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Special Effects Artists and Animators: Workplace Records
Animation work can move from a storyboard to a scene or model while the broader production schedule changes around it. When feedback about delivery becomes an employment concern, organize the record around the specific sequence assigned to you. A storyboard decision, an animation submission and a production milestone describe different stages.
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A record map for your role
What to organize first
Storyboard reference
Identify the scene direction and version actually supplied to you.
Contribution boundary
Record your submitted element and its handoff without claiming authorship of later changes.
Deadline change
Connect a new scope request to the delivery expectation stated afterward.
Employment account
Retain your permitted notice, response and actual-hour record separately from production estimates.
Start with the work you actually do
Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Special Effects Artists and Animators (27-1014.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Apply story development, directing, cinematography, and editing to animation to create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters.Source task 6886 · updated 08/2019
- Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.Source task 6883 · updated 08/2019
- Participate in design and production of multimedia campaigns, handling budgeting and scheduling, and assisting with such responsibilities as production coordination, background design, and progress tracking.Source task 6893 · updated 08/2019
Identify the story direction supplied for your scene
Note the permitted sequence reference and storyboard version available when the assignment began. If a key scene or character action changed, record when the new direction reached you and what work was requested afterward. Do not describe a later storyboard as the instruction you originally received. Use references and your own permitted assignment messages instead of copying unpublished story material.
Keep scene work separate from later assembly
Identify whether your contribution involved a model, an image sequence or another assigned element, and when you submitted it for review. If feedback cites a different version or combines work from several people, record the discrepancy without guessing who introduced it. A finished sequence may include changes after your handoff; retain the response you gave about your own contribution.
Connect changed work to the production schedule
Record the due date supplied for your assignment and the date of a request that changed its scope. Note whether the schedule was revised or remained unresolved. If a performance discussion concerns a missed milestone, distinguish your submission from production coordination or another team's dependent work. Keep any contemporaneous record of your actual work hours separate from estimates about how long the task should have taken.
Historical work context
The selected O*NET 31.0 tasks cover storyboards, two- or three-dimensional moving images, and production coordination or progress tracking. The entries are dated August 2019. They describe occupational context rather than a current studio workflow or software standard. This guide makes no determination about creative ownership, worker classification, payable hours or the accuracy of a performance assessment.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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