A Career in Animation Calls for a Bit of Acting
When you think of launching a career in animation, you might immediately assume that drawing talent will land you work. That was true back in Disney's day, but times have changed.
Animation Requires More Than Artistic Talent
These days, drawing talent doesn't top the charts. According to animator and teacher Ed Hook, Pixar Animation Studios--the creator of films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles--acting ability is the number two faculty the studio values in animators. Acting comes in behind only story telling ability. The ability to draw, in fact, ranks fifth.
Acting the Part with Animation
Animators must be able to understand the motivations of characters. What's more, they must grasp that emotion and movement arise from thinking. As Walt Disney told one of his art teachers, as reported by Acting for Animators, "The mind is the pilot. We think of things before the body does them."
Anyone going into animation will also be expected to understand some basic acting principles like:
- Acting is doing
- Anticipation is a bad thing
- Every scene has an arc
You Don't Have to Win an Oscar to Animate
Animators don't need to know everything professional actors do. For example, animators won't be rewarded much for stage presence. Animators fair best who have the ability to sit quietly at their desks for long hours, with the only applause coming from the clicking of their fingers on a keyboard, and the only glow radiating from their computer screens. Actors do a good deal of emotional work-- locating their emotional triggers, sense memories, and such--but animators don't really have to go there.
To Degree or Not To Degree
Acting knowledge comes in handy for an animator, and you could gain that experience as part of earning your college degree in animation. As with most fields, a college degree from an accredited degree program will help you stand out from non-degreed job candidates. Your local colleges might have a degree program in animation, or you could look into getting your degree further afield or even online from an accredited program
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About the Author:
J.V. Staples is a writer and teacher living on the southeast coast of Ireland. He has worked as a graphic designer; teacher of English as a foreign language; university writing instructor; and editor of Salt Hill, a literary magazine. John holds an honors BA in English from the University of Georgia and a Masters in creative writing from Syracuse University.
