Who Are Animators?
Animators are designers who know how to make things on computers that can be used in video games, mobile apps, or movies. Their jobs include making 3D models for a company’s website to making movies with complicated special effects. If you are good at art and don’t mind using a computer to make your ideas come to life, this creative field might be for you. Since many Animation Experts work for themselves, you can also choose a schedule that works for you and your family and find work in a field you like, like video game animation. If you do animation projects on your own, you can set your rate, and as your career, as an animator goes on and you add to your portfolio, your pay can get better, and you become one of the Animation Experts.
Most animators fall into one of two main groups:
2D animators can tell stories by drawing by hand or by using modern digital tools. They use timing, spacing, and appeal to make characters come to life on the screen.
Many things that 3D animators do are the same things that 2D animators do. 3D animators use the benefits of modern software and the basic rules of Animation to take their art to greater levels. These artists animate everything from spaceships to dragons to the main characters to video animation production.
2D and 3D animators use the same basic ideas but different tools. Let’s take a closer look at 3D animators:
3D character animators bring the characters on the screen to life. They can work in a lot of different fields, but here are the most in-demand ones:
To produce engaging and enjoyable performances, feature film animators work on films and television programs. The characters in movies like Frozen, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and How to Train Your Dragon are brought to life by these animators.
Game animators usually pay attention to how the body works and moves, focusing on weight and impact. They make animations that move, which makes both the game and the story more interesting.
VFX animators move digital characters along with their live-action counterparts using different levels of exaggeration and subtlety. They often give life to superheroes, giant robots, and other fantastical things.
What Kinds of Jobs In Animation Can Students Get?
Depending on your skills and interests, there are a lot of different animation jobs you can do. Here are three basic positions:
- 3D modeler: These people make the framework for an object that will eventually be animated. They then add textures that look like hair, clothes, skin, etc., to show what the object is made of. For 3D modeling, you need to be creative and know how to use different kinds of software.
- Stop-motion animator: In stop-motion animation, physical objects are moved to make the movements. In this job, people use puppets, clay sculptures, or figurines to make a moving scene that can be photographed. This job is hard, but it pays off very well.
- Compositor: These animators, also called “compositing artists,” help combine all the animation parts. They put together animated scenes, 2D images, special effects, and backgrounds to make a finished product that is complete and looks good. Composers must have a good eye for detail and work with various team members, such as visual artists and producers.
Job Description for Animation Experts
Animators use their art skills and creativity to make 2D or 3D animations for various uses. They do this by using computer software and sometimes drawing by hand. If you were an animator, you could make characters for a movie, work on special effects for a TV show, or make the background for a video game. Your workflow may include talking to clients and layout professionals to get clarification on work, using storyboards to plan your animations, making your animations with 3D modeling software, and making any changes your colleagues or clients ask for. To be like Animation Experts, you must be good at art and have technical skills. You also need to be able to manage your time so you can meet deadlines.
How Much Can Animation Experts Earn?
Like many other jobs, Animation Experts get paid based on how much experience they have. The average salary for an Animation Experts is $70,530 per year. Glassdoor says that the national average is $74,000, which is a bit higher. It’s not unusual for senior Animation Experts or art directors to make well into the six figures.
As of July 20, 2022, the average annual salary for an Animation in the United States is $79,493.
If you need a simple way to figure out how much that is, it comes to about $38.22 an hour. This is about $1,529 per week or $6,624 per month.
The average pay for an animation ranges by a lot (up to $50,000), which suggests that there may be many ways to move up and make more money depending on skill level, location, and years of experience. I have seen annual salaries as high as $161,000 and as low as $29,000. Still, most animation salaries are between $50,500 (25th percentile) and $100,500 (75th percentile), with the highest earners (90th percentile) in the United States making $147,000 per year.
Although salary shouldn’t be the only factor you consider when looking for a career, animation students must consider this. Although it is a competitive industry with only available positions for a limited time, it is seeing rapid expansion. As an animator, you have a very good chance of earning a satisfactory livelihood if you are ready to put in a lot of effort and possess the technical, visual, and communication abilities required to create animations of high quality.
What Are The Top 10 Cities With The Highest Paying Jobs For Animation?
We have discovered that the average salary for an animation job is higher than the national average in ten cities throughout the country. Sunnyvale, California, is at the top of the list, followed by Santa Rosa, Ca, and Manhattan, New York, all of which are quite close behind. The city of Manhattan, New York, has a median household income of $15,187 (19.1 percent) more than the national average, and the city of Sunnyvale, California, has a median household income of $18,306 (23.1 percent) higher than the national average.
Because the average incomes in these 10 cities are greater than the average salaries in the rest of the country, the prospects for professional development that come with relocating to the animation industry look very promising.
The final consideration is that there is not much difference in the average salary between Sunnyvale, California, and Highlands Ranch, Colorado. The difference is only nine percent, further supporting the idea that there is little room for significant wage advancement. When determining where to work and how much to get paid for an animation job, the prospect of a cheaper cost of living is perhaps the most important factor to consider.
We identified at least five jobs linked to the job category of Animation that pays more per year than the income for an Animation job. These positions include some of the most prominent examples, such as Animation Engineer, Animation Software Engineer, and Remote 3D Animation.
Importantly, the salaries for each of these occupations are between $17,025 (21.4 percent) and $40,580 (51.0 percent) more than the average wage in the animation industry, which is $79,493. If you are qualified, getting recruited for one of these related Animation jobs may help you make more money than the average amount you would make working in the Animation industry.
Conclusion:
Although earning should not be the only element considered when looking for a job, animation students must do so. Even though it is a competitive industry with opportunities accessible for a limited period, it is rapidly expanding. If you have the technical, artistic, and communication abilities to create high-quality animations. In that case, you have a very good chance of earning a solid living as an Animation expert.
