What It Takes To Be A Freelance Animator

how to become an animator

Animation is such a brilliant vehicle for storytelling that information technology's easy for people to never really consider what goes on behind those flickering pixels. Getting caught up in the magic, movement and colour—who is going to be thinking about what happens on the other side of the screen? Every bit it turns out: you are!

If you dear design and animation, the process of how the work comes together is merely as fascinating as the work itself. But in that location'due south a process to consider even before that—the steps yous'll need to accept to get an animator in the showtime place.

In this article, we'll outline what makes an animation career highly-seasoned too as the steps you'll need to have to make this creative career a reality.

Why become an animator?

Though it might seem like a lofty career aspiration, blitheness is really a thriving industry with lots of options, solid task opportunity and above average earning potential. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for animators in 2017 was $70,530.^*

The career is on a steady pace of growth and task opportunity. The BLS writes that consumers demand more realistic video games, moving picture and television special furnishings, and three-dimensional movies will continue driving employment opportunity for animators.

"Blitheness has never been more popular than today," says animation voiceover icon Bob Bergen. "Every major studio has a thriving animation department. At that place are 24/7 networks devoted to animation. Blitheness is one of the oldest forms of media entertainment, and with everything new in technology, it's still going strong with no terminate in sight."

v Steps to condign a professional animator

Is an animation career in your hereafter? The following steps will lay out what you lot can expect to practise along the manner.

Footstep one: Assess your aptitude

Animation isn't for anybody. You'll need certain skills and traits to be successful. While nearly anything can be learned over time with enough instruction and do, you'll notwithstanding want to do a footling honest self-inventory and compare with what employers expect of animators.

Animators, like many other professionals, will need to have a mix of technical and "soft'" skills to excel in their careers. Organizational ability, creativity, teamwork and communication skills might seem like obvious requirements, simply they're listed for a reason. Animators often work closely as part of a team and receive feedback from stakeholders who might not take a creative background and demand these skills to work effectively. After all, at that place'due south not much use for vivid animators if they can't take direction, piece of work well with others or explicate their vision.

Moving across soft skills, there's plenty for animators to master on the technical side of things. Our analysis of over 6,306 multimedia designer and animation task postings institute the following skills and competencies were nigh commonly required:^**

Adobe® Creative Suite® (including Photoshop®, Illustrator® and Afterward Effects®)
Prototyping
User experience (UX) / User Interface (UI) design and wireframing
3D modeling
Video editing

Stride 2: Get educated

Once yous have a handle on what's expected of animators, the next step for nigh is to build their abilities through didactics. Employers typically require animators to possess a Bachelor'due south caste, according to the BLS.^* That lines upwards with our analysis of job postings, besides—83% of the jobs postings we analyzed preferred applicants with a Bachelor's degree.^**

These degrees non only verify to employers that you have a well-rounded education, but they also ensure that you get of import exposure to many facets of motion graphics and blitheness. For example, Rasmussen College's Bachelor's caste in Graphic Design with an Blitheness & Motion Graphics specialization includes courses on color theory, digital effects, the business of digital media, 3D modeling and portfolio development.

Your Bachelor's degree should provide you lot with everything you lot'll demand technically to begin working in blitheness—forth with other core graphic pattern skills and the theory to back them upward.

Step three: Seek experience

While some students might find chore opportunities without experience outside of school, Tom Geiser, president of Pickett Productions says internships are an of import manner for aspiring animators to transition from academia to the career world.

"Animation school projects are overnice, but they don't always translate in the real world," Geiser says. "Try to get an internship—or freelance while you are in school. Applied job experience puts you miles ahead of the contest."

If you lot can detect a few opportunities to network at schoolhouse and land an internship or a few low-upkeep clients who are willing to attempt your skills, you tin develop a much stronger portfolio and resume.

Footstep 4: Build your portfolio

As an animator, you aren't going to be walking into a job interview with a scrapbook. Many animators create websites to showcase their best work, attract clients and impress employers. Your animation program should give you plenty of good management in building a convincing portfolio, and you volition well-nigh likely have a few projects to showcase in that location past the time you lot graduate.

Blitheness is definitely a "show me" career—the more work y'all tin highlight and include, the improve. Try to balance your portfolio with unlike animation styles and types of piece of work. A robust portfolio with varied work samples will go a long way toward improving your employability.

Step five: Find a task

With a Available's degree, some internship or freelance feel and a strong portfolio, you volition be well equipped to search for a job in blitheness. While it might not exist what get-go springs to mind, many animators work exterior of movies and advertisements. Our article, "Where Exercise Animators Work? 5 Options You Never Knew Existed," outlines a few of the bottom-known blitheness employment options.

To make yourself as competitive as possible, Geiser advises new animators to proceeds more general experience. "Almost seem to have experience in one aspect of blitheness or i software platform." But if you branch out and endeavour to learn some other program, you lot're more probable to accept the right skill gear up.

"I call back animation students, like other students, are unsure on how to sell themselves or accentuate the positives in their feel," Geiser says. "I know it'southward tough talking near yourself, but you volition accept to exercise information technology sooner or later."

Are you drawn to animation?

If y'all were wondering how to go an animator, then you probably now know that the exciting world of blitheness isn't all that far away!

These steps offer a birds-centre view of what it takes to become an animator. The good news is you're well on your mode toward completing the offset stride simply past reading this article. Every bit you make the move from self-evaluation to furthering your education, you'll want to exercise your research and ensure you find a program that fits you and your needs well. If yous're gear up to accept that step, check out the Bachelor'southward degree in Graphic Pattern—Animation and Motion Graphics specialization program page to learn more most what Rasmussen College has to offer.

^*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [data accessed September 17, 2018] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Bacon information represents national, averaged earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of didactics and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries and employment weather in your area may vary.
^**Burning-Glass.com (assay of 6,306 animator job postings, Aug. 01, 2017 – Jul. 31, 2018).
Artistic Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Later on Effects are all registered trademarks of Adobe Systems.

Source: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/how-to-become-an-animator/

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