How to Get Hired in Animation with Anna Lord

Animation Producer Anna Lord 

Veteran animation producer Anna Lord joined us on Friday 16 October for a talk with our 3rd Year 2D animation students about Animation Jobs and Careers, part of Professional Practice Module PS6003. 

Anna Lord has thirty years of experience working in the animation industry; her film credits include Quest For Camelot (1998), Spirit: Stallion of The Cimarron (2002).  Anna 's advice to animators starting out in the business? Do whatever it takes to get your foot in the door. 

Anna Lord

Anna Lord is an animation producer with experience  in 2D, CG, stop-motion and puppetry. Anna has been a jury member for the British Animation Awards and the BAFTAs; a committee member for BAAs, and the Animation Skills Council at ScreenSkills.

Professional Practice Module

Anna Lord joined us last Friday October 16th to talk to our third year 2D Animation students about jobs and careers in the animation industry, as part of Professional Practice Module PS6003.  

The State of The Industry

Anna Lord explained that the industry has changed a great deal of late; there is "a lot more remote work" than there used to be.  Anna started out as a runner at a London studio, but this traditional route into industry is smaller than it used to be.  The old business model was to bring everyone into a single building - but this has changed.  There are still a few old-school paid internships available at Studios like Locksmith Animation and Blue Zoo, but these are very competitive.  

Get Networked

Festivus - Jobs, Events, News

Anna recommends meeting like-minded people in the industry, by going to animation events such as Festivus, In Motion and Bring Your Own Animation - these are great places to meet people in the business.

Global Production

Anna is currently working from London on a production which is being produced globally.  Animation is mainly being done in Paris; the server is in Denmark, and they are working with freelancers "all over the world".  Lots of work is done remotely on platforms like Slack. 

How to Get Noticed

 Portfolios on Instagram please

Anna recommends that students and graduates make their work easy to find; Instagram is a great place to be.  Students should also have a digital portfolio (ideally an easy-to-open PDF) which can be emailed to potential clients.  

Rough Animation is OK

An animation demo reel can be pretty rough (ie not fully cleaned up) as animation supervisors know what they are looking for, even if it is rough animation.  

Storyboard Skills

Board artists should learn Storyboard Pro

Storyboard artists should learn to use Storyboard Pro. Studios are looking for speed and clarity in storyboards, with "over-exaggerated expressions" - so that the boards are super clear and easy to read. 

Board artists should also learn the fundamentals of Layout and Cinematography, as on a low budget production this might be one combined department.  

Storyboard artists should learn Blender

Storyboard artists should also learn Blender (and perhaps Sketchup), as 3D software can be used to create accurate 3D environments for the boards; a mix of 2D and 3D skills can be very useful.  Storyboards can be rough, but "executives like boards to be very clear". Using colour can help, for example giving different characters different colours.  Junior board artists should be prepared to start out in the industry cleaning up rough storyboards, or perhaps doing revisions to existing boards. 

Getting Started

The trick is to get a foot in the door, get some experience.  Anna's advice is "don't be too choosy" in the beginning.  Anna got her start working as a runner at Passion Pictures; she "wore a pink fluffy coat so that they would remember me".  

Work Experience

Getting proper paid work experience is difficult, as animation jobs tend to "come in fast, and it's hard to find time for training".  In an entry level position, you "might even find yourself answering the telephone".  Many internships are unpaid, which is "controversial", but this may be the only way to get a foot in the door. 

Find Opportunities at c21 Media

Find new opportunities at c21Media

One great way to find new opportunities is to look at sites like c21Media, where you can find out industry news, and learn who is doing what - and who might be crewing up in the near future.  

Overseas

You can also get experience overseas; take opportunities wherever you find them.  If you speak good French, there are opportunities at studios in France. You might want to do some due diligence when you do a job search - in the UK you can check Companies House to make sure the company is in good order. 

Necessary Skills

Anna looks (of course) for great artists who can do the job well. Animators need to be able to animate well, and also master skills like acting and overlapping action.  But it's also necessary to be "a great communicator", especially when studios are working remotely. 

Escape Studios would like to thank Anna Lord for generously giving the time to talk to our students and sharing so much valuable knowledge. 

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for one of our courses, follow this link.