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Whats important in choosing Partners?

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Whats important in choosing Partners?

Hi, I was just curious:

Whats the most important thing in choosing partners or freelancers for group animation projects?

Thank you!

Thank you everyone, especially Ken, for that long and thoughtful reply. (Rest assured that I will be printing this page.)

To answer your question Julien, yes, I do know of studios in Japan that are looking for freelance animators. They are specifically looking for American 3D animators, capable of producing Pixar-quality work. I do not think they are particularly looking for 2D animators right now, as most Japanese animators believe Japanese 2D surpasses most foreign 2D work, but feel Japanese 3D work lags behind the U.S.

For more specific information on my research, check out my post in the "Animation Cafe" forum here:
http://forums.awn.com/showthread.php?p=19044#post19044

and on the Animwatch website forum here:
http://www.animwatch.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51

Thanks!
- Oms

Hi omnilord,
Well I guess that people:
- are good and fast
- have already experience
- be able to work in a team environment...
...hummm what else ?
- reliable.

By the way, I'm just curious me too :p
In an other thread you wrote about "...freelance artists interested in working with Japanese Anime studios ..."
Was it about 2D animation ?
Did you hear that studios were looking for that ? or you were just wondering ?

I think the most important thing is understanding the terms of the "partnership" or "Agreement"...is there payment due, is it an equal partnership, that's why contracts are written up. Friends can become enemies really fast when they think they are being taken advantage of.

Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.

If you are talking about a business situation, keep in mind that the cornerstone of business: money--changes relationships in a fundemental way.

And not always for the positive.

I have a saying that irks people: "there are no friends in business".
Unfortunately, in my own experience and observation, this is true for the most part.
Finding a ideal partner is rare and difficult.
Most partnerships fail.

They fail because people often want things soley for themsleves--be it from feeling threatened by loss, by ambition, boredom, or outside influence from any of the previous.
There are friendly relations, friendly working situations, and even friendly partnerships--but when the chequebooks come out, its like a veil of seriousness envelopes all.

You'll need to be patient, but not so patient that you are a doormat.
You'll need to be ready to compromise, but not so much that YOUR visions and goals are cast aside.
You need to be prepared to be utterly ruthless, if only for your personal security or your company's, in getting rid of dead-weight when it appears--no matter who objects.
You need to find others that have similar, or complimentary skills.
You need to be firm--sometimes a partner might cross the line, as it were, and you might have to snap them back.
You need to be as savvy about money as the person handling the money. if you are that person, then you HAVE TO make sure that the other partners are kept as up todate on the money situations as possible. This will prevent or at least guard future resentments.
Take nothing at face value, until the trust is earned. Trust, but verify.

Keep things simple.
Be honest. Hope that your weaknesses come to the fore early rather than later.
Keep your word. Let your partner know when you have to break it.
You can never rest on your coat-tails in a partnership.
Never ever assume.
CYA--cover your ass.

You also need to keep your eyes and wits about you--enough to notice when a partnership is not working and be ready to end it if its not serving you.

Because an article of value is invloved--money--there's a need, I feel, for a certain degree of arm's length distance invloved in business partnership--simply so that one's emotions are not brutalized in the process.

All of the above could also apply if one goes to work for a friend, or if one partners with a friend in business.
I've blown everyone of the things I've listed in the past and I've suffered, and i'm sure my former partners have suffered as well.

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