#monkey wrench talk
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Grrrhrhrr I love ur art so much I wanna put it under my pillow
Also what's monkey wrench? đ
WEEE THANK YOU BONES
And oh?
Well well well iâm SOOOO GLAD YOU ASKED my dear friend.
Monkey Wrench is an indie animation cartoon created by Zeurel, an amazing animator that came from newgrounds and is known mainly for his vinesauce animation!! Monkey Wrench story focuses on a team of two mercenaries: âBeebsâ and Shrike SĂĄnchez! The series followings them on their many merc adventures in *space*!
YES this wonderful little cartoon is a sci-fi adventure FILLED WITH ACTION PACKED SEQUENCED AND INCREDIBLE ANIMATION itâs humorous!! Itâs got witty and dumb humor that makes me laugh!
Not convinced enough yet? Did you know thereâs gonna be a whole lotta LORE to be seen? Little hints and puzzle pieces in dialogue and scenes that says âoh? well isnât That interesting hmm??â So far thereâs only 2 episodes up on the main youtube channel but ITS SO SO GOOD!! Itâs Zeurelâs and NeatoTito (the lovely co-creator and writer of the seriesâ¨) first series that theyâve just put out into the world!! Theyâre learning along the way of how to make each episode better than the last and MAAAN me being the animation fan i am, I just love seeing this series just being made!! In real time!!
But whew ahah yeah!! Itâs a show worth watching!
If you love space hi-jinks, charming and lovable characters, ANIMATION, unique character designs, Action!! And a story driven showâthen this little web series should be on your watchlist!
youtube
And heeeey if you got a few bucks to spare toooo, this show ainât easy to make! Like anything else, it costs a whole lotta moola!! Money!! Thereâs a link in the description of the video to the Monkey Wrench patreon and let me tell you as a patreon myself thereâitâs worth every penny man.
If you want to support a small indie animation like this one, or just wanna see more of this show like behind the scenes! heck! even get your name in the credits, go on and throw a buck! They need all the support they can get! (This of course if youâre able to!! Support the show any means as you can!! By spreading the word or just watching it over and over haha!)
Soooo in short!!
Watch Monkey Watch đ§
(I need more episodes guys PLEASE)
#I am so sorry for infodumping about my interests#it WILL happen again đ#iâm just so! very passionate about cartoons and animation in general urgh#ISKFLSFJFN BUT YEAH THIS DHOW#THIS FUNKY SPACE SHOW#is amazing#my review: it saved me from major art block!#and now i draw these silly guys EVERY DAY!! whew!!#monkey wrench talk#answered asks
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Do you like sci-fi and indie animation? Check out Monkey Wrench!
#monkey wrench#digital art#This series is very delightful and also in need of more attention!#Usually I would ramble about why love it - however I am going to go a little off the rails and talk about something else.#Namely that this is a gift for a very dear friend who loves this series a lot! One of my favourite people of all time!#Thank you for so many things. For keeping me going when times are dark. For sticking by in the hard times.#Thank you for the incredible soup and the fun moments! For the great recommendations on series.#I sometimes feel like I should thank the universe for letting our paths cross when they did.#It feels cheesy to say all this but I really am such a better person because of you.#Thank you for reading all my silly comics even though you have *no* idea what is going on in them. It means a lot.#My gift of a silly doodle and hopefully getting a few people to check out this show is not adequate to express my gratitude.#But hey - we've got the rest of our lives to keep saying thank you.#Love you lots mate. Can't say it enough B'*)
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"Do you trust me?"
"...What?"
"Do you trust me?"
"..."
"...Sure."
That video gave me psychic damage and I had to do something about it
#monkey wrench#Monkey Business#Aladdin#screenshot redraw#SA's Art#If you're wondering yes this is already an AU. Me and the besties talked abou it all day. We're not okay <3
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Lackadaisy Shop Talk - Monkey Wrench!
Shop Talk will be live this weekend with special guests Tito and Zeurel, creators of the amazing indie animated series Monkey Wrench!
Come chat with us about animation, and if you have questions, bring them along with you!
Sunday, September 17th 2pm PDT / 5pm EDT on the Lackadaisy YouTube Channel
#monkey wrench#lackadaisy#lackadaisycats#zeurel#neatotito#animation#indie animation#2d animation#podcast#shop talk
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a collection of a bunch of things i find cool
#silverware's art#this will NOT be fun to tag.#undertale yellow#ts!underswap#ts underswap sgt splosion#billie bust up#bbu dimitri#jevil deltarune#monkey wrench#scratch monkey wrench#phonegingi#dialtown#poppy playtime catnap#dee kennedy#dsaf#endacopia#bugbo#thomas flyswatter#tony the talking clock#dhmis#pastra#dreams of an insomniac#doai clyde#i think that's all???#it's kinda mid but like. i took a while so i'm gonna fuckin' post it-
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It's serious discussion time!
Seeing how the next ep of Monkey is 29 minutes long, will cost upwards of $75k (money I don't have), will take around 2 years AND seeing how poorly the previous ep has done I'm very much considering going a polished motion comic route.
It sucks, but my ambition for this series VASTLY outweighs my resources, and I'm not gonna lie, seeing how little attention it gets after pouring so much money, time and effort into it has led me recently into some seriously bad depression.
I think going the polished motion comic route would be best because; 1) I just don't have the money 2) It'll come out much faster 3) It's much more reasonable for my budget 4) I don't want to end up killing myself for this lol.
We'll still have voices, sound and music, just things'll be a bit animatic / comic book looking. Think that apirl fools vid but nicer looking~
and at the end of the day I just want to tell this damn story. If budget allows I could animate fights and what not, but for my physical and mental well being I think it best to go this way. If you guys have any inputs or thoughts about this, feel free to leave a reply.
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I started Monkey Wrench when it was like 5 chapters long and didn't have a dedicated following, and now it just updated, we're 21 chapters deep, and bee_my_girl is my personal jesus
#monkey wrench billford#ITS SO FUCKING GOOD GO READ IT NOWWWW#billford#gravity falls#fanfic#snare talks
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The god hunt/five sun theory started with "why are Tyneen's pirate crew and ship the same animals as Poseidon's court" and three months later it's at "I think Lariat is gonna (try to) kill everyone"
#I am starting to compile sources for everything I wanna write for the five sun theory#once ep 4 is out I'll be able to talk about a lot more characters#no idea if I wanna add lar tri and dead eye because the evidence I have for them is not. monkey wrench series content.#i guess i can do dead eye because robo western is public#but if i do i would have to talk about âď¸. BUT SHOULD I...#donkey stench#five sun theory#toasted texts
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What song would he sing? đś
#monkey wrench#shrike sanchez#art#artists on tumblr#zeurel#funny#meme#tumblr sexyman#music#the song i had in mind while making this was#talking in your sleep#but realistically#he wouldnât#heartbreaking đ#amii art
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i love this funky little freak
*squeezes him until he explodes*
#void keith talks#monkey wrench#indie animation#indie animated series#independent animated series#independent animation#cool shows#gif
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HATSUNE MIKU? Is that you?
Some Spark L's in Miku inspired outfits!
Bonus under read more
#Monkey Wrench#Monkey Wrench OC#MW OC#Spark L#My OC's#My Scribbles#Vocaloid#Okay. Context. Since that might be important#I was talking with some friends about our OC's and someone asks 'Is Spark L more like a Taylor Swift or Hatsune Miku pop star?'#We all agreed in a heartbeat. Hatsune Miku lol#And that's how I got this silly idea#Any excuse to put Spark in cute and fun outfits :')#The Bandito one was super last second and silly. I can't stop thinking about that Sonic outfit and thought this would be funny fndhcjd#Anyways friends if you're reading this thanks for the fun idea.#You also gave me an excuse to pull my Vocaloid playlist out of years of retirement bfndjfjdjd#Love you guys
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Consider.
Shrike Sanchez as a shittalking court jester.
Heâs basically the same as he already is, but now his suit has like harlequin patterns and heâs got a jesterâs hat.
#dougie rambles#personal stuff#shrike sanchez#monkey wrench shrike#shrike monkey wrench#monkey wrench#monkey wrench zeurel#web animation#indie animation#aliens#squid#cephalopod#octopus#jester#shit talking#court jester#harlequin#fool
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Went back to the merch ad vids, was pleasantly surprised to spot some foreshadowy bits in the bg (Sillhouettes of the Scratch and Scitch plushes, and a blurry photo of Lariat) but also, thereâs THIS
I haint been on tumblr for that long so idk if people have talked about this already or not, and the adâs been out for 3 months already, but I want to talk about it so I will.
I crudely traced over the overlayed bits that I could see, I could barely see shit. Cool lookin triangle robot, neat, but ALSO, thereâs a wrench in the corner.
And they��ve been hinting that the word Monkey Wrench has some level of plot signifigance. The wrench in the image isnt a monkey wrench, but wrench nonetheless, so that means something, idk.
The robot is also the same color as the monkey wrench in the logo, so maybe that also means something, but then again red and silver is a fairly common color scheme so I might be getting too deep into this.
Punti was talking about the inevitability of Scratchâs death in this shot, is that thing gonna kill Scratch? Is it gonna come after the MW crew too?
Am I overthinking the wrench? Maybe.
Are there currently enough clues to figure this out? Nope.
But I am very excited for whatâs to come!
#Monkey Wrench#Monkey Wrench Scratch#theory#if people HAVE talked about this could someone link me to those posts?#would love to see what other people think#indie cartoon#indie animation#I swear#if the wrench thing isnt that significant#and I spent 10 minutes overanalyzing a tool for nothing#I will cry#but hey I guess thatâs the tragedy of theories
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This might be their sweetest moment so far.
But, I can't say it feels deserved? At least, from what I gathered. This change of heart comes out of nowhere. I think it's incredible seeing Shrike try and show interest into something that Beebs enjoys. Not only that, he's getting to enjoy it himself as well. Something as simple as playing the guitar, only because he probably saw Beebs doing it and he decided he wanted to do it too, cause it's cool to him! But it also means something to Beebs, and Shrike was able to pick up on that, so he offered a time for the two of them to continue playing together. Shrike's shown to have little care for others so far. When the Lythops were murdered, he was shocked, but he was able to dismiss that part entirely the moment his ship got wrecked. As he said, that's when it became personal. He didn't care about the genocide he just witnessed anymore, that was secondary, if even a concern at this point. Beebs, however, as little as time as he had with the creatures-- Who he barely interacted with compared to Shrike, is haunted by this.
And Shrike dismisses these feelings, unintentionally perhaps, but he's still avoiding them. Despite the fact that, deep down, he does feel some remorse. But it's unclear if it's for this particular incident, or something else entirely.
I feel like it's just the subject of "regrets" that gets to him, rather than him feeling any consequences from leaving Punti and letting his family be turned to paste.
But regardless, although he doesn't care much, that doesn't mean he does not care at all for other people, nor is he "incapable" of caring. There's things he wishes he could take back, just like Beebs. How they cope with this, however, is entirely different. But I don't think this disagreement is used at all for this ep. You could argue it's because this episode is not about them, or Shrike, but about Beebs.
Beebs finding his own way to come to terms with what's happened, about his own regrets he isn't ready to speak of, perhaps accepting them, or allowing the possibility to accept, in some capacity. But not letting these stop him from continuing to seek out to do things right, not letting these regrets cloud his vision, prohibiting himself from caring anymore.
That's a sweet and incredibly powerful step to make, to continue to choose to be kind, to choose to love, no matter how many times it has hurt. To continue to lose people around you and still finding meaning in connections with others, no matter how brief.
It's a direct parallel to what Shrike is doing. Isolating these feelings from everyone, not confronting them, brushing them aside. "Things happen and there's nothing anyone can do about it, so why bother." It feels like this should've brought up a conflict of sorts between the two. But, it never does. The last segment should wrap this aspect about their relationship, at least for this episode. It should be the two of them agreeing there's things they don't want to talk about, Beebs choosing to give Shrike another chance. Even if they can't see things the same way, Beebs still trusts Shrike, he chooses to. He's seen he's not as cold as he wants to make himself out to be, and therefore chooses to spend part of his time with him, to get to know him. He's his friend, and there's so little they know about eachother, he wants to change that. Shrike, on a similar note, is incredibly excited to get to gush about one of his many terran interests. But he's always done that with Beebs, he's always given him the attention. This time, he wants to return the favor. But I'm only left wondering why. After their conversation on the bridge, Shrike is too busy bickering with Scratch and gushing over Terran stuff to have any more interactions with Beebs. During the rest of the epiosde, nobody but Beebs knows what's happening, and Shrike isn't the least bit concerned. Not even for the state of Beebs' hand.
So what made him change his mind? Why does now he care if he's bothering Beebs or not with his show?Maybe out of courtesy, because of what they just went through, to "give him a break". But that feels a bit too considerate of Shrike at this moment. It feels like I just missed a key scene that was meant to bring these issues to light, and them finding a solution to help the Agari. When Beebs can't play anymore, it should've been the moment where Beebs gets a true glimpse of who Shrike really is, the moment where he has to relay on him, unwillingly putting his trust in him to make things right in such a tense moment. But then realizes-- he can trust Shrike.
Shrike notices how nervous Beebs really is, that his arm has failed him, and all he wants is to play his guitar?! No, something else is going on, something Beebs can't explain at the moment but it means everything to him right now. And Shrike chooses to trust him and aid him. Friendship! It would've made more sense then, for Beebs to look at Shrike and say "We're getting there" when the Agari asked him if he had found his way yet.
It would've made this last interaction between Shrike n Beebs watching cartoons all the more powerful. Without a real disagreement, without a small conflict between the two. It's still a sweet moment... But it almost feels empty, there's no resolution behind it, no real meaning. It's just a "small bonding moment", and after everything that went down, it doesn't feel like that was the point.
I've rewatched this ep for a bit and, although I loved everything we got lorewise, and getting to see Beebs be the focus-- I don't think the emotional impact hit as hard as it wanted. I wish I could say I cared for the Agari as much as I did for the Lythops in a single episode, but I didn't. I wish I could say Beebs going from "He's my friendâŚOr something" to staring into the possibility of considering Shrike an actual friend, got to me. But, it didn't feel like anything happened to defy that in the first place.
So, what changed?
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I'm sure most people already know/noticed this, but I really like how the prophecy in the wall art in ep.2 is accurate to what happens in the episode
The "Striking Sun" is drawn specifically to resemble Agness, and it even shows Punti being weilded by Shrike like a sword.
I absolutely love the attention to detail that has been put into this series.
#monkey wrench#kie types#I'm talking about this show on my art blog bc it has more followers and it deserves more attention#kie being normal about media
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Insights Into "good" vs. "bad" Animation Rates & Why Animators Might Agree to Work for "low pay"
with the Discord screenshot going around from Spindlehorse Writer and Production Supervisor Adam Neylan revealing some rates they offer, i thought i'd give some insights into the complex topic of animation rates and animators as someone who has done animation work and had many a conversation with peers & mentors about what i should/shouldn't agree to when it comes to pay and productions.
to start with a general statement:
most of what i'm about to say can apply to any and all jobs. animation is not the only industry with low-paying jobs ppl still agree to work, and "currently, 30 states and Washington, D.C., have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour." that means 20 states still only pay $7.25/hour for minimum wage which is not livable, of course jobs in those states may offer more.
i do not say that to downplay or forgive poor wages, only to show animation isn't an isolated case, but it doesn't make it any less awful. and the tricky thing with animation/art is there are more factors to consider than a simple yes or no answer.
and, for your consideration, these are the wages listed by the Animation Guild, they are shown mostly by hourly and weekly rates, and range from $35-$57 per hour, and mainly apply to big studios. you can see wages from specific Big Studios on this page. including Bento Box whose wage minimums ranged from $22-$42 per hour depending on the job as of July 7th, 2023.
any opinions expressed in this post are my own or summarized from others i've spoken with, they're subject to change in the future as i learn more. the goal of this post is to be informative.
"why would an animator agree to a job paying low wages?"
needing the money no matter how poorly it pays and/or having a hard time finding work in the current state of the industry
plain old artistic passion (((they love the work or the project so much they want to be a part of it even if it means low pay)))
they want/need to build their portfolio or resume
they've been recommended to do it by a friend or mentor
they know the crew/studio provide a good work environment despite their low pay
they feel they can get the job done fast enough for it to be worth the pay
they have something else supporting them financially (another job, their family/spouse/partner, etc.) so they can afford to work a side gig for pocket change or just for fun
being a friend of the creator OR anyone on the production, leading to a desire to help out even if it means they wont be paid much
they live in an area of the US or another country that has a lower cost of living (((i.e. if your rent is $3000/mo VS. if your rent is $1000/mo)))
they agreed with the job/rate the employer/client initially offered them, but the employer/client changes or adds onto the job once production starts (((sometimes this can be a situation known as "job creep" where you agree to do one job, but later they ask you to take on responsibilities or "small tasks" from other jobs while only paying you for the one job.)))
on that last bullet you may be thinking... "well they should just quit then, why wouldn't they?" here's some reasons why, some are the same as above:
needing the money/not being able to find another job so badly they find a way to do whatever is asked of them
same plain old artistic passion mentioned above (((they want to see it through/complete the task/complete the vision even if it means they might experience stress or burnout)))
they have something else supporting them financially so doing more/extra work isn't a huge hinderance
they have friends on the production they may not want to "abandon" or "let down" OR, alternatively, having friends on the production makes the work easier to stomach
despite the extra work/low pay the work environment is enjoyable for one reason or another (community, support, fun, etc.)
fearing it could ruin their reputation as a worker / burn bridges with their connections on the production / limit their ability to get another job with the same studio or other studios later on
fearing saying "no" might breach their contract or agreed terms
not being experienced or confident enough to stand up for themselves in the workplace/not knowing their rights (this isn't uncommon, many people do not know the extent of their rights as a worker.)
"what makes an animation wage good or bad?"
this gets a bit trickier bc it is a complex subject that can change based on the project and your personal skills/needs as a worker.
"paid per second"
the "per second" wage is one that's used bc it's very easy for the client to plan their budget with. but it's been debated back-and-forth among workers whether or not it's "fair," especially if the client isn't open to discussion or willing to pay extra for exceptions.
some workers, even though they will agree to work for it, feel this method shouldn't be used bc there are factors it doesn't take into account, while other workers are fine with it.
the limitations of the "per second wage" are:
not every animator works at the same speed
if you're paid $35/second and 1 second takes you an hour to animate then you made $35/hour, but if 1 second takes you 3 hours you made only $11.66/hour, and so on. one might argue an animator simply needs to "improve" in order to make the same "worth" as their peers who work faster--but everyone works differently, and if an animator who works slower is good enough/a more thorough worker, they can still be preferred over a faster one.
it doesn't take revisions/retakes into account*
*this limitation can be remedied if the employer/client includes revision/retake rates or amounts, or is open to discussing extra pay for excessive revisions/retakes. revisions/retakes occur when someone in the pipeline (the lead, the supervisor, etc.) discerns that something was missed or needs to be improved / fixed in an animation. generally one or two small revisions (missing a line, there's a small area that didn't get colored, etc.) are not a big deal and can be fixed quickly. but if there are a multitude of revisions (multiple missing lines/color) or huge revisions (having to re-do an animation completely) that can create a bigger workload for the worker or whichever co-worker their work gets passed to. and you might think "well the error was the worker's fault therefore they shouldn't be paid to fix it" but it's a part of the job. no animator is perfect, and unless you're senior veteran Disney level you're going to get a few notes back. (even the veterans aren't perfect and get notes as well.) not to mention leads might disagree on what is or isn't a necessary fix or adjustment to make on an animation.
it usually is a flat rate that doesn't take complexity into account*
*this limitation can be remedied if the employer/client includes higher rates for more complex shots or is open to discussing a higher per-second rate for more complex shots or additional pay if the job becomes more work than previously thought but, for example, if everyone is being paid a flat $35/second rate no matter what and you get a shot where all you have to animate is a character taking a sip from a glass, but your co-worker has to animate a shot of a character doing crazy parkour, one is going to take longer than the other while getting the same amount of pay. if you complete yours in 2 hours you made $17.50/hour, if your co-worker completes theirs in 5 hours they only made $7.00/hour for a more complex shot.
so overall the "per second issue" has limitations but they can mostly be remedied if a client is open to discussing extra pay/higher rates when the workload exceeds the original agreement.
hourly rates are generally a more "financially secure" option for workers.
however hourly rates can get more expensive and are harder to plan a budget for, since everyone works at different speeds, thus why many clients, especially for productions with limited budgets such as indie, go for the "per second" rate.
job scope
this is where things get difficult to judge bc they vary depending on the production as well as your needs/availability/skills as a worker.
for the sake of example lets compare something that came up in discussion over the screenshot linked at the top of this post: Monkey Wrench's rate VS. Spindlehorse's rate.
breaking down the workload
generally speaking, most shots are only a few seconds. they tend to average around 2-8 seconds, but can be as long as 10+ seconds.
the last rate offered for Monkey Wrench's 3rd episode was $20.38/second, at that rate you could make anywhere from $40.76-$163.04 or $208.30+ per shot of completed roughs or completed clean-up.
at Spindlehorse's rate they chose for Hazbin Hotel's finale episode with A24 & Bento Box of $35/second you could make anywhere from $70.00-$280 or $350 per shot of completed roughs or completed clean-up.
is SH's more than MW in this case? yes. however, there are other factors to consider:
what was the framerate? (12 fps VS. 24 fps, etc.) (((how many frames get displayed per second)))
what were they animated on? (1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, etc.) (((this means how often you make a new drawing, 3s = a new drawing every 3 frames, 1s = a drawing on every frame. at 24 fps that's 24 frames in a second, on 3s that would be 8 drawings on 1s that would be 24 drawings.)))
how detailed are the characters/show style?
how complex is the movement?
how long did you have to complete the animation? (((if you have 1 week to complete an animation you will need to work more hours each day to complete it VS. if you had 2-3 weeks to complete the same one you could work less hours each day, maybe even take one off if you're working efficiently enough.)))
were you asked to take on a bigger workload than you signed on for? and did they offer to pay you the same or more for it?
how many revisions are included in your rate? what's the pay for additional revisions that aren't included in the rate?
was the workplace environment good or bad?
in other words, speaking hypothetically, if you have to animate several frames of detailed characters doing complex movements and you're asked to do more work than you agreed to in a bad work environment, making that $70-$350+ per shot is gonna suck and might cause you stress or even physical/mental harm from burnout that could hinder your ability to continue working...
...to the point that even if you still had to animate several frames of detailed characters doing complex movements, you may prefer to work the job that pays $40.76-$208.30+ per shot if, at the very least, it's a better workplace environment. although you may still choose to do work for the higher-paying job if you really need the money.
we can't make a super clear call on if SH or MW's wages are fair with all of the above factors bc they're either difficult or impossible to know unless we have worked, or hear from people who did work, on the productions themselves. however we *do* know that Adam Neylan claimed the animation for HH's finale episode would be "less intensive" in the screenshot linked at the top of this post, and at least one person who agreed to the offer received shots that were on 1s which *is* more intensive. (link to one other instance of this claim.)
budget / studio size
this topic also gets complicated as an employer/client doesn't typically tell you the exact budget they're working with and where all the money is going.
though they do tend to inform their workers with something like "we're working with a small/limited budget" or "we have plenty of budget" and all you can do is trust that they're being honest. however, indie productions like Lackadaisy and Monkey Wrench have been transparent about where their budget goes. (Lackadaisy budget, Monkey Wrench budget.) So far to my knowledge Spindlehorse has not. (as of making this post on 1/8/2024)
now first and foremost: yes, everyone deserves fair pay regardless of how big or small a client/studio is or how large or limited their budget is.
that being said, sometimes workers are willing to grant exceptions to smaller clients with smaller budgets, especially if they're passionate about the project, they have faith in their employer/client, or are having a hard time finding work and really need the money even if it's not a lot.
the reason many people are upset with the SH screenshot is that, while SH says they offer $60/second normally on Helluva Boss (which while on the better end of per-second rates is still not ideal), they can only offer $35/second, despite the fact they are doing work for A24 / Bento Box, with Bento Box usually offering minimum wages of $22-$42 PER HOUR depending on the job (page 4).
whereas for a much smaller indie project like Monkey Wrench, workers might be more forgiving when most of the money comes straight out of Zeurel's own pocket, as well as the fact that Zeurel does a lot of the animation himself.
and while SH pays much more per second for their indie show compared to Monkey Wrench, SH may have much more money coming in from views & merch sales, they also have much more heavily detailed characters. (in other words an animator might be willing to agree to less pay per second if the characters aren't very detailed or aren't doing a lot of complex movement.) that doesn't mean it's "good" that MW can only afford to pay $20/second, but some workers may be more forgiving given the circumstances.
what if some people are saying they had a good time working on a project while others are saying they didn't?
in relation to everything i've already stated above, the personal experience one has working on a production is equally varied.
generally speaking there are few projects who come out with a fully satisfied crew. there will almost always be at least one worker who had a bad time.
when considering if someone's bad experience is a sign of a bigger issue on a production you have to use your best discretion and accept you may not be able to make a clear call for sure until more information comes out.
sometimes people are telling the full truth of their personal experience, and the workplace *is* bad. other times they're telling the full truth of their personal experience but the factors that caused their bad experience were specific to them/their life, and the place they worked *might* be good for a majority of people.
on the flip side...
use caution when you see the "well *I* had a good time" or "well they were nice to *me*" defense
while numbers can be good (such as if more people are saying good things than bad things) one still has to be wary of confirmation bias as well as why someone might not speak up about a bad experience.
for confirmation bias; someone simply declaring that they had a good time on a production/with a creator insinuating that therefore others couldn't have had a bad time is, simply put, naĂŻve. not to mention disrespectful and ignorant.
example: a group of people can go to the same party where one has a bad time and the rest have a good time. that doesn't mean the party was undeniably good. the party was a different experience for all of them. the host can potentially do something different at the next party to make it better for the one who had a bad time, or that person may decide not go to those parties anymore. if multiple people had a good experience at the party, then sure it's more likely it was "good" by majority, and more people should go--however there could still be an unseen problem such as "the host frequently attempts to get unwilling people drunk," and only a small handful of people have experienced or witnessed it. that's a problem that needs to be fixed, but the majority of party-goers might object to this because they "can't believe it's true, I had such a good time, the host is so nice, & he's never done anything like that to me." yet something bad still happened to a small handful of people and it needs to stop happening.
so, why would someone not speak up if they *did* have a bad experience? here's a few reasons:
they want to move on to other things in their life
they want to avoid getting involved in drama or making a stir even if they had a bad time
they could be afraid speaking up will make it look like they are "taking a side" on something that will cause friction and/or rejection from their peers or friends they don't want to lose
they could be afraid it'll affect their reputation as a worker, or burn bridges with their connections
they could be afraid of the response they'll get from the public (such as being blamed, ignored, invalidated, harassed, etc.)
they signed an NDA and/or are afraid of breaching a contract
should someone accept a low-paying job just for the "good opportunity" alone?
that is completely up to an individual's choice and varies greatly.
personally, i don't believe you should ever *tell* someone to go for something beyond the shadow of a doubt *just* for the opportunity alone, not unless you've taken into consideration the facts of the opportunity *and* the facts of an individual's availability/skills/life situation as well.
sure, "work at Disney" sounds like it's a good opportunity that anyone should take no matter what.
but, if Disney's paying pennies for the opportunity, and an individual isn't ready, doesn't have support, doesn't feel confident about the job or their ability to commit to it, then it isn't a good opportunity for them. you could uproot your entire life for a "good opportunity" only to discover you weren't cut out for it or it didn't lead anywhere. at the end of the day jumping for an opportunity is always a gamble even if it's a gamble that is tilted in your favor.
of course, i also believe sometimes you have to take a risk, sometimes mistakes happen, and you can still learn a lot from "failed opportunities." if it doesn't work out it isn't the end of the world bc you learned more about yourself/the job in the process and you can still pick your life back up. i just don't believe in making uninformed gambles just for the sake of a vague "opportunity," i believe you should consider all the available information before taking a leap.
whether or not something is a "good opportunity" depends on if it's worth it to you and/or you feel confident enough in your availability and skills to do the job even if it isn't going to pay much.
closing remarks
i think that's about all i can say on it, i know it was a lot of information (it's hard to simplify) so thank you truly if you read it all and i hope it was helpful and informative.
the topic of fair pay in animation is an on-going conversation with a lot of opinions and a lot of factors to consider, especially with the rise of interest in indie animation. everyone, including myself, should stay open to this conversation and avoid drawing hard lines in the sand of what is or isn't "fair" unless there is an obvious problem.
personally, due to the claims we've seen over time, i do feel there may be a problem at SH that needs to be reviewed in order for them to be a healthier and ultimately more productive/efficient studio.
i also think it'd be great if indie productions in general could pay more, but the reality is it just isn't there yet, and some animators are willing to deal with it for the sake of their passion or bc they really need the work no matter what.
if you have any questions or confusion about anything i talked about in this post, feel free to shoot me an ask.
ty again for reading.
#industry talk#spindlehorse critical#vivziepop critical#animation industry#indie animation#monkey wrench mention
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