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Special Effects Artists and Animators

Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.

What you’d do

  • Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.
  • Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.
  • Participate in design and production of multimedia campaigns, handling budgeting and scheduling, and assisting with such responsibilities as production coordination, background design, and progress tracking.
  • Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.
  • Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion.
  • Apply story development, directing, cinematography, and editing to animation to create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Active Learning
  • Judgment and Decision Making

How to get there

Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree

Also called

  • 3D Artist (Three-Dimensional Artist)
  • Animator
  • Artist
  • Graphic Artist
  • 3D Animator (Three-Dimensional Animator)
  • Digital Artist

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