Taxes For Freelance Animators

 

 
This short video offers a short introductory guide to taxes for freelance animators.  It was recorded for our students at Buckinghamshire New University, studying for their MA in 3D Animation, but it applies equally to all our students at Animation Apprentice. BNU can't offer our students formal legal or tax advice, but we can explain the basic rules of freelancing.  Freelancing need not be complicated. You don't need a license to offer your services to clients and, as long as you pay your taxes to HMRC at the end of the tax year, doing small freelance animation jobs can be a great way to get started in the animation industry. 

How Much Do You Charge Your First Client?

 

One of the most common questions I get asked at Animation Apprentice by students and recent graduates is this: "What should I charge for my first freelance job?".  First of all - congratulations! You have your first client. Now you have to figure out the scope of the work, and how much to charge.  Generally, at the start of your career, you want to keep your rates as low as possible. Work as cheaply as you can afford to in the beginning, do a good job - and your clients will come back for more. Before you know it, you'll be building up a portfolio career as a freelance animator.

When (If Ever) Should Animators Work For Free?

When, if ever, should animation artists work for free? This is a controversial issue and a subject on which many people in our industry have strong feelings. Students and graduates do of course often work for free, taking work experience, unpaid jobs or internships which do not pay actual money, but which offer training in the industry and real-world experience of what the world of work is like. But it's also important to value your own time, avoid being exploited, and earn enough money to avoid going broke. So, when, exactly, should animators work for free?

How Much Should I Charge for a Freelance Job?

One of the most common questions I get asked at Animation Apprentice by recent graduates is this: "What should I charge for my first freelance job?".

First of all - congratulations! You have your first client. Now you have to figure out the scope of the work, and how much to charge.

Generally, at the start of your career, you want to keep your rates as low as possible. Work as cheaply as you can afford to in the beginning, do a good job - and your clients will come back for more. Before you know it, you'll be building up a portfolio career as a freelance animator.

ChargeSync - Our Latest Nano Film!

Our students at Animation Apprentice have just completed their latest freelance commercial project: Chargesync.  Chargesync is a tech company that makes electricity storage devices that people can put in their homes, saving money on their electricity bills and helping to reduce their carbon footprint as well. The purpose of the film is to help electricity consumers understand exactly what it is that Chargesync do. Animation is a wonderful tool for taking complex ideas and getting them across in a simple, clear way. And this film was a great way for our students to get paid experience of working on a live freelance job - for a great company with a great message.

Jason Thompson Breaks Into The Games Industry with Man O' War: Corsair

Man O' War: Corsair.

Jason Thompson is a graduate of Animation Apprentice who has recently broken into the games industry, working on the newly released game Man O' War: Corsair. 

We asked Jason to talk about his experience, and what advice he might give to other students hoping to break into this fast-growing but highly competitive industry.

Steve Woodhouse Starts His Career as a Freelance Animator

Coral Windows & Conservatories (Animated TV Advert) from Stada Media on Vimeo.

Take a look at this sixty second animated TV Advert for Coral Windows - with some great work by Animation Apprentice student Steve Woodhouse. Steve did all the animation on the fish (Coral's logo is a clownfish) and the girl, for this commercial project.  Steve is now well on his way to establishing himself as a freelance animator, with some excellent production shots for his demo reel. Congratulations Steve!

The Perils of Freelancing in Los Angeles - The Taxes You Never Knew You Didn't Owe

LA City Hall. Wikimedia

Any animator who lives and works in Los Angeles needs to be aware of  the laws relating to freelancers in the City of LA.  These local rules are not well known and very easy to fall foul of, as I know myself from personal experience.

In a nutshell, if you do any freelance work at all while you live and work in LA, make sure you register with City Hall.  If you don't, scary penalties will follow.  Here's how the system works.

Sole Trader or Limited Company - Which is Best?

As a freelance animator, considering whether to set up a Limited Company or become a Sole Trader can be a tricky decision. There are many things to think about when identifying which route would be right for you.  So, what is the difference, and which route is best?

Sole Trading
Becoming a Sole Trader (self-employed) is the simplest way to run a small business, especially if you’re just starting out. Many contractors and freelancers - including animators - operate as Sole Traders at the beginning of their careers. As a Sole Trader you will be operating your business as a self-employed individual.

Rocketsig - Our Students' Latest Commercial Project

Our students at Animation Apprentice have just completed their latest freelance commercial project: Rocketsig.  Rocketsig is an email signature product created by Rocketseed, a tech company that offers clickable email banners, with built-in analytics so that a company's email can become an important marketing tool. The purpose of the film is to help their prospective customers understand exactly what it is that Rocketsig will do, so that they can get their message across more quickly and effectively. Animation is a wonderful tool for taking complex ideas and getting them across in a simple, clear way. And this film was a great way for our students to get paid experience of working a live freelance job.

A New Project For Nano Films!

Here at animation Apprentice we believe not just in training our students for a career in the animation industry, but we think we can do better - and actually find them jobs. Partly, this involves placing students in internships, recommending them for work whenever opportunities arise. But we can be more proactive than this, by taking on small freelance jobs at Nano Films, making short films for commercial clients and utisiling our pool of talented students to do the animation. Just recently we brought in a new job for a repeat customer, on our tight deadline. So, what can our apprentice animators expect if they get involved?

Finding Work in the Industry - Film and TV Pro

Film and TV Pro - worth signing up for

Film and TV Pro is a great website to sign up for. You can get updates on jobs, both paid and unpaid, and connect with industry professionals. Looking for that first job can be the trickiest part of launching your career, and being connected is part of the solution.

Five Rules For Dealing With a Tricky Client

How do you deal with a tricky client?  Difficult clients are so common that there are websites such as are clientsfromhell.net, dedicated entirely to horror stories written by freelancers about having to deal with hard-to-please clients. So, if you are starting off on your career, how do you handle a difficult client? Below are our five rules for success

Meet The Float Folks! - our Latest Commercial Project!

The Float Folks - Coming Soon!

Our student animators have recently finished work on our newest commercial project - The Float Folks - a teaser for a new TV Series which is the brainchild of creator Ian Foyle. The Float Folks invites the viewer into a world of fishing floats; a small town by the reed beds where everyone gets along (mostly) - and the only way to travel is by dragonfly or dogfish. The project was animated by a number of our recent graduates and current animation students. We're excited to see this project come to life, and thrilled to have been a part of making it happen.

Phil Loeffler Talks Freelance Graphic Design and Illustration

Artwork by Phil Loeffler

Phil Loeffler is a talented designer, artist and animator, who came to Animation Apprentice to broaden his range of artistic skills and master the art of character and creature animation. Before he began studying with us, he had already established a successful career as a freelance graphic designer. We asked him to talk a little about his work, and what is involved in making a living in such a fascinating but competitive field.

Two weeks to go until Cartoon Business

Cartoon Business

Cartoon Business is the finance and business counterpart to Cartoon Movie and Cartoon Forum. If you are interested in the business side of producing animation, but don't know how to assemble, package and sell an animated TV series or feature film, then Cartoon Business is the place to learn. Supported by MEDIA, the EU fund for the creative industries, and backed by the French Government, Cartoon Business will walk you through all the steps needed to bring your ideas to the market. And you don't even need to speak French - the event is conducted in English, the international language of media and animation.

Should Freelance Animators Operate as Sole Traders or Set Up a Limited Company?

A freelancer

Part of our job at Animation Apprentice is to teach our students to be working professionals, which includes not only the ability to do excellent work at a high level of professional skill,  but also the ability to run a small business and tackle freelance work.

Almost all digital artists take on freelance work of one kind or another, and we help our students out by bringing in small commercial projects at our virtual online studio at nano-films.com, giving our students paid experience on live briefs.

Being a freelancer involves learning a lot of new business skills, and one of the most common questions asked by students is: "Do I Need to Set Up a Company before I become a freelancer?" The short answer is "no", but it's not quite as simple as that - it all depends on your personal circumstances.

Six Rules to Create a Great CV

CV stands for Curriculum Vitae - in Latin: "the story of your life". In the USA it is known as a résumé.  Whatever the name, its purpose is to summarise your education, life history and skills as clearly and concisely as possible, and to put the best possible gloss on your achievements. 

Employers will expect one, so it's worth spending some time on it to get it right. And yes, even animators need a CV. Your demo reel may be your main calling card, but your CV still matters.

The good news is this: once you've done it, all you need do is edit it periodically and update it.  Below are our Six Rules for creating a great CV or resume.

Steve Burch Uncovers the Mysteries of Producing Animation

Animation Producer Steve Burch

Animation Producer Steve Burch recently gave an excellent talk on Producing Animation, aimed at students hoping to start up their own small businesses and take on commercial freelance jobs. What are the challenges involved in successfully bidding on, winning - and delivering - a freelance animation job?

Surviving and Thriving as a Freelance Animator

If you work in the animation industry, the chances are that at some point you will be self-employed, either running your own small business or working as a freelancer. 

Even if you do land a good job as an employee of a company, most likely it will last at most a year or two, since jobs in our industry tend to be project-driven. 

Even well-established companies tend to expand and contract according to the size of their order book. 

So what’s an animator to do to stay afloat and pay the rent, let alone finance a mortgage and a family? The answer is, you have to be smart, and you must understand the rules of freelancing.