A career in visual effects or animation takes more than an active imagination. People in animation employment need to know how to take those images in their head and turn it into actual images. This takes a lot of training, especially in today's computerized world.

There are plenty of options to find training for animation and visual effects jobs. Those looking for animation jobs must ensure they have the proper credentials when searching, and it's wise for those who provide animation employment to consider providing visual effects training. Both sides must consider:

1. Traditional universities offering classroom or distance learning in animation or visual effects.

2. Technical schools specializing in boosting a career in visual effects.

3. Online course instruction for animation jobs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose university or college instruction to prepare for employment in animation

You can pursue an animation degree or certificate at some universities in the United States. New York and California are the best locations, since they are major media hubs. If you're not pursuing an animation job in those areas, seek a university with a good distance education program.

I recommend: Westwood College offers a Bachelor of Science in Animation program that teaches life drawing/rendering techniques, special effects, 3D animation and audio/video application. The University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts offers Bachelors and Masters degrees in animation and digital arts. The New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers certificates in animation, including classes in character animation, storyboarding and the Maya I program.

Find technical schools specializing in animation careers

Perhaps you or your employees need the value of hands-on training with a classroom education. When considering the many art and animation schools available, find classes that will give you the skills for the particular job you're pursuing.

I recommend: The Art Institute's Media Arts College has an animation school offering programs in Computer Animation, Animation Art and Design and VFX for Film and Television, among others. The American Academy of Art, based in Chicago, offers a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree in 3D Modeling/Animation, including courses in life drawing, electronic imaging, web design and digital video. Use Animation School Review’s search tool to find the right animation, graphic design and web design school within the United States for you.

Seek online schools to prepare for animation and visual effects employment

Since most visual effects or animation careers will involve computers and at-home work, training for such a career on the computer can be a natural fit. Search for a school where you can study at your own pace and receive the diploma and training you need.

I recommend: Check out the Academy of Art University's online school, which offers Associates, Bachelors and Masters degrees in several animation fields. You can even chat online with the director for more information. The Animation Mentor offers a full 18-month program teaching animation skills. They can also help graduates find employment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider getting instructional books and videos on animation and visual effects techniques. These can be assets for those in animation employment who must provide simple on-the-job training.
• •  Seek basic tutorials in new animation programs. Learning the latest animation software as soon as it comes out can further careers in visual effects.

Animation and visual effects employment is a very competitive field, but if you have the requisite talent and skills, you can find a very rewarding career as an animator. Animation jobs are available in many industries, ranging from film and television to even medical imaging. The booming area of video games offers many visual effects jobs as well.

So, where do you find these jobs? Peruse the various boards and websites that list creative jobs; that's a start. Here are some facts you should know about employment in animation:

1. Many schools offer affordable programs to prepare you for animation and visual effects jobs.
2. Find animation jobs — including specialized jobs in character animation, storyboarding and 3D modeling — on creative job boards.
3. Participating in an internship is a good way to pursue a career in visual effects.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Peruse the many creative boards and websites that list animation and visual effects jobs

Specialized job boards are the best sources to find work in the animation and visual effects field. You will see listings for storyboard artists, graphics designers, production assistants and other positions. Some websites let you create an online profile in addition to providing members with selective job listings.

I recommend: Online sites such as Motionographer and Creativeheads provide up-to-date listings of animation and visual effects jobs available around the country, while Animation World Network's Animation Industry Database is a resource where you can find various animation and visual effects communities as well as a list of visual effects companies around the globe.

Find an internship position that will get you started in your animation career

Yes, the main studios like Walt Disney Animation and Pixar offer internships, but you can imagine how competitive they are. Realistically, a smaller studio would be a better fit and offers you an opportunity to become more than just a cog in the machine. Not to say you shouldn't reach for the ultimate, but realize your chances for an internship get marginally smaller the bigger the studio.

I recommend: Walt Disney Animation Studios offers internships and associate programs to learn the various areas of the animation industry, both creative and technical. Pixar Studios provides an FAQ's page that answers questions about its internship program. Entertainment Internships lets you instantly access 4,000 internships in the entertainment field, including animation and visual effects. Get that Gig also provides listings for animation internships.

Look for job sites and jobs that differentiate between animation and visual effects

VFX jobs and jobs that are strictly for animators can differ tremendously in terms of the companies that offer these jobs, as well as the duties and pay associated.

I recommend: VFXTalk.com lists jobs for visual effects specialists and 3D visualization artists. Look to Simply Hired for jobs that are primarily for animators.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  SIGGRAPH's annual convention provides a great networking opportunity for those interested in visual effects careers. It also showcases the largest display of computer and animation technologies.

Animation and visual effects jobs often require working from the home as well as the office. Therefore, both employers and employees will not only need supplies for animation and visual effects jobs, but must make sure they have the same supplies so they are compatible.

As animation and visual effects look to keep pushing the envelope, those in animation and visual effects careers will certainly need the right software to create images by computer. A lower-budget animation job, however, may need to go the old-fashioned route. There are three basic forms of animation jobs that you can require supplies for:

1. Simple paint-on-celluloid animation jobs

2. Full computerized animation films and programs

3. Animation and/or visual effects added to live action

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get supplies and equipment for basic animation jobs

The earliest mainstream animation style involved drawings or painted images on flip-book-style paper placed before the camera. An animation company with a low budget can take these simple, old-fashioned approaches. If you're just starting out with a career in visual effects, basic supplies for animation and visual effects jobs are key.

I recommend: CartoonSupplies.com has a variety of animation supplies for those starting out in an animation career, including paper, drawing boards, lightboxes and drawing utensils. Lightfoot Ltd. has a wide range of animation supplies, equipment and lessons, including tapes and DVDs.

Find software for the computer animation job field

Like everything else in the world, the animation industry is now heavily computer driven. The animation industry relies on computers and software, and anyone in animation employment must know how to create 2D and 3D images on a computer. There are many types of animation software available for all computer systems, and you may need to know as many of them as possible.

I recommend: Toon Boom Animation advertises itself as the world's animation software leader, with multiple animation software applications available for sale, like Studio, Digital Pro and Storyboard. Studica offers many different animation software programs available for download from leading designers like Quest3D and Softimage.

Use specialized high-end software for more advanced visual effects jobs and animation

Careers in visual effects require special equipment. Visual imaging tasks involve creating lifelike images and transplanting them onto live-action images to make them look realistic. You'll need the best software out there and have full working knowledge of it for any career in visual effects.

I recommend: Adobe's After Effects software supports an industry standard for motion graphics and visual effects, and it is available straight from the creators. GuyGraphics.com sells software from creators like Boris, DigiEffects and Pixelan. FXhome's catalog of visual effects supplies includes full software packages, photographic effects software and plug-ins for third party software.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure you select the right operating system for your needs. Many in the creative artistic fields, like animation careers, find Mac computers work best for them.

For artists seeking employment as animators, it is vital to learn the key terms used for various animation techniques. Knowing these key terms and the animation techniques they describe will give you more opportunities for employment and career advancement. Take the time to learn the key terms for animation and visual effects jobs to achieve success as a professional animator.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Storyboard artists

Storyboard artists work with an animated movie script to draw panels that illustrate the movie's story in drawings. Storyboard artists detail action sequences and character movements for animated films. They work alongside directors and writers to create the images that result in an animated film.

I recommend: See the work of a storyboard artist at Storyboards Inc.

Character animators

Character animators draw the faces and bodies of characters in animated films. They are responsible for detailing things, including facial emotion, body movements and creating recognizable personalities. Unlike other kinds of animators such as those who create backgrounds, character animators deal only with the characters in animated films, computer games and software programs.

I recommend: Learn about the software programs used by character animators at The Gnomon Workshop.

Stop-motion animation

Stop-motion animation is the technique of shooting objects frame-by-frame so it appears as if they are moving. There are many types of stop-motion animation, including clay animation, cut-out animation and model animation.

I recommend: Review the resource information for stop-motion animators at Dragon Stop Motion.

Computer-generated animation, or CGI

Computer-generated animation, or CGI, is the technique of creating animated images and films with a computer. Computer animation includes both 3-D and 2-D computer graphics. Animated characters or images are drawn and then displayed on computer screens. Many live-action films, computer games and software programs use CGI to create exciting visual effects.

I recommend: Read about how to get a job in computer animation at CG Channel.

Rotoscoping artist

A rotoscoping artist manually traces over live-action films one frame at a time. The device used to do rotoscoping is a projection device called a rotoscope. Since this technique can take a lot of time, many animators use CGI, though many still prefer to use rotoscoping. Though this technique isn't as widely used as it once was, there are still companies that hire artists skilled at rotoscoping.

I recommend: Learn about the services in rotoscoping offered by Lazy Movie.

Traditional animation

Traditional animation is the oldest form of animation. It is also the most popular form of animation. Artists who use this technique manually draw every frame of an animated film. Many animated films and commercials still use traditional animation.

I recommend: Find information about traditional animation by visiting Animation Arena.