I had the pleasure of being a guest in the writers' room yesterday and we got focused a lot on the animation landscape and yet, there still seemed to be unanswered questions. I suggest to anyone writing for animation to immerse themselves into the industry. It is very small and somewhat of a silo but it is thriving. So what does immersion look like?
Well, I pulled together this guide for the room and all available here: Animation immersion guide: https://indd.adobe.com/view/5336b38e-31cf-424d-b194-034c437f59fc
2 people like this
Great point and great resource guide, Laurie Ashbourne! Thanks for sharing!
4 people like this
That is a really useful resource, thanks Laurie Ashbourne
3 people like this
You're welcome!
3 people like this
That list is a great start! If I may add a few more items....
SCHOOLS
* University of Southern California (USC) -- where two of my workshop students continued their education
https://cinema.usc.edu/animation/index.cfm
* Rochester Institute of Technology School of Film and Animation (part of the College of Art and Design) -- where I happen to teach animation students learning 2D, 3D, and stop motion
https://www.rit.edu/artdesign/study/film-and-animation-bfa
EVENTS
* Ottawa International Animation Festival -- the most prestigious animation festival in North America. Also an industry event with panels and classes.
https://www.animationfestival.ca/
ONLINE
* Animation Resources -- educational content every month for a small subscription fee, including a discord server for critiques.
https://animationresources.org/
* StopMotionAnimation.com -- an excellent forum for anyone learning stop motion, plenty of pros there to answer newbie questions.
* Animation Wild Card -- numerous animators contribute to this animation jam series.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9bQObmETgvDu8io2KwBmuw
* Andymation -- mostly about making flipbooks, but animator Andy Bailey offers a lot of thoughtful commentary as well.
https://www.youtube.com/@andymation
PODCASTS
* Rubber Onion -- interviews, reviews, and industry talk by two working animators
https://www.rubberonion.com/podcast
* Hello Stop Mo! -- A mini-series from the Animation Wild Card folks that goes through the process of learning and working in the field of Stop Motion.
https://open.spotify.com/show/4iH5gkxqgd4dtiEOPIiEmj
BOOKS
* Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg
* The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams
* Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair
* Cartoon Modern - Amid Amidi's excellent book on what many call the "UPA style" of art that became popular as a parallel to the modern art movement. Free PDF dowload approved by the author!
https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/our-treat-to-you
3 people like this
Thanks Laurie Ashbourne
1 person likes this
Film festivals are often looking for animation shorts to program in their lineups. Because the volume of animated projects is less, many actively hunt for cool new styles and stories! Obviously this is because animation takes much longer to create, but being an animated filmmaker can give you a leg up in many places!