The Pixar animation studio is a legend in the animation industry, especially with the success of toy stories. Animation legends have worked in Pixar studios, so creative talent must get a job at Pixar.
Doing art alongside animation legends is a dream job, as storytelling ultimately helps spread important messages to the world.
Want to know how the Pixar employees got their jobs? Want to have a career transition into animation but don’t know where to start? You have come to the right place.
This article will provide you with how you can approach artistic career paths till the very end.
How to Get a Job at Pixar
We have broken down Pixar’s recruiting process into an easy guide for your convenience. Any queries you may have regarding the hiring process will be covered below.
Pixar Application Process
The animation job market is on the rise, especially with an increase in the technology of computer graphics and other technical aspects. The career listings for Pixar animation studios are given on their official career website at https://www.pixar.com/careers-at-pixar.
Go through the list of positions under different departments to find the best possible job for you. Talented artists aren’t the only ones who are eligible to work at this company as hard work and character are also important aspects.
Be sure to have an updated resume and a cover letter to portray your passion for an art-based job. The HR team of the Pixar animation studios will notify you of the next steps once your application has been reviewed.
Pixar Interview Process
The interview process at Pixar begins with a phone/skype interview that lasts about an hour. Remember to go in with a good attitude and express your qualities and skills.
Telling stories is the core foundation for animation studios. Get ready to create demo reels or projects for your portfolio because Pixar will be intrigued with as much experience as possible.
Be sure to tell a few creative stories and introduce your world along with a touch of technical excellence. After a few rounds of telephonic interviews, you will be asked to come down to the Pixar headquarters for a final interview.
Hiring
Pixar’s recruiting team will have a final overview of your application, portfolio, and interviews. The company will decide by considering your creative aspects and hard work.
You don’t need to have traditional art as your forte to get the job; any fresh new ideas are welcome at Pixar. Once your application has been accepted, you will receive an offer letter from Pixar’s team.
Make your decision based on your career goal and life preferences, as losing sight of your passion is not an option.
Various Career Opportunities at Pixar: Job Titles and Descriptions
Pixar, as an animation studio, requires more employees other than just animators. From technical director to designing characters, Pixar has got it all. Pixar focuses on having fun and setting a really strong foundation of creativity and quality in this industry.
Animator
Like many animators, you will have to produce a sequence of frames to create a film using computer graphics. Animation is an art form; being an animator is a creative spin on focusing your career on films. An animator at Pixar starts earning around $25k to $679k.
Assistant Editor
An assistant editor’s responsibilities are monitoring, recording, and transcribing dialogue recording sessions for both scratch and production. Keeping track of the levels, log production dialogue, and import scratch dialogue from recordings. Make backup copies and audio masters.
Set up reference video cameras to film actors. The range of their salary is around $51k to 91k.
Technical director
The technical directors of the studio master renderMan and the other software tools used in producing Pixar movies.
They are in charge of tasks including producing the textures that appear on a model’s surface, making computer simulations of characters, sets, and objects, and setting up the lighting for a scene.
The average salary of a technical director at Pixar is around $100k.
Software Engineer
The Pixar Software R&D team is in charge of creating the studio’s own exclusive animation software. Pixar wants a graphics software developer devoted to developing top-notch production tools.
For the studio, new software development and maintenance fall under the purview of this position.
A software engineer in Pixar earns around $147k per annum.
What it’s Like to Work at Pixar
With Pixar being at the top of its game, its employees definitely reap a few benefits from being part of the Pixar family. Being an employee here allows you to work with cutting-edge technology in the field of animation and skyrocket your career.
Pixar is rated as one of the top animation studios to work in, thanks to their creative work environment and the high salaries of their employees.
Overall, Pixar is one of the best animation studios to work at.
How Hard is it to Land a Job at Pixar?
As Pixar is a legendary animation studio that dipped its feet into the pool of Disney and various other extraordinary projects, getting a job here is pretty hard.
Pixar receives a countless number of applications throughout the year despite the open positions being comparatively fewer.
However, it’s easier than finding water on the moon. With the right determination and a few streaks of creativity, Pixar will be glad to let you join their family.
What Qualifications do you Need to Work at Pixar?
Having a master’s degree from an Art school is definitely a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, that’s not all you need to get a job in such a prestigious animation studio.
You must think outside the box, have technical excellence in film production and be a hard worker.
However, you must remember that not all Pixar positions require you to graduate from an art school. Your required qualifications will differ according to the position you have applied for.
For example, a software engineer at Pixar will require a degree of engineering from a recognized educational institute. Along with educational qualifications, experience in the relevant field is also an important aspect.
In many positions, having a minimum number of years of experience is a requirement to be eligible for the job.
How Hard it is to Get a Pixar Internship?
Like getting a job at Pixar, getting an internship is also pretty hard. We recommend you get some field experience by interning under another animation studio first. Dedication and creativity are your best friends for getting your dream internship at Pixar.
Pixar receives thousands of applications for the internship opportunities they provide, so selecting your application from such a vast number is pretty hard.
Pixar is a prestigious animation studio that values creative insights and grit, so being seen by its recruiting team will be a challenge.
However, it is not impossible to achieve if you have the passion and enthusiasm to work in this field.
What College does Pixar Hire from?
First-tier animation colleges like CalArts (Disney), the Ringling School of Art, and the Savannah College of Art are the ones that animation studios like Pixar prefer. However, it is not necessary to graduate from the colleges mentioned above.
A degree from any recognized art institute will get you eligibility to apply for a job at Pixar.
Does Pixar Pay Well?
As Pixar is at the top of the game in the field of animation, its employees are paid pretty well. Pixar animator wages in the US are from $25k to $679k, with a typical pay of $122k.
So it’s safe to say that Pixar does pay well. You don’t have to worry about the salary when applying for a job at Pixar.
Each position at the animation studio is paid well above that position’s average salary in the animation field.
How Long does it Take to Hear back from Pixar?
The entire hiring process of Pixar, from submitting your application to the final round of interviews, will last around 6 to 9 weeks. Remember that patience is key. Keep your cool and wait for Pixar to notify you if you made it to the next round or not.
If you have crossed this time, you can reach out to Pixar’s human resources team and inquire about the status of your application.