Dossier: American Dad
Christopher Harz reports back from CES about what new electronics will be animating our lives in the near future.
My Loving Fans
Gene Deitch looks at his diverse fan base, which ranges from lovers of Tom Terrific to his work on Weston Woods Studios projects.
The Animation Pimp: Frolicking in the Tent
Sean Wagstaff reviews MotionBuilder 6, which remains unmatched at manipulating, re-using and blending animation data from multiple sources, and creating character performances from scratch.
The Future of Flash
Greg Singer speaks with Cartoon Network, Atomic Cartoons, Augenblick Studios, Six Point Harness, indie animators Michel Gagnand Jayson Thiesson, Sandro Corsaro and Cliff Parrott, authors of the new book, Hollywood 2D Digital Animation, to learn how they make Flash animation look so good.
Internet Name Brands: Mondo Media and JibJab Media
Rick DeMott talks with Gregg and Evan Spiridellis of JibJab Media and John Evershed of Mondo Media about how two firms vastly different during the dotcom bubble of 2000 have survived and now thrive on the Net.
From On-Air to Online and Back Again
Karen Raugust looks at how networks and studios look to the Web to support on-air programming, enhance their brands and generate revenues.
Taking Care of Business
Nancy Cartwright writes about the true meaning of taking care of business, with tips on how to keep your career, and life, on track.
Toons Go Mobile
More animation content providers are exploring the wireless frontier. Karen Raugust chronicles how wireless is creating a quiet animation boom.
Fresh from the Festivals: January 2005’s Reviews
Taylor Jessen reviews five short films: Gopher Broke by Jeff Fowler, In the Rough by Paul Taylor, Suite for Freedom by Aleksandra Korejwo, Caroline Leaf and Luc Perez, Oedipus by Jason Wishnow and A Bucks Worth by Tatia Rosenthal. Includes QuickTime movie clips!
Two Big Chunks of Anime Eye Candy: 'Appleseed' & 'Sky Blue'
Fred Patten compares and contrasts two new theatrical releases from Asia -- Japans Appleseed and South Koreas Sky Blue.
Joanna Priestley: Goddess of Independent Animation
Animator Joanna Priestley celebrates 20 years of innovation, imagination and squiggly lines with the recent release of her two-disc DVD anthology, Fighting Gravity and Relative Orbits.
Cowboys and Indies: the Vertically-Integrated Individual — Part 2
In Part 2, Christopher Panzner looks at how independent producers have to be a vertically-integrated individual as well as a little of a cowboy to survive in the industry.
New from Japan: Anime Film Reviews
Taylor Jessen talks with Henry Selick about going dry-for-wet on The Life Aquatic and opening the door on the looking-glass world of Coraline.
The Pitch Bible: Just The Essentials
In pitching animation, not only do you need the passion, have a thorough understanding about your property and know the broadcaster and their needs, you need to demonstrate what your story it about. Your pitch materials are your sales tools.
The Pitch Bible is a tool that helps convey your concept. It is a tool to help you present and is a leave-behind to trigger the decision makers memory.
There are no hard and fast rules about what form a pitch bible should take. At its very best, it should reflect the concept of the project, whether it is a television, feature or home entertainment project, to help the buyer visualize the story as you pitched it. The size, color, number of pages, how it is put together is up to you, the creator, to determine what best conveys your creation.
Pitching Animation: Rules of the Game from the Pros That Play It
Pitching television animation, like any game, has its rules. Some are hard and fast and others are house or table rules. You know those rules that are specific to a region, country or culture. And the game has its players and pros. Animation World Magazine asked the pros about pitching.
Pitching professionals know that there are some basic rules. Tatiana Kober, founder of Bejuba! Entertainment, and Rick Mischel, ceo of Mainframe Entertainment, Inc., provided the basics:
Fresh from the Festivals: December 2004’s Reviews
Taylor Jessen reviews five short films: Magda by Chel White, Kaze: Ghost Warrior by Timothy Albee, Get in the Car by Greg Holfeld, Seventeen by Hisko Hulsing and Bid `Em In by Neal Sopata. Includes QuickTime movie clips!
Cowboys and Indies: the Vertically-Integrated Individual — Part 1
Christopher Panzner looks at how independent producers have to be a vertically-integrated individual as well as a little of a cowboy to survive in the industry.
Make It Real — Part 1: Off the Beaten Path
In Part 1 of this series, Ellen Besen sits down with maverick CG director Chris Landreth, creator of Bingo and the new, breakthrough film Ryan, to discuss the current state of CG human characters and realism.
Hydronicus Inverticus: An Interview with Henry Selick
In the second of four installments on art direction for their book Inspired 3D Short Film Production, Jeremy Cantor and Pepe Valencia look at how color, texture and style help define characters and story.
Career Coach: Gift Ideas
The Career Coach gives some holiday shopping tips that will help your career and the animation industry in general.