I interviewed a talented freelance animator in Australia named Josiah Brooks, who goes by the pseudonym Jazza. In this interview I will be asking about how he started his career in animation, and any advice that he may have for myself along with any other aspiring artists.

When did you decide to be an animator?

Well, when I was young I was always drawing. I wanted to make my thoughts come to life. When I entered high school I took a graphics design course and on the computers was Adobe Flash (an animation program). So in between assignments I would practice flash animations with stick figures and eventual I got my own setup at home and started developing my style. So I suppose when I was around fifteen was when I started.

Did you attempt to go to an animation college or try to get a job at a place like Disney, for example?

I come from a large Mormon family so I couldn’t really afford to go to a college even if I wanted to. As for working at a place like Disney, I suppose when I first started I aspired to work there, I think most beginners do. But really it wasn’t really feasible for me and I pretty much just wanted to do my own thing.

How did you get your start as a freelance animator?

Around 2005 I joined a website called NewGrounds.com. It was a really great site full of other people like me, who were young artists looking to collaborate. It was great for networking and I met a lot of cool people who I still work with today.

As a freelance animator, you are not employed. Are you earning a suitable amount of income?

I make a comfortable amount, though it varies depending on the circumstances. My main source of revenue is through my videos on Youtube. I also do short freelance animations or illustrations for small companies to provide extra income.

On average, how long does it take to make an animation about thirty seconds long?

That’s mostly dependent on the context of the video. If I make an action scene there will be lots of movement and whatnot so it could easily take a month or two to complete. If I make a video doesn’t require as much effort and is mostly lip syncing, I’d say around a week or two.

How do you stay motivated when animating?

I find successes in the little things, like completing individual scenes or making a really cool composition. Animating is tough work, but it really pays off to see it all come together at the end.

What technology do you use to make your animations?

I have a 24 inch Cintiq monitor, an Oktava MK-319 microphone, Adobe Flash for animating, and Adobe Photoshop for illustrating backgrounds.

Do you have a scheduled amount of time for animating?

I try to animate for at least five to eight hours a day usually. If I’m working on something that I really enjoy then I will spend most of my time working on it, often forgetting to eat and such.

Are you working on a major project right now?

Currently I’m in the midst of starting a creative community called “By Artists For Artists”, or BAFA for short, where there will be group collaborative projects, artists showcases, and a lot of other great stuff. I really want to get new artists working together like I did when I started on NewGrounds.

Do you have any advice for any amateur artists?

Don’t become an animator for fame or fortune, do it because you love it. Try drawing an animating everyday and upload your stuff on Youtube. I highly encourage new artists to network like crazy because it’s never a bad thing to have too many friends, that’s why I’m creating BAFA.

I would like to thank Jazza for the interview, he shared plenty of great information with me.

The job has no official title, or any specific requirements really. No skills or education are necessary, and you don’t even have to show up to work, wherever that may be. For this position all that is really necessary is to do whatever you feel like. You will be payed an annual salary of $100,000 with benefits.

I suppose my first answer is a bit trite, but as unrealistic it is I would consider it to be my dream job. At least this way there wouldn’t be any pressure to perform to a certain standard and there is not any risk involved. However, I get the feeling that this assignment might require me post a more realistic dream job position.

Animation Director

The role of the animation director is to provide an idea for an animation, whether it be a cartoon series or film. They are to be heavily involved in the script creating process and are expected to be involved in the other areas of animation. These include creating storyboards (scene direction through the use of drawings accompanied by short descriptions), animatics (a rough animated outline of how the animation may progress), sound direction (choosing sound effects, music, and voice actors), and background art. The director should make sure that every element of the animation flows correctly to make the idea of the animation come to life.

That is the basic outline of what i would want my position to be. I enjoy the entire process of animation and I would like to be involved in the entirety of its production, and animation director would be the perfect position. In my previous posts I talked about wanting to be an animator. This is true, because before I can become an animation director I need to develop my own portfolio of work and prove that I can produce high quality material. Independent animation is what I will be pursuing for the time being. Eventually I can work my way up to a point where i can work with a team of people to create something great.

Well first off, my intended career is to become a traditional animator either employed by a network or independently (or both). In this profession it isn’t so much the degree that is important, but rather a portfolio showcasing all of my work. The only major offered by the University of Delaware that offers any classes even remotely related to animation seems to be visual communications, so this blog post will be written under the assumption that visual communications is my major.

The visual communications major offers courses related to marketing and graphic design mostly. Graphic design could have to do with animation if it involves graphic animation, in this case on websites with the types of ads you see on the side with the moving graphics. This ties into the marketing aspects of the visual communications major because it is, well, advertising. I would be creating a small, cruddy, advertisement that could be easily be produced in about an hour that would do nothing but annoy people while they are browsing. This is the boring spectrum of animation. As for how the visual communications major connects with my own personal skills, I already have a proficient understanding of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Flash. The classes would be much more manageable, and easier, with this knowledge. The visual communications degree would be most useful if I were applying to a company to be a graphic designer or a web designer.

It’s difficult to discuss this because anybody interested in an animation career really shouldn’t be going to a school for an art degree, unless they go to CalArts which really isn’t affordable for me. It would be better for myself to go into a different major while I pursue my animation career independently, but no other major seems of any interest to me, so I’ll just see how things work out.

So is it better to study what you love, or what will land you in a safe career? I’m not sure that I have an answer to this question. In fact, there may not even be a correct answer to this question, because it seems that the answer is entirely dependent on who is asked the question. If this questioned is asked to somebody who lived a successful life doing what they loved, they will most likely tell you it’s better to study what you love. If this question is asked to somebody who couldn’t do what they loved, or managed a successful life pursuing an area strictly for their job, they may tell you to study for a job instead.

Again, I’m not sure that I have an answer to this question. What would I like though? I would like for everybody to be able to have a career purely focused on what they love to do. That won’t happen, it can’t happen. However, I think that anybody can achieve their desires if they have the will power to overcome any obstacles, especially their doubts, in order to reach their dreams. Not everybody is capable of doing that.

I will be doing what I want to do, and that is to animate. I want to be able to create any story I want, create any character I want, create any setting I want, and have them all dancing together on people’s screens. I want to create something that will make even just one person, upon seeing it, realize they want to do the same thing as me. I decided to be an animator the summer before entering college, and everyday it seems like a better option for me. The past two years I have been working hard on my own to understand the principles of animation, practicing the fundamentals of drawing, and understanding proper storytelling.

I want to embrace my dream, and I will because I have the resolve to do it. So if I were to try answering that question again, is it better to study what you love, or what will land you a career? My answer would be to do what you think will make you the happiest at the end of your life.