What role can a VFX and Animation program play on your career path?

There is a plethora of professional options. It’s difficult to figure out which career has the most promise. You must assess your abilities. Then there’s peer pressure to consider. And the possibility for future growth in a given field.

When it comes to deciding on a job route, these variables will weigh heavily on your mind. However, if you know at least which field you want to pursue, the search narrows down to a particular course or pathway programme at explorra which you can pursue part in India and part in a foreign country after the first year.

And the one we’re going to talk about here, a job in animation and visual effects, will not only increase your creativity but also pay you well.

What is Animation and VFX?

We have all grown up watching cartoons that we have watched as children. Funny characters like Tom and Jerry have always entertained and drawn us in.

But have we ever considered how these characters, as well as a slew of others, came to be? Who designed them? They were animated inventions. Visual effects are referred to as VFX. This entails developing imagery for a specific expression or effect.

Today’s filmmakers employ a lot of visual effects, or VFX, to transport you to another world. A magical universe.

Animation is a type of visual effect in which characters or objects move in two-dimensional or three-dimensional space. The film ‘The Lion King’ is a good example. This is an animated film, yet each character (in this case, animals) appears to be real. This is accomplished using a variety of software programs that modify still photos.

Eligibility

Candidates can begin by enrolling in an undergraduate animation and visual effects course or pathway programs at explorra for maximum exposure. You don’t have to wait till you’ve completed your education to work in this industry. You have till the 12th grade to make your decision. A BSC in Animation and VFX, often known as a Bachelor of Design in Animation, is a three-year VFX programme. The duration, prices, curriculum, and market value of other animation courses vary.

A 10+2 in any stream from a recognized board is required for a BSc in Animation and VFX. Candidates must have a minimum of 50% in their 12th grade to be considered. Almost no institutes demand that applicants have prior work experience in the discipline.

Students can pursue MBA and MSC Multimedia and Animation, as well as a PG Diploma in Animation, for further studies in animation and VFX. In addition to post-graduate studies, the candidate can enroll in diploma and certificate programs to gain access to the job market. At Explorra we provide pathway programs that help you gain the right knowledge in the field and prepares you for the real world coupled with exposure in the real world by studying in a leading foreign university after the first year.

Skill Set Required to become Animation and VFX Artist

To be a VFX animator, you’ll need both technical talents and particular personality attributes to succeed in this field.

Technical Knowledge: 

• JavaScript – After Effects
• Adobe Creative Suite is a software package that allows you to create
• Linux/Unix UI design
• Houdini\MAYA
• Modeling in three dimensions
• Prototyping
• Photoshop
• Packages for Microsoft Office
• Nuke
• Z-Brush

Personality Traits

While technical skills can be learned quickly, certain personality attributes must be cultivated in order to succeed in this field.

• Creativity: Being able to envisage scenarios that will transition well into large (or tiny) screens is crucial.
• Attention to Detail: Do you have a great eye for strands of hair lazily dropping out of a disheveled ponytail? This is just one example of the kinds of details you should pay attention to in order to make a character feel more real.
• Good visual awareness: Can you tell whether a cluster of flowers would appear better if duplicated and made into a larger group, or how the effects of a certain color affect a scene? It’s almost as crucial to be able to manipulate spacing and distances as it is to be color sensitive.
• Passion: You must be interested and passionate about films, cartoons, drawings, and narrative.
• A strong collaborative mentality/Team Player: As previously stated, this field will necessitate a great deal of collaboration because various people will be participating in the process.
• Organizational Skills: Because there are so many agencies involved, one must be extremely organized to ensure that all interactions and communications are clear, precise, and well-documented.

Career Opportunities After VFX and Animation Course

Animation design, game design, graphics, storyboarding, 3D modelling, texturing and lighting, 2D and 3D animation, Compositing and more are some of the primary career categories available in these industries.

The following are a few major career options:

Post Production Artists

• Compositing Artist: They look for mistakes and devise ways to create the final animated film. They use Adobe After Effects and Motion 5, among other programs.
• Roto scoping Artist: Animators trace over live-action footage frame by frame in this manner. It gives the impression of realism.
• Motion Graphic Designer: A motion graphic designer’s employment entails making movie clips, adverts, title sequences, and trailers, among other things.
• FX technical director: They are in charge of overseeing particle and fluid effects generation. Creating flames, fluids, smoke, clouds, and physical destruction such as explosions and particles are all examples of this.
• VFX artist: A person who creates visual effects for games, movies, and television shows.
• VFX supervisor: Oversees all aspects of the visual effects necessary during the production process.
• Render Wrangler Animator: This is the final person to see the animation before it is turned into a film or video.
• Rigging Artist: 3D riggers design a skeleton for a 3D animation to allow it to move around. Before they can be animated, characters must be rigged.
• Matte painter: These are the people that create photo-realistic landscapes and surroundings that are impossible to duplicate on location.

Pre-Production Artists

• Content developer: This position entails matching lines of conversation to animations, reviewing the final output, and providing status reports.
• Storyboard Artist: A storyboard artist is someone who transforms a narrative into a visual story.
• Character animator: construct and design characters using a variety of animation technologies, 3D modelling, and even puppetry.
• Background Artist: A background artist is someone who produces the color, style, and feel of a scene.
• Layout artist: This person is in charge of drawing the visual layout.
• Concept Artist: Concept artists develop visual representations of ideas. Their work can be found in animation, comic books, advertising, and print, among other fields.

Impact of a VFX and Animation Course on your Professional Journey

You may build a solid foundation for yourself by enrolling in a reputable VFX and animation programs like pathway programs at explorra in India. An animator’s average monthly salary is INR 37.5k, according to a Glassdoor report released in April 2020.

As an Assistant Animator/Creative Director or Assistant Technical Director, you can expect to earn more. A VFX Artist’s average monthly wage in India is presently INR 25,000. Other roles a candidate can explore are Video Editor, Multimedia Programmer, Web Designer, Production Designer, Texture Artist, Compositor, Production Assistant, Modeling Artist, Accessory Designer, 2D, and 3D Animator, Video Editor, and many such roles.

You can take freelance projects in addition to your full-time work once you have 4-5 years of industry expertise. Based on your expertise, quality of work, and reputation, you can earn between INR 45k and 60k* each month working on a freelancing project. Hourly rates are also charged by highly competent animators and VFX artists. This will have a huge impact on not only your future but also how you pursue jobs in the field.

Looking from a global perspective, an average VFX and animation artist earns $92,000/yr and more based on experience and expertise. This is only the average while many others earn higher remunerations as high as $148,500/yr with extra bonuses and percentages.

This field is an ever growing line with more people learning different kinds of methods and tricks to make the industry bigger and better. It is definitely a great profession for all the enthusiasts and others wanting to contribute to the field and follow their passion.