Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1505195
17 KEYFRAME FREELANCING WHAT ARE YOUR JOB DUTIES? My primary role is to prepare, send, receive, review, and organize TAG contracts and associated documents with new and existing studios. In working directly with members, I review all O-1 and O-2 Visa submissions to determine whether the applicant meets the criteria established by the USCIS, If you're working for a signatory studio or production company that has a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with TAG, your job abides by the same contract agreements as full-time work based on the type of work being done: • Weekly employee with a guaranteed 40 hours a week. • Daily employee with a guaranteed daily rate. • Unit rate employee with a specific guaranteed rate for a specific amount of work. What does this mean? For one thing, every single hour worked with a signatory studio under a TAG CBA counts toward your Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans (MPI) hours. And while your TAG membership isn't official until you've paid the necessary initiation fees, your MPI contributions begin the very first hour you work for a signatory studio or production company. Keep in mind, though, that you need 600 hours for your benefits to kick in. As for those hours you're working, if you're full-time on one show, can you take additional work on another? Yes. But it's important to note that working on two shows might not mean working for two different studios. For example, ShadowMachine produces different shows under different production companies. If you are working for different shows under the same parent studio, that could require the studio to pay you overtime rather than for two separate sets of hours worked. Want to know more about "freelancing," like terms of payment, working outside your usual job category, best practices for keeping track of hours, what to bill for, and more? Go to animationguild.org/ lunch-learn-recap-freelance-101. TAKING A "FREELANCE" ANIMATION JOB DOESN'T MEAN YOU FOREGO YOUR UNION BENEFITS. 101 WHAT'S A FUN FACT ABOUT YOU? I spent two years traveling the U. S. playing drums in a circus. and create, prepare, and distribute the corresponding advisory-opinion letters to the petitioners and the IATSE. I also respond to members' emails and phone calls regarding required safety training and job- related skills training, and I create sur veys including the Wage Sur vey and respond to member questions and issues. For those members requiring assistance updating their online portfolios, I provide technical support. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? I enjoy talking with our members on the phone and providing any help they need. This can include showing them around our website, helping them set up a profile on the MPIPHP site and showing them what's available there, helping them access free skills training, and assisting them when searching for work. FALL 2023 17 T H E L O C A L