Animation director vs special effects specialist

The differences between animation directors and special effects specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an animation director and a special effects specialist. Additionally, an animation director has an average salary of $71,266, which is higher than the $61,198 average annual salary of a special effects specialist.

The top three skills for an animation director include animation, maya and motion capture. The most important skills for a special effects specialist are data entry, product knowledge, and quality customer service.

Animation director vs special effects specialist overview

	Animation Director	Special Effects Specialist
Yearly salary	$71,266	$61,198
Hourly rate	$34.26	$29.42
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	4,968	32,111
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Animation director vs special effects specialist salary

Animation directors and special effects specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animation Director	Special Effects Specialist
Average salary	$71,266	$61,198
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $117,000	Between $37,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Dover, DE
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Microsoft	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between animation director and special effects specialist education

There are a few differences between an animation director and a special effects specialist in terms of educational background:

	Animation Director	Special Effects Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Animation	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Animation director vs special effects specialist demographics

Here are the differences between animation directors' and special effects specialists' demographics:

	Animation Director	Special Effects Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 75.1% Female, 24.9%	Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animation director and special effects specialist duties and responsibilities

Animation director example responsibilities.

Manage animation department, promote to manage video and animation departments.
Lead a team of artists to create the art and animation for motion comics aspects of the show.
Translate storyboards into rough previz animations and work with director adjusting cameras and actions.
Assist with QA of code within Xcode environment.

Special effects specialist example responsibilities.

Recruit, manage and motivate volunteers in public education, professional education, service and rehabilitation and tobacco control programs.
Detail experience involving foreclosure procedures and legal issues.
Collaborate with multi-disciplinary departments in architecture, facilities, creative and show set design.
Collaborate with team to provide intensive services such as food, shelter, and employment to educationally or economically disadvantage veterans.
Pull require TANF savers for proof of eligibility monthly, update service plan as needed and when barriers are remove.

Animation director vs special effects specialist skills

Common animation director skills

Animation, 37%
Maya, 16%
Motion Capture, 6%
Unity, 5%
Medical Care, 5%
CG, 4%

Common special effects specialist skills

Data Entry, 43%
Product Knowledge, 27%
Quality Customer Service, 9%
IEP, 8%
Bank Policy, 3%
Staff Operations, 3%

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Animation Director
Animation Director vs Special Effects Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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