In the animation industry you do not need a lot of artistic skill or even a lot of animating skill to become a great animator. This has been proven again and again with everything from the Flintstones to South Park. Remember that the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Tray Parker, started with pieces of cardboard and a single camera.

They, like all great animators, focused on the story and characters before anything else, and that was their key to success.

Patience in the Animation Industry

This skill goes without saying. Animation is a very slow and tiresome process. It can take a long time to set up your shots, and even longer to get your scenes to run in the manner you desire. The animation industry is rewarding, but in very slow and unexciting way, you need patience to maintain the same level of enthusiasm throughout.

The Ability To See The Job Through in the Animation Industry

The Animation industry is fun and exciting. It is great seeing your characters come alive, but any animator will tell you that seeing the job through to the end is almost painful. Most people start off with a high degree of enthusiasm, but 25% of the way in it turns into a drudge and a slog to the point where only the most determined and motivated see it through.

You Must Be A Perfectionist

Whether your animation technique is low or high tech, you need to get it perfect. A single frame out of place and the entire project will look tacky and amateurish. This is especially true if you are trying stop motion animation, where rushing or a lack of correct detail may irretrievably ruin your entire scene.

The writers at assignmentmasters are always stressing just how important being a perfectionist is. It is not a retroactive process, it is a skill you master in the moment so that you do not have to go back and correct things later.

Always ALWAYS Be Willing To Learn

Take the free animation software Blender. If you start from nothing, you can learn how to create a basic 3D model and computer animation within two weeks, but the software is so complex that it can take years to learn all the functions.

The manual, if there were one, would be the same size as that for a jumbo jet. Only if you are willing to learn and keep on learning, will you be able to advance past being an amateur.

A Very Strong Creative Vision

This may seem like a given, but it is the creative vision that turns wannabe animators into animators that complete projects. The ability to focus on the end result is the only thing that gets some animators through the working process.

Unless you are able to create a strong and solid vision of the end result in your mind, you are likely to give up when the pleasure of animating turns into drudgery.

The Ability To Narrow Down And Streamline Your Process

If you want to go from an amateur animator to a brilliant animator, you need to push yourself to learn more about your software/technique and need to push yourself to learn more–but it isn’t just about learning the technical side.

You need to learn how to streamline and improve your process. It is done in hundreds of ways, from re-using previous backgrounds, to copying model animation functions so that one character may pull a similar face to another without having to start the manipulation process from scratch.

Final Thoughts on Soft Skills in the Animation Industry

Always start small. All the best animators start with small clips and small projects. The experience alone is invaluable as you will learn just how much effort goes into a 20-second clip. In addition, not only will small clips of animation help you try different techniques and styles, they are also handy additions to your portfolio for if you are looking to apply for jobs in the visual entertainment and gaming industry.

Bio
Laura Jonson is a creative writer who and brand creator. She knows how to make brand recognizable. Now she is working on writing service AssignmentMasters. In the future she is going to launch her own project dedicated to brand-creation.