Careers Related to Computer Animation

Many careers are open to computer animators.computer image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com

Computer animation is a growing area of artistic endeavor, with computer illustration and animation expected to be the main area of expansion. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, although jobs in the field of art in general will expand about the same as other occupations, people working with computers are more in demand as films and short cartoons make increased use of this medium. A good animator with some experience can expect to make around $56,000 per year annually as of 2010; more if he is working in the motion picture industry.

Video Game Animator

As the video game industry continues to boom, talented animators are in ever-increasing demand to bring game concepts to life. Concepts such as lighting effects and texture mapping, which are important in the animated movie industry, are becoming more and more necessary in video games. Those who buy video games want increased realism in the animation, and gaming companies are responding by continuing to hire trained and talented computer animators to take new video games from ideas on a storyboard to completed games that gamers line up to buy.

Just about everywhere you turn, including the Internet, you can see example of computer animation. Singing cats on TV, babies doing unlikely moves for the camera, banner ads online--the list is endless. For each of these items, a computer animator is necessary. An animator creating these spots might be employed by an advertising agency, or she could be working as a freelance artist from her home. The important thing is that she understands computer animation and is up on all of the latest techniques. If you want to be able to work in the movies as a computer animator, creating Internet animation or TV advertising will give you a chance to gain some experience and build your portfolio in order to showcase your abilities.

Hollywood has come to terms with computer animation and currently produces many blended features such as "Lord of the Rings," which go far beyond the rather obvious mixing of animation and reality done in "Mary Poppins" and other movies of the day. Animators will continue to be needed to work on movies such as these, as well as on 100 percent cartoon features like "Finding Nemo." In addition to feature films, computer animators can work on projects for television, including information spots, news logos, and "Saturday morning cartoons."