Animation

Animation Career Overview

Creativity, attention to detail, and artistic ability are necessary to find a job as an animator. Jobs in animation are often in the film, television, and advertising industries.

With increasing popularity and demand for animation, more and more schools are offering degrees in animation. Those seriously interested in pursuing a career in animation should strongly consider going to a school that specifically offers a degree in animation.

The job market for careers in animation is very competitive. It is not unusual to work as an assistant for a while, learning from co-workers, before getting a job as an animator.

About half animators are self-employed. This means that they have creative freedom and the ability to market them selves the way they want to. It also means that their career and success depends on their reputation and the quality of their work.

Constant changes and innovations in technology have greatly changed the animation process. But, no computer software or animation technology can replace drawing skills, which are the foundation of animation.

Animation Training and Education

Attending, and success at, a top animation college not only increases technical skills necessary to become an animator, but also increases a graduates chances of getting more interviews and jobs. For a career in animation, there are different opportunities for training and education. There are many animation training programs at both 2-year and 4-year colleges. Animation degrees often include coursework in animation theory, how to create animations, and how to use innovative techniques and cutting-edge technology.

There are some animation training programs, or "crash courses", that teach how to use animation software in as fast as three weeks. Longer programs offer more complete training. Some schools focus more on technical skills. Others focus more on creativity and creating characters.

After a traditional 4-year college program, you can go on to get your Master's of Fine Arts (MFA). This degree is the highest offered in fine arts and is key to getting the very top jobs in animation.

Animation Career and Salary Outlook

Like most industries, pay and concentration of jobs in animation varies based on geographic location. The highest concentration of jobs in animation is in California and New York.

Jobs in animation include the advertising, marketing, television and film industries. The average hourly wage of an animator is $27.90 and the average annual salary of an animator is $58,030. The top paying states of California and New York have average salaries of $74,760 and $60,730 respectively. The top 10% of animators make over $90,000 a year.

Career Fields/Specializations

Web Animation Career

The internet provides a plethora of job opportunities for graduates with a specialty in web animation. Web animation is a subset of web design, and it is a very important and increasingly popular one.

Some ways in which web animation is used include banner ads, e-cards, web page designs, and online gaming. Web animation is the fastest growing subset of animation careers and job opportunities. Specializing in web animation is a smart way to prepare for this growing demand for animators.

• Career possibilities: internet companies, major businesses, graphic design firms, advertising
• Helpful skills: AdobePhotoshop, Shockwave, Flash, Maya (by Alias/Wavefront)

3-D Animation Career

With a specialty in 3-D animation, animators can create figures and characters using computer software. The foundation of creating 3-D animation comes from skills such as life-drawing, composition, and perspective used in 2-D animation.

3-D animations are digital animations that are manipulated by an animator according to specific properties such as gravity. Often, a 3-D animator has to create images with a lot of attention to texturing and lighting in a 3-D environment.

• Possible career fields: film and television, advertising, marketing, video/computer/online gaming
• Helpful skills: 3-D Studio Max, Maya (by Alias/Wavefront)

Layout Artist Career

A layout artist is like the "cinematographer" of animation. It is up to the layout artist to determine how lighting affects an animation and how the camera moves through the space.

The layout artist creates the background and the background layouts for scenes of animations. It is up to the layout artist to create this foundation, which includes storyboards and additional research materials. Although storyboards are not part of the final animation, the layout is very important as it provides the foundation upon which other animators can create characters.

• Potential career fields: film and television, advertising, marketing
• Helpful skills: Strong drawing skills, AdobePhotoshop

Special Effects Animation Career

An animator who specializes in special effects creates special effects seen in movies, TV programs, and ads. Special effects are made during post-production and are added to previously filmed material. Although special effects animation is added during post-production, its usage must be planned during pre-production and during production. The special effects animator is involved through the whole process. To get the top jobs in special effects animation, an MFA is recommended.

• Potential career fields: film and television, advertising
• Helpful skills: CGI (computer generated imagery) 3-D Studio Max, Maya (by Alias/Wavefront)