How to Become a Freelance Animator in 2024

If you want to work in animation, one possible career path you may want to explore is working in a freelance capacity. Freelance Animators perform many of the same jobs and tasks as those who work in-house, including working with technical software, creating characters and frames, storyboarding, and editing animations. This type of employment also provides the added flexibility of remote work and the ability to work as your own boss and decide which clients and projects to take on. This article will provide a brief overview of the process of becoming a Freelance Animator and how to decide if this is the right career path for you.

Freelance vs. In-house Animator

If you’re trying to decide between in-house or freelance animation jobs, there are several key differences to remember. Those who opt to work in-house in animation can choose from many exciting career paths, including those focusing on video game design, digital advertising, medical animation, multimedia animation, or motion graphics design. These individuals typically work a standard full-time day, though they may have to work longer as deadlines for specific projects approach. These full-time positions usually include benefits, paid time off, and the promise of regular work.

Freelance Animators, on the other hand, serve as their own bosses. These individuals enjoy many perks that come along with this role. They can select which animation projects they wish to work on at any time and which they would prefer to pass on. This affords them more creative freedom than those who work in-house and must complete their assigned work. These professionals may opt for one large project, such as a feature-length movie, that takes several months (or even longer) to complete or select several shorter projects that require only weeks. Freelance Animators can choose when and where they’d like to work. Whether they wish to work on their laptop storyboarding a project at a local coffee shop or do so from the comfort of their own home, the bottom line for Freelancers is that they complete the project they were hired to work on and do so in the timeframe their client has specified. However, with this flexibility comes certain concessions, such as not receiving benefits or paid time off. It’s essentially up to the Freelance Animator to continue finding work and budgeting for variables like healthcare or days off.

Benefits & Potential Challenges of Animator Freelancing

Like any other professional path, both benefits and challenges are associated with a career in freelance animation. It’s up to you to weigh these considerations to decide if this career path is right for you.

Freelance Animators enjoy the creative freedom to decide which projects to pass on and which to tackle. This allows them to tailor their work around what they enjoy doing most and what they’re best at and avoid projects that don’t feel like they’re a good match. This may mean committing to one long project, such as animating a full-length movie, which will require at least 40 hours a week for many months, or opting for smaller jobs like editing short YouTube elearning videos on mathematics that may just take a few hours a week. Freelance Animators can pick and choose which projects they feel they are most qualified to handle or opt to explore those that offer the highest pay rates. This can lead to higher earning potentials for some individuals, particularly those with a solid educational base working with software like Adobe Animate. 

While picking and choosing freelance work is appealing to some, it also presents challenges. While this type of work allows the individual to take ownership and control over the work they select and when they do it, it also means that they are tasked with securing continuous employment. Some people may find the stress of constantly applying for new animation projects undesirable since there is no guarantee that this type of employment will be steadily available. Others, though, prefer this flexibility and can build on their reputation to gain referrals for new projects or to work with more well-established clients. Freelance Animators must negotiate their pay rates on a per-project basis, which allows them to opt for work that adequately compensates them and turn down other projects. However, when work options aren’t coming through, they may need to settle for lower-paying gigs to pay bills.

Another appealing aspect of freelance work, in general, is that it allows the individual to dictate their working schedule. So long as Freelance Animators adhere to the deadlines their clients establish or provide their contributions to their team in the timeframe that’s been mutually agreed upon, they can generally opt to work any time they want. Some Freelancers may prefer to work at night after their kids go to bed for a few hours, whereas others may prefer to get up early and work four long, full days a week to create their animations. Freelance Animators can opt to take days or even weeks off as they see fit for travel or other commitments. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this time off is not paid. This means they must be good at budgeting to account for periods of non-work. Additionally, since freelance roles don’t provide benefits, it’s up to the individual to set money aside from various projects to purchase healthcare and devote funds to retirement.

For self-motivated individuals who enjoy being their own boss, freelance work has many appealing aspects. To succeed in this role, it’s essential to be self-motivated and able to handle various business management responsibilities that an in-house employer would otherwise take care of. You must also be willing and able to seek new animation projects as necessary and promote yourself regularly with a current resume and LinkedIn profile. Those who prefer this work environment and are motivated to work freelance can find many high-paying professional options awaiting them across industries and professions.

What is an Animator?

Animators bring characters, objects, and scenes to life by placing images in a sequence that suggests movement. They may use hand-drawn or computer-generated images or a combination of both. Animators are often involved in the full scope of a project, from developing new concepts to designing characters and backgrounds and outlining the animation sequence in storyboards. They begin an animation sequence by creating keyframes, the main points of movement, and then develop the in-between frames that ensure smooth motion. 

Animators usually report to a Creative Director or Animation Director and might also work closely with writers, other artists, and technical staff. On larger projects, Animators may be part of a team who are each assigned specific roles, such as Character Animation, Background Animation, or Special Effects Animator. Animation is often used in movies, television shows, video games, websites, and other media. In the games industry, animators are known as Computer Graphics (CG) or 3D Animators and may collaborate with programmers and artists. In the animation industry, Animators work from a brief provided by the Director or Animation Director and a storyboard developed by the Storyboard Artist. A Special Effects Supervisor, known as an SFX Supervisor, is usually in charge of the special effects team on a film or television production.

The working environment for Animators can vary greatly, depending on their place of employment and current project. Some Animators work in studios as part of a larger team and collaborate closely with other artists and designers. The team-based environment can be fast-paced, with many brainstorming sessions and group meetings. Freelance Animators work more independently and manage their own schedules and client communications. Being an Animator requires a mix of creativity, technical skills, and attention to detail. Animators need to keep up with the latest animation software and techniques, and they must be able to adapt their style to fit different projects. 

What is Freelance Animation Like?

Now that you’ve decided to pursue a career in animation, you may wonder whether freelancing would be a good option for you. Before you can make this decision, you may wonder what a day in the life looks like for a Freelance Animator. Each freelance job varies depending on the project being completed, the client’s needs, and the industry of employment. For example, rotoscoping a live action fight scene for a full-length film would differ greatly from completing final animation edits on a children’s video game. However, the uniform thread in all freelance animation roles is the need to balance career-specific tasks with the business end of being self-employed.

One of the main differences between freelance animation work and studio projects is the logistics of receiving assignments. In studios, supervisors assign the Animator regular projects. On the other hand, freelance work requires that the Animator find an audience base, negotiate with them about project parameters and pay rates, and finalize arrangements before they get started on the actual animation. Freelance Animators must wear many hats to perform all these tasks successfully. When working on a freelance basis, some animation projects are easier to come by, especially for those with a solid reputation in this field and a client base willing to provide recommendations. Other newer and less established Animators may find it harder and more time-consuming to continuously seek out new work. This process involves having a current resume and cover letter, an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, and a professional portfolio ready to share with prospective clients. For many Freelancers, a portion of each day of work needs to be devoted to bookkeeping tasks or securing new employment.

Once a Freelance Animator establishes a relationship with a client, the next step is negotiating a contract. This is a requirement for each new project. The Freelancer will have to agree to (or negotiate) a pay rate, a timeframe within which the project will be complete, and the general requirements they must perform to receive compensation. This contract may also include information pertaining to when payment will be sent and how it will be delivered. They will then need to remain in contact with the client as often as necessary during the work process. Some clients may prefer regular progress updates, whereas others may find it sufficient to allow the Animator to work independently so long as they can be trusted to meet the deadline.

Is Freelance Animation Right for Me?

The choice of whether to pursue freelance animation work is one all individuals must make for themselves. While some people thrive in the freelance capacity as their own bosses, this type of employment isn’t for everyone. Those who hope to succeed in freelance animation roles must be self-motivated and good at time management. In addition to satisfying the deadlines their clients establish, which may involve working with others involved in an animation project, this type of employment also entails constantly finding time to seek out new work and apply for new gigs. It’s also important to always have up-to-date job application materials that reflect your best work and why you’re a good candidate for prospective jobs. These materials will likely need to be tailored to each role you’re applying for, which can require additional time and effort.

Freelancers also must be able to perform business tasks like budgeting for dry spells at work, travel, or illness. They may also have to know how much money to set aside for healthcare-related costs, retirement, or other factors that would be covered by full-time, in-house employment at a studio. To feel comfortable as a Freelance Animator and succeed in this role, therefore, it’s important to be a highly motivated individual who doesn’t require the stability of a 40-hour workweek every week and who can live with a little bit of uncertainty in exchange for the flexibility of being your own boss.

Steps to Become a Freelance Animator

A career in animation can be an exciting professional path to explore, one that presents new avenues into creativity with every project. If you’re just getting started working with animation and wonder what steps you should take to pursue this career path, there are several staples along the way that most aspiring Animators will find useful to break into this career. A good starting place is some preliminary research into the animation industry. Animators can pursue many types of careers, including work with video games, TV, or film. While these often overlap, it’s good to decide for yourself what route you’re most interested in and what your creative and personal goals are. 

The next step most Animators will need to do is to develop their technical and artistic skills. Visual storytelling is a creative process that involves well-developed artistic skills and a knack for illustration. Some learners will benefit from enrolling in a class to acquire this training, whereas others may prefer to self-teach with asynchronous content like YouTube videos and on-demand coursework. Some of the core technical tools that are important for most Animators to be familiar with are Adobe Animate and Cinema 4D. 

Developing a professional portfolio is another crucial component to becoming an Animator. An impressive portfolio can open many professional doors. Most portfolios include more than just animated clips; they also offer a context that posits the creative decisions that were made and illustrates the process that led to these pieces. Portfolios may include storyboards for this reason. It’s a good rule when constructing a professional portfolio to focus on quality rather than quantity and select pieces that showcase a range of artistic techniques and styles. One popular tool for creating an animation portfolio is to work with Adobe Portfolio, which is part of Adobe CC and helps users create a full website they can share with prospective employers.

Because animation techniques constantly evolve to reflect new technology and best practices, it’s essential for Animators to stay current on new animation applications and the new features or updates provided to existing tools. The animation industry is fluid and always changing, which means Animators need to be ready and willing to adapt to these changes.

In addition to all the skills of a regular Animator, Freelance Animators must also be able to run their own business. This requires knowledge of contract law and finance. They too will need to market their animation services. This may require skills in social media marketing or web design. Even freelance Animators who plan to contract consultants to help run their small business should have a basic understanding of these areas in order to anticipate what sorts of outsourcing they may require.

Learn the Skills to Become an Animator at Noble Desktop

If you want to learn animation, Noble Desktop has several exciting educational opportunities available for individuals at all proficiency levels. In Noble’s Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate, participants receive comprehensive hands-on training that is intended to prepare them to pursue a career in motion graphics or video editing. Instruction is provided on core Adobe apps like Cinema 4D Lite, After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Audition. All participants in this program create a professional demo reel that can be shared with prospective employers. This certificate program includes eight 1-on-1 mentoring sessions. Financing options are available.

If you’d like to take your motion graphics skills to the next level, you can do so in Noble’s Motion Graphics Certificate. This intensive program teaches students how to create visual effects and motion graphics using Adobe After Effects. Participants study how to make 3D animations using Cinema 4D Lite. They also explore how to edit videos with Adobe Premiere Pro. This certificate program teaches students how to develop a project from concept into design and ultimately to fully animated graphics. Graduates of this program leave with a demo reel of motion graphics projects that can be shared with future employers to highlight their skills. Five 1-on-1 mentoring sessions are provided as part of this program.

For those who want to focus their training on a specific Adobe application, Noble offers After Effects Bootcamp. This hands-on program takes students from the basics of animation, such as how to navigate the workplace, up to advanced techniques, including green screen removal and motion tracking. An expert instructor with real-world animation experience teaches this project-based course. Tuition includes a bonus 1-on-1 mentoring session that can be used to drill down on difficult bootcamp concepts or for professional development purposes.

All Noble courses include a free course retake for up to one year. Instruction is provided in person in New York City and live online.