CAREER OPTION : Animator

Date:28/04/2018

Choosing your career as an Animator

If you are a person with a creative flair, use your creativity and skills to bring character and stories in your imagination to life. Become an animator! As an animator, you will be making movies, video games and cartoons by moving thousands of drawings or models of people or objects with the help of computer and softwares. Your favourite characters like Mickey mouse, Donald duck, Tom & Jerry or Minions are all animated by animators who have excelled in software skills and idea generation. You can also create such handy work with some dedication and passion for this field.

In the 21^stcentury, it is one of the fastest growing professions due to increasing demand. With excellent creativity and equally matching drawing skills, there is no limit to the heights you can conquer. From smallest advertisements to commercial movies, the career opportunities for you as an animator are wide. You should be able to please both your client as well as the public with your skills in animation and drawing. You will observe real life movement, get inspired from your surroundings and produce exquisite work in your own way. It is a job with great creative satisfaction and monetary benefits today.

Eligibility

• There is no fixed educational qualification required to become a successful animator. However, employers today prefer people with an educational degree only.
• You need to have qualifying marks in your H.S.C. (10+2) exams under a recognised board of education in any stream of your choice.
• The minimum age preferred by employers to enter the industry is 18.

Required Skills

• You need to have excellent creativity and imagination skills to excel in this field of animation.
• Since you will be creative characters and objects via drawing, patience and keen observation are two vital factors. Also, you must be able to give attention to detail.
• You must have excellent drawing skills and be spontaneous in making changes if required.
• Computer literacy is vital and you must have the willingness to study animation softwares and illustration softwares.
• An animator’s job does not end with drawing and animating. You must possess good communication skills in order to present and communicate your idea to the client.
• Ability to work as a team and lead one if required. Also, you must be able to work with deadlines and tight time schedules.

How to become an Animator

STEP 1: After completing your H.S.C. (10+2) examinations, you can opt for a course in animation such as B.Sc. Animation. The course extends to a time period of 3 years.

STEP 2: You can also opt for other bachelor courses such as Bachelor of Design or Bachelor of Communication which extends up to 4 years. For many of these courses, it is mandatory to take an entrance exam conducted by various private institutions before you become eligible to be admitted into their colleges.

STEP 3: The exam will have a general aptitude test and a creative aptitude test conducted to test your drawing skills and general knowledge. The subjects that will be covered during your course of study are animation fundamentals, new media theories, colour and significance, drawing and composition, digital imaging, 2D and 3D animation, software skills, visual effects, animation, rendering and lighting.

Best Institutions

• National Institute of Design – Ahmedabad
• Indian Institute of Technology – Across India
• Amity University – Mumbai
• Frameboxx Animation and Visual Effects – Mumbai

Career Prospects

As a fresher, you can start working with advertising agencies, production houses, movie industry etc. With experience and performance, you can start your own animation house and work as a freelance animator for various organizations. With a good portfolio and an impressive background, the employment opportunities are wide since you can work with several industries like fashion, e-commerce, IT, advertising, movies, television commercials etc.

Income

For a fresher, the salary may vary between Rs.25, 000 to Rs.50, 000 depending upon the organization you join. With experience your salary can get as high as Rs.1.5 lakhs per month or up to 5 lakhs per movie.