Thread by @timsoret

When I was teaching motion design at @hetic, the director, to his credit, gave me total freedom.

Rather than teaching software specifics only, I also did a cultural tour of animation fundamentals, best works & studios in the field, and the business of motion design freelancing.

https://twitter.com/RoriComics/status/1208453189235826688

@hetic Motion designers charge between €300 to €500 per day. It seems absurdly high? That's why I always had to take the time to explain the freelancing business to students, and how to perceive their value:

@hetic As a contractor, you absolutely can't align with a employee paid a normal monthly salary. You HAVE to earn way more not just to thrive, but to survive.

Most employees don't realize the massive additional costs absorbed by their employers. Freelancers don't have this luxury.

@hetic As a freelancer, you have to pay your taxes, pension & insurance. In France you can easily remove 30% from earnings.

You have no paid holidays or days off. If you stop working, you earn nothing.

You have to buy very expensive professional hardware & software yourself.

@hetic You have to create a portfolio or at least a showreel, get known out there, maintain an online presence & network with agencies.

You have to train hardcore, constantly update your knowledge & master the latest techniques to keep a competitive edge compared to other freelancers.

@hetic All of that is unpaid time.

Oh, and if you're sick? No sick leave.
If you have children? No parental leave.
If you stop freelancing? No safety net or social welfare.

You earn 0 the minute you're not booked.

@hetic That's why as a freelancer, your pay isn't just for the day, it has to cover for the rest. It's rare to be booked more than 60-70% of your time.

You're not paid for the worked hours, but for a unique skillset & expertise, the availability & discoverability, hardware & software.

@hetic On short-term projects (like advertising), rather than hiring an employee that you have to keep paying when there is no work, it's better to spend €4000-€5000 in 10 days on a freelancer who will bring a laser-focused expertise lacking internally. Cheaper & better results.

@hetic For instance, when I created advertisements for top brands, I usually was paid around €7500 for 3 (very intense) weeks.

But the agency invoiced €15000 to €25000 to the client, without any particular work except relay client feedback. So it is *largely* profitable for them.

@hetic The client pays the advertising agency to interface with artists: it pays for the quality of its network of employees & contractors. A good network of skilled & reliable talents is very precious, as bad agencies are avoided by top talents for malpractice.

@hetic Notoriously, agencies in big cities have such a large pool of disposable talents that they can afford to behave like pricks: payments more than 60 days late, absurd deadlines with all-nighters, infinite feedback, poor comprehension of client's desire, or inhumane pressure.

@hetic I worked on a campaign with Cara Delevingne for a beauty product by a famous brand. She got paid €100k for a few hours dancing in front of a green-screen. The campaign never released.

So, don't worry too much about being too expensive as a freelancer on short projects.

@hetic On longer projects (+30 days), however, as these offer financial safety (take 30% upfront) & relaxed working conditions, you should clearly invoice at a much lower price. I went from €500 a day on insane projects to €300 when the client, project, & working conditions are cool.

@hetic It was tough to quit an industry where I was known, hired without effort, and very well paid.

Starting The Last Night from scratch was (and still is) a huge sacrifice financially.

@hetic I invested the entirety my savings. Paid myself a £1300 salary during the first year until E3 2017. Then £1600 until mid-2018, then £2000 until now.

Still, 0 regret. It's a much more interesting life than pointlessly renting my skills to brands.