Animation is one of the contents that Japan is proud to present to the world, but it is very well known that the animators who produce these spectacular anime’s are not paid well. So in this article, I will explain why animators in Japan are paid so little.
Production Committee System
A production committee is a group of people who create a video work with fundings from multiple companies. They are active not only in animation but also in various other media such as movies and games. You will probably see the name of the group with “Production Committee” after the name of the film in the end roll of the film.
Since the revenue and rights of the work are shared among the groups involved, we can see a system similar to the current crowdfunding. Since it is an aggregation of multiple groups, it is also characterized by mutual cooperation that facilitates smooth preparations for advertising and broadcasting.
The production committee system is funded by multiple groups, so even if a project is a hit, the profit per company will be small since it will be divided. Due to the fact that the profits are shared, depending on the size of the budget, it may not be possible to make a positive profit unless the film is an explosive hit.
In short, if the production companies don’t take risks, they won’t be able to make money, and the animators’ salaries will be below.
Recently, “Chanso Man” was not part of a production committee, but was fully funded by Shueisha and MAPPA. This is a good example of a production company taking a risk in anticipation of an anime becoming a hit.
However, if the production committee system is discontinued, the production company’s risk will increase and the number of animations produced each year will decrease.
It is a difficult question to decide which is better.
There are many people who want to become animators
The main reason of why the low-wage work of animators is not changing is because of oversupply.
In general, people will leave an industry (job) with low wages but do hard work. When the human resources are exhausted, the business is not viable, so the companies will have to raise their salaries in order for the workers to come back and work again. However, there is no such movement in the animation production industry.
The reason for this is that there are too many people who want to work in the animation industry.
In fact, many people leave the animation industry because they can’t stand the low wages, long hours, and 24/7. However, there are more newcomers coming in every year, so there is no shortage of talent to hire.
In short, the balance between supply and demand is not right, because there is an oversupply in workers that animation companies won’t have to worry that animators will boycott them, this situation is super advantageous to the employers.
Not understanding the law
Another point to consider is whether production companies are aware of the “Guidelines for Appropriate Subcontracting Transactions in the Animation Production Industry” when they sign contracts with clients.
“The “Guidelines for Appropriate Subcontracting Transactions in the Animation Production Industry” are guidelines to prevent production companies and subcontractors from entering into disadvantageous contracts from the legal perspective of the “Subcontract Act” and the “Anti-Monopoly Act.
If an animator receives work from a client without knowing about the “Guidelines for Appropriate Subcontracting Transactions in the Animation Production Industry,” there is a possibility that he or she may end up signing a contract at a lower price. If this happens, the salary paid to animators will also be lower.
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