Animator Interview

**hana_delirious** · February 17th, 2012, 10:44 AM

I am looking for an Animator to interview for my Composition class about working in the field. Our assignment was to interview someone currently working/interning in our desired profession in the future. I wouldn't mind some student perspectives either.

Thank you! I will post the questions shortly. There are only about ten.

How many hours per week do you spend on the job on average?

How often do you have to put in overtime in order to meet the demands of the company?

What is one thing you like about the job?

What is one thing you really dislike about the job?

If you could redo your efforts to get this position, what would you do differently?

How much college education is required for the position?

How much practical experience is required to obtain the position?

If you could alter your job in any way, what would you change?

What advice do you have for anyone aspiring to this career position?

What words of caution would you share with anyone aspiring to this career position?

**egerie** · February 17th, 2012, 12:31 PM

First, welcome to CA.
Now, I have a few questions of my own. Animator position, check. But which kind exactly? Character animator? FX animator? 2D animator? Camera animator? Motion Graphics animator?...?
And in what field exactly? Movies? Games? FX? Ads?...?
I'm asking this because it will impact your answers. So you might want to ask what kind of animators your interviewing too and think about the path you'll want to take as well

Trying to answer :
How many hours per week do you spend on the job on average?
Lately, 40 to 55

How often do you have to put in overtime in order to meet the demands of the company?
It depends on the industry and production cycle of the project. I've been asked NOT to do any overtime and to pack my days in 8 hours of work but in a different situation I did put a 32 hours shift more than once. So it varies wildly between no overtime to 75+ hours a week.
Crunch time can last for a few weeks to a few months, every few months.

What is one thing you like about the job?
It's difficult to choose just one! I suppose it would be the challenge to make something already looking cool come to life in a believable and interesting way, not just for me but for the viewer/player.

What is one thing you really dislike about the job?
Some people not understanding animation minimum quality level in the project.

If you could redo your efforts to get this position, what would you do differently?
Go to a kickass animation school.

How much college education is required for the position?
For entry level/medium level? Technically, none.

How much practical experience is required to obtain the position?
Paying your dues is an essential part of growing up as a junior animator. As for getting in, it's getting a whole lot easier nowadays in the gaming industry but the competition is getting stiffer. The quality of your demo will mostly overrule experience whether you've slaved on a mod, tinkered on your own or went trough an extensive course. This is valid for entry/medium level positions. Obviously, any senior, lead or director position will require serious experience on AAA projects.

If you could alter your job in any way, what would you change?
The day to day things? Hmmm... Nothing. As for a more broad change, I'd love to see a strong digital animator guild see the light of day. Or some sort of beacon place/group to go to, specialized for my field.

What advice do you have for anyone aspiring to this career position?
Work hard. Animate, animate, animate, animate some more, get refs, animate. Make a killer demo that's not too long. Network, invest yourself in the industry of your choice. Get in and network some more. Know your industry. But above all, have a good attitude.

What words of caution would you share with anyone aspiring to this career position?
Be sure to LOVE animation if you want to make a career out of it ; Imagine doing this all day long. Be also ready to crunch depending of where you go.
Know how to handle critique and reviews, whether it's from your peers or your superiors. In fact, seek fresh eyes from time to time.
Don't swipe demo shots or be sure to clearly identify what you did on the shot. Plagiarism is a blacklist offense in animation too.
Try to refrain from doing "anime" / "manga" stuff. I think some people are going to disagree with me on this but 99% of what I saw in demos and portfolios for job openings were detrimental to the artist. Their stuff always ended up in the dead-box. There are exceptions of course and learning from this type of cartoons can be interesting too but always tailor your demo to the company that you're sending it too. For example, if you've painted yourself in a corner doing only anime and want to apply to a first party dev, it probably won't be a match. Same thing if your portfolio is full of unicorns and pony's and you apply to work on a hardcore FPS studio...

Good luck hana_delirious!

**hana_delirious** · February 17th, 2012, 03:18 PM

Thank you so much! It has been difficult to track someone down who would answer a few of these for me! You are wonderful! Character Animator to get specific.