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Got the Gig!:
Advice for Preparing for Your First Animation Job  By: Kenny Roy, AnimationMentor.com Mentor "When can you start?" Hearing these words is a dream come true to Animation Mentor students. If you hear them, you've undoubtedly worked very hard to break into a tough industry. But what happens when you actually get to the studio? Do they use the same software you are familiar with? What should you bring with you to prepare for the first day of work? Are there any tips to getting off to a great start at your first studio? Absolutely! Here are some of the things you should remember as you take a seat as an animator on your first gig. 1. Bring what you need. This is rule number one, only because if you don't have what you need to work when you get there, you could waste a day of production not being able to animate. If you use a Wacom to work, bringing your own the first day (or the first week if they need to order more) is a good way to make sure you won't be slowed upon arrival. Also, having special ergonomic needs is quite common, so owning your own arm rests, mouse pads, chair pillows, etc., can make the world of difference in terms of being able to work comfortably. Are you a sketching fiend? It's probably a good idea then to bring a sketchbook and pencils with you, just in case there is a strict policy on fax paper in effect. Lastly, many animators become very accustomed to the settings, preferences, and presets of their software of choice. It can never hurt to have a thumbdrive with these kinds of bare necessities with you. Just be careful not to overstep any of the IT people when it comes to getting your custom tools up and running. 2. Learn how to Thumbnail the character quickly, and expressively. Everyone knows that the best way to make a name for yourself at a studio, and to quickly ascend the ranks out of your junior status, is to really whip up some magic on the simple and secondary shots that you are given when you first arrive. But how will you best communicate with your supervisors, and the director, on your maiden voyage? Why, by sharing your gorgeous thumbnails, of course! A picture is definitely worth a thousand words, especially in animation. So by immediately starting to practice drawing the character you will be working with, filling as many pages as humanly possible as you wait for shots, puts you strides above the pack. Much too often, even at the very end of a project, animators will not be able to communicate their ideas through a few expressive thumbnails. It is impossible to exaggerate the value of being able to capture a specific gesture in a quick drawing, especially when deadlines are looming. 3. Don't be afraid to create a working environment that works for you. Sometimes it can be a little daunting to introduce yourself to your office mates, being the 'newbie' and all-- even more so if the topic is how you like to work. However, you will be doing yourself, the studio, the client, basically EVERYONE a favor by making sure your working environment is conducive to your utmost focus. Don't be afraid to speak up if somebody is playing loud music, movies on a laptop, or is an excessive talker. The fact is, they've been hired with the expectation to animate, and just as importantly, with the expectation they will not hinder the work of their coworkers. So while you may seem like the stickler if you ask someone to please keep their voice down, or not talk so often, in the long run the quality of your work is vitally dependent on the level of comfort you feel in the workplace. Now, there is another side to this story. Creating a working environment conducive to work also means making sure you don't distract YOURSELF. Personally, if I have access to the Internet, browsing becomes hugely distracting during the day. Stay off internal email aliases that specialize in funny links, videos, and flash games, as they can be just as detrimental to your focus. And IM chatting? Forget about it. There are very few things that I've observed stealing an animators attention more-so than IM windows popping up every 10 seconds. Just don't use it. Remember, creating a working environment that works for you means you have to show some self discipline sometimes as well. 4. Familiarize yourself with production and pipeline. Production, and pipeline, are nouns that mean both the flow of things, AND the groups of people that manage those flows. Become familiar with both. Introduce yourself to the production team, as they have the most influence over your life, in terms of long hours, scheduling, amount of shots, what sequences you are slated for, etc. Being the new person at a studio has its advantages too; being a fresh hire means you have a little bit of leeway to ask production to work with specific characters, and on certain sequences. Talking both with the Supervisors and Director to establish some common ground (as they advise production on the status of shots) as to what you like to work on can help as well in the beginning. As for pipeline, it's very important to be attentive and diligent when you arrive at a studio to fit in with naming conventions, saving practices, dailies routines, and the like. But also take the time to meet the people whose jobs affect your work. The rigging team is very under-loved. Introduce yourself, and get the name of a rigger that you can call to ask questions as you acclimate to the characters and the work-flow. Most studios also have an Intranet that can be used to track the status of a shot. It's a good idea to get in touch with the people that work with your finished animation file if there are any problems that are occurring. Finally, since each studio is different, find out from a pipeline TD, or even just a veteran of the studio what the normal life of a shot looks like at the studio. Chances are, by piping up, you'll learn how to better fit into the pipeline. and finally, 5. Before you say ANYTHING, listen! This is your first animation job! This is one of the most exciting times of your career - the time when you are breaking out into the world of professional animation, accruing shots, building relationships, and above all, doing the best job in the world. But it can be too exciting - almost overwhelming - and the best advice I can give to any fresh face at a studio, is to just listen. What kind of etiquette does the team exhibit in dailies-- can just anybody speak up, or is it more dictatorial? To what extent is the animator supposed to come up with solutions to problems that arise in the work (you'd be surprised at the number of studios that want people to be very independent, and the number of studios that want you to TOUCH NOTHING once something goes wrong, to prevent further trouble). Is there anybody at the studio that is good to know? Anybody that is bad to know? (Hopefully not, this doesn't happen all that often). Most of the answers to questions like these present themselves in the first days, even HOURS of arriving on the job. Keep your ears open, your head focused on your work, and you'll be guaranteed to do well. Look forward to working with you, - Kenny
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