Animation Careers - It's Not Just Cartoons
The effect of the computer on animation cannot be overrestimated, and if you are looking at animation careers you should spend time considering a career as a computer animator. Most people think of animators typically as the people who draw the cartoons we all know and love whether it is Bugs Bummy or Homer Simpson. However this is far from the truth, as for every animator making a living creating cartoons and films, there are probably 50 working in various other wide ranging industries.
If you have ever bought an electrical item a computer animator probably helped to design it. The latest oil pipeline or oil well will have had input from an animator somewhere along the way. Got a new car? Guess what - an animator will have had a lot of input at the design stage. Even the latest Hollywood film starring real human actors will probably have had animations created to help the director work out camera angles and the storyboard.
Getting into the entertainment industry is incredibly difficult, as most graduates want to work for big studios and companies like Disney, ILM or Pixar. The big players in the industry are in the enviable position of being able to pick and choose from the best graduates. Sometimes it is better to take an overview of all the animation careers, and then decide to work in a radically different sector for a year or two to get experience. Once you have solid work experience and a great demo reel showing what you have done, then that would be a great time to start approaching the studios. They are a lot more open to accepting experienced people who are able to show that they will do anything to help achieve their goals, than to have to train someone with a great degree but very little knowledge.
Pretty much every animation job now uses computers. The last major pen and ink cartoon was made in 1995. Since then, with one or two small exceptions, all animation films including 2D films have been made exclusively on computers. Even if you are the world’s greatest animated artist, if you want to work in any of the animation careers these days, you will need to ensure that you have computer experience. There are many courses that will help you convert from pen and ink to computer animation. Some can be done online, and another option is a 6 week crash courses available from some schools. If you can afford it, a full time residential course is by far the best course to attend, especially if you can finish with a good degree or widely recognized diploma.
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