Is Free Really a Good Thing?

Anyone who has been in this industry for more than five minutes has been asked to do something for free.

The question is how do you know when you are being taken advantage of and when should you say yes, or no?

The most basic example is when you are starting out and are dying to get that first gig.  Sometimes, you offer to do something for free just to get to do the work.  Other times you consider this your “hobby” and therefore aren’t real concerned about the pay.  Once in a while it’s such a cool project you don’t care if there is money as long as you get to say you worked on it.

Another example is back-end deals.  You do the work for free now, and when the project is done and makes money you get a percentage or you get paid back first or whatever you agreed to.  So, technically you are getting paid (if and when the project makes money.)

How about the infamous email request “Could you do a trial page? If we like it there will be tons of work to come.”  I may have said this before, yeah right.

Back to the original question when should you work for free?  Now you may think that free doesn’t matter to the rest of us.  If some idiot is willing to work for free so be it, their loss.  But… I think you need to look toward the bigger picture here.  If someone does your job for free or at a quarter of the price you do it where does that leave you?

Let me be more clear: If you work at Best Buy (or wherever) and you make $10/hr (and are doing a good job and all is well), what happens if some kid comes in and says I’ll do the same job for $2/hr just to say I work here.  Guess who they keep and who they fire.

Sounds drastic I know but seriously page rates in our industry currently suck–they have sucked for quite awhile for a variety of reasons but I’m venting here so go with me… One of the reasons rates have gone as low as they have is the fact that they can find someone to do it cheaper.  Again, here’s an example: you (big-time, great & talented artist that you are) make certain rate per page for color.  Everything is shinny & happy and you are getting work, completing work and making a living.  Now, in walks Joe (newbie but uber talented) the PTB (powers that be) sense his newness and offer him half of what you are making.  He’s super excited and jumps at the opportunity.  That, of course, gets you fired (in this industry we tend to make it sound better something like… “we are going to go with a new creative team” but your still out of work.)

Now we all know that eventually, Joe is going to ask for a raise, then he’ll get up to where you started per page just in time for some snot-nosed punk to come along and offer to do it for a third the price. Ok, ok, I’m jaded and harsh and it’s not really like that… or is it?

I’m not saying that you should never do free work.  Sometimes the back-end deals turn out to make you more money than you would have originally agreed upon.  Sometimes your awesome sample page gets you a fantastically rich project.  Sometimes…

I’m just saying know your worth, know when to give away the milk (or the cow… I always get that confused) and know when to stand firm and demand to be paid for your talent.  There are a lot of incredibly talented colorists out there but there are also lots of jobs to be had.  Be part of the few, the talented, the colorists.  (I sound like I’m starting a union or something!)

Here are a couple of real-life scenarios for you to think on:

1. Many years ago a friend of a friend of a colorist emails Brian and asks him to help out on a book with a tight deadline.  Brian agrees but alas, there is no pay.  No worries, Brian (good person that he is) will help anyway.  Fast forward 2 months, Rob (big-time artist) calls Brian & says did you help out with that one book for free that time.  Brian says yes, Rob says, that rocked I want to hire you to work on my book at Marvel. Huh–free work pays off.
2. Not too many years ago Brian meets a guy named Josh who says I’ve got the rights to this property and I think it will be huge but I spent all my money on the license.  Can we make a back-end deal for a percentage of the profit to get the color done.  The property is one of Brian’s child-hood favorites so we agree.  About a year later a check comes in for a lot more than we would have made per page and now they’ve made it into a movie. Huh–free work pays off.
3. A couple years ago we get an email from a friend saying he’s drawing stills that will be shown in a movie & would we color them.  No money but it will be in a MOVIE.  Brian can’t resist so we agree.  Lots of super-tight deadlines and tons of art but it came out really cool.  Huh–free work didn’t pay a dime but it was super cool (check out Zombie Prom sometime.)
   

   Zombie Prom

4. Very recently, a big-time publisher informed us that our rates would be cut in half, but don’t worry you’ll get lots more work. At the same time, an overseas publisher informed us that even-though the dollar sucks we are still going to be getting $20 less per page.  On the tails of that we get a call from a book publisher we work with saying we want to keep working with you but our new project is only going to pay X (that should be a little x) but don’t worry we don’t want the same high quality as the last book (what the hell does that mean!?!) Huh–ok no huh here just falling rates for a variety of reasons but one of them being they can get someone else to work at that price so why not us.

Wait I don’t think I made my point… what was my point?  Oh right, the cow & milk thing.  I’m not saying that free work doesn’t have its place but I am saying if you keep giving it away you are not only hurting yourself but maybe the industry as a whole.

Something to think on at any rate.

Kristy Miller

VP, Development

Hi-Fi Design