TL;DR: In this article, we’re diving into why graph editing is crucial — it’s what determines if you land studio gigs, impacts the effectiveness of your work, and influences how much you get paid. I’ll dive into the meat and potatoes (techniques) in my next article.
Abstract shapes + value graph
Of all the skills you must have to master motion design, graph editing is the one that most significantly influences your chances of getting hired to animate at the top studios.
I would go so far as to say that your proficiency in graph editing greatly determines if you can get your foot in the door, whether directly or indirectly. Hear me out.
It helps you get booked at the top studios.
Great directors decide who gets booked at the top studios. Great directors typically have one priority: greatest impact. In other words, when booking artists for a team, directors are evaluating if your proficiency in your craft facilitates the impact of the project at hand.
I remember the first time I was the director for a project. We had a staffing meeting and my producer on the project pulled up a list of names she had accumulated over weeks of emailing. She asked me a simple but thought-provoking question:
“Who do you want on this project?”
It’s a really simple question — clearly — but being my first time in this seat, it amazed me that, after all the client calls, number crunching, mood boarding and concept pitching, the director has to make the decision:
Who from this list of eager freelancers will most greatly help me achieve the business, technical, and creative goals of the client and agency involved?
There is a lot that goes into this decision that I’ll get into another time — but I guarantee you, the most significant factor is your ability to create impact by means of your craft.
It immerses viewers to create impact.
Believability determines if the viewer moves from simply “watching something” to “being immersed”. Immersion in motion design provides opportunity to create powerful impact on how people think about something. Unintentionally sloppy craft distracts from a project’s strategy and intention to create its most lasting impact.
Consider the last ‘bad movie’ you’ve watched. What ruined it for you? Was it the lengthy dialogue? The poor shot timing or selection? Contradictory plots? Bad casting?
Here’s a great example of how craft-decisions most directly influence your immersion in a director’s intention and strategy. Unless the director’s intention was for you to not enjoy that movie, then his craft decisions made his plot unbelievable or unclear.
For animation in motion design, your graph editor is your primary tool used to illustrate reality and intention. Like the way hair strands gently move disharmoniously on a character’s head; or an abstract object of weight crashes into something soft. These craft decisions will directly impact your…well, impact!
It contributes significantly to the perceived value of your work.
Your craft in animation is a very visible product. It can be seen and, in a way, even felt. Our industry values a demonstrated ability to precisely control motion. While Graph Editing certainly is not the only factor in determining how much you should be compensated as an animator, it is the most directly correlated factor.
The more advanced your ability to graph edit, the more highly valued your work is perceived.
I didn’t know this weeks before I started my freelance journey right out of college — ill-advised by many, I might add. At the time, I was working at Buck and asked a few peers to look at my demo reel. I told them I was thinking of charging ‘x’ for my day rate and was almost always met with a scoff, being told my rate should be at least ‘2x’.
I didn’t fully understand why back then, but it was because I demonstrated a high proficiency in graph editing, resulting in more believable work and thus a higher perceived value.
I had no issues charging the rate they suggested or gradually increasing my rate in line with my growing proficiency in graph editing.
Side note: exercise prudence and restraint when considering increasing your rate.
Make it happen:
Consider how the Graph Editor plays a role in influencing the mood of your favorite shot in your favorite motion design project. Try recreating the same movement, replacing its elements with abstract shapes. Consider doing this once with the Speed Graph only and another time with the Value Graph only.
Find someone who has advanced graph editing skills. Ask for their honest feedback on your skill level, rating it between 1 and 5. Use this feedback to determine your compensation relative to the market you are in. The more people you ask, the clearer your position becomes.
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