Animation and Visual Effects (VFX) careers are among the fastest growing segments of the entertainment job market with many opportunities in Film, TV, Online Media, and Video Games.
Background
From the beginning of the film industry, animation jobs have played a major role in helping directors tell their stories. Walt Disney's Nine Old Men created engaging characters and wonderous environments while they developed principals of animation still in use today. In the 1980s, companies like Pixar began a revolution in animation careers by using computer-generated graphics to create a level of realism and verisimilitude never been seen before.
Along with animation positions, visual effects jobs have been a part of cinema since the early days of Willis O'Brien's King Kong and Fritz Lang's Metropolis. In the 1970s, George Lucas and ILM radically transformed the entire VFX industry as they adopted computers to create effects that fool audiences into believing what they are seeing. Today, animation jobs and VFX jobs are closely interrelated as innovations in one arena quickly are adopted in the other.
Beyond Film and TV, animation and VFX positions are key components in other segments of entertainment, most notably Online Media and Video Games. And it's not just a one-way technology transfer. Many of the recent advances in video game technology such as the Epic Games's Unreal Engine are now being employed and Virtual Production jobs are now in high-demand in order to create state-of-the-art filmed entertainment like Disney's 'The Mandalorian'.
If you are looking to break into the entertainment industry, animation and VFX careers are two areas that you should consider learning more about. There are many schools, training programs, and online courses which focus on these important skills and its widely agreed that they will be the backbone of creative entertainment for decades to come.
What Types of Jobs Are In The Animation / VFX Industry?
- Animator
- Animation Technical Director (TD)
- Rigger
- Character Designer
- Storyboard Illustrator
- Concept Artist
- Background Artist
- VFX Supervisor
- Previs Artist
- VFX Editor
- Look Development Artist
- Texture Artist
- Lighting Artist
- Matchmove Artist
- Environment Artist
- Compositor
- Prep Artist
- Roto Artist
Who Are The Top Employers in The Animation / VFX Industry?
- Walt Disney Animation
- Pixar
- Dreamworks
- Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
- Lucasfilm
- Sony Pictures Animation
- Studio Ghibli
- Moving Picture Company (MPC)
- Pixomondo
- Warner Bros Animation
- Framestore
- Cartoon Network
- Nickelodeon Animation
- Blue Sky Studios