Oppor-Toon-Ities in Animation and Computer Graphics
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Oppor-toon-ities in Animation and Computer Graphics Pamela Kleibrink Thompson Simba’s Pride and Lady and the Tramp 2, two was Dreamworks, Fox Feature Animation and commercially successful direct-to-video Warner Brothers. The competition for talent As a recruiter and career coach in the enter- features; Rich Moore directed many episodes was intense. So intense, that I became a free- tainment industry, I help companies find the of The Simpsons, Futurama,The Critic and Baby lance recruiter for Fox, which was setting up people they need and help people find jobs. Blues; Greg Vanzo directed episodes of Futu- a studio in Phoenix,AZ. I traveled the country I have worked in all aspects of production and rama and The Maxx and started his own meeting students in animation schools. In know what it takes to succeed in this field. studio called Rough Draft. Sue Kroyer estab- 1996, Disney employed me as a freelance I’ve worked in television, features, commer- lished her own animation studio and recruiter to help them find the people they cials and video games, starting with an produced Fern Gully with her husband, Bill; needed for their Florida studio, which was animated ride film made with computers 23 and Ralph Eggleston directed a fabulous producing Mulan. years ago. This article will point out some short at Pixar and was a production Business people understand about basic highlights of the animation industry, and give designer on Finding Nemo and art director economics. Supply and demand. When the six tips on how you can build your career. on Toy Story. The list goes on. demand goes up, prices go up. That’s exactly There is no better time to enter the animation industry. There are lots of jobs for animators today. But it wasn’t always that way. Entertainment industry Animation Becomes Popular recruiter and career coach Twenty-three years ago there were very few opportunities to work in animation. There Pamela Kleibrink were a few features but certainly no animated websites. Animation in video games Thompson says the was crude, if non-existent, and done by programmers. There were no special cable opportunities for people channels like the Cartoon Network dedi- cated to showing animation. TV animation interested in animation was for kids. The idea that animated feature films could be profitable, or that anyone continue to grow. would watch animation on prime time televi- sion, was laughable. Then in 1986, Steven Spielberg commissioned a half-hour animated film for his Amazing Stories series, which was All those people worked as artists in this what happened. The salaries of animators called Family Dog. little downtown warehouse on a small rose radically. I heard one story where an It was my job to set up a studio from animated film because they loved animation animator was called by an animation studio scratch to produce that show. We converted and that was the only opportunity they had trying to recruit her. She said she was an old warehouse in downtown L. A. — the to animate. perfectly happy at the studio where she cheapest space we could find. I obtained Shortly after Family Dog came Who Framed worked, and was making a good salary. The animation desks that Hanna-Barbera was going Roger Rabbit,The Little Mermaid and Beauty and recruiter simply said, “Whatever you’re to throw away.The floor was concrete, and we the Beast, and studios realized that animation making, put a one in front of it.” It was a very had exposed plumbing.We had one telephone wasn’t just for kids anymore. good time to be an animator. and one bathroom — it was primitive. Then a startup network called Fox took a The cost of production increased dramati- Yet Family Dog was the only animated chance on a prime time animated series cally.There was a lot of press about the need project in town, so every animator wanted to called The Simpsons. The ratings climbed in for talent, and about the astronomical salaries be part of it — we had a team of very moti- 1990 beating out the live action competition being offered. vated artists who were excited to be working on the three major networks. As production Animation is big business. In 1994, The Lion on a quality project. Many of them were manager on The Simpsons, I hired and super- King ruled with over $787.4 million in world- students fresh out of school.Who were some vised many of the artists, some of whom are wide box office. Other studios scrambled to of the artists that worked on that animated still working on that show 14 years later. catch the audience’s appetite for animation. half hour? Now that’s a steady job in animation. But that Ten years after the Lion King’s success, in Brad Bird, the director of Family Dog, went is very rare! 2004, the trend continues. Audiences love on to direct Iron Giant and The Incredibles. The public wanted more, so other prime great animated stories, whether drawn with Many Family Dog artists became directors: time animated shows were made and it the help of a computer or a pencil. Finding animator Rob Minkoff directed The Lion King became obvious that adults loved animation Nemo netted more than $853.2 million in and Stuart Little; Chris Buck co-directed too.Today there are entire networks devoted worldwide box office, toppling The Lion King’s Tarzan with Kevin Lima, who directed 102 to animation. reign as the biggest animated box office take. Dalmatians; Don Paul directed El Dorado; In 1994, when Lion King’s box office neared It’s not just the Disney films that can make Brenda Chapman directed Prince of Egypt; the billion-dollar mark, other studios thought money. Other studios have had success. Kirk Wise directed Beauty and the Beast they should tap into the animation box office Audiences fell in love with an ogre in 2001, (which got a Best Picture nomination) as bonanza and built studios, developed scripts and Shrek saw $469.7 million in green. Shrek well as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Hunch- and recruited animators. Disney wasn’t the 2 has added to the pile with $395.3 million back of Notre Dame; Darrell Rooney directed only animation player in town anymore.There so far. August 2004 25 Animation Interest Continues Tip #2: Learn the Basics First Tip #3: Be Resourceful With numbers like that and no stars to A solid foundation in the principles of With a wealth of resources to draw from, contend with, is it any wonder that studio and animation will give you the edge over those animators can learn from others through television executives are interested in anima- who went to schools that simply teach soft- conferences like ACM SIGGRAPH, software tion? The animation industry will continue to ware or those that offer quickie degrees. specific user groups, or even through the grow with new outlets and expanding markets. Whether you work in computer animation Internet. Read the trade magazines like You can grow with it with these six tips. or cel animation, whether you work in 3D Cinefx and Animation Magazine, visit or 2D, you must know the principles of industry websites such as awn.com and Tip #1: Be Open to Opportunity animation, like squash and stretch, anticipa- highend3d.com and attend meetings of orga- There are tremendous opportunities to tion, staging, follow through and overlapping nizations like Women in Animation. Closely work in the animation industry today. You action. You must be an artist first. The soft- monitor what is going on in the industry so can market your skills in features, prime time ware in demand might change, but the basic you’ll be ready for whatever happens. television, Saturday morning cartoons, syndi- The Internet provides jobs for animators. cated series for television, cable, direct to Discussion groups and on-line courses help video and on the Internet. Almost every animators improve their skill by getting feed- website has some sort of animation, even if HowHow toto SucceedSucceed back from peers they have never met. But the it’s just a spinning logo.Video and computer Internet also provides something else. It is a games create a great need for animators, as inin AnimationAnimation distribution outlet for your creativity. You no do commercials. Those polar bears in the longer have to sell your project to a studio or soft drink commercials exist only in a a network — you can show it directly to a computer. Computer animation is used Be Open to worldwide audience. No censors, no broadcast extensively in visual effects. Computer Opportunity standards; you can put on whatever you want. animation is used in legal recreations, indus- * trial films and ride films. Animation can * Tip #4: It Is Who You Know recreate an ancient city or prehistoric Learn the When I first moved to Los Angeles, I thought animals for a museum kiosk or film. Medical Basics First I could do everything on my own. I didn’t visualizations help train medical personnel in ** want help from anybody. I learned that to get new surgical procedures or teach nurses ahead in any business, you have to help others about patient care. Animated films train and ask for help yourself. It’s called technicians in new assembly techniques for Be Resourceful networking. Everyone you went to school the space station or help NASA scientists * with and everyone you meet on every job * you have can become part of your network. explain their projects to gain government It Is Who funds.