Multi-media Artists & Animators

Job Summary:
Multi-media artists and animators work primarily in motion picture and video industries, advertising, and computer systems design services. They draw by hand and use computers to create the large series of pictures that form the animated images or special effects seen in movies, television programs, and computer games. Some draw storyboards for television commercials, movies, and animated features. Storyboards present television commercials in a series of scenes similar to a comic strip and allow an advertising agency to evaluate proposed commercials with the company doing the advertising. Storyboards also serve as guides to placing actors and cameras on the television or motion picture set and to other details that need to be taken care of during the production of commercials.

Qualification:
You do not need formal training to become an artist. However, most artists receive formal training of one sort or another. Many artists earn a bachelor's (BFA) or master's (MFA) degree in fine arts. Course work usually includes art design, history, and studio art. Art schools offer degree programs and studio training in fine arts. In general, colleges and universities offer more programs outside the subject of art than art schools do.

To teach art in a public school you need a teaching certificate plus a bachelor's degree. Director of arts programs or foundations often have a master's degree.

Salary Range:
Median annual earnings of salaried multi-media artists and animators were $43,980 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $33,970 and $61,120. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $25,830, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $85,160. Median annual earnings were $58,840 in motion picture and video industries.

Prospects:
The need for artists to illustrate and animate materials for magazines, journals, and other printed or electronic media will spur demand for illustrators and animators of all types. Growth in motion picture and video industries will provide new job opportunities for illustrators, cartoonists, and animators. Competition for most jobs, however, will be strong, because job opportunities are relatively few and the number of people interested in these positions usually exceeds the number of available openings. Employers should be able to choose from among the most qualified candidates.