3-D Animation

This is a really common question when it comes to animation job interviews because deadlines are always being moved to cope with the demands of a busy studio and the different departments within it – so it makes sense that an employer wants to know that you’ll be able to stand up to this pressure.

When it comes to answering this question, it’s obviously important to react positively (eg. answering with “not well” really isn’t advisable!), but it’s also important to back your answer up with a fairly recent(ish) example. For example, you could say “I’ve got lots of experience in dealing with changing deadlines – this was pretty common at company A. I remember on this one occasion the deadline changed and was bought forward two weeks. This caused my team to rethink our strategy, which resulted in the project being completed on time and to a very high standard”.

With this final question, an employer is looking to get an insight into who you are as an individual and how you appreciate the animated work of others. Again, with this question, the right answer will depend on your individual preferences, however if you’re being interviewed for an animation job with a major studio such as Dreamworks or Aardman Animations, it’s probably a good idea to choose one of their films to win you extra brownie points.

When answering this question, it’s a good idea to give reasons (and technical reasons) to back up your answer. For example, you could say that your favourite film is Toy Story because you’re a big fan of the character animation, in particular the rigging and skinning techniques they used to build the characters. By mentioning technical aspects in this answer, you’re demonstrating to the employer that you have this technical knowledge and that you’re capable of looking at a third party film and analysing it critically.

With this question the employer wants to hear about how you’ve been challenged in your career and what you’ve learnt from these experiences. When compiling your answer for this question, it’s a good idea to try and choose a challenge which relates to the role you’re being interviewed for because this will show the employer that you’re capable of overcoming the challenges which might crop up in this role. When considering which challenge to choose, consider which have been the most challenging and stressful periods/projects of your career – and which you learnt the most from. It’s also a good idea to choose a challenge which shines you in a good light – and one which you’ve actually learnt from. For example, a great answer would be to say “The biggest challenge of my career so far has been A because of B, C and D – and I overcame these by doing E, F and G. I’ve learnt H, I and J from this challenge – and this is now something I apply to my everyday work.”