Many crafts within the Animation Guild have come together to connect, identify craft-specific needs and work together towards mutual goals. However, there was one significant group of TAG members who weren’t being represented—CG artists.
“The general membership meetings are great to get an overview of important things going on in the guild, but many of us who are active in the guild have noticed that some people prefer to discuss the issues they are having in a more personal and focused setting,” says Candice Stephenson, Chair of the CG committee and a look development artist at Nickelodeon. “There are some committees doing some really great work on other crafts and labor issues, but there wasn’t one for a lot of the CG crafts.”
Stephenson wanted to create an opportunity for TAG CG artists to share information and find ways to better support the craft. She sent out a survey asking CG artists to prioritize their goals, identify issues within their studios, suggest best practices for committee meetings, and more. About 70 percent of respondents said they worked in feature films. The most pressing issues shared in the survey included addressing the way studios approach staffing/scheduling their projects, making sure artists are being properly classified, hopping between union and non-union work, and several studio-specific challenges.
Based on the survey, the committee also established several important objectives:
- Identify and address issues affecting CG artists/crafts
- Prepare for contract negotiations
- Expand skill sets through training
- Build up a network with/through the shop steward program to provide resources and support to CG artists
- Encourage professional networking to help CG artists stay on top of industry trends and connect job-seeking artists with staffing shows
The committee is open to all CG artists. Stay tuned for an upcoming meeting announcement.
If you are interested in learning more or joining the committee, email committee-cg@tag839.org.