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Watch PES's latest film "Submarine Sandwich" here: http://youtu.be/EWEl8-PHhMI Get official PES merch here: http://pesfilm.com Game Over: Written, Directed, and Animated by PES. PES on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theartistknownasPES

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An animator creates an extensive series of images that form the animation seen in movies, commercials, television programs or video games. He or she typically specializes in one of these media and may further concentrate on a very specific area, for example, characters, scenery or background design. Animators typically use computer software to do their work. The animator is a member of a team that consists of other animators and artists who collaborate on projects.

Quick Facts

Animators earned a median annual salary of $63,630 and hourly wages of $30.59 in 2014 (U.S.).

Just over 64,000 people were employed as animators (U.S., 2014).

According to Animation Review, the top four cities in North America for animation careers are San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Vancouver, Canada.

About half of all animators are self-employed.

The job is concentrated in the motion picture and video industries.

Expect to work late hours, weekends and holidays when deadlines are approaching.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment growth to be as fast as the average for all occupations through 2024. If more employers choose to save money by hiring animators from overseas, the job outlook in the United States may worsen.

A Day in an Animator's Life

These are some typical job duties taken from online ads for animator positions found on Indeed.com:

"Create expressive character animation that portrays a wide range of emotions"

"Recommend the best approaches to integrate 3-D components into final commercial quality products"

"Create high-quality animations by utilizing both hand key animation and motion capture data"

"Give and receive constructive and creative feedback across involved teams"

"Collaborate with other animators, clients and producers"

"Create prototypes and mock-ups of new types of products"

"Brainstorm and conceptualize ideas, with the ability to produce concept sketches and quick concept edits"

"Comprehend and execute direction from Lead Animator or Animation Supervisor"

How to Become an Animator

While an animator isn't required to have a college degree, most employers prefer to hire job candidates who have a Bachelor's degree in Animation, Computer Graphics or a related discipline. If you want to create animation for video games, you should earn a degree in video game design or interactive media.

An animator needs more than artistic talent to work in this occupation. In addition to the technical skills you will learn in an academic program, you must have certain soft skills to be successful. Because animators must function as part of a team, good communication skills, including strong listening and speaking skills, are extremely important. Tight deadlines call for excellent time management skills. Without the ability to think creatively, you will not be able to generate ideas and bring them to fruition. Strong computer skills are necessary because much your work will involve using sophisticated computer software and you may also have to write code.

What will employers expect from an animator?

What do employers look for when they hire animators? Here are some requirements from actual job announcements we found on Indeed.com:

"Must be able to take direction, communicate with other artists (and external contractors) and work with engineers to ensure that art and animations are properly implemented in the game"

"Ability to illustrate and storyboard"

"Outstanding work ethic, character, integrity, and professionalism"

"Must be able to prioritize, multitask, and meet tight deadlines"

"Strong design, communication, and project management skills are required"

"Must have a positive attitude and be a team player"

Is This Occupation a Good Fit for You?

Holland Code: AIC (Artistic, Investigative, Conventional)

MBTI Personality Types: ENFP, INTJ, INTP, ESFP, ISFP (Tieger, Paul D., Barron, Barbara, and Tieger, Kelly. (2014) Do What You Are. NY: Hatchette Book Group.)

Occupations With Related Activities and Tasks

Description

Median Annual Wage (2014)

Minimum Required Education/Training

Fashion Designer
Creates clothing and accessories

Associate or Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design (preferred)

Graphic Designer
Communicates messages using visual elements

$45,900

Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design

Photographer
Tells stories and records events by taking pictures

$30,490

Bachelor's Degree in Photography

Fine Artist
Creates art to sell or exhibit

$43,890

Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 (visited April 6, 2016 ).
Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET Online (visited April 6, 2016).

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An animator creates an extensive series of images that form the animation seen in movies, commercials, television programs or video games. He or she typically specializes in one of these media and may further concentrate on a very specific area, for example, characters, scenery or background design.

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It is hard to imagine in the age of CGI animation a time in the not-to-distant past when animation was done in stop-motion photography. These films included small scale models that were moved slightly with each frame. Usually the motion was irregular and jerky because everything was done by hand. Stop-motion (or stop-action) animation was done in the late 1920's with The Lost World and King Kong in 1933. One of the early famous animators was Ray Harryhausen. You can read more about Harryhausen and the early days of animation in our art news section.

In the late 1980's, the California Raison commercials made claymation popular. Previous to this, the only major claymation done was on Gumby. [Download the PDF history of Gumby ] CGI came into play with animated movies such as Toy Story, Toy Story 2 in the 1990s, and Toy Story 3 made Pixar Animation Studios a household name.

With Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, Pixar broke box office records for an animated film. Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar have merged and are now the largest employer of animators. Jobs at smaller studios can also be found, however. The Clayman's 3D Cartoon Communications specializes in commercial animation.

Animation and Special Effects are closely related and jobs frequently overlap each other. As with jobs in Special Effects, the pay is good and qualified employees are in demand- especially in California, Florida and New York. Because everything is now computer generated, strong computer skills are essential.

Many animators are creating animated gif images and Flash animations for website design. Some freelance and others work on a web development team.

Ray Harryhausen with two of his stop-motion sculptures from the movie, "Clash of the Titans."

How Do I Become a Newspaper Cartoonist?

Bill Amend, the cartoonist for Foxtrot, recommends reading the book, Your Career in the Comics by Lee Nordling. He says it took him three years of submitting strips to Universal Press Syndicate before he was offered a contract. Becoming a newspaper cartoonist is next to impossible in the current world recession. Many newspaper companies are closing down. See this article for details.

Job titles in Animation and Cartooning
Story artist Background/layout artist Studio Background artist Technical Director

Establishes direct and reflected lighting and shadow for individual shots. The technical director needs knowledge of UNIX and programming.

Director of Photography Photoscience Engineer Editorial Cartoonist

This artist frequently creates cartoons for the editorial sections of newspapers. Jobs for this profession are dwindling as newspapers fold.

Production Background Pencil Model Sheet Artist

A group of original pencil drawings on one sheet that illustrate an animated character in a variety of poses and expressions. Model sheets are lithographed and distributed to the animation team to ensure a uniform look and feel to a character throughout a production.

Background Drawing/Layout Animation/Cartooning Journals Animation Jobs Available Animation Artists and Companies

There are thousands of artists and companies in the world and the list is too comprehensive to include here. You can do a search for companies on major search engines.

P.T. Pie, which creates digital cartoons.

Networking John Lasseter from Disney/Pixar gives advice to aspiring animation students

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Animation and Cartooning are closely related and jobs frequently overlap each other. As with jobs in Special Effects, the pay is good and qualified employees are in demand- especially in California, Florida and New York. Because everything is now computer generated, strong computer skills are essential.

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Is an Online Animation Program for You?

Among the options available to would-be animators are online animation programs. One of the primary benefits of attending an online program is that scheduling is often more manageable for those who need to work while attending school. You can complete the coursework anywhere there's an Internet connection, and some programs are structured asynchronously, meaning that you can view lectures and do assignments on your own time. And, a program that is properly accredited will provide curriculum that meets appropriate quality standards.

Online animation degrees are tailored to help you learn the practical application of computer animation required for a career in game design, television, movies and interactive media.

How Online Animation Programs Work

Online animation programs differ from in-person programs in a few major ways:

In the way that the course materials are delivered

Online degrees may include a variety of educational technologies, from video lectures to interactive lessons

You'll interact with your professors and fellow students using online methods, whether it's a discussion board or a real-time video or text chat

You'll "hand in" your assignments via the Internet

What Animation Degrees are Available in an Online Format?

Since animation as a whole is moving almost completely to computers, animation degree programs are becoming more prevalent online. Some schools may offer a hybrid program, that is, a program where you can take theory, history and liberal arts requirements online but need to attend more hands-on application courses at a local college.

Some of the degrees (Certificate and Bachelor's) you can earn online include:

Media Arts & Animation

2D Animation

Computer Animation

Game Design & Animation

Animation Technology

Will My Courses Be the Same as in a Classroom Degree Program?

You can expect the curriculum in an online animation program to be similar in subject matter to an on-campus program. Some of your training will address the computer technology that is standard in the animation industry, such as 3d animation and rendering software. However, you'll also learn a great deal about traditional visual art, including color theory, composition and drawing, as well as filmmaking techniques.

Other coursework may include:

Motion capture

Compositing and scene finishing

Shading and lighting

Production modeling

Character rigging

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Animation School and Career Guide for Students | All Art Schools

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Among the options available to would-be animators are online animation programs. One of the primary benefits of attending an online program is that scheduling is often more manageable for those who need to work while attending school.

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News, art, articles, and multimedia from film director Tim Burton.

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Information on Stop Motion Animation

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How to Do Stop Motion Animation | Howcast

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Learn how to do stop motion animation courtesy of Joe Vena of NYC's Children's Museum of the Arts in these Howcast videos.

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The Original Human TETRIS Performance  by Guillaume Reymond

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http://www.notsonoisy.com/gameover TETRIS played by real human-beings sitting in an auditorium: TETRIS is the 4th video performance of the GAME OVER Project, directed by the Swiss artist Guillaume REYMOND (NOTsoNOISY creative agency). This stop-motion video was shot and played for "LES URBAINES" festival http://www.urbaines.ch at the Palais de Rumine (Lausanne, Switzerland) on November 24th 2007.

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to be a good film maker, you need to know how to storyboard first!

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SORRY您访问的页面弄丢了 - 澳门百家路单

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Art 640 2014 Talent Show Movie by Candy Cannon

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Art 640 2014 Talent Show Movie by Candy Cannon

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Test stop motion animation on a chalkboard

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The world's largest stop motion animation.