The Animation Options Blog

On business in Beijing.

I’ll be “off blog” for a couple weeks, but in contact at: kevingeiger@animationoptions.com

There are three core principles that are essential to any fair and balanced negotiation:

• “Same side of the table” interaction
• A “universal approach” to deal making
• Weighing the deal to the project

“Same side of the table” interaction means putting the project first, and negotiating in good faith toward this common objective.

Taking the “universal approach” means looking at the deal without preference to a single party, conscientiously considering all parties’ points of view, and then negotiating fair terms for each participant.

“Weighing the deal to the project” assesses compensation against the business value of the project, and casts an informative light on the deal making.

The earnest application of these principles maintains integrity and strengthens relationships, with all parties participating in the spirit of fair play and common good. This sets a cooperative tone that permeates the project and positively influences a successful result. However, this spirit may be undone very quickly when one or both parties are more concerned with what they want to get than what they need to do.

Enlightened executives, producers, artists and technicians understand that they sink or swim together. They also understand that all contributions, while not necessarily “equal”, are absolutely essential. At your next negotiation, before getting into specific terms and conditions, take a few minutes to discuss these core principles with the other party, and pledge to proceed with them in mind.

You just might be surprised at how well things go.

No, this isn’t another blog entry about “Beowulf”.

Over the years, I’ve spoken with many colleagues who were upset about something or another with respect to the impact of market forces upon their career. One time, the conversation was with a TD who was frustrated that he wasn’t moving up the promotional ladder as fast as he “should”. Another time, it was with a traditional artist who was happy to be employed on a feature film again, but upset that he wasn’t making as much money as he “should”. (When previously, it was with an executive who said he “shouldn’t” have to pay his artists so much.) Recently, it was with an animator who was upset about ongoing outsourcing trends. In the latter case, the individual adamantly maintained that “somebody should do something”, but was resistant to the suggestion that the best “somebody” to “do something” in response to the effect of market forces on his personal situation was him.

Many talented people in our industry reside in the “Unhappy Valley”: a place they used to find pleasant - with dreams of settling in for a while - but suddenly find subject to forces that have rendered their idyllic glen unrecognizable. Take the example of a fertile valley that is now prone to flooding, whether due to climate changes, man-made interference or some combination of the two. You’ve lived in that valley for many years - carving out a place for yourself and building something from nothing - only now to find that your livelihood as it stands is challenged by forces larger than yourself. Note how the word “challenged” denotes a different mindset in evaluating the situation than the word “threatened”. Victims are threatened. Entrepreneurs are challenged. And these days, if you’re not thinking like an entrepreneur - even if you work for somebody else - you’re dead in the water (pun intended).

As always, you DO have choices. (I’m always amazed at people who adamantly insist that they don’t.) You could sit there in the valley and refuse to move, lamenting your situation as the flood takes its toll upon you year after year. You could pick up stakes and move on, endlessly griping to anyone who will listen about “how good you had it” before everything was “ruined”. OR you could study the forces at work, evaluate them with respect to your current situation, devise an adaptive plan, and then proceed to realize that plan with enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity, and elbow grease. What that plan will be is as particular to you as your taste in music: driven by your preferences and your standards. Perhaps you will make the effort to move to higher ground. Perhaps you will even choose to capitalize on the situation: stay where you are, get a boat, raise your house up on stilts, and open a bait & tackle shop.

The choices are limitless, but only when your thinking is not limited. The Unhappy Valley doesn’t need to be so, but it all starts with YOU. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

(A great quote, even though it appears that ol’ Abe made up his mind to be rather dour.)

Don’t start your independent animated feature film without a review of this handy checklist covering the business of formation, development, production & post-production.

Nota bene the importance pitching your film project to distributors early on, and conducting test audience screenings prior to release.