Special Effects Artist Overview
Working as a Special Effects Artist
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a special effects artist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.71 an hour? That's $53,485 a year!
What Does a Special Effects Artist Do
There are certain skills that many special effects artists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed artistic talent, communication skills and computer skills.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a special effects artist, we found that a lot of resumes listed 25.5% of special effects artists included graphic design, while 16.0% of resumes included maya, and 14.3% of resumes included special effects. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the special effects artist job title. But what industry to start with? Most special effects artists actually find jobs in the media and hospitality industries.
How To Become a Special Effects Artist
If you're interested in becoming a special effects artist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 47.8% of special effects artists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 5.0% of special effects artists have master's degrees. Even though most special effects artists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a special effects artist. When we researched the most common majors for a special effects artist, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on special effects artist resumes include high school diploma degrees or master's degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a special effects artist. In fact, many special effects artist jobs require experience in a role such as makeup artist. Meanwhile, many special effects artists also have previous career experience in roles such as artist or internship.
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Special Effects Artist Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a special effects artist can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as artist, progress to a title such as manager and then eventually end up with the title owner.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Special Effects Artist
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Sticks and Stones Special Effects & Prosthetics Makeup Artist Special Effects & Prosthetics Makeup Artist | Sticks and Stones Sticks and Stones | 04/18/2014 04/18/2014 | $42,72304/18/2014 $42,723 |
SONY Computer Entertainment America LLC SR. Special Effects Artist SR. Special Effects Artist | SONY Computer Entertainment America LLC SONY Computer Entertainment America LLC | 08/12/2013 08/12/2013 | $95,23208/12/2013 $95,232 |
SONY Computer Entertainment America LLC. SR. Special Effects Artist SR. Special Effects Artist | SONY Computer Entertainment America LLC. SONY Computer Entertainment America LLC. | 01/05/2011 01/05/2011 | $90,00001/05/2011 $90,000 |
McCarthy Studio Art Sculptor and Special Effects Make-Up Artist Art Sculptor and Special Effects Make-Up Artist | McCarthy Studio McCarthy Studio | 12/14/2010 12/14/2010 | $39,61112/14/2010 $39,611 |
McCarthy Studio Art Sculptor and Special Effects Make-Up Artist Art Sculptor and Special Effects Make-Up Artist | McCarthy Studio McCarthy Studio | 01/17/2008 01/17/2008 | $39,61101/17/2008 $39,611 |
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Top Skills For a Special Effects Artist
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 25.5% of special effects artists listed graphic design on their resume, but soft skills such as artistic talent and communication skills are important as well.
- Graphic Design, 25.5%
- Maya, 16.0%
- Special Effects, 14.3%
- Photoshop, 12.9%
- VFX, 12.8%
- Other Skills, 18.5% See All Special Effects Artist Skills
Best States For a Special Effects Artist
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a special effects artist. The best states for people in this position are Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, and New York. Special effects artists make the most in Oregon with an average salary of $93,953. Whereas in Washington and New Jersey, they would average $90,220 and $86,088, respectively. While special effects artists would only make an average of $86,024 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Arizona
$79,972
Avg. Salary
2. New Mexico
$78,602
Avg. Salary
3. Washington
$90,221
Avg. Salary