What You Need to Know to Be an Animator in Miami, Florida

The outlook is sunny for local artists in Miami, Florida seeking employment in the field of animation.  With probably more than 175,000 commercial businesses, the city of Miami experiences an ever-increasing economic demand for animated film work.

Miami Schools and Training Programs for Animation

Colleges, Universities and training centers in Miami, Florida offer many classes and programs that teach the technical skills needed for professional animation.  Miami artists acquiring these skills often attend local colleges like Barry University, Florida International University, Miami Dade College, Everest Institute and Fortis Institute, among others.  Miami art students studying animation at local design colleges typically major in communications design or film photography.

Many Miami artists prefer the virtual approach to learning.  An increasing number of online art schools offer animation-related training.  Popular accredited cyber art schools include the Academy of Art University, DeVry, Full Sail University, Stratford Career Institute, University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes and ITT Tech, for instance.  Some online schools also provide physical campuses and local resource centers.  University of Phoenix, ITT Tech, Full Sail University and The Art Institutes all have training centers in Miami.

Working as an Animator in Miami, Florida

Hundreds of commercial enterprises in Miami, Florida hire professional animators.  Animated footage is created for entertainment as well as for promotional advertising, public service announcements, medical training, product manufacturing and architectural planning, among other things.  Some local artists haunt Miami animation studios.  Among the largest local studios are Realization Group and Synq Studios in Miami, as well as NH Productions in Miami Beach and Interactive Art Service in Fort Lauderdale.  Other Miami animators are employed by local movie producers such as Bollywood-Hollywood Productions, Bonomotion, Mavco, Videosyncracy and Zip-In-Media.  Some animators are employed by Miami-based, animation-oriented info tech firms.  High-revenue Miami IT Corporations include Blue Storm Media, Biznet Technology, Paradiso Solutions, Griban Technologies and Unisoft Communications. 

Full time Miami, Florida animators employed by U.S. companies report an average annual income of about $55,000 per year.  The mean statewide hourly wage for a professional animator in Miami is around $27.00.  This information does not reflect the incomes of part timers, freelance artists and Miami animators employed Internationally.  

Skills of a Professional Animator

Professional animated film production requires many advanced skills of the Key Animator.  Even assistant animators are talented visual artists with advanced drawing skills and familiarity with different kinds of animation software.  But Key Animators must understand interactive media design, web page construction and programming languages (especially HTML), as well as the combined skills of all other artists involved in the production.  These include photography, story boarding, lighting, prototyping and set design, to name a few.  Other desirable characteristics noticed by employers include stylistic flexibility, calmness under pressure and highly developed organizational skills.