Career Options
Animators draw on their talentsTheir work comes to life on video game screens, computer monitors and the big screen. Though the computer has ushered in a new era of 3-D animation that continues to astound, the tried-and-true ability to draw well is as important as ever for today's animators. LINDA WHITE |
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 [ 2005-11-02 ] |
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--Max the Mutt Animation School photo
"The general public does not understand that computer animation is still dependent on drawing and classical training animation," says Maxine Schacker, founder and director of Max the Mutt Animation School in Toronto. "People think the computer is a magical tool, but animation is a real art," she says.
In addition to a full range of drawing, painting and cartooning courses, Max the Mutt's program includes an acting and improvisational course. Students are also required to create and cast their own characters from established stories or scripts and to place characters in different centuries and different locales with appropriate costumes.
"It's not instant food," Schacker says. "Animation requires a multiple skill base. You're acting through your character ... It takes a lot of character, drive and passion to succeed."
David Quesnelle, co-ordinator and professor with Sheridan College's Bachelor of Applied Arts in Animation, jokingly refers to actors as people who can't draw.
"It all comes down to drawing. You can sketch out your ideas a lot quicker and a lot cheaper than with the computer," he says. "As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and we can draw very fast ... Computers are a large part of it, but we teach the computer side."
Many artists enter the industry as inbetweeners -- the artists who help animators and animation assistants fill in the action between key drawings. Inbetweeners usually work in a team and learn to imitate the animator's drawings and line quality.
The storyboard artist interprets scripts to create storyboards. The job typically involves planning shots, visualizing the story before drawing it and maintaining continuity among the shots. The layout artist creates the foundation for the animation by rendering background layouts for each scene.
Not all jobs -- such as rigging, modelling and texturing -- require such a strong classical animation background, Schacker says. She points to the Animation World Network website as a good resource for those looking for work.
"A lot of work done in Toronto is part of U.S. productions," she says. "A lot of Flash work is freelance. You rarely get hired in this industry. It's primarily contract work. There has been a lot of work, much of which is through word of mouth."
Since graduating from Sheridan 25 years ago, Quesnelle has worked in a variety of fields. "You have an opportunity to travel the world working for different studios," he says. "The industry tends to be fickle. You may work on a project for a few months to a couple of years."
He worked with Nelvana on animated series such as Ewok, Carebears and Beetlejuice. He travelled to Ireland to work on All Dogs Go to Heaven and Land Before Time. As a lead animator with Disney Canada, he helped create Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Peter Pan II, Pocahontas II and Little Mermaid II.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Quesnelle worked in the computer gaming industry. "It was cutting edge at the time, but not now," he says. "The industry is changing, but we teach our students to be chameleons, so the talent is always there."
He describes the computer as a tool. "It's just a tool you use as an actor to play the part. Who knows, maybe in 10 years we'll be using the hologram," Quesnelle says. "The computer has opened the doors for our students. It allows us to compete globally. We speak the same language when we talk animation. It tends to be a small community and you appreciate each other's drive to tell a story. You can appreciate what's required to do that."
Animation touches a range of other disciplines, including sound, music, fine arts, cinematography and dialogue. "We look at the history of animation," Quesnelle says. "If we ignore the past, we lose sight of the future. We are standing on the shoulders of the next pioneers."
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QUICK FACTS
Animators can find work in feature films, TV, video games, the Internet, CD-ROM production and other industries.
Within each of those fields, animators can work in a variety of roles, including: 2-D animator, 3-D animator, 3-D computer modeller, Flash animator, storyboard artist, layout artist, inbetweener, concept artist, background painter, modelling and design, and character rigging and posing.
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