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Animator in Fresno, CA

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 Fresno, CA
67750 - 98000
Low
67750
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
79750
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
98000
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 102000 133250 162500 Art Director 83250 102000 122500 Creative Services Manager 77000 95500 114500 Instructional Designer 76750 96500 122750 Motion Designer 76250 89500 107000 Digital Designer 67250 80500 98750 Presentation Designer 62250 77000 87500 3D Modeler 60250 74750 91750 Package Designer 55750 67500 82750 Graphic Designer 52000 67250 79500 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 54750 65000 77500 Video Producer 66000 88500 105250 Video Editor 60000 71500 89000 Studio Manager 60250 72000 88250 Digital Asset Manager 57250 72000 87500 Production Manager 55750 68750 78500 Production Artist 53250 64250 73000 Production Coordinator 46750 51500 60500 Photographer 44750 59000 74250

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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.