So your interested in being an animator. Well just what are you getting yourself into?
In my experience people enter into the animation biz with very little knowledge of whats involved. Its not their fault though, its often because the process of making animation has become a commonly used tool for marketing animated films. When was the last time you saw an animated movie come out of California without a "Making Of" documentary to help sell and promote it? The result is a highly sugar coated version of the process, designed to make us feel good about going to see the movie.
My philosophy is simple, get the "bad" news out of the way early. So lets make one thing absolutely clear, animation is the art of making film by meticulously hand crafting every single frame, at least 12 frames a second, 720 frames a minute, 43000 frames per hour. Its a lot of work!
But is this "bad" news at all? The bottom line is that you can't make it in animation unless you pour your heart and soul into it. That means that when you do make it (finish that scene, make the audience laugh or sigh, get that job) it is far more rewarding than any other creative job I can imagine. The stakes are higher, but the rewards also greater.
The high level of commitment required also means that when you are working in animation you get to work along side and become friends with some of the most inspirational and talented people on the planet. That's job satisfaction that money can't buy.
LINKS:
Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston's Animation Tips make for a nice overview of the issues an animator is concerned with on a day to day basis.
Spline doctor Hathaway outlines his main animation principles.
Some thoughts on how you should think about computers and software when animating.
What should a student animate? An excelent post from Jean-Denis.
George Nash with a nice no nascence overview of the animation basics.
Inspiration --- Persiration --- Celebration
Animation Career Pro blog has a great list of Animation Terms but the whole site is worth a good rummage around.
An article about using your time effectively as a student from Kenny Roy on the Tricks and Tips blog.
An excellent video lecture about what it takes to get a job as an artist by Nick Campbell. He is talking specifically about motion graphics, but I think all of his advice is useful for animators as well.
