Junior animator - 3D Animation

This occupation is found in the British and International animation industries, providing animated content for film, television, advertising, games, corporate and immersive reality industries. Animation companies and studios vary in size and the number of employees they have, and are described as small, medium or large companies. They are to be found across England and the UK. The output and remit of an animation studio is varied, and they will produce work for a range of clients across advertising, film, television and commercial. Some studios specialise in one area, particularly children’s media, which is the largest area of the industry.  There are a number of studios who also provide service work to other creative industries to diversify their revenue streams, providing visual effects, animated content, live action or interactive content production.

Animation is the process of displaying still images in a rapid sequence to create the illusion of movement. The animation the Junior Animator is required to create may vary and can include dialogue or non-dialogue. These images can be created using various process including: hand drawn, computer generated, or pictures of 3D objects.

The broad purpose of the Junior Animator’s role is to create animated assets and content, by producing the motions, gestures, expressions and performance of two or three dimensional characters and inanimate objects.                          

This is a junior level role, in their daily work, an employee in this occupation works closely with the Animator, Animation Lead, Supervisor and Director, along with clients and team members. They must be able to take direction and feedback, in order to create the actions of their animated character, according to the story and the director's wishes. To support this, they must also be able to interpret a storyboard and any character layout/scene planning that has been done in advance.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for animating characters or scenes.  The junior animator should have an excellent knowledge of timing and spacing within the story being animated and have excellent drawing skills. Using model sheets, and any given reference material, they will be able to visualise the character/object/creature in any number of poses, and stage the character/object/creature effectively according to the layout/scene plan.

Junior Animators must also know and understand how characters develop, and their role in that development, the principles of anatomy and how these affect movement, shot construction and composition, shot breakdown and continuity. They must also be aware of the brand guidelines, design or subject matter of the animation being created.

They are a highly creative individual who must be able to focus on their own work for long periods, but also be able to work in collaboration within a team. 

The Junior Animator should understand their place within the production workflow process, and be able to organise their animation files and filing system accordingly. They should be able to use the equipment required of a given project, learn and keep up-to-date with animation software, and be able to use traditional techniques such as hand drawn as required. They should be able to export their work for review, and to work within a given schedule. This role may include out of hours or irregular working patterns when collaborating on international projects.

This Standard has a core and four options, with the option taken dependant on the animation specialism of the employer.

Core duties:

Research information, resources and tools such as real-world objects from the world around you and find appropriate visual, written, empirical and physical references in order to create credible animation

Improve own knowledge and performance in animation by seeking out information about emerging practice in the animation industry such as new tools, software, data and other related technology

Work effectively in collaboration with colleagues, partners and suppliers in the animation industry

Work autonomously and communicate effectively with clients or customers in the animation industry, effectively prioritising and meeting deadlines in order to meet agreed production requirements

Prepare to create animated characters/objects/creatures by assessing the requirements set by the brief by adapting to meet the required creative, narrative and technical demands of the production

Plan and present ideas and tell stories to dramatise a narrative, plan shots and demonstrate action to meet animation production requirements to clients or colleagues in the animation industry

Create animated assets in line with production requirements, ensuring output is correct and meets the requirements for the next stage of the process

Follow your organisations policies and procedures to organise, store and retrieve animated assets

Undertake basic compositing and rendering of an animation to meet organisational requirements

Option duties: 2D Animation – including the creation of hand drawn images onto cells or computer animations

Create 2D Animated content by producing a series of sequential 2d images, which, when played back, produce the illusion of movement 

Test 2D animated sequences to confirm and check continuity

Stop Motion Animation – including the posing and movement of models such as clay figures

Make characters move in stop motion animation in line with production requirements and ensure continuity throughout the shots

Evaluate characters and sequences in line with feedback to ensure requirements are met

3D Animation – including the creation of Visual Effects and post production assets

Create 3D Animation by producing accurate key frames and in-betweens, breathing life into the character/ object/creature where necessary

Evaluate 3D animations created in line with feedback to ensure requirements are met

Interactive media and immersive reality - including Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and Games animation creation

Create animated assets for use in computer games, interactive media or immersive reality

Evaluate animations created for use in computer games, interactive media or immersive reality in line with feedback to ensure requirements are met