Arts Council England’s Jobs and News bulletin posted details of an animation competition being run by the Cabinet Office, no less.
It’s tagged ‘unpaid, volunteer work’, with a line that “Cabinet Office states that this opportunity is exempt from the national minimum wage.” Yes. They’re really doing is asking animators to work for nothing.
It goes like this..you email them for a script, then submit then submit an expression of interest and a 30 second animation. And then..
A shortlisted group of applicants will be invited to produce a 3 min video.
Three minutes! No payment. No cash prizes. No mention of any production costs. However, the lucky winner will “have their work submitted on a website with global reach and will receive a letter of recommendation.”
And I’m guessing they want the films delivered in a couple of weeks.
It’s one thing to pitch for commercial work if there’s a paying job in the offing, or to run a ‘competition’ for existing work. Red Bull’s Canimation is pushing it..an example of the trend to get creative people (animators!) to work for nothing but the prospect of ‘profile’. But for the government to be asking people to work for nothing seems an unashamed rip-off.
Did the author of the script get paid? Do the people running the cabinet office get paid?
“Social enterprise, entrepreneurship, and making an impact”? Really? For no pay? For the government for which we all pay?
You must be joking!
Please don’t let yourselves be exploited like this, it is in effect asking artits to become a charity. To do this project before you start would cost YOU money. If artists are meant to be charities why are we taxable?
Have you got any idea how long an animated film takes to create, even with a skilful team it needs a lot of efforts and hard HARD work. And if anyone has interest in wasting time in that way for FREE and even with little exposure, then be my guest. But really I would never do it, you are much better off finding a company applying and if you are good they will take you and PAY you and stuff. So yeah NOT A FAN OF THE IDEA to work for free and make someone happy for fulfilling their needs.
Well the UK does have a Con government, Con by name Conning by nature!
This indeed is quite unbelievable. The brief states “Social enterprises are businesses that tackle social or environmental problems and work in communities to improve people’s lives.” but this obviously does not include animators!!! This will not improve our lives!!