Independent's guide to 2D character animation : making and selling a short film (with CD-ROM)

Producing Independent 2D Character Animation: Making & Selling a Short Film is a full-color concept-to-pitch guide that teaches independent 2D character animators, students, and small animation production studios alike the art of producing short, cel animation films. By mapping out the course of how his small studio brainstormed, created, then produced its award-winning animation, Timmy's Lessons in Nature, the author explains to animators what it takes, both creatively and resource-wise, to get their animations to market. Producing Independent 2D Animation offers an in-depth look at the artistry and production process of cel animation while writing in a conversational manner that makes the often-tedious process of animation enjoyable and easy to understand. This text guides animators through every step of production with actual examples of production forms, screen shots of software used, detailed information on the hardware and software used to complete each step, and comes complete with a CD-ROM that contains video and software demos.

FOREWORD by Linda Simensky of Cartoon Network, PREFACE, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, Frame Rate, Time vs. Footage, DPI vs. Pixels, Scenes, File Organization, Tricks of the Trade, Supplies, Hardware, and Software, Production Crew, PRE-PRODUCTION, The In-House Pitch, Character Design, Story and Storyboards, Budget, Crewing Up, Revised Storyboards, Layouts, PRODUCTION, Directing Dialogue, Audio Recording and Editing, Animatics, Animation Breakdowns, Slugging, or Timing, Audio Breakdowns, Assigning Production Work, Key Animation, Rotoscoping, Effects Animation, Pencil Tests, Enhanced Animatics, Backgrounds, Inbetweens, Clean-Ups, Scanning, Digital Ink and Paint, Composite and Export of Individual Layers, Camera Moves and Special Effects, Final Image Composite, POST-PRODUCTION, Title Cards, Credits, Editing, Music and Sound Design, Final Composite with Audio and Output to Tape or Film, WHAT NEXT? Copyright, Festivals, Online, Pitching to a Studio, Network, or Distributor, Portfolio Piece, INTERVIEWS, Craig McCracken, Bill Plympton, Craig Spike Decker, Linda Simensky, Rachelle Lewis, Tom Sito, David Fine and Alison Snowden

independent animators, small animation studios, animation students

While we are on the subject of how-to books, you really can't afford to miss Mark Simon's brilliant new title, Producing Independent 2D Character Animation.' - Animation Magazine