Generalist or Specialist

Generalist or Specialist

What to expect, getting a job as an animator.

The Animation industry is a tough business to get a job in, with very competitive competition from many aspiring young animators. A Good artistic talent is a must and good computer skills are required. You need a portfolio demonstrating good animations as well as life drawings that have good gestures and show good weight in the drawings. Teamwork is essential in the industry as animators usually work in teams on projects. A master’s degree in animation will enhance your chances of getting a job in animation however it’s not really essential, providing you have a good portfolio and demo reel.

There are many different areas and departments in animation from character modelling to special effects; each area requires certain skills and knowledge to do. When applying for jobs in animation, don’t expect to be doing the job you applied for straight away, the most likely scenario will be you doing very repetitive work, building on the animations of other animators before moving up, leading onto you gaining more responsibility.

Animation/visual effects and how they are used today

Special effects and CGI are used in most areas of the media today, from TV adverts, websites and games, and there are more and more small independent companies setting up throughout the UK that specialize in visual effects and animation.

Video games Industry

Nearly all games will need a team of animators to bring the games to life. Motion capture often is being used here as well as in movies to demonstrate convincing character animation. But there is still a lot of work involved obviously. Texture mapping, lighting effects, and other special effects are just as important to the success of a video games attempt to draw you in and immerse you. It might sound like many of the same elements in a feature film, that’s because the technology is advancing and is used in all areas of the media.

Film and Tv

Animation in these areas is quite large. Jobs may include character animation in the form of a cartoons, logo, special effect and more. 3D really has taken off in the realm of computer animation and animation in general. Movies such as Lord of the Rings, Finding Nemo and the latest movies such as Inception all use 3D computer animation and special effects. What would have looked fake and rigid 6-7 years ago now looks photo realistic and seamless for 3D rendering and animation. The way the industry has moved forward and how the technology has improved is incredible, and its only going to continue improving in the future, with new ideas being used.

TV also offers a fair amount of opportunity in computer animation. Commercials have animated logos, cats that sing, and bottles that dance. Local News always has an animator of some kind doing the logo fly in or that kind of thing. There are also TV movies, and obviously shows that rely on a computer artist to do some digital special effects. This kind of animation could be a good way for someone to start their career in animation or visual effects.

Both animation and visual effects are used in everyday life, an animator looking to get into the industry as an animator may want to look at special effects for tv, films or games, and vice versa, by broadening their abilities and skills, they have more of a chance of getting a job, or at least getting into the industry in some sort of way.

Once you have your foot in the door, and you are in the industry you most likely won’t be doing the thing you wanted to do for some time, but by expanding your abilities either mixing visual effects with animation or storyboarding you will be able to achieve what you want.

Many companies require some sort of previous experience from applicants, this can be a difficult situation if you have just finished university and have no previous experience. A way you can gain experience is to contact small independent studios and ask if they can give you any work experience, you will most likely be working for free, but at least your gaining experience on how the industry works, and what to expect. If that isn’t possible then by expanding your skills and learning something new can help you. Character animators may want to look at doing special effects, as many visual effects companies also specialize in animation for films and tv too.