Looking into the Animation Industry: Part 6 – Rejections, Reality Checks and Resolve

During my research into the American Industry, I got a lot of videos pop up about current people’s experiences, how they broke in, but also why they left. So I wanted to compile some of those into this post, and understand what current and/or former animators gained from their experiences, the struggles of breaking in, why they love what they do and/or why they left the industry.

I’ve started off listening to Gem Lam’s video on why she left, the industry, which in itself is a follow-up to her video about how she broke into the industry. Gem was a part of a small studio after being hired at an industry day held at her university Sheridan, a day where studios gather and watch final projects and thesis films when students graduate and give offers if they are interested (I believe we have a similar event at CSM, at least I heard the now graduated 2nd years did). Gem highlights these as a great networking opportunity, as a face-to-face interaction works much better than cold calling studios alone.

Gem speaks about early financial struggles, being a student just entering the industry meant she was earning starting wages, and living between pay checks without absolute stability. And you can’t expect to move into more senior, more experienced roles immediately upon graduating. She describes her early role as a concept artist, working on a kids show which was very different from what she’d been making at university, which was much less simpler from an edgy style she envisioned her career going.

Gem speaks about several events during this video: moving to Vancouver with her boyfriend who was offered a role at Titmouse (Canadian animation studio), low self-esteem in her portfolio when no one would hire her, her friend helping her network to a local studio Mainframe, starting the role of a layout artist, getting a referral to a much larger studio, a horrible experience with a lead who berated and nitpicked everything she did and her eventual firing from this unnamed studio. It’s very clear how important these experiences were to Gem – she asked around for feedback from her coworkers on how to improvement after her first humiliating experience with her senior, and as she left, she realised that this wasn’t where she wanted to be or what she wanted to do layout. It seems to be a cruel reality check, if not real. She felt disposable and she felt she wasn’t respected. She ended up getting another layout job at Titmouse after her fiancee had left and recommended her, and she seemed to have a much better experience compared to her previous outing. And she left the industry on a more positive note, once again confident she knew that this industry wasn’t where she wanted to be in the end.

I don’t know how common cases like these are in the industry, I’d hope it’d be a rare occurrence given the humiliation and trauma its left Gem. But it’s certainly eye opening to hear about it as someone who’s only starting to look into where he wants to be in the industry. To be honest, before watching the video, I wasn’t sure if I was interested in going too far up the pecking order. Maybe it’s a lack of confidence in my work, or maybe a lack of confidence in my skills as an artist. But I don’t want to feel like a disposable piece of a studio. I’ve got some reflecting to do in regards to what position I see myself in beyond a general “animator”, and I’ve got to consider how I network better as this video is an example of how effective networking is in getting a role.

I’ve found this video by Anoosha Syed, and illustrator who gave up on her dream of breaking into the animation industry. (now look, I realise I’m currently focused on stories that can be perceived as negative, but as someone who’s never considered the other side of animation, I think having a broader range of stories can help inform my expectations of the industry).

Anoosha discusses the dozens of applications and rejections she got applying for the industry, two years worth of attempts for new position listings. She describes it as a cycle: new job listing, application, rejection, updating her portfolio, and the cycle restarting. And she wasn’t being picky about the roles she applied for – she’d go for background design, visual development, character design and whatever was available – answered only by rejections or total silence from the studios. Anoosha describes honestly the feeling of frustration from rejections, which I’m currently all too familiar with right now.

I think one of the most important points Anoosha raises is the idea of “doing everything right” when applying: a solid portfolio, attending animation networking events, networking over social media to friends and recruiters. She describes her portfolio as the reason she couldn’t land a job: she had a focused portfolio but wasn’t changing it to fit to the role she’d apply for specifically, rather having a 1-fits-all portfolio. My mentor Paul suggested the same thing to me a few months ago – it’s better to have a specific showreel/portfolio tailored to each position, that shows you engaging with the studio, rather than a potential generalised portfolio. Anoosha cites with her own portfolio that her work was too illustrative, too much in the way of elaborate paintings which wouldn’t translate to a TV production and would be difficult to animate – as such she wasn’t showcasing the ability to simplify down in a way studios would want on a production. Perhaps that might be why I haven’t been getting many responses in my own personal applications, especially at the start when I was generalising my portfolio instead of submitting line tests for key animation, and submitting fully composited work.

Anoosha talks about the feelings of jealousy, something she wishes people would talk about more. These feelings are directed towards others announcing what other projects they would be working on while she faced rejection, perhaps relatable to many at this stage. After getting an artist residency with fellow artists in Iceland, she realised her true dream was to create “meaningful art”, something that makes others feel something in the way her experience of watching “Tangled” did. And she realised that art didn’t need to be animation, it could be anything. And so she gave up on her dream to pursue illustration.

I think Anoosha’s experiences highlight the truly competitive nature of the industry – not everyone breaks in. Rejects are rife, we just don’t hear about it over the stories other people have of achieving “their dreams”. Even with solid networking, getting into the industry is still a climb. These are things I’m taking into consideration as I build up my network more, but also consider what kind of works I want to create in the future.

I once again turn to Toniko Pantoja for his thoughts on making it into the industry given his wealth of both freelancing as well as working with some of the biggest studios in LA. Toniko describes working in the industry as stable, but not in a conventional way – the industry is often based on a project-by-project experience, so you’re always looking to other projects and studios around the time the previous project wraps up production. If you manage to stay with one studio for a 2 year period, that’s considered a long time, and it’s almost inevitable you’ll be jumping from studio to studio for most animators.

This video by Toniko was uploaded in late 2020, so he had the chance to address what the industry was like during the pandemic – largely the same, just that people now worked from home. Compared to other industries, where you might be expected to be in a certain location at a certain time, animators can largely work wherever they provided they have the right equipment. You can work in a studio, or from home depending on the studio’s requirements. And thanks to advances in technology, communication across the globe means you can work remotely all around the world.

Toniko discusses the availability of animation roles. The abundance of roles varies on a seasonal basis – sometimes, studios will have loads of projects in the pipeline and require more animators to help out, other times there’s not much going on and it’s absolutely silent. The productions that do pop up can be, but not limited to TV shows, feature films, web shows, limited/mini series and more. And it’s not the traditional 2D and 3D roles up for grabs: live action, games, motion graphics, illustration and more in which an animators’ skill set can be applied to.

Something very useful Toniko talks about is income: how much animators can expect to make in the starting positions. He cites in developing countries the low number of $100-$300 per month, but as you climb up the ladder from trainees to entry level and higher positions, that number becomes more sustainable. Toniko suggests that when working out what your rate should be, make at least twice more than the living expenses you’re paying for to stay afloat.

Toniko’s experiences paint the industry as a very flexible, but fluctuating industry. It can be busy, it can be quiet. It can be remote, it can be in person. Again, very competitive, and you need to make sure you have a trump card in your portfolio to stand out from the crowd.

The last experience I’m looking at for this post is from Ruth Ducker, a British-based animator turned director who gives a very in-depth talk about her 19+ year career and her journey through the industry. Ruth originally was a painter, but made a move into animation since she found it hard to get a sustainable income from being a painter. She ended up being convinced to go do an LAS course (I believe it’s our animation course at CSM before it became a masters course, I’m not entirely sure what LAS is) where she picked up the fundamentals and kick-started her career.

Ruth, by her own self admission, naively expected a job immediately out of college, but didn’t get anything for a few months. She landed a runners’ position after hearing about the posting from a friend, and she recommends anyone starting out for the first time try out for these positions, whether it be specific for film or animation as you pick up how productions are run, you meet the people on a production etc. You become more familiar with workflows and gain new perspectives on filmmaking and storytelling. Being a runner is a nice position, just work hard, do as you’re asked and be open (though it can be low pay).

From the running position, Ruth got promoted up the ladder to production manager. And it was during managing Disney idents that she learnt managing wasn’t for her, and wanted a more creative role. She got a month to try out the layout position, and got a huge amount of experience, learning about staging and how to advance the story in her work. She found after this it was a little easier to maintain a position in the industry once she’d gotten her foot in the door, and through networking with friends, she’d pick up more jobs along the way. She puts great emphasis on these friendships, who she believes are the people that will find work and recommend you for positions they see pop up and will fill in gaps within your knowledge.

I may come back to this in a future post, look at other experiences to continue understanding what I should look out for in this next year. But the general consensus is it’s difficult to break into the industry. I remember having a chat with one of my uni friends, Abbie, about how it took her 2 years to get even noticed by a major animation studio in the UK and that was because of connections she had with former uni friends. You stand a much better chance knowing others in the industry already than you do going solo. But even then, a strong network needs just a strong a portfolio, which should be tailored to every role you apply for to show your specific skills when you apply. If you’re able to break in, the road because a little easier to manage and you have a good shot of jumping from project to project, otherwise the industry might not be for you.