A career in the animation industry: Still interested in it's curent state?

[CartoonSage]

I don't know about you guys, but growing up all I wanted to do was draw. I drew everything, cartoons, video game characters, anything. It wasn't until my mid-teens that I started to be more observant about animation in general. The idea of making my drawings move became more and more appealing when I thought of it and I finally decided that I wanted to make cartoons for a living. Fast forward 3 or 4 years later, now we have nothing but executive driven cartoons and live-action dominating what used to be a realm for cartoonist who made creator-driven shows, shows that I grew up on, the shows that inspired me to become an animator. My will to work in the animation industry is dying slowly everyday and I wonder what all those years of honing my skills will lead up to. Personally, I think I'm going to lean closer to my second passion: video games. The gaming industry is thriving right now and as opposed to the animation industry, games thrive on creativity and innovations to stay alive. Now, I'm not generalizing, I know there are some great cartoons out there, but how many of them are "created" and "run" by people who can draw well? I honestly don't want to find out the hard way.


EDIT: another thing too: I don't want to put my heart and soul into a cartoon only to have it canceled after a season because it wasn't bringing in "SpongeBob" ratings, which is what seems to happen to the few cartoons that are on the major networks these days.
...sorry about the long rant.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

[Master Toon]

I feel the same way about having my hard work canceled because the network wanted it to be a blockbuster hit. I like to draw but I don't think I could be a very good cartoonist, I think I'm better at directing. I have good ideas but no way to make them happen on paper. If I did become an animator I would feature my work on my website and generate some fans and then I'd go to Nick. Between Nick, CN, and Disney, cartoons have a much better chance with Nick, imo. I love animation and I think I'm leaning towards being an animation news reporter, like the good folks here at Toon Zone, also by making cool videos that reveals easter eggs in cartoons and stuff like True Cartoon Story which is a cartoon version of True Hollywood Story, I would go more into it but it might be seen as advertising. The videogame industry seems pretty alluring but it seems like even the crappiest games take loads of money, money that can go to something else worth investing.

[Golgo13]

Here is my model of how I view animated TV history

1970's: Animation on a budget.
1980's: Animation with marketing.
1990's: Animation by creators.
2000's: See 1980's.

After seeing shows like Loonatics, you can't help but feel we've taken a giant step backwards in quality.

I'm struggling to get into the animation industry right now and let me tell you; unless your ideas are marketable and inoffensive, you are going to have one hell of a time trying to get even just a pebble in the door. The only way you can get a break into the industry is through studios that do commercials. These companies are usually run by about 3-6 people and they rarely ever consider hiring interns depending on how well they are established. And it's not like you can just send in a resume and they'll consider you. You have to make a demo reel that shows you can do EVERYTHING in 3D and/or 2D. And by everything, I mean you have to be able to model/rig/animate/simulate/light/texture/UVmap/render in a very short amount of time at high levels of quality all on your own.

If you can do all that, then MAYBE you'll have a shot at getting in the animation industry.

[Dudley]

When I first went to art college, I wanted to major in sequential art, and in animation. But over time, I started to feel the same way you guys do, and made animation my minor. What I want to do now, is make graphic novels of my original creations. That way I can keep the rights to my stories and characters.

From what I learned at college is that, people don't really care if you went to college or a high school drop out, all you have to do is be a good artist. And if you want a job as an animator, employers want to see a lot of life drawing above all else.
You don't have to have a lot of CG animation for your portfolio, anyway. Just show that you can use Maya to an extent.

[DrTooth]

After seeing shows like Loonatics, you can't help but feel we've taken a giant step backwards in quality.

I'm struggling to get into the animation industry right now and let me tell you; unless your ideas are marketable and inoffensive, you are going to have one hell of a time trying to get even just a pebble in the door. The only way you can get a break into the industry is through studios that do commercials. These companies are usually run by about 3-6 people and they rarely ever consider hiring interns depending on how well they are established. And it's not like you can just send in a resume and they'll consider you. You have to make a demo reel that shows you can do EVERYTHING in 3D and/or 2D. And by everything, I mean you have to be able to model/rig/animate/simulate/light/texture/UVmap/render in a very short amount of time at high levels of quality all on your own.

You know, I doubt myself as a cartoonist already, and this current cliamte of really has me depressed. Needless to say, I think I made a horrendous career choice. And I several thousand on an eduction to do such. Uless I can make internet cartoons that no one will watch, I feel my life's work is wasted by a bunch of greedy network trustfunders. Yeah! You had RICH parents. I would have to sell all my bodily fluids to just pay off the interrest on my student loan.

Even in the entertainment industry, the rich get richer, and the poor get effed royally.

When I go into a Target, I pretty much use all my might to not go to the preschooler toy section and smash Backyardigans merchandise. What is that anyway? Muppet Babies for underdeveloped kids?

It's sad. Unless you're making a toy commercial for a product that's not likely to be made into a toy, or some moronic "interactive" preschooler show (and by "interactive" the characters talk really loud and slow so babies with undeveloped eye sight and reasoning can catch up) you're left out in the cold, sitting on your ideas, and cursing God for having put you in a crappy universe. At least that's what I do.

So it's internet cartoon in an overly saturated market (saturated by 13 year olds that think they can copy anime) or nothing. At least until the network execs all get their head out of their butts, or get fired and replaced by someone who's competant.

[Dudley]

Is it just me, or are most of you guys trying to develop an animated series for television from the get go?

[DrTooth]

Which is a bad idea to begin with, sure.

I'd love to work on something, but there aren't too many studios over here, and I doubt anywhere else is hiring due to the lack of animated programming. We have thousands of animators over here, and we're all competing to be assistant storyboard pencil holder, no thanks to this crop of bad live action shows.

Sometimes I just wish I can do something like this...



You know, have absolutely no talent, pair up lousy drawings with already founded exclaimations and have a yuppy loving t-shirt empire. Damn my high standards of quality.

[Dudley]

Which is a bad idea to begin with, sure.

I'd love to work on something, but there aren't too many studios over here, and I doubt anywhere else is hiring due to the lack of animated programming. We have thousands of animators over here, and we're all competing to be assistant storyboard pencil holder, no thanks to this crop of bad live action shows.

Where do you live?

[DrTooth]

MA, and not close to any of the 2 studios in the area. I was thinking about getting an internship at Soup 2 nuts or something, but I do not know where to find it by train and bus.

[CartoonSage]

Here is my model of how I view animated TV history

1970's: Animation on a budget.
1980's: Animation with marketing.
1990's: Animation by creators.
2000's: See 1980's.

Actually I'd put 1980's and 1970's in the 2000 slot but I could be wrong.

[Silverstar]

Remember back in the late 70's to 80's, when animation got really crappy, cheesy and corporate? Then the 90's happened with the launch of Fox Kids and all the shows which came afterward? Many people consider the 90's-early '00's to be an animation Renaissance, a new Golden Age for the animation industry.

Unfortunately, in order for a Golden Age to exist, it must at some point, end.

This is what I feel has happened with the animation industry. We're clearly in a downward slump right now. As things typically go in cycles, things probably will get better at some point, but who can predict when or by what means?

Is it just me, or are most of you guys trying to develop an animated series for television from the get go?

Personally, when I first started drawing (right around the same time I learned to walk and talk), I was heavily influenced by comic strips, so I initially had planned to have my own comic strip. But over time, I watched so many of my hero artists (Berke Breathed, Bill Watterston) complain about how much of a strain a daily strip was and quit doing it; admittedly, I don't relish the thought of having to come up with an idea for every day, and I too have a hard time confining my ideas to just four panels, so now I would only want to do a strip if it were Sundays only.

I also considered putting out a series of books starring my characters, but without an established following, I was worried that no one would read them. People tend to be more interested in books starring established characters that they're already familiar with.

Afterward, I turned my thoughts to television, though with the current state of animation, I'm not sure what to aim for: I used to want to have a show on CN, but seeing how they're treating cartoons these days, I have misgivings about them now. I'm pretty sure that my ideas aren't edgy enough for the broadcast networks. (I don't do Family Guy type scatological humor or social or political satire, nor do I plan to start anytime soon.) For the past year, I've been in talks with a rep from Nickelodeon, though it seems that my best bet would be to start out with just a series of shorts/time fillers initially, so then my project(s) would have time to grow and attract a following. Starting out with a half hour series is practically the Kiss of Death nowadays; if your show doesn't get SpongeBob-level ratings from Jump Street, your show is as good as canceled.

I wouldn't mind having a show on [adult swim], as I like the 10 to 15-minute format that many of their shows take (I'd prefer having to produce 10 minutes of funny as opposed to 22), although I don't want to 'color' my ideas by making my shows and characters too hard-edged; as I said before, I don't do R-rated humor (I'm G, PG, or PG-13 at the most) nor do I plan to start.

[HG Revolution]

TV is more or less dead. If I get into animation (which I probably will, it's my number one career of choice right now), I'd want to make movies at Pixar.

[Silverstar]

I wouldn't mind doing theatrical shorts, but not features; except for 1 or 2 projects which started as novel ideas, none of my ideas really lend themselves to feature-length stories.

[Sketch]

You may want to move to Canada if you want a career in the animation business. I'm considering it myself.

[aalong64]

I'm interested in pursuing a career as an animator, or something to do with animation or making comics. I'm not 100% sure what exactly yet. I'd love to have my own series too, but I highly doubt it'll happen, and not for a long time if it does. I'm currently content with animating my stuff myself, in Flash (hand-drawn with a tablet), rather than pitching to networks.

I feel that I should point out that it's NEVER been realistic to expect to walk into a studio and pitch a show, and have it made. Generally, companies are more interested in ideas from people who have already worked on shows in some way, as animators, writers, etc. This isn't really anything new-- I don't think there have been many times in the industry's history when many companies were willing to do some guy off the street's show, without any basis or previous knowledge of him/her... Even in the 90's.

[DrTooth]

Personally at this point, I'd love to just try to pitch a series revival of a previous cartoon or character. I doubt it, though. What I want to do is too obscure, and the companies involved with them don't really seem to want to make anything good anymore.

[Leviathan]

I can kind of seeing myself being a storyboard artist for a major show, or maybe a writer, or a layout/timing director. Or maybe just a plain ol' director.

I want to eventually learn how to do EVERYTHING that happens during the production of a cartoon. Then myabe i'll concern myself with my own pitches.

[Golgo13]

I can kind of seeing myself being a storyboard artist for a major show, or maybe a writer, or a layout/timing director. Or maybe just a plain ol' director.

I want to eventually learn how to do EVERYTHING that happens during the production of a cartoon. Then myabe i'll concern myself with my own pitches.

You've got it in reverse there. You have to know EVERYTHING now just to get in. Then you might get a break as a storyboard artist. Then you can worry about pitching.

[MdlTrack]

as opposed to the animation industry, games thrive on creativity and innovations to stay alive.

I really don't mean to bust your bubble, but the game industry is just as bad as the animation industry. There's plenty of great games that barely get any press at all because they're released the week before the next Halo/Madden/Guitar Hero. And the majority of game buyers are just fine with it that way.

[Zam]

Screw TV! The Web is the present and the future to go. Artists are already selling adverstiment and merchandise of their webcomics/animations to support themseves. True, is not the same like getting a big contract, but at least you OWN your work and YOU decide its direction. It just needs very few years to become really maintsream and a serious business.