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Animator in San Jose, 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 San Jose, CA

89430 - 129360

Low
89430
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
105270
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
129360
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 134640 175890 214500 Art Director 109890 134640 161700 Creative Services Manager 101640 126060 151140 Instructional Designer 101310 127380 162030 Motion Designer 100650 118140 141240 Digital Designer 88770 106260 130350 Presentation Designer 82170 101640 115500 3D Modeler 79530 98670 121110 Package Designer 73590 89100 109230 Graphic Designer 68640 88770 104940 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 72270 85800 102300 Video Producer 87120 116820 138930 Video Editor 79200 94380 117480 Studio Manager 79530 95040 116490 Digital Asset Manager 75570 95040 115500 Production Manager 73590 90750 103620 Production Artist 70290 84810 96360 Production Coordinator 61710 67980 79860 Photographer 59070 77880 98010

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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.