Flash Animation

Flash Animation Career Overview

A Flash animation career combines the elements of a Web developer position with those of a commercial multimedia artist. Flash is used not only to create animations, but also to add interactive elements to Web pages, often extensively enough that entire Web sites are constructed in Flash. As an animation tool, the format has applications in commercials, promotional materials, and entire television shows or Web episodes.

Multimedia art and animation employed more people than any other specific artistic field in 2006, but most animators are self-employed. Nonetheless, the Department of Labor Statistics estimates that the computer applications of emerging animation vehicles such as Flash will foster significantly above-average growth for the occupation.

Flash Animation Career Education & Training

A Flash animator or developer may not strictly require a degree, but these are generally common in computer-oriented design and service fields, wherein about 75 percent of workers have degrees. At least some form of training is often necessary to succeed due to the technical knowledge required in working with Flash and related programs.

Courses in Flash animation involve both the principles of animation and the particular functionality of the Flash platform. These elements involve layers, motion tweening, onion skinning, morphing, and working with symbols. Advanced Flash animation also deals with writing and manipulating ActionScript, the scripting language on which the Flash platform operates, which is becoming more important due to its use in Rich Internet applications.

Flash Animation Career & Salary Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies the employment and salary specifics of multimedia animators by the industries in which they work. A Flash animator working in computer design can expect a median salary of $57,820; in software publishing, $64,820; and in film and television, $71,910. The mean annual wage across all multimedia animators is $62,380.

On average, employment of animators is expected to grow through 2016, in large part due to the computer applications of animation, but also due to its increasing use in other fields (such as scientific research). Flash animation also benefits from the growing market for content specific to mobile devices. Multimedia art and animation is expected to see the largest growth out of all the art disciplines, a well-above-average 26 percent growth over ten years.

Characteristics of a Successful Flash Animator

A Flash animator employed by a company is likely to work an ordinary schedule, but since 62 percent of workers in art-related fields are self-employed, an animator's schedule is more likely to be determined by his or her motivation and time management. Due to the fact that Flash animation is a growing but competitive field, and simpler animation tasks may be outsourced overseas, animators without regular employment must be dedicated and diligent enough to secure available work opportunities.

If employed in any storytelling medium—film, television, or even advertising—a Flash animator will need a sense of narrative and artistic ability in order to storyboard and develop a final product. The ability to develop and present an effective portfolio is as relevant to an animator as it is to any other artistic occupation. Technical ability is crucial, particularly where advanced ActionScript techniques are involved, but artistic talent is just as important.

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