Expert: Russell Calabrese - 9/9/2009

Question
Hello,

My Name is Carven. I am a college student am considering majoring in a design-related education.

I have narrowed my choice to 3 majors: 1)Animation, or 2)Graphic Design/Interactive Design, or 3) Multimedia Arts, but am having trouble decided which one of these to pick since they all have aspects I like. I am ideally looking for a career that would allow me to have a taste of each one.

I would like to ask you a few questions about animation so that I may have a better understanding what lies ahead for me. Your feedback will help me to determine whether or not I am ready to make a 100% commitment to the field. I want to know the honest good and bad aspects of the field.

Here are my questions for you regarding animaton:

1) In this current difficult economy we have, how are job prospects for Animators and how is the industry being affected in general? What do you expect the job trends for animators to be like in the future?

2) What are the current starting salaries ranges? And how much should I expect with some years of experience/promotions?

3) Describe to me a typical day in class/work. What is the work environment and culture like? What are the tasks, duties, functions, responsibilities? What kind of problems do the animators deal with that cause the most stress? What percentage of time is doing what? Could you give me an example of what your class/work projects are/were like?

4) What are the most satisfying and dissatisfying parts of this career in your opinion? What excites you about animation, and what do you find boring or most frustrating and why?

5) How do people advance in the animation industry? What skills or talents are most essential to succeed in this field? What skills are most new animators lacking that are affecting their employment potential? What animation software is absolutely essential to learn?

6) How does one break into this industry? What are the best schools in the in or near the Massachusetts or New England area that you know of? If you are familiar with them what do you think of Northeastern University's program, MassArt or New England Art Institute (for animation/graphic design)?

7) Which local animation studios do you know of within the Boston, MA area would you recommend I should visit to get an inside look at the real working world of graphic design, and ask further questions?

8) After graduating, where do you see most students successfully able to secure a job within the field? As in which states or industry are constantly looking to hire animators.

9) Based on all your experiences in animation what special advice would you have for someone just starting with this career path? Any personal words of wisdom/feedback?



Please pardon my long email message, but take all the time you need to answer these questions thoroughly. I would greatly appreciate it and it would be a tremendous help to me in my final decision.

If you have any collegues you know of that would love to answer these questions too, please feel free to forward my message to them. I'd love to hear from as many sources as possible.

Thank you soooooo very much for your time and help.
Sincerely Yours,

Carven B.


Answer
Hello Carvin,

I'm trying to be brief so I apologize if it comes across too bluntly.

1 It's very difficult to get a job anywhere at the moment. I'm quite experienced and have very little work right now.
2 For union rates you can look to the following website:

  http://animationguild.org/_Contract/wages_pdf/TAG_Minimums_2006-2009.pdf

3 I got most of my animation knowledge on the job as an apprentice, not in school. Every day was different and always a challenge.
4 a) Satisfying: Because animation is so time consuming and intense, it's fun to see the end product with an audience that likes what you did.
  b) The most dissatisfying part of the job is working on something you don't like or isn't good (we rarely have a choice what we work on when
       you're trying to make a living doing this) and on top of that it looks terrible at the end and nobody likes it and then they blame me.
5 Understanding acting, dance, music, writing, story structure, film making... The list goes on. The more you know the farther you'll go. Software is
   always changing so you need to keep up with whatever software the studio you work for is using. Maya for 3D and ToonBoom for 2D are two of
   the most popular.
6 I'm only familiar with SVA in NYC or CalArts in Los Angeles. Read those schools catalogues and see what teachers they have and what experience
  they have. Google the teachers and professors.
7 I'm not familiar with animation in Boston. Is 'Olive Jar' still in business?
8 As far as animator jobs, Korea, India and China are where most of the actual animation is done. There is some work in major cities like
  Los Angeles, New York. To find other cities you need to look up small boutique studios in those specific cities and contact them yourself.
9 Have another job or career to fall back on. I'm actually going back to school to get my degree and certificate so I can teach.
  If you can't get a job doing animation you can have a great hobby with all the inexpensive technology to make your own films from scratch by
  yourself.

Hope this helps.

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