Each year as the summer closes and a new school year begins, I tend to see a predictable trend emerge. All of my animation students and their parents start thinking about the same exact thing -- college. They wonder, “Where should I go to college?” or “Should I go to college at all?” and, “Can I work in animation and not live in California?”
It’s a difficult thing to be able to answer these questions since one constant in the animation industry is that it’s always changing. And to make it even more complicated, there’s not one particular path that will take everyone to Disney or Pixar. I’m sure if you asked 10 people at each studio, they would tell you 10 different stories and describe 10 different paths that led them there. But there are some factors that seem to stay consistent in the animation industry whether you work with a mouse, a stylus, or a pencil, and I’ll try to explain some of them here.
The most important factor in getting a job is the quality of your work, pure and simple. It’s been my experience that most studios don’t care if you have a degree or not, and they don’t even really care what school you attended. They’ll ask questions like, “How good is this person’s animation?” and, “How well do they fit into the style of the film/show/game that we’re producing?”
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On a different note, experience is important and will be helpful, but many places actually look for young talent on purpose. If your work is equal in quality to an experienced pro, you are usually going to have a good shot at getting hired. As a result, going to the perfect school or having the most degrees (or credits on your resume) won’t matter when it comes to getting a job. In short, going to college isn’t a golden ticket to an animation job, just be a good animator.
Even though, like I said before, a college degree doesn’t necessarily matter as much, you’ll still need high-quality training to get better, and you’ll usually find that training at college. It’s the
Of training that you really need to consider, however, when choosing a college or trade school. You can get training in all kinds of skills, both technical and artistic, and all of that training will add benefit to you. But it’s my experience that good ol’ fashioned art training is the most important if you’re looking for a career in the creative side of the industry.
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Look for classes on classic drawing or painting. You’ll need to get really good at drawing humans and animals in motion, not to mention story, design, and cinematography. The more you understand about the entire process of creating a film, the better chance you have at being a valuable player on the team. So practice, practice and practice some more. The goal, above all else, is to become a better artist! And that will only come through hours and hours (and a few more hours) of practice.
Unfortunately, there’s still no guarantee that these skills will get you your perfect job. And that’s where you’ll need to ask yourself, “How much do I want this?” Because this is going to be HARD. But, with enough determination and a lot of hard work, you
To be honest, it’s impossible to put into words how hard you’ll have to work in order to succeed. Most artists I know can’t help but measure themselves against an invisible line of success and quality that always seems to move just as they get close to it. But working in animation sure is a lot of fun if you don’t let it drive you crazy and get you down. Relax and enjoy the process of improving and becoming a better artist/storyteller. It took me years to learn that I don’t have to put so much pressure on myself, and to remember that even the best artists have their good days and bad days.
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Above anything else, I credit ‘determination’ as the single most important factor to any success that I’ve had in the animation industry. Early on in my career I would miss out on a job, or not measure up to my peers in an assignment and I would get extremely discouraged. But every time that happened, I forced myself to move forward and continue to improve the quality of my work. And it’s that determination that allowed me to succeed, just as it did for many, many others that I’ve seen in my career. If you are prepared to fail, pick yourself up, and keep improving, you’ll be able to make it as an animator!
These are just a few things that I’ve learned over my 30 year career as a creative. I have worked as a professional animator in film and television for almost 30 years both with
From being an expert homeschooling dad—into teaching students ages 11-18 about this fascinating art form. If your child is interested in animation, filmmaking, or storytelling, check out The Animation Course!My name is Chad Stewart and after 30 years of working as a professional animator, I now teach students ages 11-18 how to animate. When my students ask what it’s like to become an animator, I like to tell them a little story...
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This story started about 35 years ago. This kid, let’s call him, Tadd was in middle school and liked to draw. He was pretty good at it too, at least that’s what many people told him. Tadd was around the age that people started to ask “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and expected a serious answer. Tadd knew he couldn’t just say “professional baseball player” and call it good. He needed a plan, something that seemed legitimate with a college to go to and proof that he could do this and make good money.
Around this time, Tadd’s family embarked on a road trip that included such timeless sights as the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam and to top it all off the piéce de résistance...Disneyland. Tadd was already enamored with cartoons in general, but somehow on this trip it made it seem all the more real. This was California, where the cartoons he had loved had been created, by real people!
So Tadd started dreaming about being an animator. His mother called up the Walt Disney Feature Animation Company and asked how her son could make cartoons. They told her that the best thing Tadd could do if he really wanted to become an animator was get better at the drawing of humans and animals in motion. They also told her about California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), a college Walt Disney himself had helped create to promote all the arts, with one department specifically devoted to training animators. In fact, it was the only accredited college in the United States at the time that had an Animation Department.
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Suddenly, Tadd had the answer to that ever-present question. “When I grow up, I’m going to be a Disney Animator, ” he would explain to people who asked him what he was going to be when he grew up. That answer remained the same through his middle-school years and into high school. As he was improving his drawing skills, Tadd knew his dream could be a reality and even told his high school guidance counselor of his animation goals. At first, Tadd’s guidance counselor was skeptical, until he looked into Tadd’s dream school, CalArts. His guidance counselor admitted, “Well, it seems like you have a plan.”
Things began to get real for Tadd as his high school career drew to a close. He had loved watching cartoons and drawing them since he could remember, but he had no formal art training. Unfortunately, the portfolio he submitted to CalArts to apply for admission was rejected. Tadd knew that if he was going to “make it” as an animator, he was going to have to get much more serious about his art. Whatever natural talent he had wasn’t going to be enough, it was time to get to work!
Tadd swallowed his pride and embraced a humility he wasn’t comfortable with. He realized that if he was going to improve, it would be because he listened to the people and voices that gave him critique, not just encouragement. In fact, Tadd had been existing on an “encouragement-only” diet when it came to his art. Like for anyone, it felt good to have people tell him that they thought his art was awesome, but the reality was, it didn’t help him develop his skills. So, Tadd applied to another art school to study fine art.
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Over the next two years, Tadd worked really hard. He even had one professor who wouldn’t grade his work at first because he knew that he hadn’t spent enough time on it and he could do better. After Tadd applied himself over the next two weeks, he surprised himself with the project he produced! This gave him the determination he needed
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