Industry Roles – Motion Design, VFX & Animation

Animator
There are several different types of animation such as traditional hand drawn, 2D / 3D computer animation, stop motion, & CG animation. All animators use their skills to make images move and appear to come to life. Sometimes the animator will create the image themselves, and other times they will use images provided by a character designer.

3D Artist
3D Artists are creators of objects, characters or environments with three dimensions. A 3D Artist must have the ability to model digitally, as well as producing texture maps. The software packages most commonly used for this role are Maya, 3D Studio Max, Lightwave, and XSI.

Compositor
A Compositor takes various elements such as live-action, animation, graphics and special effects placing them into a shot where necessary. They are usually employed towards the end of the post production process, and are responsible for constructing the final image by combining layers of the material previous created, ensuring that the end image seamlessly blends to achieve the desired style.

Matte Painter
Matte Painters are creators of photo realistic paintings that can be used as backgrounds to a scene, which would be too expensive or impossible to film. Original matte paintings were created by artists using paints on large sheets of glass which were integrated with live-action footage, but nowadays, although traditional matte paintings are still in use, they are not usually solely relied upon and are often used in conjunction with digital compositing. Therefore both excellent traditional and digital painting skills are required for this job.

Motion Graphics Artist
A Motion Graphics Artist creates effects and animations, which are often incorporated into live-action footage. Their work is often seen in film and television title or end sequences, 3D typography, and graphics for commercials. A good eye for visual communication is essential for this role.