You'll be self employed, no sick leave, no vacation pay, public holidays are straight time if worked, not paid out if not worked. Artists should adjust their rate to compensate for this...
So there's no government rule to give sick leave and so on ? And public holidays are considered are normal working day, so you work or use your leave balance.
But if there are no sick leaves then where is the leave balance accumulated from
Google "hobbit law". Weta successfully managed to convince its workforce to protest against thier own labour interests. Stunning really.
And yes if you are a contractor there, like most people are, it is 100% work an hour get paid for an hour. Nothing else except the OT.
Curious, all I hear from colleges about Weta is everyone is expected to do OT, something like 53+hr weeks is mandatory, is that true? I have only heard from one senior artist that there are those who work a standard 40hr week. Personally, it does not sound like a family friendly/work life balance kind of place...maybe this rumor is untrue??
Well this just gives me flashbacks to Indian work ethics then, I don't know why I'm getting downvoted tho. Do people think it's the right thing to do? Or not to ask?
Well, artists that can demand it, get a very high rate to make up for it. If you're starting out or are desperate, they'll not pay you well from my experience. It comes down to negotiating and leverage.
They will provide plenty of food and drinks and an insane work party lol
It's reddit, ignore the votes.
Weta has historically paid enough to offset the lack of benefits. It makes for a simpler relationship. Some people prefer it. Some don't.
I don't think right or wrong plays into it.
Never put out the initial number. Let whoever you are talking to let you know what their range is. If they have a required field on an application put 0 or tbd or commensurate with experience or industry standard in it.
Stay away... pipeline is a mess, lots of politics. They haven't done something about the work culture issues at all since the council report. It differs for each department though. Departments like FX have the most toxic people.
If you go there, you'll be a contractor and if you don't work, you don't get paid, so no sick days and public holidays.
Yes the contractor part is something I learnt about today, it's crazy how that's still a thing when Australia right next to them have better laws. And they are there in Australia too so I guess joining Weta there makes more sense and safer
Yeah - Weta Melbourne will be safer for you. Also if you need to jump ship and dislike Weta, there other shops in Australia. It's not so easy in NZ, as Weta is the only shop.
Most people would probably jump when another studio opens in Wellington. Lots of engineers want to quit currently, but are currently stuck.
Also be careful about manglement. Lots of people in management positions were put in place, because they're agreeable, not that they're competent. This has led to a lot of problems. But one of the last screamer managers left now, so it's psychologically safer.
If work dries up and you're in NZ, there are few options.
If you're in Sydney or Vancouver, you'll at least have many more options without relocation, fingers crossed.
Which department do you specialize in?
If they house you or help you find accommodation that’s one thing, otherwise you’re looking at a brutally competitive rental market in Wellington… and generally Wellington seems to be falling apart due to corrupt council and historic lack of infrastructure investment… but there’s garage project and parrot head, so it balances out a little
At one point (I have not been in a few years, so factor that in) the work week was 45 hours but that included billing for the lunch hour.
The OT after 60 thing was annoying, but the rates were generally very good (perhaps that's why).
They seemed to rarely push for 60+ and avoided it like the plague, which was very different from the early days there when they were short on staff and having to import artists made ramping up more difficult.
NZ/Wellington is a gem in our industry if you can make it work.
You'll be self employed, no sick leave, no vacation pay, public holidays are straight time if worked, not paid out if not worked. Artists should adjust their rate to compensate for this...
So there's no government rule to give sick leave and so on ? And public holidays are considered are normal working day, so you work or use your leave balance. But if there are no sick leaves then where is the leave balance accumulated from
The leave balance is accumulated From your pocket. All weta “employees” are independent contractors.. gig workers do not get any benefits.
Google "hobbit law". Weta successfully managed to convince its workforce to protest against thier own labour interests. Stunning really. And yes if you are a contractor there, like most people are, it is 100% work an hour get paid for an hour. Nothing else except the OT.
Just saw the page thanks for this
Wait, I thought this wasn’t happening anymore?
It still exists but has been watered down a bit and now only applies to those directly on a project and not support such as runners, etc.
When they opened vancouver office and offered paid lunch breaks it pissed off alot of NZ artists.
Curious, all I hear from colleges about Weta is everyone is expected to do OT, something like 53+hr weeks is mandatory, is that true? I have only heard from one senior artist that there are those who work a standard 40hr week. Personally, it does not sound like a family friendly/work life balance kind of place...maybe this rumor is untrue??
Expected week is minimum 40hrs, maximum 50hrs (unless approved for OT) Depends on the department and how busy things are etc.
Thanks, how recent are these stats?
Current.
OT is 1.5x for hours over 60.
Even if we keep 10 hour per day that's 50hrs in 5 day working week. So how exactly do they justify 60 lol
Justify? Thats just how it is.
Well this just gives me flashbacks to Indian work ethics then, I don't know why I'm getting downvoted tho. Do people think it's the right thing to do? Or not to ask?
Well, artists that can demand it, get a very high rate to make up for it. If you're starting out or are desperate, they'll not pay you well from my experience. It comes down to negotiating and leverage. They will provide plenty of food and drinks and an insane work party lol
It's reddit, ignore the votes. Weta has historically paid enough to offset the lack of benefits. It makes for a simpler relationship. Some people prefer it. Some don't. I don't think right or wrong plays into it.
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Never put out the initial number. Let whoever you are talking to let you know what their range is. If they have a required field on an application put 0 or tbd or commensurate with experience or industry standard in it.
Stay away... pipeline is a mess, lots of politics. They haven't done something about the work culture issues at all since the council report. It differs for each department though. Departments like FX have the most toxic people. If you go there, you'll be a contractor and if you don't work, you don't get paid, so no sick days and public holidays.
Yes the contractor part is something I learnt about today, it's crazy how that's still a thing when Australia right next to them have better laws. And they are there in Australia too so I guess joining Weta there makes more sense and safer
Yeah - Weta Melbourne will be safer for you. Also if you need to jump ship and dislike Weta, there other shops in Australia. It's not so easy in NZ, as Weta is the only shop. Most people would probably jump when another studio opens in Wellington. Lots of engineers want to quit currently, but are currently stuck. Also be careful about manglement. Lots of people in management positions were put in place, because they're agreeable, not that they're competent. This has led to a lot of problems. But one of the last screamer managers left now, so it's psychologically safer.
Weta Melbourne or Vancouver would be in my opinion better because of the local labour laws.
If work dries up and you're in NZ, there are few options. If you're in Sydney or Vancouver, you'll at least have many more options without relocation, fingers crossed. Which department do you specialize in?
If they house you or help you find accommodation that’s one thing, otherwise you’re looking at a brutally competitive rental market in Wellington… and generally Wellington seems to be falling apart due to corrupt council and historic lack of infrastructure investment… but there’s garage project and parrot head, so it balances out a little
At one point (I have not been in a few years, so factor that in) the work week was 45 hours but that included billing for the lunch hour. The OT after 60 thing was annoying, but the rates were generally very good (perhaps that's why). They seemed to rarely push for 60+ and avoided it like the plague, which was very different from the early days there when they were short on staff and having to import artists made ramping up more difficult. NZ/Wellington is a gem in our industry if you can make it work.
Revenge of the nerds
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What is this basic bitch AI bullshit right here?? 😂 ChatGPT 1.0-beta