Tips, tibbits and other animation news

Today as my husband and I drove around Virginia looking for that ideal community to build Studio Kinate (It was too cold to get out of the vehicle), I thought about various things that have been helpful to me as I grow in the animation industry.  So, decided to use this blog entry to share links, information and other tibbits of interest to animators.
Festivals:  How I keep track of the festivals
The best tool (and Larry Lauria introduced me to this) is Without a Box.  It is now part of IMDB, so it is even better. But in short, it is a place where you can setup an account and then add projects.  You are able to setup "wait lists" that will trigger reminders for the festivals you are interested in submitting projects to.  Now, it isn't foolproof (not ALL festivals are members).  But it is a great tool.  Their link is: www.withoutabox.com .

The Trades
Gearing up in the industry means a lot of hard work, research, networking and more research.  I have signed up for a number of trade newsletters, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Kidscreen and Cynopsis Kids are among my top four but I also get them from AWM (Animation World Network), Women in Animation and others.  I try to read anything that has to do with animation.  I also use IMDB Pro to check out what is happening at studios.  Another couple of resources is Box Office Mojo and Who's Buying What, help me keep track of box office results and what is being pitched/produced.

Books
This can be a long list, but for me (a producer), the best books have been:  Producing Animation by Catherine Winder and Zahra Dowlatabadi; AND, The Animation Business Handbook by Karen Raugust.  Producers and animators alike will find Animation from Pencils to Pixels by Tony White a great overview, The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard William and Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg.  Last but never least, Illusions of Life by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas.

I think that is enough for now, if you have questions related to animation, please feel free to post a question.  If I don't know, I can direct you to the people who do. In the meantime, let your imagination be unlimited!
Char