RED BANK, New Jersey (Achieve3000, June 19,
2020). Imagine having the power to bring anything you can think of to
life. Sunbathing snowmen sparkling on the sand. Winged kangaroos
leaping across an emerald-green sky. Weird beasts and magical places
unlike anywhere on Earth.
It's possible. And there's no superpower
required. Computer animators do it every day.
Computer animators create amazing animation and visual
effects. They use illustrations and software
programs. You see computer animation in movies, television shows, video
games, and ads. Some computer animators focus on bringing characters to
life. Others work on scenery design. And some
create special effects for live-action films.
From Storyboards to CGI
Computer animators begin by
sketching a storyboard. It shows how a story will unfold.
During the planning stages of a project, animators often do
research. That helps them figure out how to make the animations look
real. Sometimes they'll travel to faraway locations to get ideas for
settings. They might even put themselves in a character's shoes. Or
clothes! The animators for Disney's Frozen put on long dresses. Then they
trudged through deep snow. This helped them make the characters' movements
look real.
Next, it's time to create the computer-generated images
(CGI). This task calls for technology skills, creativity, and science
knowledge. Computer animators also use their knowledge of the real world
to build a believable animated world. Suppose they're making an outdoor
scene. The animators will need an understanding of nature. For
instance, how does water flow in a stream? How does the light bounce off
the water?
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Big projects rely on teams of animators to get the job
done. That's because there are so many different elements to craft. A
single frame of animation can have millions of moving parts. In
Pixar's Monsters, Inc.,
Sulley has more than two million hairs on his body. It took the animation
team 11 to 12 hours to animate every frame in which Sulley appears!
Animation teams can work closely together on a single project for
a long time. About 75 animators spent four years working on Frozen 2. Many
more people take part in the moviemaking process, too. Animators also get
opinions from directors, game designers, and others. They use that
feedback to improve their work.
Becoming a Computer Animator
What do you need to become an animator? A bachelor's degree in a field such as
animation/illustration, computer graphics, or fine art. You also need a
portfolio. That's a collection of your best drawings, computer-generated
images, and animation clips. You'll show it to possible
employers. But what if drawing isn't your strongest skill? Not to
worry! Great drawing skills are required for 2-D computer animation but
not for 3-D.
Ready to get creative? Who knows? Someday you might find
yourself animating one of Sulley's hairs in the next Monsters, Inc. movie!
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