Also called: Sheet Timer, Animation Timer
Plans the exact timing of every pose, mouth shape, and pause in a TV cartoon on exposure sheets before the animation studio draws it.
A timing director watches a storyboard animatic and fills out exposure sheets frame by frame, deciding how long each pose and mouth shape lasts. They mark where a joke needs a beat of silence so the overseas animation studio gets the comedy right.
Approximate; union (Animation Guild) jobs in Los Angeles.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in animation plus years as an animator or board artist.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Animation, Film, Illustration.
Growing slowly. Only some TV studios still use dedicated timers.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI lip-sync and auto-timing tools are improving fast; comedic timing judgment still matters, but the role may shrink.
Classes: Art, Music (rhythm), Theater.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.