A Newly Revised Edition of the Go-To Guide for Any Animation Artist! “Your Career in Animation is the most comprehensive and valuable book on animation careers that you’ll ever need.” —Bill Plympton, Animator / Producer Whether you want to break into the animation industry or “toon up” to a better career, this comprehensive guide will show you how. A leading animation professional surveys the field and shares the advice of more than one hundred and fifty top talents in the business of making toons— including Brooke Keesling, head of animation talent development at Bento Box, Mike Hollingsworth, supervising director of BoJack Horseman; Andrea Fernandez, art director on The Cuphead Show! PES, Oscar-nominated stop-motion director of Fresh Guacamole; Linda Simensky, head of content for PBS Kids; Minty Lewis, co-creator of The Great North; Ross Bollinger, YouTube sensation with his Pencilmation channel, and executives from Nickelodeon, Disney TVA, Titmouse, Inc., Frederator, PBS Kids, Netflix, 9 Story Media Group, Cartoon Network; and dozens of others. Learn how to: • Get the most out of your animation education • Build a portfolio, reel, and resume • Keep your skills marketable for years to come • Network effectively • Learn from on-the-job criticism • Cope with unemployment • Start your own studio or build an indie brand online • Pitch and sell a show of your own • And more! Also included are invaluable resources such as animation schools, societies, film festivals, events, Web sites, and publications. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Animating Your Career is the exciting new book by filmmaker Steve Hickner, director of The Prince of Egypt and Bee Movie, who has had his hands in the development of dozens of major motion pictures. Animating Your Career is Steve's guide to navigating the journey of a career in the creative fields¿from getting your foot in the door to directing a project involving hundreds of artistic professionals. The book is filled with practical advice from Steve and the many top creatives he has worked with over the years. Whether you are still in school and awaiting your first job, or are a seasoned professional, Animating Your Career will help guide you to success.

Have you ever wondered what your LEGO creations would look like on the big screen? The LEGO Animation Book will show you how to bring your models to life with stop-motion animation—no experience required! Follow step-by-step instructions to make your first animation, and then explore the entire filmmaking process, from storyboards to post-production. Along the way, you’ll learn how to: –Create special effects like explosions and flying minifigures –Convey action and emotion with your minifigure actors –Design sets for animation—make three buildings look like an entire city! –Light, frame, and capture consistent photos –Add detail and scope to your films by building in different scales –Build camera dollies and rigs out of LEGO bricks –Choose cameras, software, and other essential animation tools Dive into the world of animation and discover a whole new way to play! For ages 10+

"A manual of methods, principles and formulas for classical, computer, games, stop motion and internet animators"--Cover.

Animation is everywhere—from the Internet to the silver screen—and due to the rapid growth of animation in virtually every field and industry, so are animation jobs. Fueled by the worldwide explosion of film and television productions, new and original animated films, and apps and videos for mobile computing devices, the fields of animation and special effects, video games, and e-learning are all expected to grow. This is in addition to the phenomenal widespread growth of industries like mobile gaming, television advertising, digital media, and science and technology. With the high demand for qualified individuals to work in these industries, there has never been a better time to start or advance a career in animation. Career Opportunities in Animation describes 60 careers in many fields of animation, including art, backgrounds and layouts, design, directing, engineering, film and television animation, game and Web design, painting and texturing, performing, producing, technical production, and writing. Appendixes in this comprehensive new resource include Educational Institutions; Major Trade Periodicals, Newsletters, and Other Publications; Professional, Industry, and Trade Associations; Guilds and Unions; Recommended Animation Industry Web Sites; and U.S. Animation Studios and Production Companies. Career profiles include: Art director Character designer Effects animator Flash animator Graphic artist and graphic designer Inbetweener (cel animation) Layout artist/scene planner Motion graphics artist and motion graphics designer Production designer Software engineer Storyboard artist Visual development artist.

Launch your career in writing for video games or animation with the best tips, tricks, and tutorials from the Focal press catalog--all at your fingertips. Let our award-winning writers and game developers show you how to generate ideas and create compelling storylines, concepts, and narratives for your next project. Write Your Way Into Animation and Games provides invaluable information on getting into the game and animation industries. You will benefit from decades of insider experience about the fields of animation and games, with an emphasis on what you really need to know to start working as a writer.Navigate the business aspects, gain unique skills, and develop the craft of writing specifically for aniamtion and games. Learn from the cream of the crop who have shared their knowledge and experience in these key Focal Press guides:Digital Storytelling, Second Edition by Carolyn Handler MillerAnimation Writing and Development by Jean Ann WrightWriting for Animation, Comics, and Games by Christy MarxStory and Simulations for Serious Games by Nick Iuppa and Terry BorstWriting for Multimedia and the Web, Third Edition by Timothy Garrand

There’s no class in art school that can teach you this. Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to directing a great animated film than beautiful illustrations and cool characters. You need to bring out your inner creative visionary and take your savvy leadership skills to the front lines - being great with a pencil, brush, or stylus is not enough. Tony Bancroft released his inner creative visionary when creating Mulan. In Directing for Animation he shows you exactly how. Pull the right strings to bring your characters to life and center your story by developing the visual cues that lend to your audiences understanding of the plot, place, and purpose. Tony walks you through the process, bringing you behind the scenes of real, well-known projects - with a little help from some famous friends. Learn from the directors of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Ice Age, Chicken Run, and Kung Fu Panda, and see how they developed stories and created characters that have endured for generations. Get the inside scoop behind these major features...pitfalls and all.

Whether a novice curious about the cartoon production process, a visual arts student who has not yet experienced that big break, or a seasoned professional looking for valuable insight, Animation Development is the go-to guide for creating the perfect pitch. David Levy has been through every aspect of the pitching process--preparation, hope, rejection, success--and now he wraps up his valuable experience to deliver this comprehensive guide on the industry and process. Animation Development will help readers discover how to tap into their creativity to develop something personal yet universal, push projects through collaborations and partnerships, set up pitch meetings, get legal representation and agents, and manage the emotional roller-coaster common to the pitching and development process. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Lighting for Animation is designed with one goal in mind - to make you a better artist. Over the course of the book, Jasmine Katatikarn and Michael Tanzillo (Senior Lighting TDs, Blue Sky Studios) will train your eye to analyze your work more critically, and teach you approaches and techniques to improve your craft. Focusing on the main philosophies and core concepts utilized by industry professionals, this book builds the foundation for a successful career as a lighting artist in visual effects and computer animation. Inside you’ll find in-depth instruction on: • Creating mood and storytelling through lighting • Using light to create visual shaping • Directing the viewer’s eye with light and color • Gathering and utilizing reference images • Successfully lighting and rendering workflows • Render layers and how they can be used most effectively • Specific lighting scenarios, including character lighting, environment lighting, and lighting an animated sequence • Material properties and their work with lighting • Compositing techniques essential for a lighter • A guide on how to start your career and achieve success as a lighting artist This book is not designed to teach software packages—there are websites, instructional manuals, online demos, and traditional courses available to teach you how to operate specific computer programs. That type of training will teach you how to create an image; this book will teach you the technical skills you need to make that image beautiful. Key Features Stunning examples from a variety of films serve to inspire and inform your creative choices. Unique approach focuses on using lighting as a storytelling tool, rather than just telling you which buttons to press. Comprehensive companion website contains lighting exercises, assets, challenges, and further resources to help you expand your skillset.

Finally! A book just for animators that shares not only how to get a foot in the door but also how to avoid the pitfalls that can send even the best artist back to the drawing board. Veteran animator and teacher Gene Hamm is your guide to the serious business of drawing cartoons, providing stories, insight, and advice for keeping your wits as sharp as your pencil in this highly competitive industry. How to Get a Job in Animation (And Keep It) is divided into two sections. In Part One, artists looking for a job with an animation studio will discover pragmatic information such as: what to study in school and which books and videos to use for self-study how to track down studio jobs and land them what studios are really looking for on your reel how to make yourself indispensable once you have a job how to deal with the union how to survive in Hollywood. In Part Two, animators who like to be their own boss will find out how to freelance, including crucial how-tos on: pricing jobs and maintaining client relations entering and winning a film festival marketing yourself and writing press releases joining professional organizations hiring an accountant and a lawyer getting your work copyrighted understanding the golden rule of freelance animation: never work for free. Filled with amusing stories about working in the animation industry; brushes with silver-screen legends Tex Avery, John Lasseter, Roger Corman, and James Cameron; and plain old common sense, How to Get a Job in Animation (And Keep It) will entertain you as it trains you to make the leap into professional animation. It's the career guide that animators have been waiting for.