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Finding Animation-related Internships

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Finding Animation-related Internships

I have a question for anyone with The Knowledge... :D

Do you know of a particularly good way to look for animation-based internships (paid or unpaid)? Alternated, do you know of anywhere specific where there are internship opportunities.

What I'm hoping for, specifically, if to get an internship for January of '08 that does something, anything, with animation. I can use any experience I can get, because my college doesn't really offer anything in the way of animation. I would prefer for it to be in the Eastern half of the US, the closer to Virginia, the better, though I am absolutely not opposed to traveling (would love to get out-of-state for the month). I'd prefer computer animation, but again, anything would be useful.

So, if you could, point me in a direction? Even if there's just a good internship search engine you know of...

I'm trying to get myself in order way beforehand :)

Thanks for any help!

Scruffy Rasputin's picture
"One of the major difficulties Trillian experienced in her relationship with Zaphod was learning to distinguish between him pretending to be stupid just to get people off their guard, pretending to be stupid because he couldn't be bothered to think and wanted someone else to do it for him, pretending to be outrageously stupid to hide the fact that he actually didn't understand what was going on, and really being genuinely stupid." ~Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

"One of the major difficulties Trillian experienced in her relationship with Zaphod was learning to distinguish between him pretending to be stupid just to get people off their guard, pretending to be stupid because he couldn't be bothered to think and wanted someone else to do it for him, pretending to be outrageously stupid to hide the fact that he actually didn't understand what was going on, and really being genuinely stupid." ~Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Start doing a lot of leg work.

ASSOCIATIONS: Become a member of SIGGRAPH. They email job listings that include company info which can help in your research.

WEB: First off, check the websites of animation studios in the area you're looking in. Most have a job/hiring page and internships can be listed here. (that's how I got mine) Some companies are up front about NOT having internships which is always good to know so you don't waste your time and their's.

PHONE: Make some phone calls, you'd be surprised what kind of info you'd get. If they have a human resource department, all the better, you might get a bit more info.

MAIL: You can always submit a cover letter stating what you're looking for, along with your resume. Might get you in their files.

NETWORK: See if you can find some user groups in the area. Get to know people. Take an animation class over the summer, you might be able to use school resources.

PREP WORK: Get your cover letter in order and be sure to list your objectives. Something they might ask for is a letter of recommendation from your teacher(s). Find someone who will champion you, be sure to give them as much info as you can and enough time to prepare.

They'll also look for skills outside of animation to help the production process. So if you know photoshop, are computer savy, comfortable on PC/Mac/Linux, don't mind running errand, ordering lunch, scanning, making copies, updating databases ... ANYTHING ... be sure to list them. Make yourself sound as useful as possible. And be persistent. If they don't get back to you, remind yourself that they're busy, and throw in a gentle reminder in a week or two.

But also, If they don't get back to you at all, you can take that as a no. Don't pester.

Good luck.

Might want to try this place...

If you're interested in computer animation and want to get experience with some of the software that's out there right now, you might want to consider this post-production training center for an internship:

Future Media Concepts http://www.fmctraining.com/

They have several locations throughout the country (the closest to you would probably be D.C.). Their internships are unpaid and the work is mostly secretarial, reception, or online advertising/marketing (depending on where you have experience.) BUT, the great thing about this place is that after working there for a little while, they let you take any of their classes for FREE, classes which normally cost several hundred dollars each. They've got classes for any type of media software you can imagine, for 3d animation, video editing, sound design, etc. And most of their instructors are very knowledgable industry professionals.

Might be a good way to get experience with some of the tools and make some connections while still doing other leg work.

Hey guys.

Thanks a ton for that information! It is incredibly useful, and I'll definitely get a start on this. Should probably work on my cover letter first, and then alter it depend on what each place wants.

Does anyone have any advice on cover letters? What's worked for you, what hasn't? What to and not to include?

"One of the major difficulties Trillian experienced in her relationship with Zaphod was learning to distinguish between him pretending to be stupid just to get people off their guard, pretending to be stupid because he couldn't be bothered to think and wanted someone else to do it for him, pretending to be outrageously stupid to hide the fact that he actually didn't understand what was going on, and really being genuinely stupid." ~Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy