What you need to know about pursuing a career in animation

For over a century, people have been using the medium of animation to bring stories to life. Therefore, it's no surprise that working in a medium that knows no creative bounds sounds like a fun and rewarding experience. However, due to how uncommon of a career path it is, it can be hard to find resources and direction. So, here are some things you should know about the industry.

Before you get started on work, you should know what kind of work you want to do. From 2D and 3D to stop-motion, there are several unique branches of animation. Choose which area piques your interest the most and then carve out your skills accordingly.

The global animation community is relatively small, tight-knit, and immensely supportive. Consequently, there's no end to the number of online resources helping young animators. Basic knowledge about human and animal anatomy, as well as a good grasp of things like momentum, friction, and inertia are important fundamentals to work on.

Next, you'll want to have an idea of where you want to work. While Bangladesh has certainly made some strides in animation, the industry here still has a long way to go. You'll find fewer restrictions in countries with a more developed scene, like Australia, the United States, or Canada. However, they are much more competitive, and investing in a degree is a good idea if you plan to work there.

While a degree can be expensive abroad, it provides you with valuable experience. The classes also teach you the less flashy parts of the job, such as the business aspects, or how to actually send your work to clients in desired formats. It'll also teach you the technical terms about certain parts of the process.

Being self-taught is also a viable option. The time you take to study animation should be treated just like the two or four years you would've otherwise spent in college. Often, it'll require even more work. Buying courses or finding free ones is vital for learning, and pursuing internships is also really important to build a portfolio which you can eventually present to employers.

An animated project has a lot of cogs in the machine. Initially, entry-level jobs include interns, junior animators, and assistant animators. You can work as a storyboard artist, a writer, a character or prop designer, a background artist, and many more. Eventually, you can work your way up to being a director or showrunner.

Whether you are working at a studio or doing freelance work, most animation jobs tend to be project-based. As a result, job stability and availability vary as animators are required to move from one project to the next. While there is a lot of creative freedom to be had, often creativity is restricted based on the project, as you have to work based on the vision of the director or showrunner. Furthermore, animation work can also be quite stressful depending on the project and studio demands.

Animating is not like a regular nine-to-five job, and trying to adhere to strict deadlines can lead to pressure-inducing workloads. Constant developments and innovations in the industry also mean you will have to keep learning.

The primary obstacle in trying to find animation work in Bangladesh is the fact that the local industry is still new and growing. Freelance work is the most viable way to earn as an animator, as that way you are not necessarily bound by borders and can get both local and international clients.

"I started my journey into animation by doing a project for a local Facebook science group, which allowed me to get into a network through which I would do various commissioned work. In the meantime, I learned both 2D and 3D animation and character modelling on my own. Eventually, I got into video game modding, and from that community, I started getting foreign clients. Most of the work I get is from these networks," said Rezauddin Nur, a self-taught freelance animator currently pursuing his bachelor's degree at BRAC University.

In the end, pursuing a career in animation might have its ups and downs, but it is one of the most fulfilling fields you can pursue.  As long as you are passionate, are willing to work hard to gain skills and build a good portfolio, you can have a successful and fulfilling animation career.

Aranyo Rishi Chowdhury is a student at SFX Greenherald International School.

Sabil Sadat Zahir is a student at BRAC University.