Getting into animation courses and schools in the Philippines is a common choice for the artistic, the geeks, and for some who find joy in illustrating stories. No wonder it’s a fascinating field as much as it is clouded by myths.
So to help you know more and get up close with real animation work, here are bits of facts that will give you an idea about the field:
1. You can’t be a one-man production team.
If you have a story in mind, you can’t animate it alone. But the fun part of not doing it by yourself is that you can focus on every detail of the project. Creating a motion film is just a task too tedious for one person. It takes 12 frames per second for a standard web animation. For television, it’s 15 frames per second.
Want to be the chief storyteller? Don’t fret, one of the animator’s responsibilities is to create the storyboard to which others can pattern their work. By being the chief story creator, you can ensure that your narrative will still flow smoothly even if there are many of you working on the same project.
2. There are lots of career options for Filipino animators.
Contrary to the popular belief that animators can only be either a lucky artisan in Pixar or a starving freelancer, there are a lot of career paths for aspiring animators.
Aside from working the popular graphic artist job, here are the other career options you can explore in motion graphics:
· Advertising
· Gaming
· International communications
· 3D modeling (product design, architecture, medical imagery, etc.)
· Indie animation
3. It’s extremely addictive.
Animation is a rare skill. And it is rare for a reason—it is extremely detailed. But guess, once you get the hang of it, it’s difficult to stop animating and modeling characters.
There’s no better job than doing something you can get paid and be known for, at the same time enjoy and get pleasure from. So don’t be surprised when most people, especially the youth view animation as a career nirvana.
4. It takes a lot of practice to learn the craft.
Are you ready to take your chances? You can start by finding a good school that will give you real-life skills and connections.