Site Etiquette
VFXmarketplace.com is built around a community of VFX artists.
The growth of the community will be driven by the behaviour of its members – so we have prepared a series of guidelines for people using the site.
If buyers of services find that they get good quality work, done reliably and at a fair price through VFXmarketplace.com, then they will bring more work. Your reputation for quality and reliability will influence how much work you get, and the price that you can charge for your work.
Remember - if your work is not delivered on time, or your work is not good enough, you will not be paid. You are expected to follow our security requirements at all times.
Some dos and don'ts
Don't
Bid for work you don't have the skills to do. Why? Because you will be wasting the Buyer's time, and taking work away from people who could do it effectively.Failing to deliver will affect your SupplierScore™.
Bid for work you don't have the capacity to do. Failing to deliver will affect your SupplierScore™. If you have bid on several items, and end up winning more than your capacity, then make sure you withdraw quickly before the end of those bids. If you win a bid and do not have time to withdraw from another auction before you win that bid then you must inform the Buyer as soon as possible. We will be monitoring anyone who does this and looking at the time they had to withdraw and whether it was reasonable. Anyone doing this repeatedly or when there was a reasonable amount of time to withdraw, or inform the buyer too late, will either have a serious SupplierScore™ penalty applied or may have their accreditation removed.
Do
- Address all shot feedback (or mention it in the comments if you have not) - there is nothing as frustrating for a buyer as having to repeatedly ask for something that is ignored or forgotten.
- Encourage your contacts to join this community. The more artists supplying work on the site the more VFX buyers will put work on the site and so the more work there will be for everyone to do. We are seeking to break the mould of existing VFX work, and make sure that it goes to the people who are best placed to do the work at the fairest price.
- Keep your communication via the website.Why:
- To protect yourself in the event of a dispute. If all communication is done through the site we have a record of how the dispute developed and can help settle the dispute fairly. There will always be times when Buyers and Suppliers disagree – we will step in to help, but can't do so unless you have kept a record of every communication.
- To keep a record for you to refer back to - it is much easier to refer back to comments from a Buyer if they are kept within the website.
Tips and hints for success
Look at the prices that other people are charging, and how their ratings compare to yours. If you are just starting out, you are likely to have to charge lower prices, as you don't yet have a reputation to trade on. Once you have shown what you can do, you will be able to win work at higher prices.
Think about what the Buyer wants. They may be looking for the job to be done really quickly, in which case you can charge more, if you are reliable. If they are wanting the job done at the lowest cost – this is an ideal opportunity for suppliers that are just starting up. Do a few low value items well, and then you will be able to access higher value items.
Communicate clearly with the Buyer. By far the most problems are caused by poor communication. Once you have won a bid, make sure that you keep to the deadlines that you have agreed. If you are going to miss a deadline, or have a question, explain clearly and early. The sooner you warn of a potential delay and the more clearly you explain the reasons, the more likely the buyer is to be able to work with you.
Think about your capacity and your team. We will be increasing the work that is available via vfxmarketplace.com – so don't worry about winning all the work on the day you join. Come back when you have more capacity – there will be more work available.
Send work in progress before you have finished the shot. If you wait until the end to get feedback, the process is likely to take longer and you may have to redo some of the work.
Top up your existing workload. You may normally be busy, but on occasion have quiet periods – in which case, come here when you have a gap, to seek additional work. You may wish to work in the evenings or weekends.