And while I fully agree with it, and it's bringing a good conversation for not only the warriors fandom I think but also many artistic communities, some people are worried many people are just upset they aren't getting on popular projects and are jealous of popular artists and that's the end of the story.
In particular I saw an artist I love but won't name say there's nothing wrong with crunching for MAProjects, as its just like being in a game jam. So as someone who's done both I thought I'd share a comparison I made with some friends privately, as to make a point in favor of the thread.
TLDR; short deadline maprojects the way they are right now are bound to the capitalist system that encourages artists to crunch while jams are healthy creative challenges, i dont want to accept this system or treat it as normal even if it is because its very unhealhy.
First, here are some Animation Jams! Which are the actual equivalent of Game Jams for animators, just 3 is enough:
WARNING: THE 5TH SHORT IN THE SALA 408 STUDIO JAM HAS A VERY EXPLICIT BUT MILDLY CENSORED SEX SCENE
Here are some facts about these animation jams and jams in general:
the animations are all short
the animations are mostly pretty simple
the animations are made by groups of 2 to idk 10 people some of those i had a hard time counting
the animations made by 1 person are rare and the simplest of all
some animations are seemingly unfinished and that is not a problem, whatever they have by 72 hours is what they have to deliver
sometimes they're given themes
the artists had a day to a weekend to work on their animations, which were moments that were timed specifically so they could focus fully on this as a fun event/game/challenge whatever you want to call it
even if artists have to work alone they don't have to work physically alone, most jams provide space or encourage people to get together in a space dedicated for them to work
Okay now, let us make a similar list but for short deadline MAProjects! I won't be showing any here because I don't want to expose anyone or to be hunted down by The Untouchable Big Animators of the fandom, just look up warriors weekend MAP on youtube, read the thread and the experiences people are sharing of working on these projects and come back here if you need a reference.
the animations are all short ✔️
the animations have to be professional level
the animations are rarely a collaboration of more than one person, usually someone steps in to collab when the original artist isn't managing anymore
the animation needs to be fully shaded colored and smoothly animated, if you can't deliver that its your fault and you shouldn't have signed up for the project
usually there's themes ✔️, designs and even storyboards set up to make things easier on the artists
the artists had a day to a weekend to work on their animations, which were moments that were timed specifically so they could focus fully on this as a fun event/game/challenge whatever you want to call it. ✔️the short deadline is a surprise sometimes though
if the animation is not perfectly finished by the deadline the artist will receive shorter and shorter extensions, and sometimes collaborators, until its done, this is called crunching
the artists all work from home, alone, with their own materials and space and lives
Now, I've added a checkmark to the things Jams and Short Deadline MAProjects have in common, do notice that saying they are similar is a bit of a stretch! Now, I suppose you could say its because MAProjects choose to be more professional for portfolios and stuff and there's nothing wrong with it as long as everyone has fun, and that is exactly what I profoundly disagree with and what motivated me to make this post, what desperately needs to be said again and again and again as many times as needed.
First off, jams can be used for portfolios too! It's why these schools and institutes and studios post their jams on Youtube! But no one getting into it should be expects to create something professional EVER, that defeats the purpose of jams completely! Jams are exercises on creativity, where worrying about perfeccionism should be thrown out the window so you can give way for brainstorming and fun because that's what creates good art! Thats what makes a good artist!
I've seen this happen with my colleagues and their colleagues in all corners of the art industry. When you say you'd rather do only "professional level" animation for your portfolio, and by that you mean fully rendered animations made crunching, you're saying you want to tell any future contractors that they can abuse you to hell and back in the industry.
You guys think there's no issue treating these projects as normal as long as everyone is having fun? Wait until you are burnt out from art or get some serious injuries/conditions that just make it impossible for you to create like you used to. If we don't limit ourselves, or bodies do, and by then you'll have thousands of medical bills you can't pay for because you can't work like you used to and of course you weren't being paid for the extra hours you did of work, after all you were just having fun right?
I agree its not easy to just, shift to having all projects be relaxed and fun again, remove the pressure the fandom puts on the artists, get rid of all the people that are making it worse. That's because this is a systemic issue caused by late stage capitalism that affects ALL kinds of artists!!
If you guys wanna sit down and accept the propaganda that will kill us all in the end, say "its just the way it is!" or "Join better MAProjects" like that solves it all! Alright! There's nothing I can do but I won't join you, I won't be quiet about this or dismiss it. Don't worry I'm not gonna """cancel""" anyone or whatever, this isn't an attack at specific animators, the artists are victims here remember? I'm not gonna be not even a little bit nice to the system they and many others they're a part of though.
