this makes me sick
polycounter lvl 12
his work is actually pretty decent and he doesn't lie when he says that no one will work for less money... charges 12$ per prop
really makes me sad that this shit keeps happening
Replies
there are countrys where you can live a decent, or at least normal, life with 800$/month
this.
https://forums.unrealengine.com/showthread.php?20935-The-Cheapest-Props-Modeler-in-the-Unreal-Community!-You-want-it-I-ll-make-it-CHEAP!
charges about 55 dollars for a fantasy weapon so its not like any prop=12 dollars
this is the bit I have a problem with
that is just being cunty.
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138075
tbh i'd charge 12 bux for a pipe like that, and it's not like bare-bones indie folk have a big next-gen freelance market anyways (i think?)
http://www.fiverr.com/search/gigs?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_in=everywhere&query=3d+model&page=1&layout=auto
Most are using $5 as a hook. The top ranked guy for example tacks on $40 for renders. I'm also willing to bet that a lot of these guys keep the rights to the models when they're done to sell in other marketplaces. It can actually be more secure than the Unity Asset store because you know you have at least one buyer.
Infinite revisions will get you in trouble with a client. Undercutting anyone by 5% as a rule will get you in trouble with the rest of the industry. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets passed over for a job just on principal.
lol... what?
you'd absolutely fit in on any board of executives anywhere, especially in a banking firm with that attitude.
as for what the guy is offering?
the art isn't terrible. but it's not good either. it's passable. this very much falls into a "you get what you pay for" category. the only people likely to pay for his services are people who can't afford better artists, and while it will tide them over "for now" if their project ever reaches the point where they're looking at an actual public release then they'll also realise that work of this quality just doesn't cut it, and that they'll have to pay more for better art.
it really is that simple:
if you want to compete with him, do it by making better art, and providing a more professional service. the clients will come.
What is wrong with the statement?
Yeah pretty much this.
Lets not let this die. I have 12 dollars...
Many people in Poland would like to have 800$ month. Most have like 60-80% of this.
That is already happening LOL and there is no stopping. The end goal for most products in the entertainment industry is to make it cheaper and faster. While still maintaining the same quality.
Here is one example: Life After Pi
I think the worst thing to do, is to take jobs away from others not cool.
Also I'm tired of the sob story rhetoric: "Just because he lives in a third world country, he can't pursue his dreams?" Excuse me, but just because I live in a first world country (that kind of invented most of the technology we use and educated us both) I can't pursue mine?
If a euro goes so far in a third world country, and he's competing for first world clients, why should he decrease his wage so much? A first world citizen could be living a normal life while you put ALL of your kids through college (abroad or locally) with an industry standard wage. But no, he'd rather exercise a complete lack of foresight and bring his shiny tech career into a nose dive by dramatically undercutting what he's worth.
No one's saying he can't pursue his dream, we'd just like to see him do it more responsibly. He'll make more money in the process.
ok, we can try. i wonder if i order a penis without balls would i get a discount? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
i disagree, on his resume says he's 21, that's not young, even if it is, there is plenty of information on the internet about prices. very sad.
Yea but cost of living is crazy different as well. In the US, its near impossible to be a college graduate and make less then 30k a year
After seeing his model I kept thinking damn, it looks so familiar... then I remembered, oh yeah, most of the clothing is from Richard Smith's character tut for Gnomon:
I suppose that's one way to make a living, just rip parts from other peoples sculpts/models and sell them off as your own
When you earn 60-80% of 800$ in Poland, you will have problems with renting room and still having money for school, food etc. Forget about having family or your own house. We have bigger prices in Poland than you have in US yet we earn 3-4 times less than in other UE countries and possibly US.
you guys, youd have to KNOW that stuff like this would happen, and you have no right in hell trying to blame the induvidual for any of this. he just wants to make money, and he found a niche which probably for him is sustaniable. thats capitalism for you. so just like some people said, you have to step up and offer something better, if you want to compete. instead of blaming this person for having so low living costs, you could ask yourselfs why that is the case, maybe its a result of the western world stealing the resources from the now 3rd world contries? so to sit here and judge a person like this, who found some way of actually using that for their benefit, is for me really, really ignorant.
its capitalism, its what fucked up the world in the first place, and now you say the victims of it cant use it for their benefit, beacuse that forces you to not always have the dream job you want?
anyway, i dont know anything about this person, it might aswell be a wealthy 12 year old in a western country, doing it just to fuck over freelancers. in anyway, you STILL wouldnt have a right to whine, cuz they are still playing by the rules.
I don't know how prices look in US. The prices in western Europe are way higher than in Poland though.
800$ (after taxes) is a decent pay in Poland. If you are working with expensive software and are using skills you acquired through years of practice you shouldn't agree on 800$. Even in Poland... Unless you produce below average art.
(I'm from Poland too)
It's a non issue, nobody will buy these.Maybe some guy in his basement trying to prototype a game will.
12$ for slaping a texture from cgtextures on a box is pretty good though.
I hope I don't come along too much as a dick with my statement, I shall edit myself if I do.
Serious clients are all about having a healthy relationship with their freelancers, you have to be available and always deliver quality. It's cheaper to have things done by one guy that you know will deliver, that you can reach on the phone/meet for a briefing within the same working hours.
It's all about finding the right clients.
Right? I bet that guy doesn't mind buying his super cheap 'third world' goods though.
Let people work for whatever they want to make. Seriously - why do you care? Do you know how many people on a site like Deviantart or whatever are willing to work for next to nothing / free in return for "exposure"? Yes, it's hurting our side of the industry (a bit) but there will always be uneducated clients and oblivious workers no matter how you look at it. If you're good at your craft you can do whatever you want. Hating on poor/undercutting people just because they exist aint cool.
Well said, plain and simple.:)
Trust me i know the feeling im in the US and lucky to make 1500-2000 a month
I suck, working on it lol, problem not solved :poly124:
This simply shifts more emphases on quality. It has always happened, this isn't something new.
There is more to producing something for a client that just providing a model, and you honestly shouldn't worry about being undercut by an artist like this.
Will some people purchase his art, yes, will it appear in a shipped title, or something the world would likely see, no. It's good for place holder art, for a prototype.
What will set you apart from undercut artists, and keep clients both coming back to you, and getting you referred (which is how you get to be successful as a freelancer)
Excellent communication
Keeping to your promises
Good design/art/what ever service you're providing
Ability to receive criticism(whether it's valid or not)
I've had many clients come back to me, and refer me, simply because of good communication, they know whats happening with the project, they can trust you, they know exactly what they're getting from you, and so your high fee is all worth it.
Keeping your promises / keeping to deadlines, if your deadline is 1 week, deliver before or on deadline, not after, tardiness is a great way of not getting referred:
"He's a great artist, he's just not very quick" / "He's great, just expect it to be done in 2 weeks not 1".
This individual, is creating a reputation for himself, that reputation is that of quick, cheap, bad art, that is great for prototyping, but that you throw away as soon as you've got enough people interested in the concept, and can hire a professional artist.
And a professional artist will fill those characteristics listed above, and be able to charge a professional amount. Also, as a professional, your fee is a great filtration device. People who pay high, are usually those who understand what you're putting in, and what they're getting out. They will value you, and your time a great deal more.(in my experience any way)
Give yourself a cheap fee, and you won't be valued, and you'll be messed around, because your time isn't valued, by yourself, or the client.
But at the end of your day, your rate can't be higher than your skill level, but it certainly won't be $12 per prop, even if it takes only an hour.
Regarding that comment screenshot (posted by Shinigami) of the vfx artist being undercut by Asian and South Africans, I live in South Africa, and I don't know anyone, who would charge $2/day, let alone $2/hour. To convert my hourly rate on graphic design to dollars, it'll be close, if not above $40/hr, and this isn't a greedy amount, this is what i'd need minimum to get by in South Africa, contrary to popular belief, it's not cheap to live in South Africa, but it's also certainly not US / EU living costs.
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for, and you don't want the clients who underpay / undervalue your work. Because there are clients out there who do know the value of a good artist, and they're not scarce, you just need to get referred(who you know / who knows you)