How to become an animator in India? That’s a question I often get asked by many aspiring artists who want to pursue animation as a career. 

Let’s be honest, in a country where left-brainer jobs like engineering, medicine, law, etc., are given more priority. Most right-brainers used to find it hard to make a career choice that could satisfy their inner urge of self-expression through an artistic medium. And at the same time, have financial satisfaction too. 

But in the late nineties, making that choice became a bit easier with the introduction of computer animation. And slowly, this field gained popularity amongst the masses.

And today, being a professional animator is a rewarding career for those who dare to think differently. 

But unfortunately, despite the volume of information and resources available today, it is still hard to know the exact procedure we need to pursue animation as a career due to lack of personal guidance and paradox of choices. 

But no worries, your search ends here. Through this article, How To Become An Animator in India? I’ll give you a step-by-step guide to help you choose a better route for your animated journey and become a professional animator. 

So just relax and scroll through this post, and by the end of it, I hope you will gain something meaningful that could help you get a clearer picture of this medium and your future. 

But I’m not going to sugarcoat anything and sell you big dreams as this path is not for everyone and anyone. Yes, behind those bright colors and funny gags go immense groundwork, sweat, and tears that not everyone can endure. 

No! I’m not trying to demotivate you even before starting, but just being honest about the level of persistency it takes to survive in this field, which brings us to our first step.  

1-Choosing Your Passion: 

Before you even take on any course and pay your parent’s hard-earned money to the institute, be brutally honest with yourself. Ask yourself if animation is truly for you or not.

Because your success and failure will depend on the level of passion you have for it. 

Yes, if you have the passion for it and are willing to put in the tremendous amount of sweat and hard work required to master the art of life’s illusion. Then comparatively, it will be smooth sailing for you. 

But, if you want to take animation as a career path thinking of it as a 9 to 5 job with a handsome package and don’t have enough passion for the art. Then it will be pretty hard for you to make it big in this industry. 

I have met many individuals who feel stuck in the field, despite being skilled artists. As they don’t possess the love for what they do and treat it like any other regular job. 

I even know many individuals who gave up when things went a little rough in the industry a few years back. I don’t blame them as everyone acts according to their own circumstances. 

In fact, I think it was the best decision of their life. It’s better to move on from things you don’t feel passionate about instead of dragging yourself into it. I don’t say that you won’t be earning decent without passion, well you will, but you won’t find meaning in your work. 

So, think it through before following this medium, especially when the fee is so high. And if you are absolutely sure that this is the career you want to pursue at any cost. Then, let’s move on to our next step.  

2- Choosing A Good Institute:

This one is a bit tricky as there is no reliable data available to determine which institute is better than the other.

And in why career, I have worked with people from all walks of life from various regions, schools, and institutes, right from small local classes to big brands. 

Generally, NID is considered the best in the business, along with other big names like Whistling Woods, IIT, or MIT, but most of them do not provide a full curriculum course in 3d Animation. 

Plus, getting admission into these elite organizations isn’t easy as the admission process is very competitive, with limited seats that can cause a giant hole in your pocket due to their hefty fee structure.

So, depending upon your budget and circumstances, I’ll suggest you opt for a fairly reputed institute like Arena, Big Aims, Toonz academy with a moderate fee range. 

I’m not endorsing anyone, but they have courses that you can pursue along with your full-time graduation in any other stream like science, arts, and commerce. 

But if you aren’t interested in traditional academics anymore, then you should join an institute like Toonskool, Amity that provides full-time degree courses. 

I know having a graduation degree isn’t that vital in animation, but I’ll suggest everyone kindly try to get a degree too, as it helps to attain a management position later on. 

But the vital question is, how do you know which institute is good for you amongst all the clutter of options? 

 

Well, honestly speaking, it’s pretty hard to answer this question for a couple of reasons:

First, with so many institutes claiming to be the best in the business, it can be challenging to say which one is actually stating the fact. Because as I said, there isn’t any core data available to back up these claims. 

But my general advice would be to ask for their past records, how many students got placements, and where? If they have alumni working for top studios, then it is a safer bet. 

 

Also, you must speak with the former or existing students and try to know their experience over there.  

The second major factor is that animation in India is still struggling at the base level. And we are way behind as compared to US and Japan when it comes to providing training facilities, technology, and most importantly, understanding the aptitude required for learning animation.

But still, things have improved in recent years, and various institutes have made efforts to provide better quality training to students as the demand for animation has increased tremendously in recent times. 

So I will suggest you, please do your research correctly before joining any institute. 

Another crucial factor you should indeed consider before joining is, try to know the faculties there. Try to understand how passionate they are about animation. How much experience do they have? Ask for a demo lecture. Are they cooperative? Are they understanding, and so on?  

Because in the end, apart from your own efforts, the kind of faculty you get is gonna play a huge role in your understanding of animation. A passionate teacher can easily pass their positive vibe to the students and make things exciting no matter how complicated they are. So do your research and make a choice. 

And once you know that the institute you wanna join. Then comes the next big hurdle of selecting the right course. This brings us to our next step. 

3-Choosing The Right Course: 

 

If you think choosing an institute is difficult, when until you go for inquiry and look at the list of courses available with them. 

For someone naive about this industry, the counselors sitting at the other corner of the table will try their best to sell the costliest course available on the menu. 

They will sell you big dreams like earning six figures and working on international films or studios like Pixar and Disney. But, I’ll advise you to not get carried away and fall into such traps. 

Sure, these are not impossible dreams and can be achieved. But it’s not as easy as the counselor will make you feel. 

So, before you hear their sales tactics, you need to know a few things about this industry. 

You see, in this industry, everyone has a specific role to play. When I say animators, these are the people who move things.

Yes, in most cases, an animator will only animate the characters while the other tasks are handled by other people who are specialized in one or two things like background or character designing in 2d animation. 

Just like different doctors handle different parts of the body. Similarly, different artists operate different sections of the production departments. 

And when it comes to 3d, the list can range from modeling, texturing, rigging, lighting, etc. To be honest, these are the things you’ll get introduced to only when you learn the process along the way. 

But my point is, if possible, narrow down your choices to either 2D or 3D animation software if you want to become an animator and do not opt for courses that include complex Graphics, VFX, Editing, Sound Engineering, etc.  

Sure, it’s good to know a little about everything, and it surely helps, but please remember, our field has specialized people working on just one thing.

So if possible, know what you want and choose a specific course like animation, modeling, designing, etc., instead of going for everything. 

But there is a catch to this method too.

Sometimes we only come to know about something when we are introduced to it. So having a course with a plethora of options can work in favor at times if we try something and start to enjoy it.  

So unless you are sure about opting for a specific thing, choosing a course with various software can be helpful. 

And when it comes to demand, currently, the need for 2d animators and designers is pretty high in the market. So do your research, know your interest and make a choice.  

But to help you narrow down your choices, there are two things you can do. 

If you want to be a 2D animator, then learn the art of character design, rigging, and animation in a software like Adobe Animate, Harmony, Toon Boom, etc.  

And if you want to be a 3D animator or anything related to it, then learn software like Maya, Max, Blender that are commonly used in the Indian animation industry. 

And once you are sorted with these major hurdles like choosing an institute and course, your entire focus should come down to the next step. 

4- Making the Showreel:

Yes, making a kick-ass showreel or portfolio should be your entire life’s goal and focus throughout your time in the institute. 

It’s not your degree, not your institute’s name, or your faculty’s reputation going to help you get an entry in the studio, but your portfolio. 

As an animator, you need to demonstrate scenes, ranging from the basic principles of animation to advance acting skills if you want to work on advanced projects.

Following this method indeed helped me get my dream job and work on an international movie in the first project itself. 

So make sure to start your demo-reel with a bouncing ball to a character lifting weight and slowly progress to a couple of shorts of advanced acting. 

And once you are done with the all-around demo reel, it’s time to move on to the most crucial step. 

5- Applying for the Job: 

Well, once you have overcome all the needed hurdles of completing the course and making a showreel.

Then comes the final boss stage that lies between you and your dreams. That is, getting a job that will transform you from a student to a professional animator. 

Well, I’ll be honest with you, with limited studios in the market, landing the right job in India is pretty tough in today’s time.

So it’s better if you already know someone working in an animation studio who can refer you to HR and ask them to arrange an interview. 

But hey, even if you don’t know someone, there is still hope. In the end, hard work beats everything, and that’s where your kick-ass showreel will come into the picture. 

All you need to do is, go to these studio’s websites or job portals, see if there are any vacancy and apply for the same. 

And once you do that, try to give a call to HR and gently request them to examine your profile. If they find you and your portfolio suitable then, they will surely arrange a test for you.  

Then it’s up to your skills, talent, and capacity to perform at the practical test and interview. Don’t worry; the personal rounds don’t matter that much in our industry. The test is your primary gateway into the studios. 

But it doesn’t mean you’ll act overconfident or rude in personal interviews. Always be humble, polite, and grounded. This will give you extra brownie points that could make getting a job easier even if you fail to impress in the practical test. 

Conclusion: 

So here we go! These are five essential factors you need to become a professional animator in India. 

1-Choose Your Passion.

2-Choose The Right Institute.

3-Choose The Right Course. 

4-Make A Kick-Ass Demo-Reel.

5-Apply For The Job. 

But the vital question is, what if you did everything right but still struggling to land your dream job. 

 

In that case, I totally understand your situation, as even I failed around 21 interviews before getting my first break. 

So don’t lose hope and be patient, it’s a competitive field, and you are battling against many talented artists. 

That’s why I’ll recommend you to read another article, “Jobs In Indian Animation Industry,” to know about the funny yet dark side of this industry by clicking here. 

I hope thought this article, How To Become An Animator in India? I was somewhat able to help you with this article. And, I’ll request you to please subscribe to the website to show support and learn about this wonderful art. 

STAY ANIMATED, STAY MOTIVATED!