Becoming An Animator
 

Since I was a child, drawing has been my gift. From simple sticks to realistic figures. I'm been joining poster and slogan making contests in both elementary and high school days and getting on either first and second places.

I've been a big fan of anime and doesn't have much friends at our place except for those at school. That made drawing my past time and my life's goal.... Sadly to support my parents I had to go from Engineering shifting to Nursing and now a license nurse....

But still, I dream to became an animator (as you can see my avatar, I made it with pencil and a mouse)... and being a fan of anime I wish to go to Japan to become such...

Do I have a chance to reach my dream?

Do you have the same dream?

Absolutely. Don't give it up. If nothing else, it can at least be an enjoyable hobby. Who knows? Do enough in your spare time, put it out there for people to see, and you might get noticed. It won't be easy, but then again if it were that easy, it wouldn't be worth doing, right?

In fact, if you like animating, you might look to invest in digital hardware and software to keep up-to-date with those "professional" artists. A lot of artists use cool gadgets like drawing tablets for their PC in conjunction with animation/drawing software. Being able to put your drawing(s) directly into your PC as you draw is a lot easier than drawing things by hand and scanning the images with a scanner and then going on to editing software. It's kind of expensive, but its an incredibly useful tool for people that want to get hi-res images quickly.

I personally want to become a writer. it might not be my current job, but I'm constantly writing and revising my portfolio in my spare time. I have lots of ideas for my sci-fi and fantasy novels, I just have to put them all on paper. So to speak. So don't give up on your dream of becoming an animator. Make a project for yourself and complete it. It doesn't have to be long or complex, just something that can prove to yourself and others that you can animate.

In short, don't just be a thinker (though thinking is important ^^), be a doer. If it's something you truly want, you'll find a way to make it work.

Just whatever you do, do not give up.

Two questions:

1. Are you Japanese?
2. Do you intend to make anime?

:cool:

Same here. I already started to write some years ago but because of my work I nearly have no time to continue... Besides, my wording are the worst. Aside from becoming an animator, becoming an anime director is also good.

1. No, I'm Filipino.... but I heard that Disney are getting extra help from Filipino animators.
2. Probably...or a anime character designer

If you want to do anime or anime-style specifically... Good luck with that. The Japanese tend to not be very fond of non-Japanese people trying to enter their industry (it's already hard enough for their own people to get into it). The only way they accept you is if you're AMAZING. You have to be THE best of the BEST. Either that or radically different (in the best and most original way possible).

If you want to do 2D animation, I suggest making it a hobby because unless you get into the anime industry (which is just TOO hard for a non-JP artist), there isn't a demand for it at all. Not to say it isn't appreciated -- if I could make the world my way, I'd tell 3d animation to sit the fuck down and put 2d animation back at the forefront where it belongs. But 3D animation is king in most other animation production-heavy countries, so if you're possibly considering switching careers and becoming a full-time animator, you're gonna have a hard time putting food on the table unless 3D is your forte.

And even then it's STILL hard because the animation field is so over-saturated with animators. When companies known for animation come to my university, they aren't looking to hire animators, character designers, or concept art people. There's TOO many of those. They're looking for technical people and visual effects artists. People who do the dirty work and/or make things look pretty.

I'm not trying to knock down your dreams and stomp all over your picnic (heh, I just lol'd at the thought of that... teehee :heh:). But I just want to make you aware. The field of animation is NOT one for the faint of heart, and you'd only be making things even harder on yourself by aiming for Japan's near-impenetrable anime market. If it truly is your passion then seek it out, grasp it, and do it to your heart's content.

But if you want to make it a career... Prepare to fight to the death: not just with others seeking the same kind of job, but with yourself in order to make your work up to snuff.

Now that you mention this, why not start on Western animations same as those animators who serve Disney(?)... take that as a detour before going the main road.... it may raise your chance...

You actually got two choices here Genji: Either you kick and punch your way to the top in the international stage. OR kickstart a fresher trend by reviving the animation industry here.

We just got to make it shine in all aspects to make it well known.

That reminded me of Isko's Adventure in Animasia and Super Inggo" The Animation.

Toei Animation has a large studio in the Philippians. A lot of the Pretty Cure and One Piece series are actually animated there.

If you've got talent I bet they're always looking for new people to come in and learn the ropes.
http://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/company/companies.php

Hmmmm...nice;)

To be a great animator, you don't need to be a great writer. Understanding the process that goes into writing, whether it be media or classic literature is the important bit. An understanding of cinematography can also help you add extra visual flare to anything you draw/animate, as well.

You're certainly closer to Japan than me (or any other American for that matter). I live on the East Coast of the USA. Nippon is on the other side of the world from us. :p

Disney is probably one of the world's most renowned animation studios (for better or worse). If you can get them to even look at you, then you have done what most cannot.

Just keep in mind Japanese animation and classical Disney/American animation are very different. While some things don't change no matter the country or culture, a few methods of animation do differ. For instance, Disney animation has a lot more background movement and fine articulation (especially around the mouthing of words, versus the lip-flapping that is typical of Japanese anime), whereas Japanese anime has more broad, exaggerated character movements and character deformity (proportions are arguably a LOT less realistic than their western counterparts, though there are exceptions to everything).

Also, keep in mind that even among cultural differences, each studio does things differently from an animation perspective. For instance, there are huge differences in style between studios like Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) and Sunrise, Inc. (Gundam Seed, Code Geass). Keep that in mind while you draw, since many studios have a particular style they use and, more often than not, are well known for.

@Genji Which genre do you like anyway?

I prefer genres like romance (vanilla), sci-fi,ecchi, epic and adventure. I'm not on with yuri o yaoi.

well, if you want to become an anime animator, i think you should read this first
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=28856

Speaking of Salary
> as long that it'll supports my daily needs same as lifestyle and helps me in getting the latest software and hardware for my development, I don't think it's a problem.

Speaking of Overtime
>probably my passion will fuel those extra hours >.<v:heh:

But these views may change overtime...

i think you should read that thread more
having read all of that thread, the Salary barely enough to support you food and an apartment let alone latest software and hardware, most of animator have to do other part-time job for that. of course, it just apply for regular animator. if you good and become animation director then that different, but it not easy to get that position


i wonder how long your passion can fuel those extra hours. but anyway, i'm not here to tell you to give up your dream, i think you should know what you are getting into better, and consider it more seriously, will you be able to endure it?

My personal opinion of animator is a extremely low. It doesn't matter where you are, the wage of an animator is extremely low and is definitely not enough to support more than yourself. Having a dream career based on a hobby you love doing is one of the quickest ways to destroy your hobby in reality.

If you really want to do animation, get a different job that takes up as little of your time as possible and be an animation enthusiast when you're home. My 3 biggest at-home hobbies are animation/digital art, programming and gaming. I chose structural engineering because the work is relaxed, I get paid more than what I really need so I can afford to take time off whenever I feel like, and I don't have to work overtime. And I have much more time to enjoy my hobbies.

As an animator, you do constantly work overtime, most of the design/brainstorming work is not done by you, and your role is always a tiny fragment of something bigger (where you can't even feel your own work). It really ruins the hobby. Even an arts director gets paid fairly little while being very time consuming for a management/design position.

This is probably the most misleading profession out there that attracts more attention than it should. Maybe after psychologist or teacher.

So why does the anime industry still continues if the wages for the staffs are that low? Many might have resigned if the benefits are much lesser as expected.

3/4 new animator quit the industry per year
the wages is 1/2 lower than than the lowest wage in japan but since they are hired by contract, not as employee so lowest wage law cannot be applied for them
people remain are really passionate or got a higher position