Animations are the thing which shall drive the next round of entertainment and information needs! From looking like cartoons, they will slowly but surely look human-like and moving ahead, like Sci-Fi like the transformers. In all these, if there is one thing that needs to be done to choose a Career, it is that of Animation.

But despite them being around, people still feel the need to ask questions like “what are the careers in animation” or “how to choose a career” in animation.

As a means of career guidance for students, we mention below a list of careers in animation that are most trending in the industry and that going forward shall only become more vast and sought-after!

3D Modellers

The world of entertainment is not today restricted to 2D any longer! In fact, it has gone past a long, long time in the past! What we see today is mostly in 3D! And doing all the 3D modeling including building the Character and the entire ecosystem based on a story is the forte of a 3D modeler, one of the most sought-after of careers in the field of Animation. Using a variety of programs like POV-Ray, 3D Max and Maya, they create the bare-bone skeleton from which upwards the animations are formed. As for where-all they can find work, well wherever one may need the service of 3D animation which ideally could be anywhere including movies, video and computer and mobile-phone gaming, graphics for websites and social media stuff, films, TV and the likes.

Film and Video Editors

Animators do not need to stick to just animation and the usual field. With TV, Movie, Video and even News-channels going virtual and digital, there is a lot that a student of animation can do by helping make and edit. With practically every element of TV and moving making having gone digital, an Animator who knows all about special effect with the right knowledge of software is of special significance in the industry. Knowledge of stuff like Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro etc are highly in demand in the Entertainment and News industry.

Graphics Designing

From a logo to a letterhead to websites to a restaurant’s menu card, everything needs graphics to stand-out and to inform the world. And for that one needs to be a trained animator. One who knows animation knows how best to design and present, an essential not only in the printing and web industry but any place where looks matter- including even the automotive industry. For that, the animator should know of software like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Paintbrush etc.

Video Game Designers

Animation and Video games go hand-in-hand and the best persons to do it are Animators. With a slight interest in technology, engineering, science and math accompanied by a good skill at art and design the field could land someone a dream, dream job! Video games are no more stand-alone affairs. With mobile phones being the next biggest venture for playing video games, a video game designer is much, much in demand these days! And not just that, video games are heavily used in advertisements, movies, web designs and anything where interaction has to be shown. So, if you have an interest in playing video games, you might as well have an interest in making it!

Character Animators

They are real animators who actually flesh out the characters and give them movements that you normally see only in magazines and comic books. They i.e, Character Animators are the ones who give life in terms of movements to otherwise 2-dimensional characters you get to see either in comics or on other screens. Today it could just another mascot on someone’s ad and tomorrow that mascot could turn into a full-length cartoon series you either see on TV, Movie or even mobile phones. Once the script is readied and its location frozen, it then is the job of the character animator to decide the look and feel of the character, surroundings and sync them together! And doing so pays as everyone likes animating characters otherwise successful like a Donald Duck, a Chhota Bheem and the likes.

They make entire storyboards besides designing environment and making the models in digital environments like Maya, Light-wave, Motion Builder etc

Digital Painters

For large-scale animation work like entire movies, regular TV serials and even high-end mobile phone applications, not all the animations are made by the animator. The part of adding colors to animations are done by a digital painter who forms part of a team of color stylist and artist and compositors. Basically, the whole team works under the Head of Compositing! Drawing in large-scale works come as raw-stock to the digital painter who using software such as Photoshop, Creator etc put the required color and complete the original idea of the Director. A good eye for detail is called for in this profession as also understanding of how to merge colors.

Hope your questions like “what are the careers in animation” or “how to choose a career” in animation are now fulfilled!