This was too damn funny not to post. It made my afternoon.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Becoming an Animator
My fiancee found this somewhere online today. Great piece of info for anyone interested in the field.
Animation is a tough business to break into. Your skills have to be very strong. It's very competitive.
If you want to get into Disney Features, you stand a better chance if they know that you are willing to relocate to Florida or France. Disney is a very big company. Lots of corporate layers. It takes them a long time to make a decision or to move things along. They get inundated with portfolios from all over the world, as I'm sure you can well imagine. You have to have patience when you are dealing with them.
Specialize in an aspect of production where a demand exists. There are opportunities in pre-production design for TV animation. Character designers, background designers, character layout, etc. Always a demand for good storyboard artists. Some background painters are having a tough time of it right now.
Strive to be a great artist first. Become fundamentally strong. If you want to get into animation, keep in mind that you are competing against some of the best artists in the world. The major studios don't have training programs per se. If they do, I'm not aware of it. Most abandoned them years ago. Although there's some lead time to adjust to the situation, they want artists who can hit the ground running.
A degree is helpful, but not important. Your portfolio and/or demo reel is your degree.
Animation is hard work. Long hours, sometimes impossible deadlines. Professional satisfaction can be affected by the project one is working on. Working conditions vary. Dreamworks offers free meals. Some studios are nice, others are cramped. It all depends.
Union benefits are good, but a high level of dis-satisfaction with leadership exists. Salaries can vary, but jobs generally pay well. Employment stability depends on who's buying what from whom, the budget, the degree of idiocy of a studio's management, how much is going to Canada or Korea, etc.
Takes a great deal of dedication and focused effort, especially in the present environment. Be prepared for rejection. Perseverance will pay off if you really want to do this for a living. You have to have a great love of the art. Otherwise, find something else to do.
Animation is a tough business to break into. Your skills have to be very strong. It's very competitive.
If you want to get into Disney Features, you stand a better chance if they know that you are willing to relocate to Florida or France. Disney is a very big company. Lots of corporate layers. It takes them a long time to make a decision or to move things along. They get inundated with portfolios from all over the world, as I'm sure you can well imagine. You have to have patience when you are dealing with them.
Specialize in an aspect of production where a demand exists. There are opportunities in pre-production design for TV animation. Character designers, background designers, character layout, etc. Always a demand for good storyboard artists. Some background painters are having a tough time of it right now.
Strive to be a great artist first. Become fundamentally strong. If you want to get into animation, keep in mind that you are competing against some of the best artists in the world. The major studios don't have training programs per se. If they do, I'm not aware of it. Most abandoned them years ago. Although there's some lead time to adjust to the situation, they want artists who can hit the ground running.
A degree is helpful, but not important. Your portfolio and/or demo reel is your degree.
Animation is hard work. Long hours, sometimes impossible deadlines. Professional satisfaction can be affected by the project one is working on. Working conditions vary. Dreamworks offers free meals. Some studios are nice, others are cramped. It all depends.
Union benefits are good, but a high level of dis-satisfaction with leadership exists. Salaries can vary, but jobs generally pay well. Employment stability depends on who's buying what from whom, the budget, the degree of idiocy of a studio's management, how much is going to Canada or Korea, etc.
Takes a great deal of dedication and focused effort, especially in the present environment. Be prepared for rejection. Perseverance will pay off if you really want to do this for a living. You have to have a great love of the art. Otherwise, find something else to do.
What Drives You?
I was asked in a evaluation form what sets me apart from other animators. I had to think about that for a while because I didn't want something forced. It needed to be sincere.
Attending schools in the projects in New York City and coming from an under-privileged household have given me a great drive. It is that drive that has led me to where I am today, and has instilled in me a determination to continue to grow as an artist and an eagerness to learn new things. My artwork has been an outlet for me during challenging times in my life and I believe that has caused me to have a greater appreciation for the work that I do and for the artists that I surround myself with.
Attending schools in the projects in New York City and coming from an under-privileged household have given me a great drive. It is that drive that has led me to where I am today, and has instilled in me a determination to continue to grow as an artist and an eagerness to learn new things. My artwork has been an outlet for me during challenging times in my life and I believe that has caused me to have a greater appreciation for the work that I do and for the artists that I surround myself with.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
New website
I've got a new site and am pretty excited. I'll be able to not only load my blog with tons of animated and illustrated goodies, but I will have my own lil inter web to dump stuff to as well. Hope you likes.
www.doriansoto.com
www.doriansoto.com
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