By Dan Grushkin
dan.grushkin@careerschooldirectory.com
Career School Directory Columnist
In order to find an animation job, you'll have to grab the attention of employers with your work and work experience. Animation companies look for the best and the brightest - candidates don't necessarily have to come from the best animation schools, but they do have to show talent, and the best way to prove your talent is with a 30-second to five-minute sample of you animation work called a 'reel.'
Animation job seekers should know that an employer is digging through hundreds, sometimes thousands of reels and resumes for the perfect fit for their companies. The competition is stiff for an animation job at big studios like Pixar or DreamWorks, but there are a couple of things you can do when putting together your reel that will set you apart from the pack.
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Animation School
If you're in animation school, treat every project that professors assign you as a potential addition to your reel. While you're working on it think: This is not just for a grade but for the human resources department at a major animation studio. You're bound to treat your work differently. Animation school also provides you with a peer group, and contacts in the industry. Don't forget to take advantage of those resources.
Format it Right
Your reel should be no longer than five minutes (even that is long because employers go through so many). The worst thing you can do when seeking an animation job is bore a potential employer, so make it short. Put your work on VHS since it's still the most common viewing format. You can also put it on Beta SP video, which is a more professional tape stock and will create a higher quality image on the screen.
About the Author
Dan Grushkin is freelance writer in Brooklyn, New York. He has written about world affairs for Agence France-Presse news wire, various international publications and has contributed to a book on the Middle East crisis. Dan holds a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.
Monday, May 23, 2005
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