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Over the last week, I have been keeping an eye on the development of labor disputes in the animation sector. In the course of organization, several animators have come forward with harrowing stories of their working conditions. One person I follow on Twitter retweeted a story about a young animator's mistreatment at Studio Titmouse while working on Motorcity. As a fan of Critical Role, including its just-released animated series by Studio Titmouse, my first thought was "Are they still like that now?"
It's an odd thing to say but one of the things that initially drew me to Critical Role was the knowledge that no one involved in making the show was being harmed in the process. After a decade in fandom, I have heard stories of abuse, mistreatment, and inadequate compensation from every corner of the entertainment industry. I know how idols are exploited, that stunt doubles are permanently injured on set, that crews pull unreasonable shifts and end up sick or in accidents as a result. I've heard about how manga artists overwork themselves into illness, how costars harass each other, how voice actors can seldom survive without another source of income. Critical Role was free of all of that. It was owned by the cast and under their mutual control. I could reasonably assume that no one associated with it was being hurt. In fact, by supporting it I was helping to support voice actors I admired as directly as was feasible.
But as Critical Role got bigger, it's staff expanded, and so did the opportunities for me to find out that the show was not all I had hoped. Then came the Kickstarter. Now my favorite actual play is partnered with one of the world's most odious megacorporations and an animation studio with a checkered past. It's frustrating to feel unsure as to whether people were hurt in the making of something I use to distract myself from my own problems.
It's an odd thing to say but one of the things that initially drew me to Critical Role was the knowledge that no one involved in making the show was being harmed in the process. After a decade in fandom, I have heard stories of abuse, mistreatment, and inadequate compensation from every corner of the entertainment industry. I know how idols are exploited, that stunt doubles are permanently injured on set, that crews pull unreasonable shifts and end up sick or in accidents as a result. I've heard about how manga artists overwork themselves into illness, how costars harass each other, how voice actors can seldom survive without another source of income. Critical Role was free of all of that. It was owned by the cast and under their mutual control. I could reasonably assume that no one associated with it was being hurt. In fact, by supporting it I was helping to support voice actors I admired as directly as was feasible.
But as Critical Role got bigger, it's staff expanded, and so did the opportunities for me to find out that the show was not all I had hoped. Then came the Kickstarter. Now my favorite actual play is partnered with one of the world's most odious megacorporations and an animation studio with a checkered past. It's frustrating to feel unsure as to whether people were hurt in the making of something I use to distract myself from my own problems.
