> Can we please leave VIFX out of any list of top quality CGI houses? I have
> seen their work.
>
> By the way, perhaps you are not aware of the NT group at Digital Domain
> currently running Lighwave? As for your price listing of the average Alias
> animator in "Hollywood" (72,000), the average Lightwave figure is around
> $91,000 (at 52 weeks). I'll stick with Lightwave for awhile.
>
> --
> -=Fred=-
Ouch Fred, is that kinda crap really necessary? It allways smacks of
insecurity when I see someone slam another shop wholesale like that,
really weak. And average saleries? Come on, there is no reliable way any
of you guys can state "average saleries". There is no quantfiable data
on this, and unless you've personally worked at at least 20 different
shops or can cite some kind of reliable survey, I think you should just
stop spouting off.
>Those figures are what most Lightwave people charge PER
>SHOT, so assuming they turn in a couple of shots per week--not unlikely >for TV--they can make twice as much, and having an Alpha means they can >actually deliver that many shots (or more). You are also wrong about >the quantity of Alias animators. We
What kind of animation are you guys talking about? If you're talking
about CG character animation then you aren't talking about Lightwave
(Yeah, yeah, I've seen the m&m spots, they are an exception), and you're
definetely not talking about some animator cranking out feature quality
animation at a rate of several shots per week. Not if those shots are
expected to rise above Reboot quality. In fact I don't see how people
can argue about something so ill defined from the outset, and in such an
uninformed way. Besides there is so much more too it than pay, like oh
for instance, what kind of project is it and is it interesting in the
least. I see so much mail about "what kind of software should I learn to
get a good job as an animator" and it's just sickening, it's so
: > By the way, perhaps you are not aware of the NT group at Digital Domain
: > currently running Lighwave? As for your price listing of the average Alias
: > animator in "Hollywood" (72,000), the average Lightwave figure is around
: > $91,000 (at 52 weeks). I'll stick with Lightwave for awhile.
: > -=Fred=-
Fred, you don't know what you're talking about. I'd have to see a Lightwave
animator's 1040 before I'd believe that number. Maybe some isolated individuals
but average? No F****** way!
: really weak. And average saleries? Come on, there is no reliable way any
: of you guys can state "average saleries". There is no quantfiable data
: on this, and unless you've personally worked at at least 20 different
: shops or can cite some kind of reliable survey, I think you should just
: stop spouting off.
Hal, I recruit my own animators. I work with figures from HR and they are
constantly trying to figure out what competitive salaries are. It's nearly
impossible to come up with LW animator figures because most are freelance
and don't get salaries. But I guarantee you that if they were earning
$90K they wouldn't bitch about supplementing their system with MAX. Almost
every post that slags it does so because of price.
: >Those figures are what most Lightwave people charge PER
: >SHOT, so assuming they turn in a couple of shots per week--not unlikely >for TV--they can make twice as much, and having an Alpha means they can >actually deliver that many shots (or more). You are also wrong about >the quantity of Alias animators.
Fred, you're equating per SHOT prices with SALARY? Salary is unchanging, an
amount that you get week after week, no matter how much you get done.
Some shots are lots harder to get done than others. Also, when you
are between seasons, on hiatus, you aren't earning anything except
freelance income.
LW has a verrrry small presence in the Hollywood animation community,
and Hollywood pays better than almost anywhere but games. Most LW
work is for industrial video clients in the midwest, and jobs
in the midwest pay less in general. The LW people employed on the
TV shows are the best in the LW universe, and if you want to start
comparing top salaries against top salaries, say the top 100 LW users
vs the top 100 Alias users, there's no contest on who earns more.
: expected to rise above Reboot quality. In fact I don't see how people
: can argue about something so ill defined from the outset, and in such an
: uninformed way. Besides there is so much more too it than pay, like oh
: for instance, what kind of project is it and is it interesting in the
: least. I see so much mail about "what kind of software should I learn to
: get a good job as an animator" and it's just sickening, it's so
: backwards. -H
Also there's job stability, benefits, vacation pay, paid Siggraph, etc.
