I sent emails to practitioners in the animation industry asking some of the questions I had about working as an animation professional, asked people in different careers in the animation industry, and through their replies I gained a clearer understanding of the inner workings of the animation industry. The insights of these professionals reveal the nuances and requirements of this dynamic field.

Practitioner working as a 2D animation cleaner, who is from Lupus Films, mentioned in her response, emphasising the importance of traditional hand-drawn methods in this role, that Lupus Films is a very traditionally hand-drawn based animation studio where everything is drawn on 2s, sometimes even 1s if it’s quick movements. After finishing everything pre-production, they get a team of animators in to animate the movements and when some shots are approved, they move onto clean-up.

According to her, the animation process follows a meticulous assembly line – from pre-production to animation, clean-up and artwork – and the project team expands as the project progresses. The distribution of their personnel was like a pyramid, with a lot of repetitive work requiring more personnel. The clean-up team is bigger than the animation team, and the artwork team is bigger than the clean-up team.

I also asked what we as graduating students need to do to prepare for the job search. What skills, qualities and job competencies do companies look for in job seekers? She told me a strong showreel. It is an important factor in your success in securing a position and also that I need to tailor my CV to the job I am looking for. Therefore, I will probably not get the job if my CV is different from the position I am applying for. Therefore, we need to be clear about what we are looking for in a job and prepare the corresponding work in order to have a good chance of winning in the job search process.

I think the most important thing that my teachers at school keep mentioning is to run your own social media, so that you can quickly build a network, reach out to more professionals, and say hello to them at animation parties. Show them your work and find ways to connect with them.

Based on the replies in the email, I have summarised the following tips that have helped me in my job search.

1. a strong portfolio is very important for our job search

2. social media presence to keep in touch with people in the industry

3. professional animation skills

Interviews with professionals have helped me to be more clear about my career path, alleviate my fear of the unknown, and prepare early based on practitioners’ advice.