Career Today

Animation

By Team Career Today

In animation, for every studio, artist, every medium like TV, film, web or games, the genre of a project will be different from the other. Thinking of opportunities? Sky is the limit...

To be successful as a good animator, one needs to have passion for creativity, creativity thinking and interest in basic sketching. A student who can think differently, is innovative and can surely become a successful animator after completion of a course in animation.

The animation industry has found a new hub in India. If one has oodles of creativity, then animation is a right career option. Television, films and advertising industry all have demand for animation because this industry wants to communicate their thoughts with audience and animation is the best way to express thoughts. Today, animation courses are offered at graduates as well as postgraduate levels. There are also a number of certificate courses that focus on specific styles and techniques.

How to become an animator

Training is the most important factor in moulding a skilled professional in animation. To become an animator, one doesn’t require any specific qualification. Those with a basic sketching skill and a passion for animation can enter. For better job prospects, one should have a degree or diploma in animation. Degree and diploma courses in animation are now abundant, apart from online services. Minimum qualification for a degree and diploma course in animation is plus two or equivalent. Any graduate, preferably Arts graduate could apply for post graduation in animation. But some institutions such as Industrial Design Centre, IIT and IID follow eligibility criterion that only a graduate of architecture, technology and engineering, fine arts can apply for the PG course in these institutes. Today, animation courses are offered at graduates as well as postgraduate levels. There are also a number of certificate courses that focus on specific styles and techniques.

Creativity is the key

An animator should have an artistic bent with a lot of passion and imaginative skills. Creativity is the most wanted quality as animation starts with developing an idea to a story. The art of sketching or drawing is another basic skill one should possess. Patience, discipline and dedication to work are vital as this field involves a lot of hard work and long hours of through planning. He/ she should have a sound understanding of anatomy of humans, animals or birds and body movements and lighting effects. Good communication skill is also needed as most of the time it involves teamwork. An animator should have a good sense of colour, proportion, size, design, visualizations, knowledge of background art and layout. They must have expertise in computer design software. They must be able to visualize how an object will look in three dimensions and have the know-how to make an animated object look real.Degree and diploma courses in animation are now abundant, apart from online services. Minimum qualification for a degree and diploma course in animation is plus two or equivalent. Any graduate, preferably Arts graduate could apply for post graduation in animation. But some institutions such as Industrial Design Centre, IIT and IID follow eligibility criterion that only a graduate of architecture, technology and engineering, fine arts can apply for the PG course in these institutes. Today, animation courses are offered at graduates as well as postgraduate levels. There are also a number of certificate courses that focus on specific styles and techniques.

Job prospects and options

A strong work portfolio is an essential part of landing a job in computer animation. Numerous job opportunities are available in India and abroad. It opens the door to major film industries such as Hollywood, the world of visual effects and imagery. It is booming industry with wide job openings and one can work on full length animation movies or any other related field like television, advertising industry etc. An animated features film, which offers considerable employment prospects, is a combined talented effort of a wide variety of artists. Any graduate, preferably Arts graduate could apply for post graduation in animation. But some institutions such as Industrial Design Centre, IIT and IID follow eligibility criterion that only a graduate of architecture, technology and engineering, fine arts can apply for the PG course in these institutes. Today, animation courses are offered at graduates as well as postgraduate levels. There are also a number of certificate courses that focus on specific styles and techniques.

Some of the jobs offered in the industry are- Content Developers, Modellers, Story board artists, Character animators, Background artists, Layout artists, 2D animators, Scanner operators, Compositing artists, Visual effects artists, Audio and video specialists, Visualisers, Texture artists, Rigging artists, Clean-up artists, Lighting artists, Digital ink and paint artists, Compositors, Editors, Key frame animators, Rendering artists, 3D animators, Image Editors, Compositors, Visual effects etc.

Animation industry has the scope of transcending itself beyond the entertainment sector. It has vast applications in a number of fields than those mentioned above. Identify the right school. Select the appropriate course. Go ahead and do it. Good luck!

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