resume? I mean, come on, Man. Get real.

How come you guys never post scripts or storyboards or resumes or past work? It seems like that's the only way someone could possibly be enticed, not with promises of "learning experience."

I agree with everything you guys said. Thank you for your advice.

[I]"Now, look on the bright-side here.
All the things needed to do this project are learnable.
The art skills, software skills, animation technique, film theory--all of it can be picked up by a dedicated soul, with passion and interest, and YOU could pull off this film single-handedly inside of a few years. And it can "cost" you nary a dime."
[/I]

Ken - It definitely appeals to me. Even if I don't find anyone else to work with me, I'm going to work on it anyway. But obviously it will take me a couple of years to make. Which is fine. I'm starting the project in January 2006 with or without any one working with me.

[I]"Y'see, Kevin, these kinds of forums see a LOT of offers for these kinds of "Projects", and the savvy professionals that haunt these forums know just what's being asked.
Folks like yourself who make these offers haven't done their homework.
They are unawares of the time, effort and money that it takes to pull off this kind of work. That says to us that they DO NOT CARE about their project, do not care about the work that goes into it, or how it looks. There's major red flags that go up all over the place with that.
If they hire "just anyone" , just to get it done, it could look like anything--and almost never looks any good.
How would anyone with any talent want to be associated with something like that?"[/I]

[B]I see your point. Picking the right people for a project is very important. Which is why this is harder because first I'm can't pay them and then I'm going to be picky. So I can completely understand why such an offer is disliked. BUT since I'm going to work on this project anyway, I thought I might as well look for people. May be, I will find someone who is willing to work.

One thing I have to say is that, I HAVE done my homework. I've been planning this for a while. I know how long it will take for each shot, how it's going to look etc. I know the number of people I need and the skill set required, the background score etc. I'll have the story boards ready soon.[/B]

How come you guys never post scripts or storyboards or resumes or past work? It seems like that's the only way someone could possibly be enticed, not with promises of "learning experience."

I didn't post the script / storyboard because I don't want just about everyone to read it. It's only for those people who are really interested. I'll post my resume and experience after this project because I'll have something credible.

I didn't post the script / storyboard because I don't want just about everyone to read it. It's only for those people who are really interested.

Well, no one's going to be interested when they know nothing about it.
Here's what we know so far:[LIST=1]
[*]It will require hundreds of hours of unpaid work.[/LIST]whoopee. What a fascinating project. It's no wonder that you're so passionate about it.