Animation

Animators, also known as multimedia artists, are similar to cartoonists in that they create artistic caricatures, but different in that animators generally use a variety of specialized, cutting edge computer technology to create images and artwork that is computer generated. Multimedia artists primarily work in the motion picture and video industry, but also have much influence in advertising, and also computer systems design services. They generally draw by hand and use computers to create a series of images in order to animate the imagery, thereby creating computer generated scenes and special effects, as seen in movies, television programs, and computer games. An animator is similar to a cartoonist in that often, during the preliminary stages of a project, animators will draw storyboards for a television commercial, movie, or animated feature. Storyboards are similar in display to comic strips and allows advertisers to get a feel for what the finished project will look like, or for directors, producers, and cast to get a prior look at the scene. Multimedia artists often rely heavily on computer programs to make objects three dimensional and mobile, and they generally work closely with programmers.