MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The current COVID-19 pandemic has made most of the businesses around the world close shop. Different industries have been gravely affected by the lockdowns that were in place during the pandemic. Most of the companies have laid off their employees due to lack of projects or income generating activities.
But one industry has remained resilient during the pandemic. This is the Animation Industry. Recent studies by the Animation Council of the Philippines have shown a steady increase in the demand for animators in different fields of expertise such as 2d, 3d, and special effects. Around the globe, the same study has shown an exponential increase in the number of the demand for content that requires animation.
Capability demands in the industry of Animation are as follows; 34% for 2d Animation, 22% for Web animation, 21% for 3d Animation, and 13% for Special Effects. This means that subjects like 2d and 3d animation are still top most priority in being equipped for a student’s future career. Animation careers are present in different applications such as advertising, television, movies, corporate applications (architecture, medicine, etc.), and game development.
During the recently concluded Goal Keepers Webinar by iACADEMY, the school’s Animation Program Chair and Animation Council of the Philippines Board of Trustee, Ms. Weena Espardinez stated that; “Animation remains a relevant industry despite the Pandemic”. To explain this, Ms. Weena reiterated that the COVID-19 Pandemic has caused people to stay at home thus in turn caused the rise for the need of content. Content which translates to the demand for animators around the world. In Asia alone, there are 4,409 animation studios present and all of them are trying to keep up with the need of content.
Other job opportunities available for Animation Graduates range from different fields. Animation graduates can choose from a variety of careers such as Traditional Animator, Creative Director, Character Concept Artist, Game Level Designer, and Motion Graphics Animator among other creative paths they can choose from. Aside from that, Animation Graduates can also choose careers in the technical side like; Technical Director, Scene Editor, Animatic Person, Game Tester, Web Developer, and Motion Capture.
Careers in Animation has also remained resilient especially for the new grads because of this demand for new content. Small and big time players are trying their hardest to cope with this demand and are in need of more people to work on this fast. Aside from the need for content, the work environment of Animators is also a big factor in it being a resilient career, wherein most of their work can be done at home.
iACADEMY is the first to offer a Bachelor’s Degree in Animation in the Philippines and now one of the leading schools in Asia to offer animation and is the first Toon Boom Center of Excellence in Asia. It is also the first one to be accredited by Toon Boom in the region and offers a 1:1 student to software ratio in terms of the use of Toon Boom. Toon Boom is the leading software used by the biggest names in the 2d animation industry.
In the Webinar, Ms. Espardinez also showcased the different “Rockstar” professors of iACADEMY who have worked on different animation giants like Disney, LucasFilms, Cartoon Network, and others.
In her closing statement, Ms Espardinez said; “Whether or not you are good in drawing, iACADEMY is sure to train you and equip you not only with the basics of animation but also with the support and skills that you need to pursue a career in animation.”
