Animator

Animators put sequential visuals or ‘frames’ together to produce moving images or films. These films are typically needed for commercials, computer games, websites, amongst many others.

Remember Pixar and its signature hopping desk lamps? Remember Toy Story and Finding Nemo? Animation is a very exciting industry to be in, especially if you love graphics and art. You get to design the 2D and 3D models for new characters and props and bring them to life by adding flow, movements, dialogues and music through CGI software. That said, strong CGI skills are as important as creativity and drawing skills. Usually you will work together in a team to understand the script and break the story down to develop individual storyboards. Once that has been completed, the task manager will assign the tasks to the team members according to each’s expertise and experience. You will need to work independently on your parts before collaborating with other animators to piece all the segments together. You will need to be very detail oriented because the ultimate goal is to make your frames and final animation as vivid as possible for that enhanced visual experience. Be prepared to spend long hours in front of the computer to perfect your ‘frames’. Though the production may be tedious, the outcome can be very rewarding. Imagine seeing your work on websites, computer games, commercials or better still, movies!

For full timers, you will be based in a studio or an office. For part or casual timers, you have the flexibility to work from home. Working hours are largely determined by your project schedule and your individual scope.