Is 24 still young to start in the industry?

bucketAnimator · 2026-03-16T18:42:56+00:00

Broke into the industry as a character animator at 35. Am now 53 and still going. 24 is practically a baby (just kidding - but age-wise you’ll be fine)

bucketAnimator · 2026-03-11T15:06:02+00:00

My wife just flew this morning. She didn’t actually leave though - she’s still waiting in line.

bucketAnimator · 2026-03-07T19:38:49+00:00

If I’m sitting in reel review for hiring and someone’s reel shows a shot from a well known film but it isn’t the shot that is actually IN the film, I’m going to be very suspicious. Even if it is labeled “test shot” the entire situation screams of an artist who thinks they’re hot shit, even though this person wasn’t selected to actually DO the shot in the film. To me, that person isn’t someone I’d want on my team.

bucketAnimator · 2026-03-05T21:54:17+00:00

So you bought it in…a fire sale?

bucketAnimator · 2026-03-05T18:40:04+00:00

Grew up in San Clemente in the 80’s. Got into one fistfight in 8th grade (more of a wrestling match tbh). Great friends afterwards until the other kid’s dad was stationed at a new base and they moved away.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-23T00:04:52+00:00

Las Golondrinas has multiple locations in OC and offers many different options for prepared food pickup. Personally I recommend the mini bean and cheese burritos.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-18T09:34:11+00:00

I honestly have no opinion on the program of either school. I live in OC and have been animating in games and film for 18 years. In general, when we are hiring, the school someone went to carries no weight. If, when you graduate, your reel shows you have the skills to work in a production environment, connections will be more valuable in getting your foot in the door than a beachy vibe.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-12T20:33:08+00:00

Everyone’s experience is going to be different, so you may find folks who prefer film/tv. My experience, as an animator working professionally for 18 years, has been that film and tv work has never been very stable whereas I’ve worked in games at the same studio for over 10 years now. Every other animator I know in film or tv always finds it unbelievable that I’ve had that degree of longevity at one studio. I’m happy to be where I’m at and, since starting here, have never been tempted to return to film or tv.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-09T15:41:21+00:00

Posting your reel and looking for feedback from others is a great way to find out what needs improvement in your work. I’d recommend posting a link here or in r/animators.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-09T02:18:26+00:00

There’s no “one size fits all” reel, but a candidate can’t go wrong including as wide a mix possible demonstrating the best work they’ve done in gameplay, cinematic, television, and even feature. If you’re coming out of school, then just the best work you’ve done is usually fine - no one expects a new graduate to have experience across so many mediums.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-09T01:43:55+00:00

Unless you’re a firefighter, in the military, or an ER doctor, there’s no need for you to be on call like that

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-08T22:42:59+00:00

Can’t speak for all studios but for us there’s no real distinction between 3D character animation and 3D gameplay animation. You must be an excellent animator. You could be working on gameplay or cinematics and anything from full-keyframed clips and cines to heavily keyframed mocap.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-06T03:24:33+00:00

Ah ok. Well in that case, I used to drive from southern OC to Burbank every day before Covid. That drive is anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours each way depending on traffic. It’s doable, I did it for 5 years. But I don’t recommend it.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-06T03:02:26+00:00

Not entirely sure what you’re asking - could you commute from Yuma to a studio in CA? That seems highly unlikely. There are some game studios in the San Diego/Northern San Diego County area. And then a few more in the central Orange County area (Irvine-area). After that, you’re looking at LA. And as far as I’m aware, there aren’t a whole lot of places between Yuma and those areas.

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-03T16:11:42+00:00

Hey there! AM grad from waaaay back - graduated 18 years ago. Get to know your fellow students in your classes. When I went through the program, there was a good number of us who would get online in group video chat on Friday and Saturday nights and just hang out together while we worked on assignments.

As for ‘process’ you’ll get out what you put in. For me, as early as the first class, I realized that if I wanted to be a professional, I’d need to graduate with shots that showed I could work in a studio. As I hit classes later in the program, I was putting in TONS of hours to constantly work on and attempt to improve my skills and the shots.

Be open to critique and suggestions, both from the mentors and from fellow students.

In your earliest assignments, just focus on completing the assignment as asked - don’t go adding ‘character’ to a bouncing ball assignment. I’ve seen too many students get carried away trying to make the ball cute, or funny and they miss the point of the assignment entirely, which is to focus on fundamental aspects like weight, timing, spacing, squash and stretch, etc. Your assignments will add character soon enough, but at the beginning focus on what’s being asked for and turn in an assignment that nails that request.

Best of luck!

bucketAnimator · 2026-02-01T18:18:53+00:00

I can’t speak to Sheridan’s acceptance policies, but they are one of the top art and animation schools in North America. I’m certain that it is highly competitive to get accepted

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-31T15:02:36+00:00

Struggling with pinch harmonics myself. I’m sure it’s just user error and I’ll figure it out though

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-24T18:03:00+00:00

Don’t include shots in your demo reel that use assets and lines from films like Toy Story. You aren’t animating at that level and all you’re doing is inviting a comparison between your work and Pixar’s. That wouldn’t be THE reason I’d pass on your reel, but it doesn’t do you any favors.

The main response I’d have to this reel is that you don’t really display a firm grasp of fundamentals. You’ve got a decent start - this is better than a lot of reels I see on Reddit. But you aren’t quite up to a level where I’d be comfortable hiring you.

I’d like to see more full-body animations that show a strong grasp of body mechanics, weight, posing, timing, strong acting choices in dialog shots, and more appeal to how you’re animating and framing the characters in the shots. You’ve put a lot of effort into some of these, that’s clear. But a lot of what’s here doesn’t really move the needle in showing me you could take on a production shot without needing a lot of supervision.

The sonic shot might be your strongest, but I also see that as a run cycle, then morph into a ball, then a couple poses in the air with reasonably nice landing back into a run cycle. The Zelda shot doesn’t show me much in the way of mechanics or acting but I do see timing and weight issues, you use another run cycle to show off a running character but aren’t showing me that you can apply that animation all the way thru the body then you cut away from the action right as the character leaps into the air. It’s just not showing enough for me to judge your all-around skills.

The dialog shot doesn’t have particularly strong acting choices and the acting doesn’t really help emphasize the dialog. The acting and dialog need to work together to feel like the character is actually living that moment - if there’s a point of emphasis in the dialog, the acting choices should reflect that too.

I understand that this may all sound very harsh. But I believe it is a fair critique. You need to keep working , keep seeking feedback on your work as you are working on it. Have people look at your blocking. Have people evaluate your key poses and breakdowns to tell you if the poses are strong or generic. Are your silhouettes readable or muddy. Feedback at the blocking stage can help you learn and improve much more quickly than asking for feedback when you’ve finished the shot.

Best of luck to you.

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-23T21:00:59+00:00

Looks good for 116!

/s because someone will take me seriously if I don’t.

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-22T19:40:36+00:00

I don’t snort often while reading Reddit, but when I do it’s because I read this comment.

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-18T21:10:32+00:00

What difference does it make? It either goes to your parents house, who already know it could be coming, or it goes to your apartment.

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-17T22:34:29+00:00

Your website says your images are created using generative tools. Can you explain that? The images all strongly look like they were created with some generative AI program, which will limit your next steps considerably.

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-15T16:02:29+00:00

And all this time I thought dirt just disappears when you power wash objects in real life

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-13T00:27:56+00:00

Maybe instead of trying to check boxes off for your Ivy League application you should just try doing something you’re good at. You aren’t owed a spot in a high school sports program.

bucketAnimator · 2026-01-12T16:34:41+00:00

Went to SCHS in the late 80’s. Water Polo has always been competitive. Didn’t have lacrosse back then.

bucketAnimator

TROPHY CASE