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Animator in Austin, TX

Animator Job Description

Animators breathe life and personality into characters, scenes and other animation elements used to tell stories in cartoons, films, video games, commercials, social media and more. These creative professionals create and sequence multiple images, referred to as “frames,” to give the illusion of movement. An animator might employ digital images, hand-drawn illustrations, models or other types of images and props to create special effects and other animations using computer-generated animation, 2D or 3D model-making, or stop-frame tools and techniques. Employers seek animators with a vivid imagination who are collaborative and receptive to feedback and can work diligently under pressure. Multimedia experience, including in emerging areas like virtual reality (VR), and video editing expertise are highly valued. A bachelor’s degree in computer animation, fine arts or graphic arts is often preferred for this role. Most employers will require candidates to provide a solid portfolio of relevant creative work, including hand-drawn character designs and animation clips.

Typical animator duties:

Creating character sketches, designing backgrounds and other elements, and developing storyboards for animation projectsReading through scripts, and brainstorming and conceptualizing compelling images to help tell stories in an engaging, memorable wayWorking closely with a wide range of team members throughout projects, including artists, story editors, photographers, designers, other animators, voice actors and producersEnsuring final deliverables are high quality and delivered on time and on budget

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Salary for Animator in Austin, TX
78590 - 113680
Low
78590
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
92510
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
113680
The candidate has extensive experience and advanced skills for the role, and may also have specialized certifications.
Projected salaries for related positions Job title Low Mid High Creative Director 118320 154570 188500 Art Director 96570 118320 142100 Creative Services Manager 89320 110780 132820 Instructional Designer 89030 111940 142390 Motion Designer 88450 103820 124120 Digital Designer 78010 93380 114550 Presentation Designer 72210 89320 101500 3D Modeler 69890 86710 106430 Package Designer 64670 78300 95990 Graphic Designer 60320 78010 92220 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 63510 75400 89900 Video Producer 76560 102660 122090 Video Editor 69600 82940 103240 Studio Manager 69890 83520 102370 Digital Asset Manager 66410 83520 101500 Production Manager 64670 79750 91060 Production Artist 61770 74530 84680 Production Coordinator 54230 59740 70180 Photographer 51910 68440 86130

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Our starting salary projections come from a rigorous, multistep process so that our numbers accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary levels. Starting compensation—pay for someone new to a role—can vary significantly based on a candidate’s skills, experience and certifications, as well as other factors including industry, company size and revenue, and demand for the role. To reflect this variability, we report our salary data in three levels: low, mid and high.