Digitalks #13. The Roller Coaster of Being an Animator
Discover another life perspective from the point of view of an animator. Let’s ride the roller coaster!
Digitalks is a virtual brown bag meeting by Breadnbeyond’s Digital Marketing team where all valuable information, feedback, ideas, seminars, and training sessions are shared.
An animator is someone whose job is to create images known as frames to be put together sequentially to create an illusion of movement.
The final product of an animator is moving images, which we refer to as animations.
In the video industry, being an animator is a promising career. You have a crucial role as you’re the first to make a video come alive.
Breadnbeyond’s head animator, Surya Adi, shares a glimpse of his life of being an animator.
As a self-taught man, Surya has brought the truth that ‘consistency leads to success.’
How does the roller coaster go? Let’s take a ride!
A Typical Day in the Life of an Animator
To begin with, Surya emphasizes his significant role as an animator at Breadnbeyond.
Not only does he create videos as final products, but Surya and his team also take part in defining the “face” of the company.
His products will be out online and the first to meet audiences, including potential customers and competitors.
Most importantly, the marketing and sales team will also use animators’ works to approach prospects.
An animator’s routine at work differs depending on the company they are in, but Surya’s responsibilities at work include:
- Checking the task from the Account Manager (AM)
- Briefing with the director for new projects
- Making daily targets
- Updating project with the coordinator
- Rendering preview or final videos
The Tools
In order to get the job done, animators use video software to support and help them make animations.
Software like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effect, Blender, Cinema 4D, and 3D Max have become their daily tools for creating videos.
Each of them has different features, capabilities, and learning curves.
Illustrators use Adobe Illustrators to create characters, sketches, 2D objects, and typography.
While animators use Adobe After Effects to add movements and create animations.
Furthermore, Blender, Cinema 4D, and 3D Max are famous for making 3D objects.
The Challenges
Surya mentions some work challenges as an animator, and this is when the roller coaster goes up.
Some of his challenges deal with client requests, including high expectations, unclear revisions, and rushy deadlines.
Too High Expectations, Too Tight Budget
Some clients set high expectations but invest in the lowest package, so an animator must rack his brain to make everything still look professional and well-polished with all limitations.
Unclear Revisions
Not to mention the unclear revisions and rushy deadlines from clients sometimes make the job even steeper.
Rushy Deadlines
When a deadline is coming up, it may become necessary for animators to work overtime, night or weekend hours, to ensure work is completed on time.
The Ever-Changing Animation Trends
Surya further adds a big challenge as an animator: always catch up on the latest trends and stay creative.
Catching up on the animation video trends sounds easy until you realize how fast they change in a short time.
How to Stay Creative
An animator should have endless creativity in terms of solving technical problems and coming up with fresh and authentic ideas.
Surya shares some tips on how to stay creative as an animator so you won’t kill much time just finding and brainstorming ideas or concepts.
1. Never be Satisfied
Always be satisfied with your work will only get you nowhere.
In contrast, being unsatisfied makes you thirst for new things, either upgrading or learning new skills.
2. Stay Curious
Surya suggests being mindful of the recent trends and competitors’ products can help you stay creative.
Those are some of the best ways to spot new things and take action to learn them.
3. Discuss with Colleagues
Starting a discussion with colleagues can bring you many insights.
You can talk about new skills, software, techniques, trends, and even competitors’ products.
4. Seek Inspirations from Many Resources
Creativity comes from inspiration, and inspiration comes from many resources.
Consider movies, books, music videos, and other resources to be your creativity banks.
How to Manage and Run a Project Well
Putting aside the challenges, an animator must show integrity and professionality to complete his responsibilities.
As a head animator, Surya shares his ways to manage and run a project well, which include:
- Make sure the team is on good terms and good mood
- Understand what his team and client need
- Be a good listener and problem-solver for the team
- Minimize the gap between head and subordinates to build proximity and good communication
Up to now, Surya has been enjoying his roller coaster as an animator.
His life is no longer just making animated videos behind a desk but has gone far beyond that.
Surya has learned how to build good leadership, communication, time management, self-control, and other lessons worth his life.
Breadnbeyond helps you to create high-converting animated explainer videos.
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