Live Music for the Masses

A while back I posed a question in a post about spec work for a collective that would be comprised of animators and AE artists that would do spec work in order to get projects and make some extra cash. This is not it, but it seems that Mass Animation is doing something of the same vein. Recently, Mass Animation sent out via Facebook an offer for animators to submit segments for an upcoming short film called “Live Music” which will be shown with the animated feature “Planet 51”. Basically Mass Animation broke down the traditional and current process/business model of animation into a more democratization of animation, meaning they took submissions and they were voted on and then included into the short. Thousands of designers/animators entered and only 51 or so got in and not only got a screen credit/resume point but $500, which hardly enough to live on and undervalues the skills of all of us in the industry. I am all for the progress of letting people with little experience have a crack at something to gain some experience, but the question is there no matter what: Is this still spec work? I think so, due to the fact that we still have thousands of segments in which people have not gotten paid for are still out there and now the property of Mass Animation.  I am not painting Mass Animation out to be bad guys, but if this is the business model for a low budget million dollar short what could they expect and want to do the next time around with a feature length film? This just makes animators and designers cogs of a big machine that is bent on more, more and more instead of quality work. Plus at some point you do need experienced people to handle issues that the less experienced have not been exposed to, so they have no idea how to handle it. Then again those who got through the process are most likely those who this process was built to go around: the experienced designers and animators out there (I have no background info on those who got in, I just wouldn’t be surprised if they turn out to be people with a solid amount of experience). 

At the end of the day say what you will but this good intentioned idea is just one massive PR stunt to help Mass Animation garner some credit in trying to become a new studio to compete with the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks Animation. Here are some links for you:

NY Times article on the project.

Mass Animation’s FB page with a quick little snip.

Also if you feel like it, here is the link to a FB page that is Anti-Mass Animation. 

ENJOY!

MH