What You Need to Know to Be Animator in Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah features as many as 60,000 commercial businesses and a thriving community of local artists.  Global advances in motion picture technology have widened the horizon of opportunities for Salt Lake City artists seeking jobs as professional animators.

Salt Lake City Schools and Training Programs for Animation

Several Salt Lake City, Utah Universities, colleges and art studios feature courses and training programs in animated design.  Local accredited design schools include Salt Lake Community College, Eagle Gate College, and University of Utah.

These days, scores of Salt Lake City artists obtain skills and degrees via virtual art colleges.  Popular online art colleges with classes and workshops in animation include University of Phoenix, ITT Tech, The Art Institutes, DeVry and Stratford Career Institute, among others.  Some cyber art schools feature supplemental physical campuses and various local resource centers.  ITT Tech has a campus in Murray, which is near Salt Lake City.  University of Phoenix and The Art Institute both maintain Salt Lake City locations.

Working as an Animator in Salt Lake City, Utah

Businesses in Salt Lake City frequently recruit the services of professional animators for purposes such as website banner ads, interactive games, mobile apps, TV cartoons, medical animation, educational media and many more.  Some Salt Lake City artists create films for local animation studios like Lumenas, Marcroft and Ricks Brothers.  Others work with local movie producers whose films include animated sequences.  Successful Salt Lake City motion picture makers include Cosmic Pictures, Expression Media Group, Multimedia Center, Metropolis Integrated Media and Lone Peak Productions.  Some local animators hold high tech positions at animation-oriented IT corporations.  Salt Lake City info tech firms include Infopia, Link Clear Technologies, Singlepoint Resources, SONAP Data Solutions and Xmission. 

Based on recent reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professional animators living in Salt Lake City, Utah earn about $53,000 per year on average, with a mean hourly wage of around $25.20.  However, this figure does not reflect the incomes of part time animators, freelance professionals or Salt Lake City animators employed with International firms.  

Today's professional animators are familiar with traditional animation techniques as well as proficient with computer-generated art.  Most modern animation is created digitally, so animators are expected to understand all the applications of professional software packages like Toon Boom Digital Pro, Maya and 3D Studio Max.  They are also handy with all computer operating systems and skilled at web page construction and interactive media design.  Traditionally speaking, animators must demonstrate good old-fashioned illustrative genius and solid photographic technique as well as layout, lighting, model making and set design skills.  Interpersonally speaking, animators are highly communicative storytellers with exceptional artistic talent and extreme self-motivation.