As you walk up the front doorstep to the animation world, you worry of what might be behind that door and what is ahead if you took this path. That's when you think again how you got inspired in awe when you watch that cartoon on TV or in the silver screen. That was probably the time your passion for animation got ignited and you want to pursue this as your future and career.

Well that's how it started off for me. I was amazed when I watched the first ever Featured Animated Movie Toy Story and that was when I told my mom that THAT was what I wanted to pursue. Fast forward a few years and here I am! A Character Animator bringing characters to life in cartoon tv series for children of all ages around the world.

This may be you! Wow-ing away as you read this.

But before all your dreams can come true, there are a few things or rather, the outline of what to expect when you begin to journey into this world of animation.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. - Walt Disney

That is why, I'm writing this post for all you dreamers who want to make this career a reality. This would be just an outline of what you will expect to do as you venture into this beautiful career.

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Animation for Beginners

Aside from it being a wonderful career where people get to watch what you've created, there is an effort needed to get there. Animation is an artform, it is 'Easy to do, but hard to master'.

Make full use of the internet

Because of the accessibility through the internet, we can get all our resources online and it is no doubt that there are tons and tons of animation guides and tutorial out there. There are free ones and also premium ones that comes with a price. As starting your career in animating can be easy, you will take time and many practice to actually master it. Even then, you are always learning.

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Attend short courses

In time to come, you will have to up your game in the animation field and one of the best way is to find proper mentoring. Though there are many online courses out there, I would recommend that you find a college that has these short courses for animation. The period of these short courses can be from 3 months to 6 months and they prove to be very effective as they will mentor you and go really in-depth into the specialty you've signed up for.

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Softwares you will be using

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Autodesk Maya

This is the main software that we all use for animation in this industry. This software alone can allow you to create a 3D Animation scene from scratch that encompass character modelling, rigging, texturing, animating, lighting, and special effects.

As it is the industry standard, it also comes with a high price that only a company can afford. These licenses also need to be renew yearly.

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Blender 3D

However, if you do not have the budget for Maya, you can always opt for a FREE 3D software to start you 3D engine skills. Blender 3D is so far the best 3D software that you can download for free. I've also seen a few videos that were done using Blender and amazing. So if you want something to fiddle and play with first before you actually dive into a more sophisticated software, you can download Blender Here : https://www.blender.org/

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Creating that JOB Deserving Demoreel

An example of a demoreel compilation

What is a demoreel?

A demoreel is basically going to showcase ALL your finest animation work thus far. It is mostly the way that a company decides whether to bring you in for that job interview.

Quick Tips for creating a Great Demoreel

Best Work ONLY

The company that is going to give you that interview may not have much time on their hands and when they plug your demoreel on screen, they would want to see your Best Works ONLY. So choose your Best Parts and not just throw everything in there.

Be Specific

There are many roles in the Animation industry and your demoreel should only show what you're applying for. For example, when you're applying to be an animator, do not show works of your rigging or modelling. It just won't make sense.

Keep it Short & Sweet

As mentioned earlier, the director may not have all the time in the world and he may probably have many other applicants to filter through. With that being said, keep your demoreel within the 1 minute mark. We want to 'show them the juicy bits, & leave them wanting more'. That's when they will have to call you in for an interview.

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Start Animating!!!

I guess the only thing to do now is start animating and practice daily. It is no doubt going to be a satisfying journey when you've made it there but it is also not an easy one. There is a steep learning curve for this sort of work but that is when your passion when you first knew that you wanted to do this comes in.

I can go into the details one by one for all the points given here, but that will be for next time. Although, I have written quite a few in-depth guides on animation in my blogpost but you have to scroll way back to find them. As this is just a 'Animation for Beginners' post, I will leave you with this quote/advice.

'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming' - Dory from Finding Nemo

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Thank You

If you like what I do, check out my other posts on meetups, animation, and designs.

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_{Credits to @pinstory & @coloringiship for this lovely photo of me.}

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