Time Flies When You Work All The Time (Suddenly)

This one goes out to the Bond Sisters...

Sony Pictures Imageworks is where I spent many happy years in the 90's. I left in December of 99. A new millennium was coming, I needed a new life and took my chances in the freelance life. I love the freelance life! I don't regret leaving at all. In fact the only thing I ever missed (aside from fun people) were two things: unlimited office supplies and simply picking up the phone, calling IT and saying "My computer broke, come fix it" and someone would. I really miss those two things. Though I have PLENTY of office supplies in our house and learning how to fix 75% of my own computer problems has been quite empowering.

I got a job back at Imageworks a few weeks ago, originally just for a few weeks to help them with some extra bidding work. Clients come to a place like Imageworks and say "how much for us to do visual effects in this movie?" and hand over a script and someone like me (VFX Producer) reads it, breaks out the list of FX shots and puts a grand total on it. Sometimes it takes days, sometimes a week or more, depending. I was happy to jump in and make a few bucks. 

An aside: sometimes the producer of a movie will get in contact with a freelance FX producer like me and ask for a shot breakdown and budget as well. So I can get work from many sources. In fact, I was doing a shot breakdown last weekend for a separate producer who had called. Extra work and cash? You bet, I'll take it.

Then Imageworks asked if I could stay to produce a test for 12 weeks at a reduced rate (not a huge reduction) and reduced hours. Ummmm. YES. My hours are 10-5 (flexible as need be) and the pay is still great. I'm quite pleased. Imageworks is 5 minutes from my house (okay okay, 8) and I'm working with one of the creative supervisors I worked with at Imageworks in the 90s. Very fun. It's a good deal and I'm pleased. Plus I'm getting paid as a contractor (1099) so my whole salaray comes to me every week, no taxes removed. Yes, I have to save to pay them next year, but having that much cash is great for now. Helps to pay off the rest of the debt we have left over from last year.

But it's been busy, adjusting to the new schedule and also making my own schedule work. I've been really good about getting up early 5 or 6 to make sure I have time to write on my script and to exercise, even if it's only a 30 minute walk. Now that I have a regular schedule for the next 12 weeks, I feel really good about getting lots of writing done. 

Yes, yes, writing includes blogging, but it seems to fall by the wayside when I really want to get my script done!

So. That's what's been happening work-wise.  More to come...