Moho Forum

We are based near Los Angeles, California, and desperately need an animator who is well-experienced with Anime Studio 5 - to create a short - 5 min. animated sequence based on a given script. It's a simple folk story, nothing fancy, fairly simple. We already recorded voice-over & music.

Need to start today ! Deadline: March 20, 2008 ! Yes, you got it right.

So get in touch, even remotely, let's see if you can do this, we have a bunch of in-house after-effects and others, but no AS artists.

Please only respond if you have work done in AS to show.

Thanks!

Dalit Fresco
Thousand Oaks, California

dalitfresco@mac.com

So let's see - you have 5 min of animation due on March 20. That's 11 days from now on. Are the characters already created and properly rigged in AS? Is the soundtracked chopped down in separate files for each scene? Are the .dat files for lipsync already done? Is there a storyboard? How many characters are in that film?

Assuming that all of this work is done and without mistakes - then it could be done even by just one animator - I have done that. I'd charge 2000.- € per minute because it's a rush job.

I am a little more aware of this project since I received an email about it.

The AS prep-work is not started yet: I suspect that if the deadline is to be met, it will need the work being divided up amongst a team of available animators: Considering its the weekend, and no decision will probably ne made until Monday, that shaves another two days off the timescale. Allowing another two days for rendering, the edit and the M&E, that means the 5 minutes will have to be done in 5 days.

It's do-able but not by one person. I can create capacity here over the next week by dropping everything to get this job out.

Dalit needs to say how much is available for peoples time.

Rhoel

Yeah it's do-able but everything would have to be dropped like Rhoel said. It would cost a pretty penny to do this in the expected time frame.

If you get some more people to help I would definately like to be involved. All my work is on hold for the next few weeks so I can spend 8 hours a day on it (uh... 15 hours a day? )

Everyone so far is correct. Designing and rigging is a huge job by itself. How many characters? How many backgrounds, props, etc etc. Do they need side views, 3/4 views for each character? etc etc etc...

Anyway... can't do it by myself in that short time frame... maybe I could... but without knowing specifics it would be tough to be sure.

-vern

Five minutes in five days???

we have a bunch of in-house after-effects and others,

It seems someone bought AS pro and thought that software can be learned overnight.

With out knowing what's involved? Dalit, everyone is going need to see script, and what blocking and artwork (or descriptions of artwork you want).


Dale

dueyftw wrote:It seems someone bought AS pro and thought that software can be learned overnight.

My understanding is they originally thought this was going to be an illustration only project, then discovered late in the day it had to be animated.

Oh, clients that forget to mention the little small details, got to love them or dump them.

Dale

That happened to me some years ago.

I worked for an advertising agency and one of our clients wanted a huge cd rom interactive project done (back when... interactive cds were cool and the internet was slow and boring).

The account exec never talked to me or anyone about how much it would cost. He just made up a price... $16,000. I was never told the budget. I was just told to get it done and do whatever the client wanted. When the client started shipping over bankers boxes filled with all the content to be on the CD I started getting worried and asked about the budget but no one said anything.

Well... much later... about $70,000 later...

... I get called into a big meeting about how we are more than $50,000 over budget and whose fault was that etc etc... My excuse of not knowing what the budget was, was not acceptable. I didn't need to know the budget I was just suppose to get the job done. If I thought it would cost that much I should have said something . When I mentioned that I did say something, they said I didn't say it loud enough or often enough.

Then... they dropped the BIG ONE. Apparently that $16,000 budget include a web site! The account exec told the client that they (me) could just "push a button" and instantly turn the cd into a web site... included in the same budget.

I got really upset and kept asking if anyone knew where this magic button was located. Was it something we could buy? Did he keep it in the glove compartment of his car? Where was this button?

As it turned out... the client wasn't stupid. They KNEW the price was way too low and took advantage of it. They kept asking for more and more and more. They thought they won the lottery or something.

Needless to say... as project manager I was the scape goat and was fired after the project was completed. They didn't really fire me... I was allowed to quit. Same difference. They gave me $8,000 severance pay and I started my home business.

The final CD looked fantastic. It had videos, animated globes a really cool interface all done in MM Director (remember that?).

<sigh>

-vern

This project seems to have gone quiet - unless they have rescheduled their deadline, I think we have passed the can-do start and still delivery date.

Pity, it looked like fun.

Rhoel

I actually talked to the guy on the phone. I won't explain the project itself as it's not mine but it did sound pretty cool. But I haven't heard from him since last weekend. Not sure what happened to him.

Same with me, no reply since I've sent him a detailed calculation.

slowtiger wrote:Same with me, no reply since I've sent him a detailed calculation.

When I was an independent consultant (programming or writing) that would happen occasionally. Usually meant that either they decided that the cost of losing the contract was less than the cost of completing it - or the boss found out that the project manager wasn't going through the normal company channels.

If the latter case, the work may still show up - but of course with that many fewer days to get the job done (since clients don't seem to think start dates should affect delivery dates)

If the latter case, the work may still show up - but of course with that many fewer days to get the job done (since clients don't seem to think start dates should affect delivery dates)

Oh man! I have that argument all the time. Since I work through a "middle man" I don't have direct access to "the client". They drag their feet at the beginning and still always expect it to be "on time".

I keep telling "my boss" he has to tell the client that the deadline can't be maintained if they don't follow the schedule... or... they will have to pay more. He actually believes that a deadline is a deadline and a budget is a budget no matter who or what changes things. Very annoying.

I remember the funniest conference call where the client was furious that a project wasn't done yet...

Client: "Why isn't this done? It was suppose to be done yesterday! What's going on!"
My Boss: "Uh... there are 10 charts. You never gave us the data for the charts."
Client: "........ <total silence>......"
Client: "Oh right, the charts! Let me get on that."

That was more than 3 months ago and we still don't have the charts. So much for deadlines.

p.s. I still think this could be pulled off. They better hurry I may get busy soon.

-vern

This is old, old news to almost all of you, but there may be someone out there who has not yet heard about the triangle of death.

As in: you can have it "fast" OR "cheap" OR "good."

Those three aspects of work make the "triangle."

Sometimes, you MIGHT be able to deliver two out of these three.

When the artist delivers all three to the client--and it happens pretty frequently--then, the artist is cheating himself, and is therefore a fool.

In any event: any client who expects all three is TROUBLE.

Run away from this triangle of death.

Run ! Run ! Run !