Animation Development: From Pitch to Production

by David B. Levy

Whether a novice curious about the cartoon production process, a visual arts student who has not yet experienced that big break, or a seasoned professional looking for valuable insight, Animation Development is the go-to guide for creating the perfect pitch. David Levy has been through every aspect of the pitching process--preparation, hope, rejection, success--and now he wraps up his valuable experience to deliver this comprehensive guide on the industry and process. Animation Development will help readers discover how to tap into their creativity to develop something personal yet universal, push projects through collaborations and partnerships, set up pitch meetings, get legal representation and agents, and manage the emotional roller-coaster common to the pitching and development process.

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.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Hyman · Rating 1 out of 5]

GROVEL! How to Succeed in Animation by Kissing Ass, Sucking Up & Going Down

David's advice in a nutshell... STEP 1, Find a development executive. STEP 2, Go down on him.
Wash, rinse, apply lipstick, repeat.

Don't get me wrong, it's probably excellent advice. Having been in animation for over fifteen years I can certainly affirm that it is a pretty backstabby, shallow, soul crushing, creativity sucking industry. Much like a cesspool, the biggest turds float to the top, and if you want to make it as a creator, those are just the kind of people you need to impress. Gotta respect the grift though. In the process of writing the book a development executive tells the author "You should write a whole chapter about me"... AND HE DOES! I'm not saying the guy doesn't deserve a chapter dedicated to him, but the author's obsequiousness and willingness to grovel at the drop of a hat comes oozing through in every chapter.

The Animator's Survival Kit this is not. Neither can it compare to Writing For Animation or Robert McKee's books on Character, Story or Dialogue. This isn't a book about how to be creative, it's strictly a book about how to suck up, pander, network and belly flop your way into the good graces of studio executives and other well connected people in the hopes of someday becoming one of their pampered pets. If that's your thing, go for it! The book is well written, has a nice pace, and is about as cheerful, optimistic, sugary and clueless as Spongebob himself. Well worth the read, in spite of, or maybe because of it's relentless, unpoppable tidal wave of cringe.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great source of information! Any ideas that I had of developing and pitching stories for animated series and shorts has been changed entirely. It seems that getting a series off of the ground is a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. Having great ingredients to build a strong pitch bible is one thing but it seems that experience within the animation industry in different roles and the people that you know are just as important.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the person who knows nothing about this topic, this book is a very useful intro to the various issues at hand. The narrative was a bit too personally focused, but then again, there probably is no generalization one can make about a path in TV development. But the author does a good job of generalizing from his own experiences. This is the kind of book that can become dated as the industry changes, but there are certain principles that will remain largely the same. Worth the read.

[Dublin Von Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. I marked it a 3 as it was more of a learning tool book for me than a casual reader. I'll definitely read it again.

[Saloccini (Nick) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good resource.

[Kevin Powe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic primer on the important aspects of pitching an animated series, with some great examples and reference material.

I'll be re-reading this soon to pick up what I've missed or forgotten, as it's been on the shelf for a while.