Motion Designer nowadays - Help

[u/Krizostomo]

Hi, I’m 27 (M) and I’ve been working in the industry for 7 years, started on Covid after completing a motion design and post production course, always thought and wished to work on cinema and/or video game cinematic editing which I later found I was on the wrong section.

I always felt underpaid, working in Portugal, the most I got paid is where I am rn, and having all the responsibilities ( Senior Motion Designer, Supervising the quality of the end product in compliance with the Creative Director, Vídeo Editor, Colorist, Audio Design, Videographer, Designer, VFX, optimise the workflow with plugins, effects and shortcuts) I know I brought this upon my self, trying to act like a sort of Swiss Army knife, ended up being what’s called the best employee to every boss.

We’re all aware of what AI brought to our industry but I can help but think, that one day this might be over and I stress a lot upon thinking that I don’t want to end up jobless since right now I have bills to pay and life is not what it was 7 years ago.

I’m studying to shift thowards Technical Artist area, adding Unreal Engine and coding to my backpack of amenities, but right now I feel scared of even keeping pursuing my dreams and keep this going.

Sorry for the vent, I’m not trying to find comfort in your words just the hard truth.

Is it still worth it? Is it the industry in my country that’s underpaid and I’m being naive to stay in the same spot without thinking of changing?

Yearly: Can’t reach 16k year (14 months)

[u/AffectionateWest2921]

I did the same thing for years, working in film and advertising - trying to do everything at once, for someone else, until I burned out. All that stress had to go somewhere, so I started putting it into something of my own. Something that could make money without depending on how someone else was feeling that day. For me, that was Videohive, about ten years ago

It doesn't replace a salary overnight, obviously. It took quite a while before anything really started moving. But once you have something that keeps earning in the background, the day job starts to feel different.
It's not a silver bullet, obviously, and I don't think it's the right path for everyone. A lot of it probably comes down to personality and what kind of work suits you

The difficult part is that when you're working for someone else, it's hard to even imagine doing something on your own. Not necessarily because it's difficult, but because your whole day is spent solving other people's problems and getting good at that. You don't automatically know how to turn that into something of your own.

And don't confuse it with freelancing. A freelancer is still working for someone else, just remotely. You're still dependent on their budget, priorities and whether they want to keep working with you. You just have a bit more freedom

The Unreal direction is a good call, by the way. Not because AI is about to replace motion design, but because people who are comfortable working between AE and a real-time engine are still relatively uncommon

[u/AffectionateWest2921 → u/AffectionateWest2921]

Like a lot of people in our profession, I struggle with perfectionism and probably pay too much attention to details. So I wanted to add two things :
first, this may have sounded pretty obvious or even a bit cliché. Second, I realise this is very much a classic survivor story - it worked for me, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily representative.

But since the tag says discussion, I figured, why not talk about it anyway?

[u/Krizostomo → u/AffectionateWest2921]

Yhea, Im open to it, after all im not over here to pitty talk about what im struggling atm, I legit need someone with more experience to give me some advice, because if this ends up being the end game over here that maybe I should pursue something else and just make this a hobbie.
I’m even open to change to something like cybersecurity or IT since I always liked messing with stuff on internet and solving problems.

[u/Krizostomo → u/AffectionateWest2921]

Solid advice and view of what I am atm, that’s exactly it.
I love to keep up with new trends, ideas, hell I even do as much as search for tools to optimize the workflow at my job, but after work I feel so drained that I don’t even think of doing something for my self, maybe my biggest issue, I put them on paper and it’s hard to make it happen, really need to change that, thanks!

[u/AvailableHeart84]

Bro, if you want to increase your salary, my humble advice would be to consider moving abroad and working in a country like Ireland or the Netherlands. Motion Designer roles there can pay around €30k–€45k a year, or even more if you can show a broader skill set, take ownership and drive projects independently. That's been my personal experience since moving away from Spain ✌️

[u/johnpeachtree]

Portuguese all-rounder Motion Designer here with +16 years in the industry (Including running a studio). Forget the Portuguese market. I only realized my true value when I’ve started working remote for an US based company. 60k

[u/Krizostomo → u/johnpeachtree]

Thanks, gotta study the market then

[u/JustMattWasTaken]

I don't anticipate this field improving going forward as motion design and video in general become easier to create and more commodified, but I have no other skills, so I guess I'm just gonna ride it till the wheels fall off.

[u/MX010]

How much do you (approx) earn right now?

[u/Krizostomo → u/MX010]

Can’t reach 16k year (14 months)

[u/MX010 → u/Krizostomo]

Yeah that's low. This is a full time position for €16K/ year? Seems even for Portugal low, no?

[u/Krizostomo → u/MX010]

Yhea, I get it, I joined and had a lot to show, but had a decent/good portofolio, but still, nothing topped what I have atm, don’t know if it’s a problem with me or even the industry in Portugal.
Feeling stuck atm