As an art technique, animation renders images and figures into motion pictures. It integrates design attributes with computer science to develop animated sequences. Many artists make animations by using computer-prompted images, but others still use physical models and handmade illustrations (Indeed, 2021).
Careers in animation, art and design, and entertainment await animation degree students. Animators manifest outstanding artistic competencies, time management abilities, and computer skills. If animation is your preferred line of work, you should start creating your portfolio and obtaining experience to fit in this driven industry (Best Colleges, 2019).
This article explains what the animation career path is all about.
Animation Careers Table of Contents
Why pursue a career in animation?
Animation Career Outlook
Required Skills for Animation
How to Start Your Career in Animation
How can I advance my career in animation?
Alternative Options for Animation
Why pursue a career in animation?
As the animation industry continuously expands, the number of professionals taking animation roles also rises. Better still, the field offers an extensive selection of career opportunities. For instance, art directors earn over $90, 000 annually. At the same time, they love the creative side of their jobs, consistently using their imagination and witnessing the actualization of their designs and concepts.
Animation Career Outlook
People will continue to call for more realistic television and movie special effects, along with more capable video games and mobile device graphics, resulting in the insistence on more advanced computer software
Required Skills for Animation
An animation degree nurtures raw artistic prowess and generates 2D and 3D computer application mastery. Other skills, like communication and teamwork, are also important to achieve your animator goals.
Essential Skills for Animation
Artistic Talent. The creation of a project normally begins on a storyboard. Computer applications breathe life into these storyboards’ drawings and still images. On this note, animators must have the expertise in using color, light, and texture.
Computer Software. Computer applications help students animate their designs, making their characters, movements, and backgrounds realistic. 2D and 3D applications are implemented by using various software, and animators should be able to distinguish them from each other so that they can get their desired effects well.
Applied Math. Skills in applied math allow animators to devise more advanced animations. Trigonometry, for example, can move characters around, while algebra and integral calculus produce more stunning sceneries and special effects.
Knowledge of Anatomy, Body Mechanics, and Physics. Being adept at anatomy, body mechanics, and physics is also pivotal to animation, according to Angela Lepito’s 2018 study “Where Animation and Science Meet.” As seen on Integrative and Comparative Biology, the study details how an animation studio, such as DreamWorks Animation, incorporates scientific principles into films. “One of the unique components of an animator’s skillset is the ability to take all this real-world information and craft a caricature of that information to create the performance. Animators take their understanding of anatomy, body mechanics, and physics to shape the character’s movements and, more deeply, their acting. What separates animation from other mediums is that caricatured movement. Animators push and pull, squash, and stretch beyond real-world boundaries to bring forth the illusion of life.”
General Skills for Animation
Communication. Strong communication skills are key to understanding client needs and sending necessary concerns about a project.
Teamwork. Animators often partner with designers to develop a project, and collaborations like this can bring many challenges. Thus, they need to navigate different personalities well, communicate clearly with each other, and tell their visions intelligibly.
Time Management. Working long hours is vital in most studio and game design firms, especially during strict deadlines.
How to Start Your Career in Animation
How to get a job in animation then? Alongside a substantial portfolio and industry experience, a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree is a qualification for most animation careers. An associate degree is usually not offered in this field, but schools may offer standalone courses to let students get ready for a full-time university program. Some programs also come with internship opportunities (Best Colleges, 2019).
Stop-Motion Animator
Stop-motion animators create special rigs that include puppets, clay figures, and other props. One great example of exemplary stop-motion animations are The Wallace and Gromit films.
Median salary: $75, 270
Alternative Career Options for Animation
Animation experts are not confined to a single career choice. Exploring other animation careers is always an option as this field is an all-encompassing one
VFX Artist
VFX artists develop computer-assisted crowds, creatures, and stunt doubles. They primarily create illusions that the mentioned items are real.
Animation: Helping Make Our Lives a Little Less Complicated
From pencil and paper, animation has truly evolved in a number of ways. We no longer see odd-looking cartoon characters and extremely pixelated backgrounds while watching a television show or movie, playing a game, or browsing our phones or computers. We are at a time when new technology, software, and other tools are used altogether to create lifelike designs.
Yet, animators do more than just draw and sketch visuals. They help tell and understand stories that make our lives a little less complicated—even for just a few moments