Time flies when you have a lot to do apparently. I still remember writing this regularly like it was just a short while ago. So the animation studio I was at came to an end with me in a rather rough way. I will reassert make sure you have a contract before working on things. Also, make sure you get paid something, at least, up front to start. I usually go on 50% to start and 50% at finish or 1/3 to start 1/3 half way and the final 3rd at finish if there are a number of steps.
After having the small animation studio sub-contract me for a comic book they decided to only make a partial payment on the comic. Having other work for a game studio to do as well, I started on the comic but as the money stopped coming, so did my work effort. It might have not have been such a big deal but they still owed me $1500 form an earlier project a few months before. When told I need to finish the project I reminded them they never finished giving me my start payment or previous money still owed. (Their Producer had also quit after they failed to pay him for previous work as well, so it seems to be a pattern there.) So I told them partial work for partial pay. They weren't too happy about that but you can't be a push over just because you are starting out. I also found out during the course of the conversation that they kept my previous pay for themselves and had used the missing part of the comic book pay to buy a new phone and some other personal items for themselves. That was the end of having anything to do with them. I kept a key as leverage and ended up trading it for the money they owed me a week later. Well, sorta. After acting like a 4 year old on the play ground trading for something he wants without wanting to give up what he has I found out the envelope of money was still only half of what they promised. After a brief "discussion" I left and was given the rest of the money later that week. Gotta be firm.
From there I freelanced a bit for Scopley and some other small projects until at about the worst part of my life while sitting in the gym I was working and living out of essentially, a Production Designer walked in and inquired about a membership. I was the only person there at the time so I showed him around and talked with him a bit. I also happened to be working on some storyboards for a short live action film. He saw my drawings and asked what I was interested in. We talked about art and some film stuff and I told him I wanted to storyboard for live action film. Which was that perfect chance meeting as it turned out.
Two weeks later, after brief talks with him in the early morning, he came in and asked if I would be interested in working on a feature film. Of-course! The pay was as much in a week as I was making in a month at the gym but that didn't matter as much to me as the chance to get out and be a part of a major feature film! The whole reason I had come out to LA!
A motorcycle trip to Death Valley to take in the most amazing view of the galaxy I have ever seen to celebrate and a week later on my birthday I started working for Legendary Pictures on Godzilla 2! I spent about 7 months there with them before they moved to Atlanta to start production. Currently it is still being filmed out there with a projected release date in 2019. Since I have worked on 2 music videos and a convention. And though my part was small with Godzilla 2 it was enjoyable and great to see how others worked professionally on a film.
It is a lot of who you know but that moment can come at any time, so be nice to people wherever and whenever you meet them.
Meanwhile here's something to enjoy since the Godzilla stuff is still NDA, hush, hush ;)
After having the small animation studio sub-contract me for a comic book they decided to only make a partial payment on the comic. Having other work for a game studio to do as well, I started on the comic but as the money stopped coming, so did my work effort. It might have not have been such a big deal but they still owed me $1500 form an earlier project a few months before. When told I need to finish the project I reminded them they never finished giving me my start payment or previous money still owed. (Their Producer had also quit after they failed to pay him for previous work as well, so it seems to be a pattern there.) So I told them partial work for partial pay. They weren't too happy about that but you can't be a push over just because you are starting out. I also found out during the course of the conversation that they kept my previous pay for themselves and had used the missing part of the comic book pay to buy a new phone and some other personal items for themselves. That was the end of having anything to do with them. I kept a key as leverage and ended up trading it for the money they owed me a week later. Well, sorta. After acting like a 4 year old on the play ground trading for something he wants without wanting to give up what he has I found out the envelope of money was still only half of what they promised. After a brief "discussion" I left and was given the rest of the money later that week. Gotta be firm.
From there I freelanced a bit for Scopley and some other small projects until at about the worst part of my life while sitting in the gym I was working and living out of essentially, a Production Designer walked in and inquired about a membership. I was the only person there at the time so I showed him around and talked with him a bit. I also happened to be working on some storyboards for a short live action film. He saw my drawings and asked what I was interested in. We talked about art and some film stuff and I told him I wanted to storyboard for live action film. Which was that perfect chance meeting as it turned out.
Two weeks later, after brief talks with him in the early morning, he came in and asked if I would be interested in working on a feature film. Of-course! The pay was as much in a week as I was making in a month at the gym but that didn't matter as much to me as the chance to get out and be a part of a major feature film! The whole reason I had come out to LA!
A motorcycle trip to Death Valley to take in the most amazing view of the galaxy I have ever seen to celebrate and a week later on my birthday I started working for Legendary Pictures on Godzilla 2! I spent about 7 months there with them before they moved to Atlanta to start production. Currently it is still being filmed out there with a projected release date in 2019. Since I have worked on 2 music videos and a convention. And though my part was small with Godzilla 2 it was enjoyable and great to see how others worked professionally on a film.
It is a lot of who you know but that moment can come at any time, so be nice to people wherever and whenever you meet them.
Meanwhile here's something to enjoy since the Godzilla stuff is still NDA, hush, hush ;)
