So… I was curious about how many backgrounds a background artist needs to make in 1 day in anime/jp so that he or she can stay alive… 

Here’s some numbers:  Source on Crunchyroll

According to an investigation by Media Development Research Institute Inc., a 30 minute episode of a TV anime in 2010 that totaled 11,000,000 yen (about US $145,214 at the current exchange rate) consisted of the following expenses:

(Note: All US dollar conversions are approximate based on current exchange rate.)

Original work - 50,000 yen ($660)

Script - 200,000 yen ($2,640)

Episode Direction - 500,000 yen ($6,600)

Production - 2 million yen ($26,402) 

Key Animation Supervision - 250,000 yen ($3,300)

Key Animation - 1.5 million yen ($19,801)

In-betweening - 1.1 million yen ($14,521)

Finishing - 1.2 million yen ($15,841)

Art (backgrounds) - 1.2 million yen ($15,841)

Photography - 700,000 yen ($9,240)

Sound - 1.2 million yen ($15,841)

Materials - 400,000 yen ($5,280)

Editing - 200,000 yen ($2,640)

Printing - 500,000 yen ($6,600)

If you suppose an average episode has 5,000 frames, the price per frame for an in-betweener is 220 yen or just under three bucks, which apparently is a rate that hasn’t really changed much in the past 30 years. Japan Animation Creators Association rep, Osamu Yamasaki, commented [roughly translated], “30 years ago it was said that one person would draw 1,000 frames per month, but now if you can do 500, that’s considered good.” Under these circumstances, it’s no wonder young animators are having trouble making it in the industry. 

My guess—————————

On average, an anime has roughly 200 backgrounds, 200 scenes per 20 minute show, with major backgrounds that take a long time, and minor backgrounds that’s cropped out of major backgrounds and reused. 

If I go by that number, it’s about 80 yen a background, this is for all average backgrounds. 

If I go by 100 major backgrounds out of 200. (just a rough guess…) then I am looking at 158 yen a background. About 1.5 usd?? that’s still too low. did I get it wrong??? >.<b  Then an artist needs to do almost 30 backgrounds just like the animation per day??? 

If you get one important background done maybe you can crop another 10 shots out of it. 

So you need to finish 3 major backgrounds in 1 day, make another 27 shots of minor backgrounds for the production to survive. (sounds like a grind)

An average CGI matte painter in US finish 1-2 finished concept art per day. (that’s already tough, my average is 1 a day) 

So you have 30 min per background, or per animation cell drawing like everyone else. Per day, for 14 hours. To keep pay check coming. 

—————————-

Feature film budget for per animator is not very different from TV animation: 

Source: http://www.janscottfrazier.com/images/animinjp/job2.htm

If this blog states the truth, then Miyazaki’s 15k USD per year is only 3k difference from Production IG’s 12k USD a year. 

That’s all there is to it salary differences in JP between TV anime and Feature film. 

OK, that’s insane. 

Completely unrelated, it dawned on me not too long ago, why JP storyboard is layout in this format, because it’s more friendly for printing period. American boards tend to layout horizontal, panel by panel, which is more friendly to the actual film. But when you think about making products out of storyboard, print version is ultimately more profitable. 

Another lesson learned.

retrotale:

surrealscorpion:

ithritin-lth:

Storyboards from Evangelion 2.0 that didn’t make the cut. Asuka’s face being peeled off by Hell’s Needles.

jesus fucking christ anno is sadistic

The face was supposed to peel off and talk in “Kaworu’s voice”. “Being happy doesn’t fit you all,” says the face to Asuka. “I’m scared of the happy me. That’s why I should return to how I was before,” says Asuka.

Source: Kotaku

More detailed facts: http://www.janscottfrazier.com/images/animinjp/job2.htm

•  For the first couple of years the new animator or painter makes about 100,000 yen ($1000) a month, most of which usually goes into rent. This is not a fixed salary as animators are paid by the sheet of animation (by the drawn or painted sheet, that is). The more sheets you do, the more money you make. To get to areasonable level of pay the animator usually has to do near 1,000 sheets a month. Considering that the maximum for many animators is around 30 sheets a day (720 sheets a month) onlyexceptional animators will get to that level. The same goes for painters and background artists. Camera people are on salary.

I like reality mangas about animes. I love animator’s rants, but I am glad I am freelancing anime. I don’t ever want to work like a slave, it’s not healthy. 

Anime Sensei to student advice on Cartoonbrew : this advice sums up in one word, “Don’t come for a dream, you will suffer. Stay out unless you know you can do it.” - sometimes harsh advices are kind advices.

About the wealth distribution: There’s just a lot more people in drawing section than sound, and sound people can move around more because their skill can transfer to other types of production related to sound, animation skill can only stay with animation. Thus less competitive for talent source. Companies will keep a good sound person, but won’t bother to keep a good animator unless that animator is famous.

Anime as a medium itself is also a form of expensive advertising really, it doesn’t make as much money as game industry to support all talents. That’s why it makes complete sense that game industry is growing while animation is shrinking.

really want more of these type of commissions. lol This one is turning out well.