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Animator in New York, NY

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 New York, NY
92479 - 133770
Low
92479
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
108859
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
133770
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 139230 181886 221813 Art Director 113636 139230 167213 Creative Services Manager 105105 130358 156293 Instructional Designer 104764 131723 167554 Motion Designer 104081 122168 146055 Digital Designer 91796 109883 134794 Presentation Designer 84971 105105 119438 3D Modeler 82241 102034 125239 Package Designer 76099 92138 112954 Graphic Designer 70980 91796 108518 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 74734 88725 105788 Video Producer 90090 120803 143666 Video Editor 81900 97598 121485 Studio Manager 82241 98280 120461 Digital Asset Manager 78146 98280 119438 Production Manager 76099 93844 107153 Production Artist 72686 87701 99645 Production Coordinator 63814 70298 82583 Photographer 61084 80535 101351

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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.