What Do You Want To Know?

[Ward Jenkins]

Obviously, there are a good mix of people here from the animation industry, both young and old(er), newbie to seasoned. For those who are dying to know anything and everything about working in animation, ask away on this thread. Myself (11 years experience), along with many others in the industry will try to take a crack at your answers.

For the record, I work in the commercial/broadcast side of the biz. Others have worked on TV shows and internet. Do we have any feature peeps? If not, let's try and get 'em here.

Ask away.....(or not)...

[Alex Whitington]

Haha...That's terrifying...
America sounds terrifying...

[NotEricMrock]

I have kind of a vague question. Considering that i'm not very knowledgeable in the actual animation PROCESS (although im working on it) what kind of jobs for artists, who cant animate, are there in the field. For example, i guess i could shoot for storyboard artist or something like that. Are there in-house artists in the studios? I have a friend who worked layout, and cleanup for a while. So those might be an option to i guess. Is there a website that can break down a list of these positions, or if someone could give me a short list of titles/descriptions of each?

Right now I'm just a freelance artist (for about 4 years), im working on an animated pilot for a client, although im mostly building characters in animestudio, not really animating anything on it. I'm also working on a few comic projects at the moment. When i got into art it was because i loved cartoons, but somehow took a turn towards comics in art school and so as far as the animation field goes I don't really know where to direct my portfolio/submissions or even what companies look for. I dont have a reel or anything like that. Is that really necessary?

Wow, thats a lot of questions! I guess, if you can make sense of that jumbled mess, i would really appreciate an answer or two. I am thinking of moving to the LA area around the first or second quarter of 08, and so i want to be able to get a portfolio together and have an idea on how/where to submit it, for what positions, etc

[Elliot Cowan]

You are asking some very valid questions.
I'll give you my thoughts on some of them.

Firstly - don't dismiss actually being an animator.
It can be daunting but you may surprise yourself.
You may not ever be Milt Kahl but you may be good at creating expressive, entertaining things.
I am no great animator but I've made 6 short films in the last year some of which are getting played regularly at festivals.
So there's that.

Secondly, there is in fact plenty of stuff for you to do if you aren't animating.
Storyboarding is of course an option as you've mentioned.
There's plenty of stuff you can do if you can ingratiate yourself on the right people.
I personally have spent most of the last year and a half involved in writing and development and couldn't be happier.

I can relate to the idea of plotting a future, so if this hasn't been helpful, perhaps it's been encouraging.

[NotEricMrock]

its been very encouraging, and helpful, im not dismissing being an animator, i just have no training in it, i took one class for a year in art school, so i guess in THEORY i know some basics, bouncing ball, walk cycle type stuff. But that was pushing 4 years ago. (the first year they gave us one class a week on it, and then after that we had to choose if we wanted to ONLY do animation or ONLY do graphic art for the next two years, and i kinda had to flip a coin at that point since thats a tough spot to back me into, needless to say, i didnt take animation)

I'm working some with anime studio now, when i finish up one of my projects im going to try to learn it more, ive done most of the tutorials, but i haven't had time to try something of my own just yet. I think its great you like working in writing and development, who knows maybe i;ll end up there too. I have such a wide range of interests as far as cartoons go that honestly its hard to pinpoint exactly what i want to do in the long run. Thanks for the reply.

[Chris Battle]

While knowing how to animate will help you to become a better artist, there is plenty of work available to those who don't animate. I've been working for 15 years as a Character Designer and I don't know how to animate. (Check my profile and blog to see some of the projects I've worked on) Even with Flash shows, most if not all animation is done overseas, so it should by no means hold you back. A few positions that don't require knowledge of how to animate are:
- Character Design
- Prop Design
- Background Layout
- Background Paint
- Color Key
- Clean-Up
- Storyboard Artist (Animators will usually be better boarders, but it's not necessarily required)
- Storyboard Revisionist

Tailor your portfolio/submissions towards the show/position you're seeking. Looking to design BGs for comic-book action shows? Draw stuff that looks like The Batman/Teen Titans/Justice League BGs. Applying for a Character Design job at Nickelodeon? Have a portfolio with cartoony stuff like Nick or Cartoon Network shows. Check out all the animation artists on Blogger for examples of how things look before they become finished art; You can learn alot!

*Note: I'm mainly talking about the L.A. studio scene... Other areas and smaller boutique studios might require more well-rounded animation skills.

[Vincent Veidt]

"Even with Flash shows, most if not all animation is done overseas". That's very sad... very sad indeed. I have to throw in my two cents here. In the fields of character and prop design, you should at least have an introductory knowledge of character animation because there is quite a difference between an illustrated character design and an animated one. If you involve too much detail or awkward shapes (have you ever tried to animate a cylindrical head, it's pretty awkward), the animation crew with have a dart board with your picture on it. Especially considering the Flash scene where, in MANY (read: not all) circumstances, the animation crew is looking for simplicity and shortcuts in order to slash production time. If yo end up on a fully animated work with highly skilled animators, go crazy (you may end up on a dart board if your design is too crude). In the end, it all depends on your audience, your skill level, and your desired market.

[NotEricMrock]

Thanks allot, i really appreciate it!

[Clinton Racine]

Hey Chris, I have a question for you. I would like to get a character designer job at a studio like Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. What do studios look for in a character designer's portfolio? Is there any reference for a good character designer portfolio that I can look at? Thanks!

[Chris Battle]

Cartoony stuff of all kinds is best. As you know, both studios have a variety of shows, but cartooniness rules the day. Character explorations are good (multiple drawings in a variety of poses and expressions), and the ability to draw character turns (Front, side, back, 3/4, etc.) is a must. Color is helpful but not necessary. Showcase your ability to work with a variety of styles.

As for reference, take a look at the links on my blog; Many of them are pals of mine from CN & Nick (as well as other studios) and often have a mix of personal & professional work posted. (...and I've got a buncha junk on my blog, too.)

[Clinton Racine]

Okay, I will look up your blog and your friends' blogs as well for reference. I think the character turns will make up for the remainder of my portfolio. I always thought there was something missing in it.

[Brian Cruce]

Hi, I'm new to the animation business, and would sincerely appreciate any perspective, direction, or industry connections you can provide. Pat, I live in Denver, and am hoping to make a living from here.

I have several projects at different levels of development. Here are a couple:

Rankle & Taint
http://www.rankleandtaint.com/working
A Flash series with a universal theme made for merchandising and audience participation. The animation for the first episode is complete - ready for sound. (I've started talking with Jim Lively, sound designer for Happy Tree Friends.) A lot of production is developed, including twelve finished scripts, six thorough storyboards, and a massive Flash library of over 1500 body parts.

Binky Tuba Gets a Life
http://www.binkytuba.com/working
A development package for a 25-minute animated short – complete with a detailed script, designs for several characters, environment studies, a maquette, supporting sketches, and a storyboard reel.

It's time to get me and my work out of my house and make a living. Can you help?

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

[Patrick Mallek]

Bruce, I just saw this post. Sorry for the delay in responding. I hope you haven't given up and taken the job a Target! I agree it's time to get out and make a living, the question is, what living? Are you looking for work in a studio or trying to sell you ideas?

There was a great post on FrederatorRAW early on about pitching to Adult Swim. It listed a submission contact email. You're pretty far along on your projects, I suggest you get your stuff to them ASAP. But don't stop there. Get a short episode done and get some feedback. Screening for a live audience is invaluable experience. What works and what doesn't? What worked that surprised you? What didn't? Too bad Spike & Mike don't come 'round here no more...

Keep me posted on your progress!
-pat