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Animator in Paramus, NJ

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 Paramus, NJ
86720 - 125440
Low
86720
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
102080
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
125440
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 130560 170560 208000 Art Director 106560 130560 156800 Creative Services Manager 98560 122240 146560 Instructional Designer 98240 123520 157120 Motion Designer 97600 114560 136960 Digital Designer 86080 103040 126400 Presentation Designer 79680 98560 112000 3D Modeler 77120 95680 117440 Package Designer 71360 86400 105920 Graphic Designer 66560 86080 101760 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 70080 83200 99200 Video Producer 84480 113280 134720 Video Editor 76800 91520 113920 Studio Manager 77120 92160 112960 Digital Asset Manager 73280 92160 112000 Production Manager 71360 88000 100480 Production Artist 68160 82240 93440 Production Coordinator 59840 65920 77440 Photographer 57280 75520 95040

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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.