u/Wasted_Hater

Seems like there's been an uptick lately of beginners wondering how to get animation jobs at the worst possible time in the past 20 years with zero expended effort or competitive ability.

They aren't asking for portfolio reviews, or what to focus on in their studies, or even what recruiters want to see. It's just, like, a wild beg for someone to kindly tell them how to bypass those of us that pour their blood and tears into this craft, and it's kind of disrespectful? This industry is not easy, never has been, and it's good that it is still sort of based on merit while many other markets are not. That threshold is a pleasant reminder that hard work might still matter.

Contrary to popular belief, animation requires skill. Not talent, but learned skill. You need to be in the top 5% of active artists in lifestyle and practice regimen. Being better than the average person isn't enough, you need to outpace other draftsmen to be considered, and even then there's no guarantee. Only a chance. The lower your ability to draw, the worse you'll fare.

Also, I get that assistant and coordinator roles are a thing, but even those take a business degree or years learning media marketing and project management to get anywhere. Undercutting them as being "easy" or 'not requiring ability" is a myth too.

I am a foreigner living abroad working on anime for a studio in Tokyo. I am making a comfortable living wage. Can't show my portfolio for obvious reasons, but I was hired based on draftsmanship and reel. They didn't ask to see my social media, and they didn't really care about where I had worked before.

I wanted to share since a lot of people seem to think things like this are impossible right now, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel for those who work towards it.

A lot of people posting about AI lately, and I don't know if some new software was released or something but it seems a bit paranoid.

If you are an aspiring animator, the first thing you should be doing is working on your portfolio. The second thing, however, is research visas and how to legally work in animation hotspots. Australia, Europe, Japan, whatever, find ways to get footholds in these markets because tax breaks and market trends are a far larger threat to you than AI right now.

If you let the fear of AI take away your ability to practice, an artist in a country with lower-pay or greater corporate benefits will surpass you. Just because you're from Los Angeles or something doesn't mean your work has higher worth than a skilled artist living in Sydney, especially if they're already outclassing your reel.

Competition is now global, and the adoption of remote work is a double-edged sword. Yes, you ideally can work for a company anywhere on Earth, but so can your peers. You aren't just competing against everyone in America now, you're competing against everyone. Period.

If you want to work for Glitch or Toei or whoever your favorite studio is, you need to show them that you are so good that even the greatest tax subsidies aren't worth losing you. If a company can't file your employment as a write-off, your talent has to be enough.