New Animators Find Field Growth Thanks to Gaming

The legendary animation director Chuck Jones, best known as the co-creator of Bugs Bunny and sole creator of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, once described his profession as "acting with pencil". It makes one wonder what he would think of his profession nowadays, considering how much the animation industry has exploded since the great artist passed away.

There are two key reasons why the animation industry has become such an in-demand field these days. The first is the development of computer-generated imaging (or CGI), while the other reason is the equally huge growth in video games. Thanks to the computer, it's now possible to produce games that make the original Final Fantasy look like cave drawings. This in turn has created a new hybrid profession, the game animator.

For starters, a gaming animator does need the same basic skills as a traditional animator. He or she must be skilled with a number of computer graphic programs, as well as pencil and paper. While animators don't have to be members of literary or drama clubs, they should grasp the basics of acting, storytelling, lighting and staging. It's now almost de rigueur that young animators have knowledge of such animation programs as Flash, Photoshop and Java before they consider school.

In fact, these days it's also common for any respectable college-level art school to ask their applicants to not only provide a presentation portfolio, but also a demo reel or disk. They have to display how much about the production process they know.

Where the gaming animator differs from the more traditional TV, film or other animator is what they do with their skills. Storytelling in the video world doesn't follow a linear path. The reason for this is the game player is in control of what's on the monitor, and not just sitting by passively being entertained. If the player's character wants his character to kick an opponent in the head or hand him a bouquet of flowers, there must be an animated sequence for either decision.

As for financial aid, it is around. What truly makes the difference for a young animator is the demo reel. A high school student who produces an animation reel that captures a judge's attention for originality, skill or story telling will quickly find a number of scholarships available to them. Like any other educational path, there are also a number of grants, such as the Pell, available for worthy but needy students.

At the end of the rainbow though is a professional pot of gold. Due to the number of skills involved in the field, there aren't that many animators in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates fewer than 20,000. This, in turn, gives animators very solid salaries, from $56,000 to $80,000, depending on where they live. From there, they can move into the six-figure range as directors, producers and other related supervisory jobs.

Since computers are such a large part of this field, earning a degree for this field at an online school will be no surprise as a great choice. Scholarships and grants for college online are a large incentive for those who are talented to get into a secure and interesting field.