Animator interview questions and answers
These Animator interview questions will help you interview candidates and select the best among them.
Animator Interview Questions
Animators are those behind the fascinating visuals of games, videos and animated films. They may work in animation studios, other private firms (advertising, graphic design etc.) or freelance. They typically possess a degree in computer animation, fine arts or graphic design. You may find animators who are generalists and those who are specialized in one techniques such as modeling or lighting. Work experience is usually required, unless you’re hiring for an entry level position.
It’s very useful to ask candidates to send you a portfolio/demo reel. It’ll give you insight on how creative they are and what kind of techniques they’re more familiar with. If their work impresses you, call them in for an interview and discuss it — ask them how they created their animations and how much time it took them. If the candidates submit printed artwork as well, all the better for you, since you’ll know who has a truly artistic nature instead of just computer expertise.
Try also to assess key skills for an animator like collaboration, problem-solving and storytelling. The best candidates will be clear and enthusiastic when talking about the process of making animation and will demonstrate excellent project management skills. Dedicate some time to discover their motivation for applying to your open position. You want people who share your company’s direction (e.g. motion pictures, advertising etc.) for animation projects.
Operational and Situational questions
- How do you go about creating storyboards?
- Imagine you submit raw designs to a customer many times and they keep rejecting them. What do you do?
- If you were working on a project and suddenly the deadline changed, how would you handle it?
Role-specific questions
- What attracts you to our company?
- How do you keep up with animation trends?
- What animation methods are you most familiar with?
- When do you think it’s better to use MoCap instead of animation?
- Are you more skilled in acting or action?
- How good are you at rigging?
- What software do you use more often?
- What inspires you when making animations?
- Which games do you play? How would you improve them?
Behavioral questions
- What project in your portfolio/reel are you most proud of and why? What’s the weakest and how could you have improved it?
- Tell me about a time you found it difficult to make others accept your ideas. What did you do?
- Recall a time you fell behind schedule when working on a project. What did you do to finish on time?