Pandemic has been good for animation!
Animators, it’s your time to shine!
Entertainment was the one thing we all
relied on during pandemics! With negative information bombarding the ears every
now and then, binge-watching Netflix or watching a television drama with family
was no less than a blessing.
But it is crucial to note that the pandemic
was not sailed without rough waters for those working in television, film, and the animation industries. Like any other business in the world, the
entertainment sector too encountered challenges at all levels of its production
process. A large number of film production houses suffered to such an extent
that they actually halted their production, refraining to risk the lives of
their crew members during the rapid spread of coronavirus disease. But when it
comes to animation, its torchbearers tackled the challenges distinctively.
Working all their lives sketching, storyboarding, modeling the characters with their eyes screwed on their computer screens and papers, the Animation artists somehow got wired to work in an enclosed space always. And this somehow prepared them positively to handle the difficulties the pandemic had to offer. When studios were shut and people were confined to their homes, the animation people came together to work remotely from their respective places. Of course, the journey was not as facile as it sounds. From missing the camaraderie of working together to not having enough bandwidth and computing powers, the animation crew intersected with several deterrents in their journey to accept the new normal. Staring the buffering screen for hours, checking the internet connection repeatedly, and making multiple attempts to upload or download a video is a bit of a challenge.
But this was the situation for already
established animators, who had work in their hands. Many were still in the
learning stage! Animation is the field for creative minds carving their paths.
And so even the fresh minds tried to learn as much as they could. You might
know that animation isn’t a theory subject that can be mastered over a video
call, it requires practice, continuous guidance, and heavy software.
Due to all these requirements, there weren’t many students who graduated as animators in the last two years. But on the other hand, the world went all digital. Businesses wanted to join the digital race and get their names out there. They needed animators, so the demand grew but the supply was constrained.
Pandemic actually opened a pool of opportunities and jobs for people from across the globe. Previously many animation production studios preferred not to employ artists from other countries and worked mostly with in-house staff to avoid distrust and other hassles. But the pandemic left them with no choice but to collaborate and work with people from all parts of the world on a remote basis leading to better online relations amongst artists and animators from across the borders.
Some of the platforms came up to invest in efforts during the time when resources and money grew meager. To name a few, Toon Boom - software used by animation studios (including some of the big animation giants) to storyboard the shows, granted free licenses to artists for a month.
Now that things are going back to normal and aspiring creators can actually afford to learn animation as it should be learned, we highly recommend creative minds to take advantage of the opportunity and become what the world is looking for, a good animator! Opportunities have grown tremendously, opening many doors, but it’s on you to grab them.
Learn animation, grow with the time, and discover what it is like being in demand. We know many of our students are feeling it, so can you!
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