Becoming an animator


The term "persistence of vision" describes the optical phenomenon that makes animation possible. The human eye retains an image for a split second after the source of the image disappears, so when 24 frames per second of an animated film zip through a projector, the flow of motion on the screen looks seamless.

The same phrase could also be applied to the mind-set of a young (or not quite so young!) person who has his or her heart set on becoming a Disney animator. For generations, the debut of each Disney animated feature film has ignited in the minds of thousands of individuals the desire to be a part of the marvel they see on the screen.

What does it take to be a Disney animator? What spectrums of talent and elements of training are needed to produce these wonder-working "actors with pencils" called animators? We recently put these questions to Frank Gladstone, Manager of Animation Training for Disney, who works out of the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World.

Gladstone begins by explaining that natural talent will come out at a young age. Every parent knows that a child with an artistic bent considers the family home a vast and inviting canvas. Such children "draw all the time... everywhere, on everything. They see Mommy and they try to draw Mommy. They see the dog and they try to draw the dog," Gladstone says.

Children go through different phases as they explore their skills. Three that Gladstone cites are: 1) The very young child who tries to render his or her own creative fantasies. Mom or Dad may not be able to recognize it as such, but according to the child, that blue scribble is a dinosaur eating an ice-cream cone! (And who is to say it isn't?) 2) The older child who is fascinated by visuals, who sees cartoons or illustrations and attempts to copy them as accurately as possible. (This "draftsman" stage may be difficult and frustrating - more on this later.) 3) The high school student who goes back to the beginning and gives free rein to the imagination, rather than adhering to straight copying.

"This is the bridge," Gladstone says. "This is when someone may be a serious artist. If they draw things they see - the real world - that is a big jump. The intent to interpret what they see in the three-dimensional world is, for me, the tell-all that somebody's interested in art in a serious way."

Getting to that "bridge," that third phase, though, requires passing through phase two - easier said than done.

Gladstone explains, "Most young people who start drawing are trying to make things as accurate as possible. They work very hard to get the eye right, and that's where a lot of people get discouraged.

"There's a certain strength in being an artist, he says "in that at some point every artist I know is trying to draw Mom or Dad and somebody will come up behind them and say `that doesn't look like that.' This is when many people's art career ends."

He continues, "The only time they'll draw again is if they can copy something exactly, which is why many people are good at drawing from a picture, but they can't do the other [draw from life]. The person who is strong enough to say `So what? It's my version of this'- that's another step."

Practice is paramount to maturing as an artist. "Go to the zoo and sketch: draw your friends," Gladstone suggests. "Drawing people and their animals, trying to capture something that's moving - this kind of thing comes with time. It's not something that many children do early on. It comes with experience."

Milton Gray, in his book Cartoon Animation: Introduction to a Career, recommends studying animated films frame by frame, using a VCR or laser videodiscs.

Gladstone agrees. "I had the opportunity to put an old-time print of "Pinocchio" on a Moviola and spent an entire night going through the scenes I like frame by frame and finding out how they created that movie.

"It won't teach you everything," he warns, but, "we still do that. We still study how [certain segments] were done - how did Frank Thomas approach this problem. It's a very good way to do things, but it's only one of the ways."

Hand-in-hand with practice is formal art training. A young person, brimming with talent though she or he may be, needs structured schooling to make animation a career.

"They're not going to get a job here when they're fifteen years old," Gladstone says. "We recommend not only high school, but additional schooling as well - hopefully a college degree."

This schooling would, of course, have art as its primary focus - not merely drawing, but other disciplines as well, such as painting and sculpting. Milton Gray recommends studying actors and books on acting, learning something of staging, choreography, and principles of music.

Beyond the fine arts, some background in history, geography, the life sciences, et al., makes for a more knowledgeable, flexible animator.

"You have to bring things to the table," Gladstone explains. "Half of doing Disney-style feature animation is the ability to draw, paint, run a computer, or whatever, but the other half is communication skill. We find that people who have some post-secondary education are more well-rounded, more adapted to the needs of our studio.

"We realize," he adds "that not everybody can go to college, but we seem to see more seasoned players if they have." Can you be an animator without being able to draw? Gladstone replies, "If a kid wants to do animation and he or she can't draw, there are ways to do that. There always have been ways to do that - stop-action, pixilation (which is stop-action using people instead of objects), things like that. Now there's another one, the computer. You don't have to learn to draw to learn how to animate on a computer."

He cautions, however, "Computer animators just have a very fancy electronic pencil. If they can draw traditionally, they're that much ahead of the game. In all the computer work that I've seen in my life, [work] that has really pushed the animation limits - not just the movement limits, there's a difference - the animators have either come from traditional areas or had good traditional skills."

These skills, be they traditional or high-tech, can be utilized in a variety of ways. An animated feature film employs the talents of a wide variety of artists. Animators make up a fairly small population of the people that create an animated film. There are also assistant animators; in-betweeners; breakdown, background and layout artists; effects animators; storyboard artists; visual development or inspirational artists; computer animators; and graphic designers - to name a few!

All these individuals work as a team (hence the importance of communication) during the long, arduous process of producing an animated film. Gladstone gives an example of how the artist (in this case the layout artist), director, and art director work together. These individuals interpret the storyboard into the various sets, backgrounds and foregrounds for each shot of an animated film.

"The layout artist has a lot to do with the lighting of the film, the scope, the way the camera moves through the sets," he explains. "The layout artist is in a very great way the cinematographer of an animated film, deciding what the camera is going to see and where the characters will be blocked in a scene."

The in-betweener has traditionally been looked upon as the first rung on the ladder of a animation career. Although there are exceptions, Gladstone says, "Most people come up through the ranks, starting as an in-betweener and working their way up to an animator. I think that's a good way to do it. Eventually, if they become an animator, they will have had the experience of the people that follow them up. They were there before."

So, the path is charted - now, where to go for the all-important formal instruction? There are many schools that offer good fundamental art programs and consistently produce graduates with the skills necessary to become Disney animators. These schools are by no means the only choices available to the future animator.

Gladstone speaks from experience, "If you need to go to a state school - great! Find a state school that has an art program and take the best advantage of it you can. Learn how to draw well. Draw better than everybody there. If you can only go to trade school, great! Go to trade school and do it that way."

The various roads to an animation career all demand hard work, discipline, and patience. We asked Frank Gladstone what crucial advice he would give animators. He responded, "Keep trying. Don't get too frustrated. Realize your potential, be honest with yourself, and apply yourself to whatever that particular goal is you want to reach."

Inbetweener


Inbetweeners produce the drawings between previously completed key poses, in order to complete the illusion of movement and action. This is often an entry-level role in the animation department, and may provide an ideal opportunity to acquire both practical animation skills and a solid foundation for future work.

As it is often the first time an artist has worked in a studio, an inbetweening job can provide an excellent opportunity to learn about the realities and pressures of working as part of a team. Although the animators' work may be in rough, Inbetweeners are more likely to be asked to produce cleaned up drawings, referring to existing animation and model sheets.

The role is most likely to exist in character animation, but Inbetweeners are sometimes needed on non-character work and in visual effects animation. 

Responsibilities
Inbetweeners are responsible for producing neat and accurate in-between drawings, as directed by the Assistant Animator, Animator or Animation Director. They must have enough drawing ability to be able to adapt to the style and technique of different productions, and be aware of their schedule in order to deliver on time.

Skills
Inbetweeners must be able to take direction, work accurately and pay close attention to detail. Excellent drawing skills are usually required and Inbetweeners must be able to work well as part of a team. Good communication and presentation skills are also helpful, together with patience as this vital work can be laborious. Inbetweeners must be prepared to respect different studios' working practices, and discretion may be required if they are working on a confidential project. 

Qualifications/Experience
Entry level Inbetweeners are usually graduates from Animation degree or Diploma courses, which should provide them with enough of a foundation and vocabulary to enable them to start work in the industry. Many Animation courses are now available in the UK, some in Art schools, others in Film schools or in the Media departments of universities.

Some courses specialise in 2D animation and so are more appropriate for individuals who want to pursue a career in traditional, drawn animation. It is preferable to choose a college with established industry connections, which employs professional Animators as tutors, and which has a good track record of ex-students working in the Animation industry.

Working on professional productions is very different from college experiences, even for those who have previously made their own film. It is therefore very useful for students to get work experience in a studio prior to, or immediately after, graduation in order to gain an overview of the way studios operate. 

At this stage, drawing skills may be more valuable than knowledge of animation, so graduates from a range of Art courses, such as Graphic Design or Illustration, are eligible if their portfolios demonstrate good draughtsmanship. Employers in all 2D studios look at life drawing in particular as a standard way to judge the talent of applicants who cannot produce other relevant work.

Runners with the appropriate talents may also be promoted to Inbetweeners. Candidates without qualifications, but with the appropriate passion and a portfolio of good drawings, especially life drawing, may also be considered for work at this level.

Digital Painter


Digital Painter is an entry-level role, usually employed in 2D Drawn Animation, but sometimes required in 2D Computer and/or 3D Digital Computer Animation.

Digital Painters add colour to the line images created by Animators. They may scan the drawings they receive from the Animation department and, when required, clean up the line work on a computer before colouring. Digital Painters usually work as part of a team, under the supervision of a Head of Digital Colour and Compositing. The team may include a Colour Stylist, Scanners, Painters and Compositors although, depending on the size of the production, the roles may be combined. Digital Painters may progress into work in compositing and post-production.

Responsibilities
Digital Painters are responsible for scanning artwork and adding colour to Animation, using one of several available programmes, e.g. Animo, Toon Boom, Opus, Toonz or Photoshop. They must follow the references they are given and be aware of continuity requirements.

Skills
Digital Painters need a good eye for both detail and colour. They must be methodical and conscientious about follow up, have good computer skills and be able to adapt quickly to new programmes. More senior artists need to understand the Animation process and should be able to use the relevant software, but new entrants can expect to be trained on the job. They must be able to take direction and to work as part of a team.

Qualifications/Experience
No degree qualifications are required, although this can be an entry-level role for University graduates who want to work in Animation. Good IT skills are essential, and a working knowledge of programmes such as Photoshop and Illustrator are often required.

Digital Painter

Storyboard Artist - Animation


Storyboard Artists interpret scripts and sketched ideas in order to create storyboards. They work closely with the Director and, possibly, with the Scriptwriter, Producer, Client or Storyboard Supervisor, to visualise and tell the story. 

Responsibilities
Storyboard Artists illustrate the narrative, plan shots, and draw panels to demonstrate action and maintain continuity between scenes. They may need to revise and update their work to reflect a changing script or comments from the Director, Producer, Client, etc. 

Storyboard Artists may be required to prepare the storyboards for production, including indications of dialogue, character performance and camera moves, and could be asked to produce their work either as rough or cleaned up drawings, depending on the requirements of a particular production. For example, clean panels are less likely to be required for a Computer Generated film, where tight drawings of a character may not be relevant; however, on a television project where all the animation is being produced overseas, it may be necessary to present the characters very accurately. Storyboards being produced for animation overseas must usually be on model (in style), and include absolute attention to detail and very clear written directions. 

Storyboard Artists need to be aware of any relevant technical or budgetary restrictions related to the production, and they are responsible for delivering the storyboard on schedule.

Skills
Above all else, Storyboard Artists must be able to tell a good story. To achieve this, they must be film literate, with a good understanding of layout, composition, sequential drawing and editing. They need to be able to work either independently or as part of a team. They should be able to take direction, and also be prepared to make changes to their work. 

For certain projects Storyboard Artists need excellent drawing skills and the ability to adapt to a wide range of styles. They must be able to follow established designs and produce consistent work, drawn on model. 

Good communication and presentation skills are essential. Depending on the project, basic computer literacy and familiarity with relevant storyboard software may be required.

Qualifications/Experience
Storyboard Artists come from many backgrounds and their talent is often instinctive. Many have graduated from Animation degree courses, during which they will have acquired a basic understanding of film theory on which to build as their career progresses. 

All Animation courses, regardless of any specialist technique, should include storyboarding as part of the syllabus; and a student will have gained some understanding by producing a storyboard for a personal or graduation film.

While still at college, they may have already discovered that the part of the animation process that interests them most is storyboarding during the pre-production phase, or they may discover that this is their preference as they progress through various animation roles. Many Animation Storyboard Artists have been Animators, or they may still alternate between the two roles; others come from the layout department.

It is unlikely that a new graduate will find work immediately as a Storyboard Artist; it is more probable that they have worked their way through part of the animation studio system. Graduates from Art courses, such as Graphics or Illustration, who have an interest in film technique and story telling, could follow the same career path. Some live action Storyboard Artists move into animation, but it should be noted that the skills developed for commercials do not necessarily apply to longer format productions.

Storyboard Assistant - Animation


The role of Storyboard Assistant only exists on certain types of production and can be a suitable entry level job. The work varies greatly depending on the requirements of the particular project, and on the Storyboard Artist's working methods.

In most cases, Storyboard Assistants clean up Storyboard Artists' rough drawings, ensuring they are on model (in style), preparing the panels for the next stage of production and generally assisting the Storyboard Artist. They may be asked to fill in background details, or to add secondary characters to panels where the Storyboard Artist may have indicated only part of the action.

Whether a storyboard remains in rough, or if it needs to be cleaned up, depends on the requirements of the particular production. For example, clean drawings are less likely to be required for a Computer Generated film, where tight drawings of a character may not be relevant; however, on a television project where all the animation is being produced overseas, it may be necessary to present the characters very accurately.

Storyboard Assistants may be required to scan the drawn panels into a computer in preparation for editing.


Responsibilities
Storyboard Assistants are responsible for either cleaning up existing panels, or for completing partly drawn panels, as directed by the Storyboard Artist or Storyboard Supervisor. They must deliver accurate work on brief and on time and, towards the end of a schedule, may work long hours.


Skills
Storyboard Assistants must be able to take direction and work as part of a team. Depending on the project, excellent drawing skills and the ability to adapt to a range of styles may be required. Knowledge of relevant software (e.g. Photoshop or various graphics and editing packages) may also be necessary.

Good communication and presentation skills are required in order to progress within the Storyboard Department. Storyboard Assistants must respect studios' working practices and discretion may be required if they are working on a confidential project. They must understand the disciplines required to produce clear story boards from which other people can work.


Qualifications/Experience
Entry level Storyboard Assistants are usually Art, Animation, or Film graduates, but opportunities may also exist for Runners with the appropriate talents to be promoted to Storyboard Assistant. When applying for a job, it is necessary to show a portfolio which demonstrates good drawing skills and a range of styles.

Show-reels or personal storyboards, which demonstrate a talent for storytelling and film structure, are also expected from Animation or Film graduates. Graduates from Art courses, such as Graphic Design or Illustration, need to concentrate on acquiring storytelling and film theory skills once they are working; however, employers may expect Animation graduates to already be able to demonstrate some understanding of these areas .

When these jobs are available, they are particularly suitable for people with a special interest in pre-production, who enjoy telling a story and hope to become a Storyboard Artist. Candidates without degree qualifications, but with the appropriate passion and a portfolio of good drawings, may also be considered for work at this level.


Storyboard Assistant - Animation