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Animator in Boston, MA

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 Boston, MA
90108 - 130340
Low
90108
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
106068
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
130340
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 135660 177223 216125 Art Director 110723 135660 162925 Creative Services Manager 102410 127015 152285 Instructional Designer 102078 128345 163258 Motion Designer 101413 119035 142310 Digital Designer 89443 107065 131338 Presentation Designer 82793 102410 116375 3D Modeler 80133 99418 122028 Package Designer 74148 89775 110058 Graphic Designer 69160 89443 105735 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 72818 86450 103075 Video Producer 87780 117705 139983 Video Editor 79800 95095 118370 Studio Manager 80133 95760 117373 Digital Asset Manager 76143 95760 116375 Production Manager 74148 91438 104405 Production Artist 70823 85453 97090 Production Coordinator 62178 68495 80465 Photographer 59518 78470 98753

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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.