Meanwhile, Back At The Rumor Mill…

Lots of chatter going on in our comments section regarding all those secret meetings in the Temple of Doom to set salary caps for freelancers.

We are not surprised, seeing as how the AEMA clearly states their mission:

"To collect and make available industry statistics, economic data and other similar information."

Even if all the rumors are true, we don’t see anything sinister afoot. This is about creative shops trying to stay afloat as the studios continue to cut budgets while still demanding the usual absurd volume of work. 

Ask yourself: if you were one of those REAL big shots who run the corporations that run the studios, how much would you think some bleary-eyed drone cranking out movie posters was worth?

Comments

[Just Sayin']

http://www.aema.net/ Still lists Crew Creative as one of its member agencies. Good work staying up to date and relevant.

[Joe The Art Director]

but without my bloated salary how can i afford all those carloads of cheap chinese consumer products that i buy from those corporations?!

[Groucho]

I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members.

[Montgomery Burns]

Hopefully we'll go back to the days when the studios had big, in-house art departments and paid their artists peanuts.

[Sir Freelance A. Lot]

If the AEMA "cartel" is conspiring to enforce a fixed price for labor, they risk some pretty serious consequences from the Feds and the State. Their board may want to carefully consider their actions in light of this entry from Wikipedia:

"Price fixing is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand. The group of market makers involved in price fixing is sometimes referred to as a cartel...

...In the United States, price fixing can be prosecuted as a criminal federal offense under section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Prosecutions may be handled by the U.S. Department of Justice or by the Federal Trade Commission. Many State Attorneys General also bring antitrust cases and have antitrust offices, such as Virginia, New York, and California. Private individuals or organizations can bring their own lawsuits for triple damages for antitrust violations and also recover attorneys fees..."

[Carl Withers]

I wish someone would fix my flat screen TV.

[Hired Hand]

Oh, get over yourself Sir Freelance A Lot. Pick up a newspaper. This is bigger than you and your overinflated hourly rate.

[Sumner Redstone]

I save big by purchasing all my bleary-eyed drones at Wal-Mart!

[FlAVor FlAVe]

Sir Freelance A. Lot is like the crazy ex-girlfriend who has all sort of paranoid fears about how her ex-boyfriend is conspiring night and day - in all sorts of ways - to ruin her life.

Only it's much worse than that: He's not even thinking about her.

[Wiki Wiki]

Generally speaking, independent contractors retain control over their schedule and number of hours worked, jobs accepted, and performance of their job. This contrasts with the situation for regular employees, who usually work at the schedule required by the employer and whose performance is directly supervised by the employer. However many companies specify the contractor's schedule, and prohibit work for other companies. The main reason for independent contractor status is to avoid providing health insurance, and to reduce tax payments.

And generally screw the freelancer.

[Pelenardo]

...so, it's all good because studios are f......ng us, right? we should just bend over and... it's all good?

[Same Old]

...I'd STOP paying like 11 shops for THIS SAME campaign to start with, Edwina.

[Pixel Dusted]

... so, who's saying it's all good, Pelenardo El Retardo?

it's just that you're not the center of the universe... with the exception of those assholes on Wall Street and those whores in D.C., EVERYBODY is getting fucked over in this bullshit economy.

[xxx]

...should JG become his "center of the universe" then?

[butttuffness]

god we need a UNION you deaf bunch of whiners

[Tuttle]

I don't need a union thanks very much. That would just mean dues, and having another boss over me. Unions are great for coal miners and factory workers where the task is pretty much the same, and there is no reward for individual initiative. No, I would rather keep scrapping and stay awake.

[FlAVor FlAVe]

Union? You've gotta be kidding me. Good luck with that.

[L.A.A.D.]

There is a Freelancers Union based on the East coast and trying to get more members on the West coast to lobby for. They offer group health insurance at okay rates and they do lobby for their artists on the East coast.

http://www.freelancersunion.com

[c.]

I agree, the time has come for the west to organize a union.

[c.]

WTF?! My last comment was totally edited down. Why would you edit my comments?

[Edwina Trout]

Dear Lower Case c,

Your last comment wasn't edited. It is completely intact right where you posted it: under "An Inquiring Art Director Writes"

If you need any further assistance in navigating this blog, we suggest you ask one of your interns.