Tough Questions: Are the Hours Worth the Pay?

 Ah, the money question.

I hate to chicken out with the answer, but it totally depends on your priorities if the hours are worth the pay or not.

For me, the hours being worth the pay has changed a lot over the years. Sometimes it is totally worth it and I’ve been happy to do 50-60 hours workweeks, other times and contracts, it’s not.

Thankfully Vancouver has a variety of studio cultures and approaches to overtime and hours.

I’ve heard of people in VFX or in animation at the big houses who work for a couple years and buy a condo in Vancouver well before the age of thirty HOWEVER the trade off, of course, is that they always work.

I distinctly remembering interviewing for a Production coordinator role at one of the big houses a about five years ago. It was late spring when I interviewed, and already they told me that if I were to accept the role, I could expect to work every weekend and every stat holiday for the rest of the year except Christmas day. Would I have made a ton of money? Yes. Would I have seen my family or spouse or enjoyed vacation time? Nope.

It should be noted as well that working constantly equates a paycheque, it does not always result in career advancement in Animation. I.e., you might toil away for years as a mid-level animator or compositor, make great money, but not advance any further in that studio.

I also want to remind you that if you are in Production, the rules are different. Very often, anyone at the level of Production Manager or up (and often Production Coordinators as well) is exempt from any sort of overtime pay or compensation in any way. 

We aren’t paid time-and-a-half or double, and we don’t get to bank time, even if its a stat holiday.

This is because it is our job to do whatever it takes to deliver the show, and you can learn more on this in Video 1: The Role and Purpose of Production. For many studios, If the show doesn’t deliver, you have failed to do your job and have not held up your end of the bargain. 

In Production, even If you are organized, have planned well, your crew is motivated, and you have adequate resources, things can still go off the rails very quickly. If getting things back on track means you working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, with no compensation for this extra time, if you are in Production, remember, you signed up for this. I have more to say on this in Video 7, Cons of Working in the Animation Industry.

The hours you work in production also very much depends on your studio’s culture and the project you are working on. 

If you are working at one of the big houses on a feature that will play in theatres, you can bet on tons of OT for everyone.

If you are at a mid-size studio working on a series or a straight-streaming movie, the hours are likely to be doable depending on your studio’s approach to work-life balance.

Small studios that are just starting up often require more OT as they want to make a name for themselves and get a good-looking project out the door ASAP

When it comes to if the hours are worth the pay, it depends on what is going on with your life—are you caring for a family member? Are you about to get married? Are you wanting to transition to freelance or focus more on your side hustle?

Of course there are going to be times when you just want to get paid and make as much money as you possibly can. Other times you will want to be more calculating and decide on what makes the most sense for you career, not a down payment. 

RESOURCES

Should You Really Aspire To Be Super Rich? over at Girlboss

Maria Menounos on Work-Life Balance, Resetting Priorities and The Importance of “Being" over at Girlboss

65 (Productive) Things to Do When You're Bored at Work over at Career Contessa

Why Two Corporate Attorneys Moved Across The Country To Open A Coffee Shop at Refinery29