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Animator in Minneapolis, 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 Minneapolis, MN
72493 - 104860
Low
72493
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
85333
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
104860
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 109140 142578 173875 Art Director 89078 109140 131075 Creative Services Manager 82390 102185 122515 Instructional Designer 82123 103255 131343 Motion Designer 81588 95765 114490 Digital Designer 71958 86135 105663 Presentation Designer 66608 82390 93625 3D Modeler 64468 79983 98173 Package Designer 59653 72225 88543 Graphic Designer 55640 71958 85065 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 58583 69550 82925 Video Producer 70620 94695 112618 Video Editor 64200 76505 95230 Studio Manager 64468 77040 94428 Digital Asset Manager 61258 77040 93625 Production Manager 59653 73563 83995 Production Artist 56978 68748 78110 Production Coordinator 50023 55105 64735 Photographer 47883 63130 79448

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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.