Page 1 of 2

Volunteer your work for Virgin's new online music show

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 6:18 pm
by VirginBob
Hi, I'm one of the producers of Virgin's new global online music show Red Room.

The show is aiming to be community-based and feature lots of user-generated content.

Each week we feature new titles to go over new title music supplied by unsigned bands wanting a bit of exposure.

So-oooo - we are on the look out for animators who want to create a 4-8 second title sequence in turn for full credit and something to add to your showreel.

Sorry we can't pay you - but we've hardly any money oursleves right now to produce the show!

The show has just started so it's early days but we are aiming to get it shown around the world on different Virgin platforms as well as YouTube etc

If you're up for it - let me know!

To prove I'm real - here we are:

http://www.virgin.com/music/red-room/rr ... r-a-friend

Re: Volunteer your work for Virgin's new online music show

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 9:34 am
by rylleman
VirginBob wrote:...
So-oooo - we are on the look out for animators who want to create a 4-8 second title sequence in turn for full credit and something to add to your showreel.

Sorry we can't pay you - but we've hardly any money oursleves right now to produce the show!
...
Isn't Virgin one of the largest music companies of the world? To ask for free work in that position sounds greedy to me. Call a school and get an intern if you can't afford to pay people for their work.

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:40 am
by jahnocli
Go rylleman! It's a bit cheeky to place this post in "Jobs" as well -- you get paid for doing jobs - that's how it works...

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:49 pm
by PARKER
I dont want to be rude but dont expect users work for you for free, please offer some money.

Deal

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:36 pm
by jwlane
Please communicate to Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson that I will provide animation services for this amount: a sum equal to Sir Richard's average restaurant bill, including liquor and champagne. I suspect that is equivalent to $500 (US) per second.

Deal?

Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:13 am
by F.M.
That's how the rich get richer, by having their workers work for peanuts!

Correction

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:48 pm
by jwlane
I stand corrected per Cartoon Brew, and allow me to extend due credit to Slow Tiger. Sir Richard is no longer connected with the Virgin recording label. So, insert the current CEO name into my offer. Are we now down to $350 per second? Please advise.

New Catagory

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:09 pm
by jwlane
Maybe I should apologize for an earlier post (not this thread) about a new category for 'work for free' pitches. I may have seemed excessively terse or cynical. Beyond issues of attitude and on to practicality, someone at Cartoon Brew also mentioned the need for a separate area for 'work for free' pitches at this Anime Studio forum. It's fair, and if posters feel stigmatized by being placed into that category, well it really is their problem.

On the flip side, if a student wants to volunteer to help with a project that they really find some interest in, there's nothing wrong with that. But, those pitches shouldn't be listed together with actual commercial offers.

Not really off topic: did anyone else see the documentary The Yes Men? The point was made that globalization offers a labor dynamic that is more cost effective than slavery. You have to feed and provide some kind of shelter for slaves. The Yes Men gave presentations at economic conferences in the EU, the US and OZ. Amazingly, they were never apprehended as gorilla activists, which they are. On the contrary, many of the attendees seemed quite interested in their cost saving ideas.

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:05 pm
by jahnocli
I agree -- there should be a forum category for Voluntary Work. Personally, I have never understood why "SPAM Bucket" is a public category; why not just have it as an unseen receptacle to tip all the spam crap into, and replace it with a Voluntary topic area?

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:08 pm
by dueyftw
Maybe I should apologize for an earlier post (not this thread) about a new category for 'work for free' pitches.
No you should not. Only the complete newbie doing animation may have no clue on the amount of work is involved. But because there seems to be no end of the amount of animation that is out there clients seem to think that it only takes a minimum amount of effort and time to animate. VirginBob is a 'client' (someone who I work for) trying to get animators to work for free so he can make a profit from their work. VirginBob and all like him should be treated as badly as possible.

Dale

Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:46 am
by VirginBob
point taken guys - I posted here coz there was no 'volunteer' work thread - hence I put 'volunteer' in the subject line.

we asked a bunch of animators upfront if they thought it was a good idea to go down this route to begin with and they agreed - hence we already have a bunch of titles

our aim is to provide unestablished animators with a platform and to give someone a break - maybe students or recent graduates who haven't yet had anything published, or people doing it in their spare time

we wouldn't expect heaps of established, employed animators to offer their work for nowt when they can otherwise get paid for everything they do

and we literally have no more budget as yet - as you can tell from the rest of the production values! I edit bits of the show myself at evenings and weekends on my mac and I'm no professional film editor...

at the moment the unsigned bands provide their music for free and the bedroom bloggers provide their features for free - it's the only way we could get this off the ground

And as for the point about making a profit, errr - we don't. This isn't a money making venture.

When I started off I had to work for nowt to get a foot in the door and this seems to be okay for some I guess

However I understand if you disagree - grateful for the feedback and maybe we need to rethink our tactics...

Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 12:30 pm
by Rhoel
VirginBob wrote:However I understand if you disagree - grateful for the feedback and maybe we need to rethink our tactics...
I think the fundamental problem is animation is the most expensive and time consuming form of filming ever invented. From experience of generating title sequences for UK broadcaster, I know the weeks of work which goes into design, testing and broadcast conforming.

What might have been a better approach it to take the Cartoon Network/MTV approach and say "Guys, here's our logo, go play with it": This would have saved much time and kick-started the process: I suspect it would have generated more results and less negative remarks.

Most of us do work on development ideas and experimental techniques - having a template which we know we can play with legally will kill two birds with one stone. If a test works and looks good, then we have a place to show it.

Give us a 1920 * 1080 image to use as the end position target and then we can play. That way, you may well end up with several sequences, some of which might even cut together.

Rhoel

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 2:35 pm
by sbtamu
Whats with the dog food?

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:51 pm
by jahnocli
Spam for dogs.

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:57 pm
by muffysb
I wonder why they emphasize that the food is stored in a "spacious" warehouse. Is it "free range" dog food? Is it happier because it has a little legroom?