I'll be looking into some of the major producers of feature film animation.
Pixar are actually not requiring you to have worked in the industry for a while. What they require is basically a good reel, a degree within something relevant for animation and an art background [1].
This gives me faith and hope that it's actually possible to get employed as an animator by Pixar.
They do offer internships, international students included, which can be another way to get on the inside the company [2]
Sony Pictures Imageworks requires that you have min. 2-5+ years production or feature film experince, to work as an animator there. And of course background or experience in fine art [3].
Framestore in London are looking for animators for their VFX section, but they also require you to have some experience in the industry. They require that you are at home with the Maya package as well [4].
I tried to find information about what DreamWorks look for in an animator, but since they don't have anything about it in their job listings, I couldn't find anything to write about it. They do offer internships however [5].
References:
Monday, 16 November 2009
Sunday, 15 November 2009
The Animation Industry as a whole
Doing some more research I stumbled upon a market analysis [1], which unfortunately cost $5000 to download, but gave some information about animation in Europe.
It seems like countries like France and Spain are offering tax breaks for animation. However they put their money into animation for television, as this is less risky and expensive than taking on a feature film production.
A report from Screen Digest [2] places Canada as the leader in producing animation for television, with 382 hours, over the US(330 hours) and France(259 hours). The US leads the pack in profit, with 256 million Euros, while Canada brought 181 million Euros.
References:
It seems like countries like France and Spain are offering tax breaks for animation. However they put their money into animation for television, as this is less risky and expensive than taking on a feature film production.
A report from Screen Digest [2] places Canada as the leader in producing animation for television, with 382 hours, over the US(330 hours) and France(259 hours). The US leads the pack in profit, with 256 million Euros, while Canada brought 181 million Euros.
References:
Monday, 2 November 2009
Research: Double Fine
Trying to go through the companies that I'd love to work for, I followed up the Funcom research by looking into Double Fine.
About Double Fine (excerpt):
Double Fine Productions is an award-winning, independent game development studio founded in 2000 by games industry veteran Tim Schafer. Located in San Francisco’s South of Market district, Double Fine is committed to making high-quality games with an emphasis on originality, story, characters, and fun. ... [1]
I've been interested in working there since before they became famous with Brütal Legend.
The atmosphere seems very laidback and creative, as can be witnessed throughout their webpage. As for getting a job as an animator over there, they don't have any job listings at the moment, but there is hope:
Even if we don't have any current openings that are right for you right now, if you are interested in working at Double Fine, send in your stuff anyway! We are always interested in making contact with talented and experienced programmers, artists, animators, designers, and production people. Even if you're not looking for work right now, it's good to stay in touch because YOU NEVER KNOW. [2]
So, as soon as I'm getting more confident with my animated work, I will send the my showreel and CV.
As for living expenses in San Francisco, it seems a bit expensive living in the city, with the lowest prices ranging from 1000 to 2000 dollars[3]
References:
I'll have to research the costs of living in California later when I look at more companies in the area
About Double Fine (excerpt):
Double Fine Productions is an award-winning, independent game development studio founded in 2000 by games industry veteran Tim Schafer. Located in San Francisco’s South of Market district, Double Fine is committed to making high-quality games with an emphasis on originality, story, characters, and fun. ... [1]
I've been interested in working there since before they became famous with Brütal Legend.
The atmosphere seems very laidback and creative, as can be witnessed throughout their webpage. As for getting a job as an animator over there, they don't have any job listings at the moment, but there is hope:
Even if we don't have any current openings that are right for you right now, if you are interested in working at Double Fine, send in your stuff anyway! We are always interested in making contact with talented and experienced programmers, artists, animators, designers, and production people. Even if you're not looking for work right now, it's good to stay in touch because YOU NEVER KNOW. [2]
So, as soon as I'm getting more confident with my animated work, I will send the my showreel and CV.
As for living expenses in San Francisco, it seems a bit expensive living in the city, with the lowest prices ranging from 1000 to 2000 dollars[3]
References:
- [1] Double Fine - What is Double Fine?
- [2] Double Fine - Action Jobs
- [3] Appartments for Rent in Marin County
I'll have to research the costs of living in California later when I look at more companies in the area
Research: Funcom
The first studio I looked into was Funcom, where I've wanted to work until I did this research.
About the company(excerpt):
Funcom is a world leading independent developer and publisher of MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games.
Apparently the working conditions are not too good [2], and according to E24.no [3] they've just reduced their staff by 20%, the studio in Norway being most affected.
However... I asked a person who used to work there and he didn't notice anything of the aforementioned issues, because they didn't focus on the animation department that much.
The reason for why I wanted to work here was because they're the developers of The Longest Journey series and seemed like an awesome company. Another factor was that their offices are in Oslo, not far from where I used to live.
References:
I am still open to the idea of working there if they start hiring again and the working conditions get any better.
About the company(excerpt):
Funcom is a world leading independent developer and publisher of MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games.
Funcom was founded in 1993 and has since then developed and published over 25 game titles across several gaming platforms. Most notable of these are the MMOs 'Age of Conan' and 'Anarchy Online', as well as the adventure game 'The Longest Journey'... [1]
Apparently the working conditions are not too good [2], and according to E24.no [3] they've just reduced their staff by 20%, the studio in Norway being most affected.
However... I asked a person who used to work there and he didn't notice anything of the aforementioned issues, because they didn't focus on the animation department that much.
The reason for why I wanted to work here was because they're the developers of The Longest Journey series and seemed like an awesome company. Another factor was that their offices are in Oslo, not far from where I used to live.
References:
- [1] Funcom - Company Info
- [2] Dagbladet.no - Selskapet bryter jo norsk lov så det fyker etter (in norwegian)
- [3] E24.no - Voldsomme kutt i Funcom (in norwegian)
I am still open to the idea of working there if they start hiring again and the working conditions get any better.
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