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Animator in Los Angeles, 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 Los Angeles, CA
88753 - 128380
Low
88753
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
104473
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
128380
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 133620 174558 212875 Art Director 109058 133620 160475 Creative Services Manager 100870 125105 149995 Instructional Designer 100543 126415 160803 Motion Designer 99888 117245 140170 Digital Designer 88098 105455 129363 Presentation Designer 81548 100870 114625 3D Modeler 78928 97923 120193 Package Designer 73033 88425 108403 Graphic Designer 68120 88098 104145 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 71723 85150 101525 Video Producer 86460 115935 137878 Video Editor 78600 93665 116590 Studio Manager 78928 94320 115608 Digital Asset Manager 74998 94320 114625 Production Manager 73033 90063 102835 Production Artist 69758 84168 95630 Production Coordinator 61243 67465 79255 Photographer 58623 77290 97268

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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.