Creates frame-by-frame movement in 2D or 3D — hand-drawn or digital models. Builds every pixel of motion that wasn't filmed.
In the daily production routine, the animator sits in front of a computer or at a drawing board and translates movement into individual frames — they must create every pose, every transition, every tremor of a hand themselves. Unlike the cinematographer, who captures reality, the animator builds movement from scratch. This fundamentally distinguishes them from the Visual Effects Artist, who often only does the finishing.
In classic 2D animation — still the standard in animated films today — the animator draws keyframes: the critical poses of an action. The in-betweener takes care of the intermediate frames. In 3D motion capture or 3D keyframe animation, they work with a digital skeleton that they bend and position. Every frame is a conscious decision. This is craftsmanship, not algorithmic — the software is merely a tool.
The art lies in timing and spacing: How long does the action take? Where does it slow down, where does it speed up? An animator who understands that a character first crouches before jumping (anticipation) creates believability. Those who ignore this produce the typical stiff, computer-generated feel. In live-action film, the animator often only works on special scenes — animated creatures, VFX elements, sometimes complete digital doubles. In animated films, they are the true creator of the performance: there is no actor, only their hand.
Animators are encountered less often on set — they sit in specialized post-production studios. However, their quality radically determines the believability of a fantasy scene or an animated film. A good animator understands physics, psychology, and choreography. They know how weight feels — even if it's just pixels. That's why it takes years of training until the movement no longer *looks* like animation, but like life.