r/animationcareer

Wanted to ask your experience as junior animators in how you adapt to actual work place where the pace is much faster than at school. So I applied with my demo reel and they liked it and didn’t ask for art test. Of course I took the offer even though i don’t feel that competent. The problem is, each piece in my demo reel (each piece is 10-20s) i spent 3 months working on at school where i get constant critiques and guidance from teachers. In actual work I’m pretty sure i wont get that much time and they will soon find out I’m actually not that great an animator and fire me. i’m so scared. I’m worried that we would only get a week or two to finish a 10-20s piece and i might have to work overtime every single day bc of my skill level, or worse get fired bc they found out how slow I am. Honestly even as a junior animator i don’t think im that great, not bc of imposter syndrome but just from seeing my classmates work. Ive been working on some body mechanics shot on my own and realize i still need a lot of critiques and help.

is this a common problem every junior animators face or am i just incredibly slow? What is it actually like working as a animator? Do you get critiques from your supervisors like you do from teachers? how fast do you have to work in order to not get fired?

Like I'm wondering if it will result in solid employment and produce enough content over time and help balance things out depending on how it succeeds?

I had to take a break from the animation industry for 1.5 years due to personal reasons and I have recently started applying to 3D animator jobs again. I have a combined experience of 3 years in film, games and tv but Im struggling to find jobs right now and land interviews. So i was just wondering if i could get some advice from someone who has managed to land a job recently. Thanks!

I picked this university because it’s a big place with lots of opportunities, but when I went to the scheduling meeting, they told me I had to choose between Drawing I, 3D Foundations, or Painting.

I don’t understand why I’m not learning animation yet.

I’ve always dreamed of becoming a YouTuber animator, and I already practice digital animation on my iPad using Clip Studio. It just feels frustrating that I’m not able to focus on that path right now.

Context: I'm 20 years old and I'm starting to surround myself with animators between 25 and 35 who already have several years in the industry and a lot of experience. I met them through a small collaborative project. I hang out with them and we talk a bit, but lately I've been feeling somewhat... "Inferior?"

I realize that my work is clearly smaller than theirs, and even when we do things like group drawings to pass the time, what I do falls far short of theirs, making me feel less.

Not to mention that I also have a bit of resentment towards one of them with whom I had a misunderstanding. He tends to say things like I'm very strange or speaks to me in a curt manner.

It's a bit discouraging because even in an environment where there are supposedly people who understand my future profession, I can't really express myself, since my achievements are much smaller compared to theirs.

hii! I would appreciate any thoughts or advice between my two main choices.

im almost definitely going to study illustration with a focus on concept art at both schools.

from scad, im being offered $28,000 per year in scholarships.

from otis, im being offered $30,000 per year

right now, im leaning towards otis just because I think it'll be easier to establish myself and build industry connection in LA, but SCAD is cheaper by about $12,000

again, any advice would be appreciated f(^ー^;

I think I've come to a conclusion that mediocrity is the standard regarding AI- it's not even funny how overhyped it is. Every AI work i've seen could've been made and made much better by some poor underpaid 3D/2D animator in much less time than people imagine. "Oh it's gonna get better"- not it's not- and if it does I have a good feeling it could never beat the ingenuity of some of the reason animations that've come out. So when I go to college I won't feel afraid choosing art and animation or worse case scenario I'll never watch a overly AI work.

(Angel Engine wasn't even that peak bruh)

Hi! I wanted to see if anyone has heard anything from Warner Bros, Sony, or Illumination for the production internships? I’m still waiting and my Warner one is stuck in “under consideration” but I submitted to application over 2 months ago… so I’m not sure if they’re just waiting to send rejections?

I'm a transfer student looking for a good online school offering animation and im really struggling to find the right one.

I can't do individual course/workshop based learning like the ones in animation mentor or ianimate, because I they don't offer degrees. (aiming for a bachelors)

(and unfortunately i dont have a choice in not getting a degree. i know a lot of people said its not needed. I'm aware of that. I'm a transfer student and have already completed 3 years, and I just need to fill my last one. I don't want what I've already paid for to go to waste.)

I've also seen people talk about AnimSchool but it unfortunately seems to be only 3D animation focused. I'm completely a 2D animator.

Affordability is also an important thing for me, as thats the whole reason I've decided to try to transfer somewhere else. I'm sorry if this is a lot of specifics and kind of nitpicky.

Hello I graduated from school with a bachelors in 3d animation. I’m still not a good animator so I wouldn’t assume I would be able to get a job at this rate anyway which is fine. I’ve been practicing and trying animate good shots to no avail.

I’ve thought about taking a mentorship to refine my skills and portfolio, but the only issue is I don’t know if it’s worth it. I really want to do this as a career, but I also have to be practical. I need to at least make decent income in between contracts or jobs. I’m not worried about paying for the mentorship or making a great income afterwards. Jsut simply making a decent income that’s reliable and that I could possible scale upwards overtime.

Anytime i see people talk about the industry it’s all jsut AI talk or layoffs. But at this moment is a good demo reel still getting hired reliably/consistently?

TLDR:

If I invest in a 3d animation mentorship and hypothetically I have a really good reel, will I still be able to reliably find work?

Any notable differences in work culture? TIA!

Most shows nowadays are crammed into 8 episodes, with no chance to make it even to 12, meaning you have to shrink and rush the story in your head in order to fit all the episodes.

I'm having a story in my head that involves lots of worldbuilding and lots of characters that will have their own arcs, but how am I supposed to write it in only 8 episodes?

Should I write my show with the pacing I want first and then wait for it to be picked up by a studio and have to squeeze all of the story into only 8 episodes of 20 mins (like how it happened with Hazbin Hotel)? Or should I write the story with the 8 episodes in mind, and try to make everything in the story fit today's episodes formats?

So I had the lovely opportunity of doing a test for keyframing animation to be possibly hired for a feature film. Unfortunately I did not get the job and was wondering if I could upload the test to my portfolio/linkedin etc. I did this test remotely and there was no NDA signed and 0 mention of not being able to use it as portfolio. Plus it was mostly the case of applying and having the test handed to you solely cause you applied. Any thoughts? Thanks guys.

Welcome to the 💢 Vent Megathread 💢! 

Are you going through tough times? Need a space to vent about the struggles of an animation career? Do you have worries, concerns, or complaints? This is the thread for you! Use this space to express your frustrations or commiserate with others. 

Reminder: This thread is a supportive space for people to vent, not a place to gossip, belittle others’ experiences, or offer unsolicited advice. Any comments that intentionally demean others or incite arguments will be deleted.

If you’re looking for something more uplifting, check out the positivity flair.

Also, feel free to check out the FAQ and Wiki for common questions and resources related to managing an animation career.

I've titled it as an animation reel and I thought that should get the message across, but people keep asking me this. I figured if it says "animation" on it, then everyone should understand that I'm showing off the animation I've done, and not pay attention to anything else, but apparently that's not good enough. Any suggestions?

Hi guys! I'll make this short and sweet but basically im a graduating hs senior with dreams of being a visdev artist and have got into a few art schools!! I've got into Pratt, Ringling, Otis, Artcenter, Laguna college of art and design and a few CA state schools (SJSU and Fullerton).

My top choice right now are:

- Artcenter (illustration, entertainment arts track. 15,000 merit scholarship)

- LCAD (entertainment design. 16,000 scholarship)

-Otis (illustration, emphasis in concept art. 30,000 scholarship)

Honestly, ArtCenter is my number one choice right now in terms of curriculum and being close to the city and other students- stuff like that, but it's cost of tuition really scares me.... I also really like LCAD's curriculum, but i feel that the school's very small and hard to live at (lots of traffic, campus looks kinda depressing...). Then again, LCAD's tuition is significantly cheaper... And on that note, is it better i stick to a state school and save a lot of money that way?

Okay, maybe I rambled too much but I appreciate any advice you guys have!! Thank you so much!

I specialize in making 360° 2D animated videos it's easier for people to make these kinds of things in 3D than in 2D But 2D has a unique look as well as some limitations.

other than teaching courses on how to do what I do there's not really any money or demand for these types of animations and a limited number of places I can post them.

I keep having new ideas of things I want to make and try out in terms of 360 2D animated videos.

But to make money I'm trying to focus on my music production to sell music and print on demand merchandise ideas to sell art.

I guess right now I'm just going through withdrawal but I really wish someone knew away to market these types of 360° animations?

any thoughts?

This stating year got to me bad and I was sick and didn’t get that much time on animation scene for my portfolio.

So quick and easy scene to animate that can my portfolio be selected.

Tell me how long should be and what kind and any references will be appreciated.