Your Career in Animation (2nd Edition): How to Survive and Thrive
by: David B. Levy (0)
“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.
The Reviews
First off -- I am not an animator, but interested to see the inner workings of the animation industry. I have gotten through half the book so far. I have read enough at this point to give a pretty good overview. Here are my thoughts...The book starts off by giving an overview of animation and talking about all the various positions that you can do in the animation industry. You quickly learn that each section is going to be a lot more than a high-level job description. Every position mentioned comes along with insightful interviews. Each position ends with book reviews and other resources if you are interested to learn more. I love it! I wish more books would add resources here instead of putting them all in an appendix at the end of the book.This book is filled to the brim with interviews. I love everything about interviewing people, so realizing this about the book really got me excited. I had no idea how much the animation industry sliced apart positions. There is someone just doing animation timings? What!? For one, I have never even heard of that position, and to think that is someone's day-to-day job. Fascinating. I have also wondered about all the "producer" type titles out there and what they actually do. This goes through quite a few of them as well as the super interviews.This is NOT a technical instruction book. If you are looking for that, I would not recommend this. It looks like there are plenty of other books out there describing how to do that stuff. I would also agree with the author that after you have worked at enough companies over the years, you spend way more time worrying and thinking about other things: finding a job, feeling challenged, working with difficult people, having a life outside of work, and building friendships. This goes for any field you are in...not just animation. If you think that getting a job at Disney is going to be nothing but magical and perfect, you are going to be in for a shock. Life and people problems don't go away because the name of the company you work at changes. You work with people in your life...not a company. That is the overarching theme in a lot of the messaging.Depending on how long you have been working you will take away different things. If you are just starting a career and in school, you will be learning about a lot of the complexities of the real world vs. the school world. Life is much more complicated than just catering to your professor to get a good grade. Small things you say can get you fired from a job, or stop you from being promoted. Everything isn't about your technical skill level -- though of course, that is important too.If you have been out of school for a bit of time, you will be able to relate to a lot of the things that the author has gone through. You don't know when you will run into someone again. Someone that couldn't get a job before might be your future employer. I think the vulnerability the author and interviewees share really is making this a great read. Seeing how relationship failures and communication failures impact your life can be a strong motivator to change your behavior.In summary...BUY THIS BOOK. If you cannot afford it, just request it from the library. That is a great way to support the author and you can still read this great information. I wish I read more of these types of books when I was younger. The world is a pretty exciting place...once we can actually go out again after all this COVID-19 pandemic stuff blows over.
It give view of a animators and what you should do to prepare interviews.
I’m an artist myself and I’ve been studying traditional animation for over 4 years. Reading this book really felt personal to me in a sort of way. I felt comfortable with the author David and I felt like my horizons have opened knowing the ins and outs of the industry . Although it may not give you every answer it sure did answer most of my questions and concerns. Tons of stories and personal experiences that are unforgettable. Thank you 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I purchased this as a gift for a tween who is currently dedicated to the subject of animation. She really loves it but had no idea how to even imagine having a real career. I went through the book before giving it to her, and feel that it provides a lot of valuable information that is entertainingly presented. Recommended!
Pretty hefty book with a lot of great information. 2nd edition adds tips on how to survive as an animator in the modern world with social media and an increase in need for animation.
Great info with the current state of streaming and a lot of great advice from people in the industry!
Listen to me when I say this, this is the most down to earth animation industry book you'll ever read. I've read around 2-3 books to get information on an industry I want to join soon and I can say this is very clear, no bs with highly recognized and accomplished people contributing to this book. Very encouraging and great advice from this book. Well done Dave!
It arrives in perfect condition just are a little bit dirty in the mold but all is OK, the paper looks like good Quality I'm happy to get it, it arrives so fast.
This is my husband's favorite game on the Xbox 360 and even though he now has an Xbox One, he sometimes still goes back to play this on his 360!! He was still playing this game even when everyone else had moved on to COD Black Ops 2. However, he didn't play as much because none of his friends wanted to play.When this game was in its prime, you couldn't tell my husband that another game was better because he'd argue with you for hours that nothing is better than MW3! :) He used to be addicted to MW2, but when this came out he never looked back! He especially loves the sound effects and say they sound very realistic.I can't attest to the actual features of the game but I will say that my husband was constantly complaining about cheaters and campers (he hates both). However, I'm pretty sure that's a common thing with any game. It also lags a lot too - I would get so tired of hearing him say that he just lagged!!
The last in the Modern Warfare series helped round off the story line very well. The new weapons and optics, story line additions and missions were great. It's the final in a classic series that you won't want to miss with good graphics and gameplay. I'm sure that if you've played the first two in the Modern Warfare series, you won't want to miss this one. I recommend it to anyone who played the previous games and liked them, or any FPS lover.
By far my favorite Call of Duty. It has a great balance in the game and is just classic all around fun. It's not too far out there, not crazy on kill streaks, and the multiplayer and most importantly, survival mode, are very well rounded. I really only play survival anymore since I let my xbox live expire... Survival is a great way to have fun still and can be played with 2 people even without Internet or Xbox live. This game is as classic to me as the original black ops call of duty. Black ops has zombies survival though, which a lot of people like... But this one is less scary to play in the middle of the night... No zombies.
The game was a great condition and was delivered sooner then I expected. Buying used isn't always a bad thing as it turns out.
I've been playing COD since it came out. Saw this for a crazy cheap price (under $10) and picked it up for multi-player only. Maps are ok but not the worst. The guns, perks, etc are what you'd expect. If you're a true fan of COD and don't have this but want to switch things up then it's worth looking into. There's still a ton of online activity and matches are easy to find.
The last great Call of Duty (to date). Modern Warfare 3 was the last great campaign and multi player for Call of Duty. As it has grown stagnate and remains nearly unchanged.This campaign closes off the the Modern Warfare trilogy and is a must play for those who have yet to play the campaigns. They are truly great.
man love this game!top-notch action one of my favorites along with Modern Warfare 2.
My son was tickled with this.
I actually knew what the purpose of this book was instead of making a purchase based off the cover art....... ruby......It’s perfect for what is says it is for
I’m an artist myself and I’ve been studying traditional animation for over 4 years. Reading this book really felt personal to me in a sort of way. I felt comfortable with the author David and I felt like my horizons have opened knowing the ins and outs of the industry . Although it may not give you every answer it sure did answer most of my questions and concerns. Tons of stories and personal experiences that are unforgettable. Thank you 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
It arrives in perfect condition just are a little bit dirty in the mold but all is OK, the paper looks like good Quality I'm happy to get it, it arrives so fast.
Reading the first few pages turned me off to the whole book. Made me think this was a waste of money.
