Routes to Industry
Entry into the creative industries has always been highly competitive and the situation today is certainly no different. These days, more often than not, animation studios are more likely to hire graduates over those without a relevant qualification. But the animation industry will still hire and train individuals where it is obvious that he or she has a real talent. Overall though if you are serious about a career in animation then you should consider an animation degree.
The following outlines the usual ways into the animation industry:
Higher education
The most reliable route into industry is via higher education. Applicants to jobs in animation will be judged foremost on the strength of their showreel and portfolio, followed by their overall work experience. By the end of a degree course, if you've worked hard, you are likely to have a reasonable showreel and portfolio. Although you may not have the professional experience your time at college working and collaborating with others will certainly be of benefit and should come across during an interview.
There are many highly respected animation courses throughout the UK and overseas. Choosing a course that appears to suit you will put you in good stead for attaining that degree.
Runner
If you are determined to skip higher education or you fancy dipping your toe into the industry first, then being a Runner might be your way in. As a runner you'll be the lowest paid in the company and generally the dogsbody to whoever needs you at any given time. But it's a start and for many in the past it's lead to the break they were looking for. As a runner you get to meet lots of people in different roles, allowing you the opportunity to discover for yourself what people really do.
A good Runner is bright, enthusiastic, amiable, articulate and numerate, as well as being able to cope working under pressure.
Where openings arise Runners will sometimes be able to move into training roles in Editing, Animation, Model Building, Scanning, Digital Colouring, Digital Compositing, Rendering. So if you work hard in your spare time on your animation ideas opportunities may come your way.
A word of warning. Competition is tough in animation and for every Runner job vacancy there will be a graduate prepared to take it because he or she wants into animation just as much as you!
Digital Painter
The role of Digital Painter requires no particular qualifications. As a Digital Painter you will be responsible for colouring individual scanned animator drawings using computer software. You'll need a good eye for detail, be able to follow instructions, posess the ability not to get bored by repetition and to work as part of a team. In this role you'll be at the very heart of the production process. As the process is digital you must have good IT skills.
Animation graduates often start their career as Digital Painters before moving up the ladder to be a Clean-up Artist or an Inbetween Animator
Production Assistant
To be a production Assistant requires no particular qualifications. As a Production Assistant you'll possibly work along side Production Coordinators and Managers. Production Assistants generally help to make sure projects run on time and that the needs of the various project teams are met.
Production Assistants must be able to work in a responsible organised fashion, be good at communicating and organising others. Additionally they must be able to work independently and use their own initiative to solve problems under pressure. Good numeracy and literacy skills are vital as well as word processing and IT skills.
Although qualifications are not essential, as with Runner posts, animation graduates will often apply for Production Assistant positions as a way of getting into the industry.
