That article says:
"The pay dispute first emerged in the comments section of a recent interview with Sausage Party directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan on the website Cartoon Brew. After the directors talked about making the movie on the cheap, the comments section lit up with complaints from users who identified themselves as both credited and uncredited animators"
The US median salary for 3D animators is around $58K apparently. Interesting delineation made by the studio to categorise animators as "high technology professionals" who are not required to be paid over time, versus "entertainers" who are...whatever "entertainers" means (workers?).
I wonder what their employment contract says? Salaried professionals, I'd bet. And, they may consider themselves to be that when it suits, rather than mice on a production treadmill, which might be closer to the truth. An underlying threat is obviously global competition.... whether equivalent talent (labour) can be (out) sourced to developing countries (with much lower cost of living) for close to a pittance of the cost.
Maybe the studio execs are just being greedy, capitalist piggies with their snouts in an increasingly larger trough?
By these reports, the film cost $19m to produce, so far making a profit of over $14m...
Maybe the studio will give the 1200 people a nice little professional performance bonus to make them happier?....
Oh, and I wonder if anyone here has actually seen the movie yet?
Box Office: ‘Sausage Party’ Scores With $33.6 Million, ‘Suicide Squad’ Plunges in Second Weekend
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Sausage Party” scored at the box office this weekend, debuting to a meaty $33.6 million and providing a much-needed win for struggling Sony Pictures. In a summer dominated by spinoffs and reboots, the story of a gang of grocery items grappling with the dangers of the kitchen was an antidote to sequelitis and a reminder of the power of original ideas.
“It was the something different that adult audiences have been craving,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “When comedy pushes the envelope, that’s when it works best.”
In the case of “Sausage Party,” which liberally deploys sex jokes and four-letter words, it’s a foul-mouthed affair that more than earns its R rating. The $19 million animated comedy was also backed by Annapurna Pictures, the maker of “The Master” and “American Hustle.” Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Edward Norton, Jonah Hill and Bill Hader are among the vocal cast members. The studio released “Sausage Party” in 3,103 locations, and it now holds the record for the largest August opening ever for an animated film.
“When you have something so fresh, it just stands out to audiences,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s distribution chief. “People were blown away by the movie. It’s outrageous, off-the-wall fun.”
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