reviewing my skillset

 After looking through the skillset website and reading up on jobs in the 3D animation section I feel I have a better understanding of what’s required and what I want to do. I looked at the 3D sector because I feel it’s what I’m best at, what I enjoy the most and where the future of animation lies. I looked at a variety of jobs from runner to director and although it’s early in my career I have a basic plan for what I want to do.

Looking at the runner role I think its where I want to start, although it can be a job that needs no qualifications I think I would be more comfortable easing in with this sort of job rather than trying to strait away become an assistant or apprentice because I could learn about the industry and how it works because although I’m confident in my animating skills and understanding its working in industry and the skills that requires I need to learn. 

After looking at being a runner I looked at animation assistant and production assistant, the jobs are quite different in terms of how much animation or visible input I put into a project or companies work but they are the same level and would be the next step for me after being a runner. Being an animators assistant is something that with my skills at the moment and with my enthusiasm for the animation production side of things would better suit me at this moment in time but saying this I do have an interest in the production and parts of the editing process so after spending a year or two as a runner and seeing these parts of the industry I might want to go down that route. Also going down the producer route is something I think would be easier to use the skills I learn to produce for TV and film whereas I think the animation would limit me to just animating.

After being an assistant I would then want to go onto being an animator/producer/editor with people working under me, having one of these jobs would make me feel like I had achieved my goal and I had a job that I could be comfortable in staying in for years to come, its hard now to say because I wont know until I’m there. After taking interest in these jobs I’ve realized that I want something quite broad that encompasses a variety of tasks and works along side other jobs as appose to a very specific role like modeler or render supervisor.

Becoming a director is something I don’t know a lot about apart from experience is needed, its not a task I would want to take on now but it is a career goal I want pursue, being a director is something In my mind I consider to be a massive job and having almost complete creative control is appealing.

In conclusion I want to work in the industry, being a freelance animator is something I feel I would do on the side but having a steady job with a salary is something I want. I also know that I want to work my way up, learning as I go, I know it will take a few years to do so but I think patience and years of experience is something I’m going to need in this industry.