How you guys deal with freelance clients?

slovik

Hey guys,

I’ve just took part in a game project lately. It’s my first game project and I know this one is merely for experience more than the money. I did the animating for characters.

First let’s talk a lil bit about my workflow. My animating workflow includes 3 main steps. The first one called blocking which carries the main idea of the action, like if we need a woman walking, it shouldn’t look like a man or look like any thing else than a walk cycle. The second is splines in which I smooth all the action. The last is polish in which I’ll take care more about details like fingers, facial, and penetration, etc.

The problem is, no matter how hard I tried explain to my client about these 3 steps, that how every ideas should be discussed clearly in the first step which is blocking, so it will be easier and quicker for me and him to fix anything, he still seems can’t provide the idea he want for exact until we hit the splines version. It’s an waste of time when we have to fix the problem when we’re almost finished. For instance I animated some action and I thought the hands movement should keep going until the end. I sent him my blocking which I animated the hand only stopped when the animation ended. He said good good keep going and then when I came into splines and sent him again he asked to remove all the hand movements. It’s not only I have to delete the work I spent lots of time to do and to smooth it, but also when it comes to splines, it’s not easy to change the whole action anymore.

Have anyone feel this before? Is that I should find some other way to communicate better or this concept is really hard for someone not an animator to understand? You guys have any advices? Or I should get used to clients who keep asking me to redo when I almost done?

Thank you for your time. I really appreciate your comments!

Eric Chadwick

This is best spelled out in the contract clearly before beginning work. What sign-offs mean, when they're done and how, how much rework is acceptable, change orders and their costs, etc.

I've gathered a lot of great info here
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Freelance

... but the single best link of all is this one, hands down:
Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines

Don't hesitate, get this from your local library and FUCKING READ IT. You'll save so much headache and lost money!

slovik

@Eric Chadwick

THank you for the book. 

I've done a lot of freelance before and well, I've never have a contract. We often deal on emails and I'll ask my clients fot a milstone so I've never got a chance to lose -money. But I'm asking about how to explain an animation concept (which I think I already explain very clear) to someone who has no idea of animation at all.  We got an agreement before but I think he didn't understand it much.

And by the way, I see many posts about the contract when freelancing, but I cant find any details like how to write it? legal value? and if me or my client transgressa or some rules, how should we proceed the punishment when we're not in the same country?

Thanks!

pior

Re. contracts : you do it like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3RJhoqgK8&ab_channel=MontalvoMachado

Eric Chadwick

A contract is simply there to improve communication. That's it. You don't have to invoke the courts or anything else. You can make of it what you want. 
https://docontract.com/#about

I mentioned it because it sounds like you have an unprofessional client, who doesn't understand decisions and their ramifications. So, a contract is also an educational tool.

About the animation issue, some people can't evaluate a blockout. So you have to build that into your backend costs, so you don't get screwed on the amount of work when they ask for costly changes.

slovik

Hi @pior and @Eric Chadwick

Thanks you guys so much for all the advices! Until now I’ve just done freelancing in an unprofessional way. Now I see a better line! Thanks a lot, again!