After watching this i change my mind really

You Tube

A little over the top but still funny

that chris norpchen is a genius :p actually, watching this film, anyone from "the outside" (so to speak, no pun intended at all) SHOULD run away screaming when they even hear the word 3D industry MENTIONED, let alone what they would do should they actually get a job offer for said industry.

and then the irony is that most of the guys on forums and the likes are desperately trying to get a job in it. for some reason that classic music starts playing in my head right about now.

I was pretty stone faced until the pixel. That was hilarious, but really sad.

I've been turned off from VFX for a long while, because of stories like this. : O

@Mane Hey, well you can always go back to flipping burgers, y'a know

But on a serious note, no single job in the world is easy unless you're some fat corporate prick - even then, you're gonna have to move your arse from time to time which I imagine isn't a walk in the park either.

I'm not planning on marrying and especially having kids anytime soon because of what field I've gotten into. And that's fine with me, for the time being at least.

Originally Posted by Super Happy Cow

I've been turned off from VFX for a long while, because of stories like this. : O

+1. I have a number of FaceBook friends who are in the industry, admittedly some QA, but a few artists and their status usually consists of 'Working all weekend again', or '10 o clock and I just got home'. One guy started on 11 hour days in his first week. Some even post that stuff in a positive manner, it's like they've been brainwashed or something.

We're talking known studios here too not little indie startups.

From what I've read, some of the vets manage to balance a pretty healthy work/home life ratio (because they've got the nuts/experience to stand up to stupid demands?), but some of the new guys are working like slaves and seem to justify it because they love it so much... I guess it's a personal thing, if you don't have a girl to come home to, kids to look after, or if you are just obsessed with your job, then it's manageable.

I quit trying to get into the industry about a year ago, refocused my interests and never looked back. Interestingly I'm earning more than I would be in the games industry, and I still get to do a 'creative' job, and get home in time for dinner with my partner. I also find myself enjoying gaming more than I did because I'm just playing the damn game rather than looking at every last prop thinking 'oooh that looks pretty, I wonder how they got such a clean bake on that'.

I also know of a guy from my local college who worked in the industry for about 15 years, back in the early 2000's , and he quit when he got a wife and kids and became a teacher on a game dev course, he also has never looked back.

Any 3D I do now is just for fun, and my art has improved too when there's no 'goal' so to speak.

*Cue industry grunts defending their 14 hour days because 'they love their job'.*

Originally Posted by TeeJay

+1. I have a number of FaceBook friends who are in the industry, admittedly some QA, but a few artists and their status usually consists of 'Working all weekend again', or '10 o clock and I just got home'. One guy started on 11 hour days in his first week. Some even post that stuff in a positive manner, it's like they've been brainwashed or something.

We're talking known studios here too not little indie startups.

From what I've read, some of the vets manage to balance a pretty healthy work/home life ratio (because they've got the nuts/experience to stand up to stupid demands?), but some of the new guys are working like slaves and seem to justify it because they love it so much... I guess it's a personal thing, if you don't have a girl to come home to, kids to look after, or if you are just obsessed with your job, then it's manageable.

I quit trying to get into the industry about a year ago, refocused my interests and never looked back. Interestingly I'm earning more than I would be in the games industry, and I still get to do a 'creative' job, and get home in time for dinner with my partner. I also find myself enjoying gaming more than I did because I'm just playing the damn game rather than looking at every last prop thinking 'oooh that looks pretty, I wonder how they got such a clean bake on that'.

I also know of a guy from my local college who worked in the industry for about 15 years, back in the early 2000's , and he quit when he got a wife and kids and became a teacher on a game dev course, he also has never looked back.

Any 3D I do now is just for fun, and my art has improved too when there's no 'goal' so to speak.

*Cue industry grunts defending their 14 hour days because 'they love their job'.*

I'm defending my imaginary 3d-job because I love doing more work than humanly possible!

With that said I'm so curious of getting a job in the industry to get some perspective of how fun 3D is compared to flipping burgers. Might not be the best motivation to work in the "industry" but I value perspective and insight very high.

So this is really true from the video? Damn, didn't know that this dream job is like this

Originally Posted by TeeJay

*Cue industry grunts defending their 14 hour days because 'they love their job'.*

Hehe, well there is no defending stuff like the LA Noire nightmare but speaking for myself I think that coming together for a 2-3 month crunch to finish a title and then see it hit the street to raving reviews is a pretty awesome feeling.


But im kind of nuts anyway so what do i know

Believe the ghost stories, it makes it easier for me to find work with everyone pre-dropping out.

This is exactly why your spouse should be in the industry too!

And it's called a job for a reason. Loving what you do makes it easier to swallow.

i want it even more now!

Originally Posted by TeeJay

+1. I have a number of FaceBook friends who are in the industry, admittedly some QA, but a few artists and their status usually consists of 'Working all weekend again', or '10 o clock and I just got home'. One guy started on 11 hour days in his first week. Some even post that stuff in a positive manner, it's like they've been brainwashed or something.

:shrug: I do this now anyway. (as I post from work on what should be a day off.. go go terminations for extra hours) I'd rather be spending the time painting and sculpting.

My first real gig in the industry was like that no joke, i started to stand up a little bit but due to the state of the industry 500 people wanted my job,

I got canned!

Dont know if i want another job...

Seems to me that the people who made the video have waaayyyy too much spare time.

I never have to work late

Only people who allow themselves to be abused will be abused - simple as that.

Honestly, any industry will have it's downsides, along with long hours.

My brother is getting his PHD at Penn State, his day, including studying, teaching classes, research, etc. can push 12/13 hours easily. He doesn't love his chosen field, so he wakes up at 4am to work on music for a few hours. (http://markarians.bandcamp.com/album/ten-means-heaven)

Another brother is in the NFL. Obviously his pay is quite good, but again, he doesn't love it (he's a starcraft addict, actually). And as far as hours go, (when the NFL isn't on lockout) it's *extremely* taxing physical labor from morning to night. When they're not practicing, they're working out, and when they're not working out, they're calculating their protein intake. Because of away games, he would be away from his family for weeks at a time.

A few friends of mine are in Law school. Same story as my brother, they're in the library 13 hours a day, spending time away from their families on something they really don't love.

I have even more friends that do sales. They put in more hours than anyone else I know, and they hate their jobs more than anyone else I know.

My Dad played pro baseball for the Braves in the 80's. Again, the pay is obviously good, but I remember getting postcards from him when he would be gone for over a month at a time. We had a couple nannies that took care of us when my Mom would go on the road with him.

Now we get to me....Out of school I got my first job at Blizzard. I'm married and have a 3 year old son. Work is normal hours, and i spend plenty of time with my family. Now I know Blizzard might be a special case (I don't really know, since I haven't had a full time job anywhere else), but I have enough friends in the industry that are quite happy with their compensation and required working hours. Even my friends that crunch every day are happy and spend more time with their family than my business/law school friends.

I'm not saying the industry is perfect for everyone, and I'm sure it could get better in a lot of areas, but I do what I love to do, and that makes the biggest difference.

Very funny video. My job gets just like this at the end of a project. Literally everything that happens in the video happens to me haha.

Originally Posted by murph

My brother is getting his PHD at Penn State... Another brother is in the NFL... My Dad played pro baseball for the Braves in the 80's... Out of school I got my first job at Blizzard.

I think a movie needs to be made about your family Murph, that's some cumulative Hollywood level success right there.

Originally Posted by PolyHertz

I think a movie needs to be made about your family Murph, that's some cumulative Hollywood level success right there.

This.

Originally Posted by TerraBite

This is exactly why your spouse should be in the industry too!

And it's called a job for a reason. Loving what you do makes it easier to swallow.

What? Why? So it's easier to swallow how hard it is to maintain a normal life? : O

Honestly, I think the idea that this is some kind of magical super fun artsy industry needs to taper off.

It is a job like many others, despite how satisfying watching your art become interactive may be. : O

This thread may be helpful, I created it several months ago asking about general working conditions. The vast majority reported they worked about 40-50 hours a week.

If anyone wants to contribute more to this thread please feel free.
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83409

Originally Posted by downarmy

My first real gig in the industry was like that no joke

Same here actually. I was working in commercials and sometimes this happened during crunch time. Ass-kissing producers, clients that didn't know much about vfx and kept asking for really silly changes, late hours without pay and a harsh supervisor. Since I was in commercials there were more deadlines than film. There were good times too though
At my current job they don't have crunch. At my previous job the crunches didn't happen often and the times they did happen(maybe once every 1-2 years) it wasn't that bad.
You shouldn't be scared of these kind of stories. They do happen but think of it like finding a mate. You will have to go through several different bad ones until you find a good one... (Or you'll find a good one immediately... Or maybe you'll get a good one and it dumps you... But that's life I guess )

i wish i got free hats

I cannot see why everything has to be a problem.
You get so much fun out of a job like this, but when you are "expected" to get things done and maybe stay an hour or two longer to wrap it up, it becomes a big problem?

You guys act like a whole project is a constant 60 hour week crunch.
There are very few jobs where you go home when the horn sounds.

Are you so desperate to rush home so you can watch tv?
Be a man and stop complaining.

Be greatful you are not breaking your back laying pavements and cleaning up after someone else.