How to Become a Flash Animator: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Jobs, Scope, Salary

How to Become a Flash Animator: Quick Facts 

What does a Flash Animator do?

There are a list of things that are done by a Flash Animator, some of them are listed below for your reference,

1. A flash animator is skilled in animation, digitally modifying websites, videos, creating new features in video games,films etc.They use animation,motion graphics for different advertising purposes.
2. They are expertised in various software applications like Adobe Animate CC (previously Adobe Flash), Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, Studio Max etc.They produce design,art ,layout skills and High level command in high –end 3D packages.They design multimedia presentations.
3. They work with the latest technology used to create the finished product.Flash animators also provide visual effects in movies,video games and television programmes.They use Adobe Flash to integrate and merge bitmaps and other raster data and also create various web cartoons.
4. They create various characters , scenes,movements in their own studios.The various softwares other than Adobe Flash on which a Flash Animator works are: Toon Boom,Xara Photo and Graphic Designer,Serif DrawPlus, CelAction 2D,Express Animator,Anime Studio etc.

Steps to Become a Flash Animator

Below mentioned are few of the steps one can adhere to if they aspire to take up flash animation as their profession,

1. Decision making: The primary step in order to become a flash animator is to make a decision at the childhood stage itself whether to pursue a career in this field or not. A child should develop interests in editing photos in their phone.They should start and practice editing videos and photos during their childhood.If possible they should also be guided by a professional flash animator during their childhood in order to develop the key skills in animation.They should also chechk the career options,job opportunities and salary offered in their country and abroad while pursuing a career in animation.
2. Selection of subjects after 12th: After 12th the students can opt for various undergraduate courses in animation irrespective of the stream from which they come from.They need to choose the subjects in their undergraduate courses.They different subjects which they can choose and will be beneficial to them in future while pursuing a career in flash animator are as follows: Sketching and Designing,Culture and Design Studies,Craft Design Studies,,History of Art and Design, Visualization Techniques,Society, Environment and Design,Introduction to Design for Moving Images,Information Collection and Analysis,Classical Animation Techniques,Storytelling for Visual Media etc.
3. Different courses to pursue after 12th: The different undergraduate courses on animation offered by various colleges are: B.Sc Animation and Multimedia, B.Des Animation , B.Des Graphic Design , B.Des in Product Design, B.Des Film & Video , B.Des User Experience & Design etc.

Admission Process: The admission process in different institutions to various undergraduate courses is either entrance based or on the basis of merit. The eligibility criteria is 12th pass in any stream.There are various entrance exams such as CEED, NID Design Test, UCEED, UID Design Aptitude Test, AIEED, MITID DAT Exam etc.

• Criteria for choosing institutions and courses: While choosing an institute to pursue a career in flash animation, one needs to look for an institute for highest quality of teaching and course level.They need to check the term of course, faculty and course fee.They also need to know the job opportunities and placement areas after pursuing the course. The quality of education can also be measured by the fee.Higher course fee ensures higher quality of education.
• After Graduation: After graduation you can either opt to join any industry relevant to your field of study or pursue post graduation in the same field of study.

Types of Flash Animators

On the basis of seniority levels, there are three types of Flash Animators, below are enlisted the different types of Flash Animators for your reference,

1. Animator: Flash Animators join job as an animator.Their basic responsibilities include reading different scripts and storylines to understand the various requirements in animation activities.They prepare presentations with original content and designs for the customers.They develop storyboards for the starting steps of various p[roduction.They should be used to stop motion animation,Project Management,expert in software applications. They should have excellent teamwork communication skills.They must be able to meet the targets and be comfortable in working with deadlines.
2. Lead Animator: Lead Animator is the chief of animators.He is the incharge of various animation projects such as Television programs,Films,Video games, Channel Programs etc. He is the head of a team of animators. So, He should have excellent teamwork and Communication Skills.He should be able to take up various animation Projects and be able to schedule and plan out the various steps for the completion of the project. He should be well understandable to his team members and possess excellent skills on distribution of work among his team members.
3. Senior Animator: Senior Animator is the supervisor of all the animation projects. He is above a lead Animator.He leads his team and supports them in various projects.He creates complex animation assets and helps his team members in the completion of various animation activities. He creates projects and monitors all the steps in the completion of the projects.

Courses to Become a Flash Animator 

Below mentioned are few of the top courses that one can pursue, in order to become a flash animator,

B.Sc Animation and Multimedia 

It is a three year undergraduate degree course which offers extensive knowledge on 2D and 3D animation technologies,multimedia and softwares like VFX.

1. Students get to learn about editing sound,creating sound,creating films and VFX. They learn to work with producers,directors and actors.
2. The different institutions which offer this course are: Vellore Institute of Technology, Birla Institute of Technology, Arena Animation and Vogue Institute Of Fashion Technology.
3. The average course fee for these institutes range from INR 50,000-3,00,000 per year. The job prospects for this course is high and the mean annual salary is INR 3,00,000 – 6,00,000 per year.

Admission Process: The admission process for this course is entrance based or merit based.

Eligibility Criteria : Students should clear their class 12th board exams from any recognised board with minimum 50% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA.

B.Des in Animation 

Bachelor of Design is a 3-4 year undergraduate degree course which involves extensive study in the fields of drawing,visual arts,animation and story telling.The students are trained to produce creative content in various media platforms.

1. They are exposed to advanced communication skills through animation,career prospects for the successful graduates from this program include Creative Directors, Artists, Producers, Character Designers,Consultants and Animators in different organizations such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Tata Interactive, Infosys, MTV,Channel V.In India, only two institutes offer this course.
2. Some of the top institutes offering this course are Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune and National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. 
3. The average course fee in the institutions is 1-3 lacs per year while the average salary of graduates from these institutes ranges from 3-6 lacs.

Eligibility Criteria: Students should clear their class 12th board exams in any stream with a minimum of 50% marks from a recognized board.

B.Des in Graphic Design 

B.Des Graphic Design is a 4 year undergraduate course in which students are exposed to advanced visual content designing skills.These help the students develop their communication skills with a large group of people.

1. The course involves extensive theoretical and practical training on Visual Cultures,Drawing,2D & 3D etc. Successful graduates from this course can get employed in different Publication Houses, Advertising Industry,Computer game Companies, Packaging Industries and Multimedia Companies.
2. They can also work in various other sectors like Fashion media, Fashion marketing,Shopping malls,offices,management etc.
3. The various institutes which offer this course are Pearl Academy,New Delhi, Industrial Design Centre, Mumbai, MIT Institute of Design,Maharashtra etc.

Eligibility Criteria: Students should clear their class 12th from a recognized board with 50% marks aggregate.

B.Des in Product Design 

It is a 4 year undergraduate program offered by various deemed institutions in India. The course consists of eight semesters.These institutions provide both full time and part time courses in the field.

1. A product design course involves creating new ideas for designing a product so that the product is suitable for sale in the market.
2. The various institutions offering this course in India are IIT Bombay, National Institute of Design, United World Institute of Design, GLS University, Ahmedabad.
3. The course is provided with a lot of job opportunities and the best platform for anyone to produce their skills in innovation.
4. The course fee is INR 45,000-2,00,000.The average salary for the graduates of this course ranges from 3-10 lacs.

Eligibility Criteria: Students should clear their class 12th from a recognized board with 50-55% marks in aggregate.

B.Des User Experience & Design 

It is a 4 yr undergraduate course which deals with subjects like principles of Design,Design Process, Leadership and Teamwork, Computer Applications, Critical Thinking and Writing, Material Exploration, Principles of Information Design, Design Thinking,Ethical Leadership,Cognitive Ergonomics,Multimodal system and Interface Design ,Research Methods, Machine Learning for Designers etc. 

• The various job positions for the successful graduates in these courses are: Production Designer,Art Director,Filmmaker,Video Editor,Flash Animator etc.
• The industries in which the graduates can work are tv channels,government agencies,corporate films,advertising agencies,production houses etc.

• The average course fee for the course is INR 90,000-2,00,000.

Eligibility Criteria: Students should clear their class 12th from a recognized board with an aggregate of 50% marks.