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What should I do to be able to land a job in an animation company like dream works or Pixar?
I am a junior in high school, I have been learning to animate and draw since I was 5, I have learned stop motion and also 2d animation. I am currently trying to learn 3d modeling and also animating those models.
#career-path #animation
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4 answers
Updated
Wong’s Answer
Hi Camil. If your goal is to work at a big animation company like DreamWorks or Pixar, the most important thing is to keep building your skills and learning as much as you can. Since you already have experience with stop motion and 2D animation, learning 3D modeling and animation is a perfect next step. Also, try creating small projects to practice what you learn and to build a portfolio that shows your creativity, storytelling, and technical skills.
In high school, you should focus on taking art, computer graphics, and design classes if your school offers them. You can also look for online courses or tutorials to improve your 3D animation skills. When you graduate, consider going to college for animation, computer graphics, visual effects, or digital media. During college, try to get internships or join animation projects, these experiences will teach you how professional studios work and help you build connections in the industry.
Wishing you all the best.
In high school, you should focus on taking art, computer graphics, and design classes if your school offers them. You can also look for online courses or tutorials to improve your 3D animation skills. When you graduate, consider going to college for animation, computer graphics, visual effects, or digital media. During college, try to get internships or join animation projects, these experiences will teach you how professional studios work and help you build connections in the industry.
Wishing you all the best.
Updated
fried’s Answer
Ok I’m Seth Warren my goal is to start my own adult swim animation Studio tv network for creative control power I’m busy working on my own projects independently to make this is a reality bye working my own tv network for my own original programs
You can contact me if you want to
fried recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Don’s Answer
Hello Camil,
It is good that you interested in working at DreamWorks or Pixar and have a passion for things like animation and drawing. I will create a list of things for you to think about and look over in terms of things that could help your chances of getting in these positions. Hope this helps and best of luck to you on your journey!
List:
-Gain experience/Build up your portfolio
-Get a degree in animation
-Look for possible jobs or internships
-Be persistent if this is what you want to do
-Develop your drawing/animation skills
It is good that you interested in working at DreamWorks or Pixar and have a passion for things like animation and drawing. I will create a list of things for you to think about and look over in terms of things that could help your chances of getting in these positions. Hope this helps and best of luck to you on your journey!
List:
-Gain experience/Build up your portfolio
-Get a degree in animation
-Look for possible jobs or internships
-Be persistent if this is what you want to do
-Develop your drawing/animation skills
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Camil !
It's great to know that you are already preparing for an exciting, creative career filled with surprises while you're in high school ! I would be happy to share a bit about the business and give some solid advice that will assure optimum work once you graduate college or film school.
It's nice to have favorite studios or production companies, and you can apply to them once you have your demo reel and collection of videos and/or film, but there's a whole world beyond Dream works and Pixar that you will have to be aware of if you want to obtain work. You can apply to them, and sure you might be hired, but focus on the quality of your work and making top notch video and film for now. Try not to create the job before you even start. This is an unpredictable business, exciting in many ways, if you are completely open minded. Stay with it and let nothing stop you !
If you want to do mostly animation, that's good, but you're going to need your college degree in Film from a Film School or a State University that has a strong Film Department equipped with lots of tools of the trade and studios for the students. While studying film, you most likely would be able to take animation courses, either within the film school curriculum or in a graphics department at a state college. The degree should be in Film because you'll be working for studios and even if they are completely animation studios, some of them, the Film Degree or Film School carries more weight than a narrow Animation degree. Your reel(s) can show animation studios what you can do.
You'll be happy to know that film schools and film departments at colleges in California include animation courses as a core component of their programs.
While you are in college or Film School, you will not believe the people you will meet who will be very important to your career even while still in school and afterward. These will be people that become lifelong friends, collaborators, and contacts. That is all the more reason to study film (with an emphasis on animation). Connections are everything in this business ! You may even get a paying gig while in college/film school because of the strong connections you will make. I started getting paid for Acting in my Sophomore year of college ! There's a lot to look forward to after high school.
I would suggest that for right now, do volunteer work at one of the animation studios in your city of San Francisco. Stay away from the word "internship" because there may not be any at the studios, but volunteering in any capacity will give you experience and create new connections as well as be an opportunity to meet a possible Mentor.
There's a huge list of Animation Studios in San Francisco that you can offer volunteer work at. I'll list some, but do a search online for the others. These would be Whiteboard Animation Studio, WOW-HOW Studio, ideaMACHINE Studio, Dream Conduit Studios, Animation Iconix, Zozrus Studio, Prolific Studio, RogueMark Studios, Levitate Media, Fog Coast Productions, Evolve Media, BayCreative, BT Studio, Athena Studios, Spinach Video which does animation videos for businesses, Swordfish, Transparent House, Visual Ink Creative, and Pixar is there, too, Lucasfilm, Doodad Animation Studios, SnowGlobe Studios and Skyline Studios.
I suggest volunteer work over an internships (unless you actually see in a notice that they offer one) because many places do not oversee internships but they'd like to have a volunteer to help out with the work. Then again, with Internships, you must be chosen for it whereas volunteer work is usually easier and quicker to obtain.
In the meantime, create a channel on You Tube and make videos to upload there. This will be good for your resume as you can include a link to your You Tube channel so prospective employers, colleges, schools or anyone can view your work.
The connection you make through volunteering will give you a helpful, real perspective about the business and teach you many things before college/film school. It's important to have the talent and skills, but knowing how the industry is run is equally as important.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best for this awesome career !
It's great to know that you are already preparing for an exciting, creative career filled with surprises while you're in high school ! I would be happy to share a bit about the business and give some solid advice that will assure optimum work once you graduate college or film school.
It's nice to have favorite studios or production companies, and you can apply to them once you have your demo reel and collection of videos and/or film, but there's a whole world beyond Dream works and Pixar that you will have to be aware of if you want to obtain work. You can apply to them, and sure you might be hired, but focus on the quality of your work and making top notch video and film for now. Try not to create the job before you even start. This is an unpredictable business, exciting in many ways, if you are completely open minded. Stay with it and let nothing stop you !
If you want to do mostly animation, that's good, but you're going to need your college degree in Film from a Film School or a State University that has a strong Film Department equipped with lots of tools of the trade and studios for the students. While studying film, you most likely would be able to take animation courses, either within the film school curriculum or in a graphics department at a state college. The degree should be in Film because you'll be working for studios and even if they are completely animation studios, some of them, the Film Degree or Film School carries more weight than a narrow Animation degree. Your reel(s) can show animation studios what you can do.
You'll be happy to know that film schools and film departments at colleges in California include animation courses as a core component of their programs.
While you are in college or Film School, you will not believe the people you will meet who will be very important to your career even while still in school and afterward. These will be people that become lifelong friends, collaborators, and contacts. That is all the more reason to study film (with an emphasis on animation). Connections are everything in this business ! You may even get a paying gig while in college/film school because of the strong connections you will make. I started getting paid for Acting in my Sophomore year of college ! There's a lot to look forward to after high school.
I would suggest that for right now, do volunteer work at one of the animation studios in your city of San Francisco. Stay away from the word "internship" because there may not be any at the studios, but volunteering in any capacity will give you experience and create new connections as well as be an opportunity to meet a possible Mentor.
There's a huge list of Animation Studios in San Francisco that you can offer volunteer work at. I'll list some, but do a search online for the others. These would be Whiteboard Animation Studio, WOW-HOW Studio, ideaMACHINE Studio, Dream Conduit Studios, Animation Iconix, Zozrus Studio, Prolific Studio, RogueMark Studios, Levitate Media, Fog Coast Productions, Evolve Media, BayCreative, BT Studio, Athena Studios, Spinach Video which does animation videos for businesses, Swordfish, Transparent House, Visual Ink Creative, and Pixar is there, too, Lucasfilm, Doodad Animation Studios, SnowGlobe Studios and Skyline Studios.
I suggest volunteer work over an internships (unless you actually see in a notice that they offer one) because many places do not oversee internships but they'd like to have a volunteer to help out with the work. Then again, with Internships, you must be chosen for it whereas volunteer work is usually easier and quicker to obtain.
In the meantime, create a channel on You Tube and make videos to upload there. This will be good for your resume as you can include a link to your You Tube channel so prospective employers, colleges, schools or anyone can view your work.
The connection you make through volunteering will give you a helpful, real perspective about the business and teach you many things before college/film school. It's important to have the talent and skills, but knowing how the industry is run is equally as important.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best for this awesome career !