As a premier company in the animation industry, we are frequently asked questions about breaking into the production field — What schools do we typically recruit from? What skills do we look for? Etc. As a result, the Human Resources department has worked along with the various departments at Blue Sky to create the following list of answers for the most frequently asked questions. We hope you find the following compilation helpful and welcome any further questions.

• What schools should I attend?
• What types of courses should I take?
• What types of Software should I know?
• What types of drawing should I have?
• What are the starting salaries?
• How do I get into the field?
• What’s the future growth potential for the animation industry?
• What skills/traits does it take to be in animation?
• What do we look for in an employment application?
• What does Blue Sky look for in a demo reel?

What schools should I attend?

Whatever school you decide to attend, we strongly suggest you first take a look at their success in placing other graduates in your field of interest. Here are some of the schools that we think have a good track record of success in the animation field.

• Animator:
  California Institute of the Arts
  New York University
  Parsons School of Design
  Pratt Institute
  Rhode Island School of Design
  Ringling School of Art and Design
  Sheridan College
  Full Sail

• Technical Director:
  Clemson University
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  SVA (School of Visual Arts)
  Arizona State
  Carnegie-Mellon University
  Cornell University
  Ohio State University
  Texas A&M
  University of Illinois
  Skidmore College
  NYU (New York University)

What types of courses should I take?

Most of our employees have degrees in the following disciplines — desire and talent are as important as academic accomplishment.

• Animator: Fine Arts Degree Course work should include fine arts, animation, life drawings, film classes (film making, storyboarding, video editing, special effects, anything around making and understanding films) and acting classes to help understand movement.
  
  
• Technical Director: Fine Art or Computer Science Degree Course work should include computer science, computer graphics, theatre, fine arts, studio, photography, industrial design, architecture and any other courses that help to explain the effects of lighting. Technical Directors generally have the widest range including degrees in Forestry and Classics.
  
  
• Modeler: Fine Arts Degree Course work should include figurative sculpting, painting and computer modeling.

What types of Software should I know?

The following software is currently used at Blue Sky:

• Animator: Maya*, Softimage, 3D Studio or similar.
• Technical Director: Maya*, Houdini, Renderman/Mental Ray and Realflow*
• Modeler: Maya* and Studio Paint
• Painter/Compositor: Shake*, Inferno/Flame* and Storm, and Combustion*

• Animator: Life drawings that demonstrate the ability to pose and show movement and the understanding of anatomy.
  
  
• Modeler: Life or organic drawings that demonstrate an understanding of light and form.

What are the starting salaries?

This is a constantly changing number and salaries can vary greatly depending on the area and position. The best source for this type of information would be a salary survey. Check the SIGGRAPH website. In general, our salaries are competitive within the industry.

How do I get into the field?

Everyone has “a story”. However, here are some common denominators:

• Establish industry contacts by attending industry conventions such as SIGGRAPH (www.siggraph.org).
• Seek internships.
• Join organizations such as ACM (www.siggraph.org) and ASIFA (www.yrd.com/ASIFA).
• Get on mailing lists such as CG-CHAR (www.cg-char.com) and ACM.
• Do your own personal project and get it posted on websites such as www.3dcafe.com.

What’s the future growth potential for the animation industry?

There is always room for good talent in the animation world. However, the growth in this field has leveled off in the past few years due to the increased number of trained applicants in the job market and the limited amount of production companies focused on this industry.

What skills/traits does it take to work at Blue Sky Studios?

In general, a willingness to work hard, as well as being detail oriented and highly organized, with good communication skills and a team player attitude.

• Animator: Good drawings; good eye for movement, flow of action and expression.
  
  
• Technical Director: Good eye for visual composition, technical aptitude, familiarity with programming concepts, understanding of shading and lighting concepts and underlying principles.
  
  
• Modeler: Traditional Art background, especially sculpting, and an understanding of light and form.

What do we look for in an employment application?

To evaluate candidates, we require a resume and brief cover letter indicating your area(s) of interest. Most positions require a reel and a reel breakdown. Modeling candidates should also include portfolio of sculpting and painting. Applicants seeking Storyboard and Layout Artist positions must only submit a portfolio. Make sure to include a high quality fine arts portfolio that supports the job for which you are applying. Do not send CG reel printouts. DO NOT submit original works, as we are unable to return materials sent to us.

What does Blue Sky look for in a demo reel or portfolio?

In addition to the demo reel or portfolio, we also require a resume, brief cover letter indicating your area(s) of interest and a reel breakdown. DO NOT submit original works, as we are unable to return materials sent to us. Applicant information is kept on file for one year. You are welcome to submit any new/updated information after that time.

Do

• Consider your audience, put in quality work
• Send demo reels in VHS/NTSC format or DVD (region-free)
  • Pop your tabs. Rewind your tape.
• Put best work first on reel.
• Keep it short (about 3 minutes).
• Include a reel break down.
• Label your tape or DVD clearly.
• If submitting a reel, include drawings only if it will help your application.
• Show acting (if applying for character animator).
  • Wire frames with solid motion are better than full textured renderings.
• Simple and well done is better than complex and mediocre.
• Only display your capabilities.
• Focus your reel in one area.
• Show someone in the industry your reel first (get honest feedback).
• Show turn tables of models both completely shaded and wire framed (if applying for Modeler).
• Clearly indicate your role on group projects.

Don’t

• Send inappropriate or plagiarized material.
• Repeat animation.
• Send large cumbersome packages.
• Show work you don’t want to be asked to do.
• Show work that shouldn’t be reviewed yet.