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Animator in Boulder, CO

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 Boulder, CO

80623 - 116620

Low
80623
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
94903
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
116620
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 121380 158568 193375 Art Director 99068 121380 145775 Creative Services Manager 91630 113645 136255 Instructional Designer 91333 114835 146073 Motion Designer 90738 106505 127330 Digital Designer 80028 95795 117513 Presentation Designer 74078 91630 104125 3D Modeler 71698 88953 109183 Package Designer 66343 80325 98473 Graphic Designer 61880 80028 94605 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 65153 77350 92225 Video Producer 78540 105315 125248 Video Editor 71400 85085 105910 Studio Manager 71698 85680 105018 Digital Asset Manager 68128 85680 104125 Production Manager 66343 81813 93415 Production Artist 63368 76458 86870 Production Coordinator 55633 61285 71995 Photographer 53253 70210 88358

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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.