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Animator in Chicago, IL

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 Chicago, IL

84688 - 122500

Low
84688
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
99688
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
122500
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 127500 166563 203125 Art Director 104063 127500 153125 Creative Services Manager 96250 119375 143125 Instructional Designer 95938 120625 153438 Motion Designer 95313 111875 133750 Digital Designer 84063 100625 123438 Presentation Designer 77813 96250 109375 3D Modeler 75313 93438 114688 Package Designer 69688 84375 103438 Graphic Designer 65000 84063 99375 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 68438 81250 96875 Video Producer 82500 110625 131563 Video Editor 75000 89375 111250 Studio Manager 75313 90000 110313 Digital Asset Manager 71563 90000 109375 Production Manager 69688 85938 98125 Production Artist 66563 80313 91250 Production Coordinator 58438 64375 75625 Photographer 55938 73750 92813

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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.