Big Flash Animation Project

[swcAndrew]

Hello FK,

Looking for a talented, loyal and hard working individual that is looking to make some money.

I am representing a client who is looking to animate their children's book series.

The budget for this project is $8,000 for the first assignment. In order to apply for this job, you must meet the requirements below.

1. Must be fluent in English
2. Must be dedicated and available
3. Must be creative
4. Must have previous animation experience

To be reviewed for this job, please send a link 2-3 second looped animation of the main character Gopher as well as a portfolio to:
sales[ at ]impressiveclick.com. Please see the images below:

Gopher - Main Character:


Cover:


I look forward to your entries, details on the job will be sent on entry. This job will also lead to future work.

-IC

[theanimators]

Please delete my post right here. Thanks

[swcAndrew]

Thank you everyone who has placed entries so far. I am still accepting applications, so be sure to get those emails in, even if you are still working on the 2-3 second loop. Thank you!

[theanimators]

Thank you everyone who has placed entries so far. I am still accepting applications, so be sure to get those emails in, even if you are still working on the 2-3 second loop. Thank you!

Hi. Could you please at least let us know if there is a deadline for this project and what date? there are a lot of us who have worked really hard on this sample. Are we all going to be waiting 6 months, a year or what? I'm sure we all would like to know something so we don't waste anymore time if it is a waste, because we all know that time is money, and we are doing this for free! Thanks

[whispers]

a word of caution on posts like this..

IMHO, I NEVER do work or 'tests' that have to do with a new/current project of a client.

I will send them past links of work I have done..but never do 'free work' (ie: the job they posted about) FIRST..and then hope to be considered for the project.

(works already been done)


Im not even sure if this post is 'acceptable' ... it doesnt seem to be 'on par' by asking you to do work on their material/resources BEFORE singing a contract for the job.


But this is also a lesson for you developers. DONT BE SILLY with your time/work..

as a general rule, in MY experience..

posts that make it a point to tell you 'this can lead to future work'......etc..etc

is either a scam or wont pay alot.



posts that want you jump through hoops by doing work up front or taking tests (that arent general skill/knowledge tests) are also the same.. want to take your work, ideas or both.. any competent company/manager should be able to judge your skill set off the work you have done in the past or whats in your portfolio.. (thats why its important to keep them up to date with quality work)..


I suppose you have book name and author..you can always follow up to see if anythign was used without permission.

[swcAndrew]

Thank you Whispers for your good advice.

Fortunately, this is not a scam. The budget for this project is realistic. I am not asking for free work, please all animators place a watermark on your work!

It may be a waste a time if you are not considered, but all I am asking for is a 2-3 second loop, is that really waste of your day? 5-15 minutes max? I am not looking for free work, but as an experienced web developer I can't stand hiring people who have nice portfolios and when hired can't produce the quality I am looking for. So to be honest the person whose time is being wasted is mine.

Welcome to the new age of freelance, for example websites like 99designs.com which all of the designers only get paid if there work is picked. This is a serious job and if you want to play it safe than listen to whispers, I honestly don't blame you, but if you want to take a few minutes out of your day and apply what exactly are you risking?

Have a happy holiday season!

[swcAndrew]

Hi. Could you please at least let us know if there is a deadline for this project and what date? there are a lot of us who have worked really hard on this sample. Are we all going to be waiting 6 months, a year or what? I'm sure we all would like to know something so we don't waste anymore time if it is a waste, because we all know that time is money, and we are doing this for free! Thanks

Looking to get started within a few months. Full details will be sent to the applicant chosen. Lets be professional here, the animator will only be chosen based upon skill.

Thank you.

[whispers]

Im not saying/implying YOUR post is a scam.. just general 'rule of thumb' ..

I doubt you think/are saying scams and posts of this nature (scamming type) do NOT exist? They are abundant, everywhere..and we try to throttle the BS here to look out for our members..and future job posters.

And if people WANT to send free work...then they can.. (but dont come complain here..everyone has already been warned/advised I suppose)

As for your 'new age' of freelance.. bleh!.. (pass).. thats not how "I" get down..nor would I ever. I think most professional designers would agree.

I am fast, and Im cheap (you can ask anyone Ive done work for)...and all my work is TOP NOTCH..

however working for free isnt something Id ever entertain.

And I dont mimic your sentiments on your time being wasted.. if YOU chose a wrong developer.. its due to proper research or due diligence. However you feel that you have found a solution that works best for you.. ask for free samples.

the blurred line is asking someone to create/do work on a current project..instead of maybe a generic test or other ways of measuring ones CURRENT skill set.

The posts reads like:

Im looking for a REAL good painter to paint my bedroom..

I want everyone interested to come over.. paint my room..if I like what you've done..I'll pick you. (obviously the work is done)..


back on topic:

8k budget.. what does this entail? (Animate a book)

how many pages?
are the animations interactive?
is this storyboard type?

what requirements need to be satisfied to consider the job 'completed'?
when is the deadline for this project?

Is chosen for the job, do you do half up-front, rest upon completion?
I mean the freelancer took a leap of faith/trust by sending you their work... do you return the favor of trust? by securing the developer?

Are there any other contract details you do/use that need to be discussed?


Thanks

[swcAndrew]

Whispers: I am not disagreeing with you on what you are saying at all. I have been there many times where I wasted my time on a promising project. I work with $x,xxx-$xx,xxx clients everyday and you can't honestly tell me that I just show them my website/portfolio and I am chosen? I have to spend all day typing up a proposal, giving them references, creating examples, phone conferences and half the time I don't even get the job. That is a waste time, I agree but it is something I have to do unless I want to go back to making $500 for the same amount of work. Bigger jobs have bigger requirements. I am not asking you to do the job for me and than I will the person who does it best, I just can't waste my time with someone who is uncapable of providing the skill I desire. You can be really good at animating a man walking, but be lousy at animating a dog walking. It is not really the same thing to come over and paint a room when all that really changes with painting a room is the color used.

I don't disagree with your warning and I am not asking FK to disregard it either, just letting you know that not the whole world is a scam and that not everything your applying is fully accurate.

I don't like to post details about a project on a public website because it is public.

8k-10k budget - entails a skilled animator to create short cutscenes for an interactive children's website. Visitors will be able asked decision based questions to give kids the ability to learn right from wrong in a fun way. The animation will be required to animate looped characters and cut scenes based upon the actions of the kids. This budget is for the first book which is about 20 pages.

Documents required would be a signed proposal for the declared price and that will include full job details as well as generic legal declarations stating you can't steal ideas or re-sell any artwork used, etc, etc.

Thank you.

[whispers]

I agree with you..and your post still stands.. by as a general 'rule' here.. we usually outline (and try to educate) the freelancers on how to protect themselves.. or 'really'..just being 'smart'..

I (again) agree with you.. you DO need to put in the effort..sometimes more than other times if you want that job.. you DO have to 'sell yourself' (so to speak) to relay that you ARE the correct guy for the job..and more than just your portfolio..

but 9/10.. I gotta say your portfolio will get you in the door..and that first chance to sell yourself.


but we're also not in a face to face reality here..for a full time position.

This is the internet, you need to always think ahead (for both employees and employers.......like your doing on you end to ensure quality..etc)

I know sometimes ou cant post many details..but some are required here..and more appreciated. We do this not only so YOU can find a freelancer that fits YOUR needs..but also lets the freelancer know if he/she even WANTS to do this type of project..

Like you said.. maybe they only want to animate humans..but your project requires animals animated.. or maybe they only have enough time to fit in a 10 page project.. but yours in 100 pages long..etc.. (make sense?)


I mean Im trying to not only enlighten people on better strategies for freelancing (both parties).. but point out the specifics in THIS thread as well..

so some are general rules to apply to all posts here (which you may or may not have satisfied)..and some are specific to your post (and the comments added here)

In the end.. I believe you have added info for freelancers, straightened up some un-clear things..

and added some 'pre-requisites' that you feel are needed.


its also up to the developers to understand this and either accept or deny the rules on how you plan on conducting 'interviews'.

if they are worried abotu sending in work and not being picked.. at least you have been up-front and the choice is there..

splitting hairs on whos time is wasted or if it was wasted at all, seems to be the wrong place in this forum.

NDA & non-competes are good to know.

Thanks

[theanimators]

See the thing is this. Most people don't realise how much hard work it takes to do animations, yes it can be fun but lots of hard work and staying up all night even to do 2-3 seconds...well I should say good animations, and we all know time is money. I just put a $500 job on hold to work on my sample because I wanted this project that bad. I even made my sample over 15 seconds and worked my butt off to get this project. What I don't understand is why does this have to be a contest?
I have had my own animation business for almost 6 years now and clients see my skills on my website so they hire me. Maybe this thread should be titled Contest. It feels more like a contest to be on the Fox network or something. I just didn't know this was going to be a huge competition you know?

[swcAndrew]

See the thing is this. Most people don't realise how much hard work it takes to do animations, yes it can be fun but lots of hard work and staying up all night even to do 2-3 seconds...well I should say good animations, and we all know time is money. I just put a $500 job on hold to work on my sample because I wanted this project that bad. I even made my sample over 15 seconds and worked my butt off to get this project. What I don't understand is why does this have to be a contest?
I have had my own animation business for almost 6 years now and clients see my skills on my website so they hire me. Maybe this thread should be titled Contest. It feels more like a contest to be on the Fox network or something. I just didn't know this was going to be a huge competition you know?

I understand your point, but you can't expect me to hire the first person that sends me an e-mail. Any work you do in life is competitive. It's like saying you send a resume in and expect to get the job just because you handed it in. This isn't an application for McDonalds.

I haven't made a decision yet and I don't plan on making that decision for a few weeks. Best of luck to anyone who is interested.

[theanimators]

I understand your point, but you can't expect me to hire the first person that sends me an e-mail. Any work you do in life is competitive. It's like saying you send a resume in and expect to get the job just because you handed it in. This isn't an application for McDonalds.

I haven't made a decision yet and I don't plan on making that decision for a few weeks. Best of luck to anyone who is interested.

Well to each's own. I never said that I expected you to hire the first person that sends you an email but if that a person has made an amazing, high quality animation and even went the extra mile in putting in extra work and even making it longer that it was suppose to be, the least you could do is hire them or give them a friendly thank you. I mean gosh..are you waiting for a thousand animators to send in samples before you decide? WOW..this is starting to sound like it should be $80,000.00 instead of just $8000. And there is no need to compare animation work to flipping some burgers, animation is lots of hard work and being creative. Plus being hired at McDonald's is a job, I don't work for nobody, I work for my self, this is my company, I would just be doing freelance work for you anyway.

Well next time you should really explain in more detail on what this is all about and title your posting "CONTEST". If I knew it was going to take weeks for you to decide who will be creating this project and if I knew this was a huge contest I would have not even wasted my time.

Sorry but this doesn't sound too professional to me. Also please email the animators and let them know something...just a little advice for ya!

And one last thing. I would advise that you be a little nicer and not be so rude. Your pretty much acting like you own the forum. I wouldn't even work for Seth Mcfarlane if he had an attitude like that! Good luck in finding an animator to put up with that!

[swcAndrew]

Well to each's own. I never said that I expected you to hire the first person that sends you an email but if that a person has made an amazing, high quality animation and even went the extra mile in putting in extra work and even making it longer that it was suppose to be, the least you could do is hire them or give them a friendly thank you. I mean gosh..are you waiting for a thousand animators to send in samples before you decide? WOW..this is starting to sound like it should be $80,000.00 instead of just $8000. And there is no need to compare animation work to flipping some burgers, animation is lots of hard work and being creative. Plus being hired at McDonalds is a job, I don't work for nobody, I work for my self, this is my company, I would just be doing freelance work for you anyway.

Well next time you should really explain in more detail on what this is all about and title your posting "CONTEST". If I knew it was going to take weeks for you to decide who will be creating this project and if I knew this was a huge contest I would have not even wasted my time.

Sorry but this doesn't sound too professional to me. Also please email the animators and let them know something...just a little advice for ya!

This is getting immature. Only serious contenders please apply.

[MyFriendIsATaco]

I want to butt in and agree with swcAndrew. In the real world, jobs are not just handed to the first person to respond.

In the real world, a few weeks decision time is amazingly quick. In a company, we work with a client for at least a month usually just on negotiations and geting things finalized. It's just what we do. Writing proposals, selling ourselves, etc. If you think that everyone is just going to hand things to you based on past experience, you're wrong. If things were that easy, I'd be a millionaire by now.

@theanimators, if you expect to actually make it anywhere, you're going to need to lose the immaturity and attitude with the professionals here. You're unexperienced, and it shows. Which, is fine. Just learn to adapt and grow, instead of trying to insult the others that are trying to help you out. And for your reference, you should be extremely thrilled to land an $8,000 animation job if your portfolio is anywhere near up to date.

[whispers]

This thread is CLOSED..

the topic/thread still stands.. as I havent seen any proof/exposure to 'scamming' of any kind.


The OP was upfront about the requirements/hoops you must go through to attain this job...

If you dont like it.. move on..and dont 'apply'.

Communication is KEY on both parts... I would thinm its even MORE important when you are asking for 'work' to be done up front..instead of basing things of existing work.

IMHO....it would have been best to seek freelance work...and based on the resumes and portfolios you get.. make a first round cut..and people you are SERIOUSLY interested in and have them do animated short based on the requirements for your client.

The 'only' thing that rtubs a little funny with the OP's post is asking for current work to be done before being hired.

Some may see it as 'weeding out the capable'... "I" see it as unnecessary work for people.

Im not saying you dont need to communicate and 'work' for getting a getting any gig...

But as Matt puts it.. and what is happening here.. (I feel) are two separate things.

Your not working on building a relationship.. your sending your hard work off, randomly, without any feedback or communication.

either way the OP was upfront so there shouldnt be any crying.


thread closed. contact OP through contact info.