I need to find animators/artists for my short film!
Finding quality artists is key to making a successful film. No one is good at creating all of the assets. each part of the process demands a different skill set from the artist. Some artists are more artistic and some are more technical. ~Good luck!
How much will a quality animator/CG artist cost me?
The cost of CG artists varies from person to person depending on their experience and the complexity of the job. Below, is a simplistic breakdown.
Most experienced animators/CG artists working in features and game production make anywhere from $2,000-4,000 a week. Animation for a shot (depending on complexity) can take 2-12 weeks to create while simple game animation moves can be created in a couple hours to a couple days, on average. You can expect a character model to take up to a month to build, again depending on complexity. Most photorealistic models in features can take up to six months to build with revisions by the director in production. Texturing and lighting also can take up to 12 weeks a shot if it is very complex. For a film, some assets can be reused, such as lighting, props and models.
Tim and cost depends on the look/dev and complexity in design, as well as how many characters are in a shot.
Cartoony characters and lighting are easier. More realistic looks like robots (Pac Rim) and creatures (LOTR) are the most difficult.
- Animator Student/Nice Guy: Free-$500 a week/~12$ an hour
- Intermediate: 500-1000$ a week/25$ an hour
- Advanced/Experienced/Senior: $2000-3k a week/50-75$ an hour
- Director/Supervisor: $4000-6000 a week/100-150$ an hour
Places to find CG Animators/Artists:
- 11 Second Club Forum: Making A Short Film
- 11 Second Club Forum: Job Board
- Creative Crash Animation Forum
- Creative Crash Animation Forum
- CG Society Collaborative Team Projects
- CG Society General Discussion
- CG Society Character Rigging
- CG Society Animation
- Unity Collaboration Forum
- Digital Tutors General Discussion Forum
- Polycount – Unpaid Work Forum
- Polycount – Freelance Work Forum
- AWN Animation Co-Op Forum
- Upwork
Linkedin is a Great Resource:
Also Approach Animation Schools that Teach Rigging:
How to write an ad to find an animator or CG artist for your film?
A couple rules first:
- Do not post an ask for free rigging on a job board
- Be very clear about pay and expectations in your ad.
Example Animator/CG Artist Request Ad for Forums:
Hi, my name is xxxxxxxx. I need a “artist-type” for a paid/unpaid position. I am a (serious) director working on a short film. (xxx sec long) The film will submitted to competitions and animation festivals all over the world, but will NOT be used in a commercial context. So, making money off the final output is NOT the goal. The rigger will get $xxxx, full credit and special thanks. I am a student in school, so this is all I can offer at this time.
Let me know if you or you know someone who is interested. I can share more information including the character mesh and details.
Overview of animation style and complexity: (Choose from this list for your needs)
- Photorealistic motion
- Cartoony motion and smear frames
- Broad Motion and Body Mechanics
- Close-Up Dialog and Acting
- Animating and revising basic lip-sync animation
- Familiarity with animating props and complex constraints
- Quad and creature motion
- Hand animation of appendages like tails, no dynamics
- Dynamics and simulation animation
- Revise character animation in a timely manner
Overview of asset style and complexity: (Choose from this list for your needs)
If you are interested, please send me links to your reel and/or website videos with your work.
- Organic modeling
- Hard surface modeling
- UV mapping
- Texture painting
- Matte painting
- Design and implement lighting for designated shots
- Compositing and Rendering of all elements and layers for each shot.
- You can create FK/IK switches in arms.
- You take pride in what you do, but can take critique/feedback and implement it.
- You can work independently and get work done on time.
- You know modeling to the extent where you can fix a pre-made model and get the deformations to move cleanly.
A little about me – websitexxxx.com
Thank you for your time,
Your name