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Animator in Sacramento, 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 Sacramento, CA
77235 - 111720
Low
77235
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
90915
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
111720
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 116280 151905 185250 Art Director 94905 116280 139650 Creative Services Manager 87780 108870 130530 Instructional Designer 87495 110010 139935 Motion Designer 86925 102030 121980 Digital Designer 76665 91770 112575 Presentation Designer 70965 87780 99750 3D Modeler 68685 85215 104595 Package Designer 63555 76950 94335 Graphic Designer 59280 76665 90630 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 62415 74100 88350 Video Producer 75240 100890 119985 Video Editor 68400 81510 101460 Studio Manager 68685 82080 100605 Digital Asset Manager 65265 82080 99750 Production Manager 63555 78375 89490 Production Artist 60705 73245 83220 Production Coordinator 53295 58710 68970 Photographer 51015 67260 84645

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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.