Also called: Story Artist, Board Artist
Draws the script as comic-strip panels, planning every shot, gag, and camera angle before animation or filming.
A story artist gets a few script pages and turns them into hundreds of quick drawings, then 'pitches' them to the director by acting out the scene. Many ideas get thrown out and redrawn.
BLS special effects artists and animators median ~$99.8k (May 2024). Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) studio jobs pay well; freelance, game, and small-studio work pays less, and layoffs are common.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Illustration or animation degree; storytelling and drawing skill are key.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Illustration, Animation, Film Production.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Tracks animator growth.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI image tools sketch quick boards, but planning shots, gags and story flow with directors still needs skilled board artists.
Classes: Drawing and illustration, Creative writing, Film/video production CTE, Art.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1014.
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.