Animation Careers : Career Options for Animators

[XxNinjaKuribohxX]

Thank you so much for posting this! I'm about to go into High School and I want to do animation and special effects in college but my friends said that those things only involve cartoons. You helped me prove them wrong. :)

[N8LOX]

I've been in school for 9 years, mastering my craft. I work long and hard hours and I still get chills creating this new stuff.

[AndromedaChao2]

When you're working in an animating company making a film and you're a voice actor, are you told what to say in the dialogue of that character?

[Quanmack36]

I want to become an animator but i cant find any schools, are there any schools near chadbourn, NC that major in animation

[Magickli]

still there any posibility for 2D animator to find a job?

[anatete1]

I really want to work in the animation field. My goal is cartoon network...I've always wanted to work for CN since I was little. I will hopefully get better with practice. c:

[LilRedRasta]

I would like to work for anime companies in japan.

[RVBeEtZ]

HELP!!! i cant draw but i reely love softwares n stuff n i reely love to watch animated movies or listen to people talking bout animation. if i cant draw can i still get into animation?????

[SWEETKICKSWILLY]

@RVBeEtZ lol 3D

[ActionGirlist]

Hey RollercoasterDan I know a british animator called Keiron White he's very good at animation,maybe he can help you.

[p3tchick]

mark crilley should have a serie!

[KateBushMyLove]

The reason why this is only a dream for me is simply because I have the hand for it but not the brain.. the quality of my art I would suggest is pretty damn good.. but I have no discipline at all..

[gringofxo]

HI everyone, I want to move to Orlando, looking to work for commercials or independent films animations. Someone know how is the 3D field there.

mey showreel. gringofxs.webs.com

[curtsic]

Bring back Hand Drawn Animation!

[jdkjkjdkjdks]

For those of you who are still interested in 2D animation, go watch a movie called The Illusionist.

[Ipodtouchmaniac100]

California is dangerous to live in but I want to work for Pixar

[shamizene]

@Ipodtouchmaniac100 why u say tat?

[jrrceballos]

@Ipodtouchmaniac100 go to vancouver, pixar animation studios is also there.

[RollercoasterDan]

Any ideas if i could do this for work experience? (In the UK)

[enh264]

I'd say for if you want to be an animator, you should take at least a 1 class in traditional animation. This will help you tremendously in the field of 2d vector animation, and as well for 3D. Because as much as you have practice with 3d, its all about posing, and that is why it is so important to have a solid grip of the fundamental which you will gain to the fullest from traditional animation. And, along the way, your drawing skills will be top notch and you'll be ready to kick ass!

[futureanimatior]

Well you don't really need a degree for 2d animation you could get into like Disney Animation studios, if your art is really really good. Now you couldn't be a animatior for them but you could do the story boards or even the character designs and move up to directing it if your talented enough. But those who can't deal with school it's probabily wise to just make comic books or comic strips I mean there hard but don't require no degree just plain skill.

[yungadizzle]

what kind of drawing pad does he have in the background?

[futureanimatior]

Pretty much to be a animatior means to draw every minute, every second of your life never put the pencil down!

[jacd2k9]

I would love to create my own Cartoon im really passionate, but would that be impossible? do you have to get a job on an existing tv show or company??

[futureanimatior]

@jacd2k9 Well it will be very hard to make your own cartoon since there aren't many cartoons made anymore in USA. But it would still take a lot of work because you would have to be promoted as a director, to make your own cartoon.

[jacd2k9]

@futureanimatior Im not from America im Irish. Yeah im already having second thoughts

[GraveGriever]

One day I'm going to bring hand-drawn animation back to life :) what about music videos? Are animating music videos an option, too?

[IndysBack]

@GraveGriever

What he said!

[GraveGriever]

@IndysBack I'm a girl.

[IndysBack]

@GraveGriever

How am I suppose to know? :]

Beg your pardon.

What SHE said!

[ninjastick5]

I am an 11 year old ive dreamed to become a worlds famous cartoonist from sence i was 5 years old and im still dreaming sence 10 Ive been making animations on paper and sence i jus turned 11 last year,Ive started with the computer.Im sooner or later going to place them on youtube i have 2 stickman and 1 anime,Im working on my major show called The Journey of Johnson and its based on my life.My name is Timothy Johnson,Jus saying,:)my cartoon has been on channel 11(in my country)

[yaronoooo]

thanx for the info

[beyunit]

im willing to make my own anime :)

[ssj451]

lets work together! I am willing to make a cartoon/anime style movie I don't know what to call it.. lets just get the storyboard and script ready.. pm me..

[Rawrbecca1992]

It sucks really, even if I did complete an animation degree here in the UK I would never get a job in the US becasue it requires 4 years, the UK only being 3 years sometimes even less! That or I'll have to work with animation in the UK for 10 years before a job in the states... crazy.

[ninjafuzz]

What you just said Rawrbecca1992 is completely untrue.

I think you better check where your getting that information from because i think your a little confused.

The UK degree is just as good as the United States equivalent. The fact is, for example "Pixar" hire people from all over the world because animation studios are always hungry for fresh amazing talent, the problem is the competition is tough. So practice hard.

Now that said though you do have to have alot of experience to get a -

[ninjafuzz]

- a mainstream or even freelance job in animation. So many people start as studio/film/tv runners to break into the industry to work along side animators and develop contacts.

Thats the key to getting jobs in animation you see, contacts, skill, contacts, skill, contacts.

As you move on and gain experience and knowledge you will want to be sending your demo reels that you did in uni, out to companies that are requesting animators for their adverts. As well as always improving your style.

And -

[ninjafuzz]

after that move on to maybe the games industry or the bbc. Get varied experience across the animation industry , then hit the feature animation. But like he said there the big guns and they employ the cream of the crop in not just talent but ideas too.

This is just one path you can take in the animation industry out of thousands of others.

So remember it doesn't suck cause you haven 't tried it, and you can work anywhere including the US and to get anywhere in life you have to put the hard work-

[ninjafuzz]

- and effort in, which can take many years. Don't expect to do feature length animation straight out of university as it takes alot of dedication in skill and experience to get there.

The only thing i have left to tell you, whether you want to be a 2d or 3d animator is to -

-draw! draw! draw! draw! draw! draw!

[lunarmoon1]

i am going to go to colledge when i graduate in 2010 right now i looking into schools if u hv any recomendations for animation pls do tell i heard about full sail and the art institutes any good ?

[McJazzy15]

I hope to be an animator later on.

2 years from now Im going to go to the art institure in seattle to work with media arts and animation. I would love to also bring back or try to the 2D drawn animations. THose are and always will be my favorite animation films of all time. ^^

Thankyou for this...

McJazzy

[MBGamingLegends]

@McJazzy15 i'm doing exactly the same as you lol

[Samuel1Rodriguez]

i agree with you. those 2D films were the best. i will also try to bring them back to popularity.

[poopinitup]

@McJazzy15 1 more year to go! practice practice practice!

[goodmediaproductions]

@McJazzy15 dude thats what i want to be too...

[xxEMC90xx]

Yeah I agree with ninjafuzz you must have a Bachelors and you must have a perfect profolio when you graduate. If you eat breath and live drawing than your pretty much on the save side. Just make sure you get those A's in school though!

[chibomato78]

I heard you have to have a Bachelors in the subject to get hired by the really big company's like Pixar and dreamworks. is this true?

[ninjafuzz]

Yeah its true, you also have to be skilled in both computer animation and traditional (hand drawn) followed up by a decent art background and alot of experience in the animation proffesion. It can be hard at times but it is usually fun and deffinatly worth the hard work for the money you get.