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Animator in Duluth, MN

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 Duluth, MN

60975 - 88200

Low
60975
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
71775
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
88200
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 91800 119925 146250 Art Director 74925 91800 110250 Creative Services Manager 69300 85950 103050 Instructional Designer 69075 86850 110475 Motion Designer 68625 80550 96300 Digital Designer 60525 72450 88875 Presentation Designer 56025 69300 78750 3D Modeler 54225 67275 82575 Package Designer 50175 60750 74475 Graphic Designer 46800 60525 71550 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 49275 58500 69750 Video Producer 59400 79650 94725 Video Editor 54000 64350 80100 Studio Manager 54225 64800 79425 Digital Asset Manager 51525 64800 78750 Production Manager 50175 61875 70650 Production Artist 47925 57825 65700 Production Coordinator 42075 46350 54450 Photographer 40275 53100 66825

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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.