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Animator in Nashville, TN

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 Nashville, TN
71815 - 103880
Low
71815
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
84535
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
103880
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 108120 141245 172250 Art Director 88245 108120 129850 Creative Services Manager 81620 101230 121370 Instructional Designer 81355 102290 130115 Motion Designer 80825 94870 113420 Digital Designer 71285 85330 104675 Presentation Designer 65985 81620 92750 3D Modeler 63865 79235 97255 Package Designer 59095 71550 87715 Graphic Designer 55120 71285 84270 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 58035 68900 82150 Video Producer 69960 93810 111565 Video Editor 63600 75790 94340 Studio Manager 63865 76320 93545 Digital Asset Manager 60685 76320 92750 Production Manager 59095 72875 83210 Production Artist 56445 68105 77380 Production Coordinator 49555 54590 64130 Photographer 47435 62540 78705

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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.