Freelancing

Freelance Animation is never something that appealed to me, first of all I love working with people. It doesn’t even matter if we’re actively working on the same project, it’s just the act of working when someone else is working in the room with me. Of course, working on the same project is a bonus, I think in animation but also in film making or art in general, it’s always better to have a pool of creative minds sharing their ideas and inspiring each other. Freelance work with a client where you’d be alone with the creative freedom is daunting to me for multiple reasons.

 First of all, when the client isn’t knowledgeable about animation, they are often misguided on how long something might take or the extent of your abilities and budget. And when you’re dealing with that alone it’s difficult to explain to a client that it’s a process that takes time or that an animatic isn’t a reflection on what the final images are going to look like. However freelancing does give you the opportunity to move around with your work. Because I was born in France, I would like to be able to go back and forth from France and England more often, this would be easier as a remote freelancer than as a full time employee in an animation studio.

Either way I wouldn’t know how to go about becoming a freelancer therefore I have decided to research the subject to examine what the first steps are. 

The first thing I found out was that you cannot just decide to be a freelancer and label yourself as one because UK law dictates that you must officially register yourself as self-employed. This means that you have to file self assessment tax returns and create your own contracts when dealing with clients. This seems obvious now but it’s true that I had never thought about this additional work you have to do to legally and correctly be a freelancer. The problem is that much like finding work for an animation studio, you have to put yourself out there. Reaching out to clients, building a strong portfolio, making connections, and updating your website regularly. These are all steps you need to take to get a job in an animation studio, the difference being that once you’re in you can be more lax about constantly updating your portfolio and you often don’t need to reach out to clients yourself. With freelancing, it’s always an ongoing process. 

The next issue is security. A salary gives you foresight and security for the remainder of the time you work there. With freelancing, you are going contract to contract, sometimes not knowing if there is a client waiting for you at the end of your current contract, your income is much more irregular throughout the year and you have to be careful and aware of that. 

For all those reasons, and after some research, I’ve reached the same conclusion that freelance animation does not appeal to me and I would try to avoid going down that route if possible. 

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