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Animator in Indianapolis, IN

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 Indianapolis, IN
65718 - 95060
Low
65718
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
77358
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
95060
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 98940 129253 157625 Art Director 80753 98940 118825 Creative Services Manager 74690 92635 111065 Instructional Designer 74448 93605 119068 Motion Designer 73963 86815 103790 Digital Designer 65233 78085 95788 Presentation Designer 60383 74690 84875 3D Modeler 58443 72508 88998 Package Designer 54078 65475 80268 Graphic Designer 50440 65233 77115 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 53108 63050 75175 Video Producer 64020 85845 102093 Video Editor 58200 69355 86330 Studio Manager 58443 69840 85603 Digital Asset Manager 55533 69840 84875 Production Manager 54078 66688 76145 Production Artist 51653 62323 70810 Production Coordinator 45348 49955 58685 Photographer 43408 57230 72023

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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.