Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1516015
38 KEYFRAME NEW MODEL CONSIDERATIONS Within TV, the proliferation of streaming has made deal- making a bit more complicated and left workers with the need to be vigilant over such factors as what their title means, exactly how long a season lasts, and the duration of their commitment to a studio. Contractually mandated pay bumps between seasons are well and good, but it's not unusual for a streaming studio to pay by the episode order and then get creative about where one season ends and another begins. In the early years of his career, Bricken was accustomed to the traditional model within legacy studios. Nickelodeon had its mandates, as did Warner Bros. and Sony without significant variation. Over the past decade, the arrival of Netflix and other streaming services shook things up and introduced new variables for employees whose product would now never be "off-service." "Are there bonuses?" asks Bricken. "Are there upsides, or are we just working for fees? We had to figure those out .... We want to make sure that in [the case of a] success, we have thought of everything so our clients aren't in the position where they helped deliver this huge hit show and then they see it everywhere, all over every store, on every kid's backpack, and they did not make much on this at all. That's something you always want to try to avoid." BE READY TO WALK AWAY Amick, who works in both animation and live action, says that writers and artists who are hired for what is essentially a freelance gig may feel like they have very little power when negotiating with a studio, but that is not entirely true. "I really do believe that the only leverage we have as writers—but also as artists and anybody who is entering into what ends up being a freelance contract—is the ability to say no. Our ability to walk away from a bad deal," says Amick. "A lot of times, when it's someone's first job, they're not going to walk away no matter what just because they want the experience. That's why we have a Guild to make sure there is a floor and that [people] can't undercut themselves." After all, in animation as in live action and all other industries, you are the CEO of your own company, the protagonist of your own story. "What makes a good protagonist is somebody who has agency, who is driving things forward, and when people are the lead, and they know what their goals are and it's clear and it's communicated, I think things work out," says Mann. "At the end of the day, what is important is that you're legislating a great collaboration between yourself and the [employer] so there is a clear expectation and pathway for success." F E AT U R E 38 KEYFRAME The only leverage we have as writers—but also as artists and anybody who is entering into what ends up being a freelance contract—is the ability to say no. Our ability to walk away from a bad deal. —Christopher Amick