Am i wasting my contractors time?

Discussion in 'I wanna be a Game Artist!' started by MiSSiSSiPPiDiCK, Jun 11, 2011.

  1. MiSSiSSiPPiDiCK

    MiSSiSSiPPiDiCK Lurker Not From Round Here

    I am a student animator(a senior) and I scored my first bit of work, a contract for some character animation. I am 3 days into it and I've completed about 16 seconds of raw key-framed animation. I feel like this is intolerably slow. To my credit I am working with a very peculiar and purpose specific rig built by a company I like to call macroshaft(they're publishing in this case, the rigs "special-purpose" is not key-framing).

    Am I blowing huge amounts of time for what I've completed? How long should it take an animator to complete 4 second cycle?
     
  2. yaustar

    yaustar Industry Professional One Of Us

    As long as you are completing all the work within your contractors conditions, then I don't see a problem.
     
  3. Mouseshadow

    Mouseshadow Some days even my lucky rocketship pants dont help One Of Us

    Yeah, if the time will allow it, then doing the best job should trump all other considerations - this is what's going to be in your portfolio. If time doesn't allow, then look for how corners can be cut - cut'n'paste animations where they won't be noticed. NB. I'm not an animator but I'm sitting right behind a very senior experienced animator and from what he says, the time given to do x seconds of animation varies hugely between different companies. Get good first, then get fast.

    Congratulations on getting a gig.
     
  4. sjaak

    sjaak Lurker Not From Round Here

    Yeah I totally agree with the previous posters. It really depends on the wishes of your client, how much detail is needed, style, etc. From what I have heard a Pixar animator might have a week for like 4 seconds, but Pixar would be an extreme example :)

    Maybe you can ask your boss directly what his expectations are?
     
  5. MiSSiSSiPPiDiCK

    MiSSiSSiPPiDiCK Lurker Not From Round Here

    but i'm a dude and asking would be showing weakness!

    They extended the contract so I must be doing all right.... I am extremely stoked about that.

    I'll end up having a lot of content in this thing... and I really want to rant about this stupid rig I have to work with but I would rather it be in private forum land.

    anyway, thanks for the vindication.
     
  6. thegreatpretender

    thegreatpretender Lurker One Of Us

    Excuse me? Worrying about "showing weakness" would be weakness.

    Carefully managing a relationship (certainly including time frames: start, stop, how far when etc.) is part of being a good professional. These kind of things need to be locked down before you start, so both parties have a fair chance of knowing what is expected.

    Managing expectation pretty much dictates how people feel about the end-result.
     
  7. Rusty_Nutz

    Rusty_Nutz BANNED One Of Us

    Holy Necrothread Batman!

    I think he might be finished by now ;)