Maybe check Glassdoor and figure an average for yourself. I wouldn’t complain about more money though 
If you were making 100k then I would say there may be some error in the payroll system, but if you are a few k above what you were expecting to make, then that’s a plus for you. If you feel bad about it, just work harder til you feel you earn it
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35k cad seems absurdly low to me. 40k+ is more reasonable. It’s hard to find figures for junior vfx people with no prior experience, because a lot vfx people transition from another discipline into it so they have at least a couple years of industry experience. But I never met anyone who made less than 40k in any art role.
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Ok I see, thank you for you answer I can have an idea of my salary without beeing f*cked.
@Travis Of course I wouldn’t complain if I get more money but if I miss the chance to get the job because I ask too much it would be a problem too x) yeah i’ll work harder anyway because I have a lot to learn 
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I’m actually paid lower than 25K a year (After taxes) at Playmind. However, the human ressources told me it would change this month with salary re-negociation. The studio is actually expanding and the administration is being completely reworked and i’ll have a proper contracts soon.
So i may sound complaining a bit, but 25k is… I mean… Well, you get the gist of it.
Now, i understand the fact that you’re not paid the same in an AAA and an Indie studio but…
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Can I ask how much you get before taxes? Because I don’t know how much taxes will take me, I’ve never work in montreal nor Canada. In Belgium it’s 33% but I hear that in Canada it’s different, taxes are weird. Like it’s 20% before 40K. But it is true?
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Before taxes around 28k.
Try this: Income tax calculator for Québec 2022
Toss in some numbers and see how much it changes.
I’ll see if I can get some salary figures out of juniors that got a job in Montréal straight out of school. Note that every info you get out of people might be skewed due to their limited perspective, mine included! The best you can do is to talk to a lot of people and gather as much information as possible.
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Alright, so for junior 3d environment artists with zero experience and straight out of school, the numbers I got are 36 to 42k. Have in mind that VFX artists usually earn a lil bit more than environment artists. High demand and low offer gives you leverage to charge more.
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The numbers for the Infinity Ward Sr. VFX position are wrong on glassdoor. That might be about right if including bonuses at one point in time. I’m hesitant to give real numbers, as that would be frowned by my former employer… but I’ll say that they skew quite a bit higher than industry average. Even a department head isn’t going to pull $252k on salary. Bonuses are a separate story, and have changed quite a bit over time.
To answer your question yes… it’s possible (though I suspect not entirely the norm) to buy a nice house and fancy car in this profession. Depending on where you live, whether your studio does bonuses, and being in the right place at the right time.
Here’s a rough guess at typical VFX salaries in LA: (LA skewes quite a bit higher than many regions, IW might skew a bit higher than this)
Intern/Associate: 25k-45k
Jr.: 35k - 55k
VFX Artist 55k - 85k
Sr. 90k - 140k
Lead: 120k - 160k
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haha, do u know VFX salary about china?
I started as a texture artist in Montreal, with no work experience at 32k / year cad. That was almost 14 years ago. With inflation and all that stuff, in Montreal, 40k-42k sounds about right for entry in VFX. Lower than that, you’re being lowballed imho.
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Like Mederic said,
40k-42k is the bare minimum. I started around this at Ubisoft Montreal, at least in a AAA. In an Indie, this is differen, and not in a good way.
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