Overwork, Low Wages and Occupational Norms of Animators : Logic of Work Brought About by “Artisan” Norm and “Creator” Norm

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to reveal why animators working in Japan don’t regard their low-paid and long-time work as problems. Previous studies haven’t theoretically considered animators’labor process. Instead, this paper revealed relations between their occupational norms and their logic of acceptance of bad work conditions with ethnomethodological analysis of interviews.

The conclusion of this paper is as follows: Firstly, there are two types of norms in animators’workplace. One is“artisan”norm, which means that animators should follow instructions of upstream workers, the other is“creator”norm, which means that animators should show their originality. Artisan norm is superior to creator norm. Secondly, understanding and using skillfully these norms is a kind of requirement to be a competent animator. Thirdly, both norms have a common feature, which means that animators should have high-level techniques. Sustained by this common feature, animators compete for higher skills. However, their competition has been intensified because there are many cases that high skill workers can’t earn appropriate wages by some institutional factors. As a result, animators who earn wages to manage to make their living become relative winners. However low-paid their labors are, animators who can make their living are winners, and so they don’t tend to regard their work condition as problems.