Work Basics: Offboarding

Last days are an opportunity to thank someone for their hard work. Here's how to do it right.


Animation in Vancouver is a small industry. You will very likely work with the same people again at different studios, so it is worth it to leave a good impression and keep the door open for future opportunities to work together!
  • Determine if the person is leaving your studio entirely vs. moving to another show
  • Ensure the supervisor is aware the artist is leaving
  • Reassign artist's remaining work
  • Strongly suggest to book first and last days into the calendar and have reminders so people remember to prepare!
  • Remove person from relevant email, chat, Shotgrid groups, especially if they are just moving to another project within your studio
  • If there is any other place your show tracks crew (say a Crew Tracker sheet), remove them and mark the last day according to your show's processes
  • Send any offboarding questionnaires or post-mortems if relevant (or flag for exit interview if relevant)
  • If this person has equipment to return, follow your studio's equipment return processes
  • Reiterate studio demo reel policy 
    • Even if the person has not requested a reel, it is a good last reminder of the terms of your studio's NDA
  • Write them a thank you email!
    • You might include details like when they can expect their last pay cheque, demo reel policy (see above), and double check their name for credits (if applicable)

Popular posts from this blog

9 Reasons Why Zack on Gilmore Girls is the Worst

Image
Of all the men in the Gilmore Girls world, I think Zack was the worst. Here's nine reasons why. I'm currently re-watching Gilmore girls for the umpteenth time, and once more I find myself loathing Zack in particular. Normally we all get caught up in Luke vs. Christopher, Dean vs. Jess vs. Logan, etc, but I think these debates distract viewers from realizing that Zack is the worst Significant Other of all the women in the show. I think the actor Todd Lowe does a great job portraying Zack, so my critique is def not his performance , my issue is the  character of Zack   who is sooo contemptible. In a way, Lowe's performance of Zack is all the more remarkable - when it comes to the Bad Men of Gilmore Girls, Zack rarely tops the list. I think it's because his many flaws are so *shrug* boys will be boys. As viewers I think we're meant to be distracted by the explosive incidents related to Logan's elitism, Mitchum's tyranny, Dean's cheating, Marty's obvio
Read more

VIDEO: Tips for Better Dailies Notes

Image
Here are 11 tips for taking better notes in dailies. If you’re in Production, good note-taking practices are essential and it never stops. As a coordinator, you might take notes for dailies. As a Production Manager or Producer you might have Production reports, all of these tasks rely on good note-taking.  A huge part of our role is data entry and management. Getting specific, let’s take a look at what you can do to take better notes in lighting/comp dailies. Even if your artists are in dailies, still make sure your notes are as specific as possible, don’t leave it to them to take their own notes, let them have that time to answer their supervisor’s questions or to focus on the feedback.  Let me be very clear: if you are in production and you are taking notes in dailies, it is your job to take accurate, efficient notes. Wherever possible, give the frame range.  Don’t just say ‘near the beginning of a shot’, say F8-12 if you can. If there are multiple characters in a scene, use their na
Read more

2 New-ish Perspectives on Work-Life Balance

Image
Who needs work-life balance when you can 'Drop the Ball' or put your priorities 'in conversation' with one another? With the onset and endurance of the COVID19 pandemic, there have been many hot takes and disturbing changes in work-life balance. All over North America at least, we have seen women drop out of the workforce at such an alarming rate that many experts are calling this pandemic-induced trend a “shecession”. In animation, we have fortunately been able to work from home, though the balance between work and life has become a lot more blurred, if existing at all. Production staff and supervisors have observed a rise in ghost hours - people quietly logging on and working on their shots or assets at all times of the day, night, weekends because our work is well, there . This is a very complicated issue, and as I am neither an economics or business expert, I wanted to offer two specific takes on work-life balance, one from Tiffany Dufu and the other from David Why
Read more