Animation Books - Page 11

Animation Now! (Taschen 25th Anniversary)

Anima Mundi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Glossy Salute to Contemporary Animation 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.

First and foremost, you're probably wondering which short films are included on the DVD (which is Region 1 compatible and plays beautifully). Here's the list:

Feet of Song - Erica Russell
The Man with the Beautiful Eyes - Jonathan Hodgson
Mt. Head - Koji Yamamura
Yo Yo - Little Fluffy Clouds Studio
Interrogating Ernie - Loose Moose Studio
Anijam - Marv Newland
Death + the Mother - Ruth Lingford
Local Dive - Sarah Watt
Dia de los Muertos - Vinton Studio
A Dog's Cartoon - Wild Brain Studio

There are, as others have mentioned, a wealth of other extras including excerpts, trailers and showreels. Combined with the book, which is too light on text but abundant in beautiful animation stills, the consumer is getting a tremendous value and the animation fan is getting a wonderful addition to her collection.

I particularly appreciated the integration of commercial studio work with the work of the independent masters - it gave the package a more rich overview contemporary animation. Plus, I finally got my first glimpses of some much acclaimed but hard-to-find animations: Daniel Greaves (Flatworld), Igor Kovaliov (Bird in the Window) and Gil Alkabetz (The Swamp) among others.

This book is a real treat -- highly recommended! Enjoy!

Editorial Review:

Just how do they do it? The artists behind the cartoons are the focus of this sweeping study that brings you everything you ever wanted to know about today's best animation specialists. We've rounded up about 80 of the world's most prominent artists/studios and arranged them from A to Z, including examples and descriptions of their work as well as biographies, filmographies, bibliographies, lists of awards received, and contact information. Profiles of the world's best animation schools are also provided.

The Art of Final Fantasy IX

Dan Birlew

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Wonderful Art of Final Fantasy IX!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

When I bought this book, I expected mostly black and white photos and small screenshots from the game, but when I opened it up I was happily suprised with a book full of large, colorful artwork. Being a fan of the game series itself, this book especially appealed to me, as it probably would to many other FF players. But even those who do not play the game will find them selves impressed with the tons of fantastic artwork that fills its pages. I definitely recommened this book if you are a fan of the game or just love great art!

Editorial Review:

BradyGames The Art of FINAL FANTASY IX features an inside look at the stunning art from FINAL FANTASY IX. The book includes rarely-seen concept art and detailed pencil sketches, an immense collection of character art, airship and vehicle designs, monsters and unique weapon images, and full-page scenes from the most beautiful cinemas in video game history. Entertaining and informative commentary is provided as well as anecdotal captions relevant to story and events of FINAL FANTASY IX.

Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash MX in 24 Hours (Sams Teach Yourself in 24 Hours)

Phillip Kerman

List Price: $29.99 By: Sams Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $0.20

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Pretty Good until you get to the actionscripting part 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I was going through this book fairly well untilllllllllll.......... I came to the actionscripting chapters. Some work fine but I kept coming to exercises where I kept saying what the *#&^ am I doing wrong! I thought the big problem was I has flash mx instead of flash mx 2004, I guess I was wrong. As I read the other users reviews I discovered there are a lot of errors. I would have recommended this book but not anymore. Don't get this book unless you want to use it as a target from frustration.

Oh and you cannot get the downloads to work.

Editorial Review:

Since its introduction in 1996, Macromedia Flash has become the standard for delivering high impact, vector-based graphics to the Web. Flash is deceptively simple at first, yet has great depth and flexibility.

Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash 5 in 24 Hours offers a clearly written, well-organized introduction to this powerful product, and gives the beginner an overview of the entire package, without becoming too overwhelming.

A new version of Flash is expected to be released in the 1st quarter of 2002. It will have user interface improvements, several new features, and extensive improvements to existing features.

How to Draw Animation: Learn the Art of Animation from Character Design to Storyboards and Layouts

Christopher Hart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

WARNING: This Book is For The Little Kiddies 2 out of 5 stars.
31 of 32 people found this review helpful.

This book is not for people who are interested in becomingserious animators. The book seems to be geared towards children whoare interested in how animation works. So if you are a seriousanimation student I would have to warn you to stay clear of this book. However, this is a good book to give the little kiddies on how animation works. On the bases of it being a Childrens book about animation I would have to give it 5 stars. Since I am sort of an animator in training I would have to give it 2 stars for content. Why? You ask because the content is very brief and does not go into much detail. ...

Should be called: A Very Brief Introduction to Animation 2 out of 5 stars.
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.

I was extremely disappointed in this book. It has very little real content and the book only touches very briefly on many topics. The concepts contained in the book could have been written on 3 sheets of paper. My guess it is written for children to see some of the animation concepts

Editorial Review:

These pages burst with step-by-step instruction for creating colorful animation, from character design to professional storyboards and action-packed layouts.

Robotech Art I (Starblaze Editions)

Kay Reynolds, Ardith Carlton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

THE episode guide for Robotech (US) 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

If you are looking for the definitive episode guide to Robotech as aired in the US by Harmony Gold, this is the book for you. IT has detailed synopses of all 85 episodes from the beginnning of the Macross saga, through the Southern Cross saga, to the end of the Invid Invasion saga. The art is mostly cels from the original Japanese version of the series. It also has a brief history of Anime releases in the US up to this point (around 1986). It is well worth the effort to obtain a copy. If you like Robotech in particular, or anime in general, this book is a treasurehouse of the genre.

Probe deep into the universe of Robotech. 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This beautiful oversized art book showcases the incredibly talent and genius behind Robotech. It features a comprehensive episode guide as well as character and mecha profiles for each of Robotech's generations. The only place I think this books falls flat(why it doesn't get five stars) is the character biographies. Being a big fan of the show and the series of novels devoted to it, I can't help but feel that some of the characters were omitted. Granted, this book was published in 1986, and the novels hadn't been published yet, and some of those characters were created in those later novels..but what about Lang? Or Carpenter? Or Komodo? Or Dennis, Nova's one time love? The list goes on... Anyway, aside from those small flaws, this book is an excellent resource dedicated to a superb animated series, and worth tracking down if you are a Robotech fan.

Complete Guide to Anime Techniques: Create Mesmerizing Manga-style Animation with Pencils, Paint, and Pixels

Hayden Scott Baron, Chris Patmore, Chi Hang Li

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

complete 'overview' 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros:
This is a beautifully illustrated guide to the terminology with examples of the production and techniques of Anime in the Japanese/Asian style. It is 'complete' in the sense it covers the vast majority of terms, forms of style and applications. It even includes a section on various softwares available (2006) and what to expect to pay for them by the 'free - $$$$$' rating. That is it in a nutshell. If you are expecting the essentials (ONLY) of how-to this is it.
Cons:
IF you are however looking for a guide to help you produce on desktop computer and are a beginner, and looking to do a barebones small studio production... There are better places for the fleshing out of 'How-To' in detail.
Overall:
The book is a tease, a pleasing tease, but just a tease. Keep it for referencing terms. And face facts, to do really professional Anime, you are going to have to PAY PAY PAY! SO save your dollars for the software for editing compositing and production... and sound recording and editing needs you will have. And if you have the money for that, you can then consider writing your own 'how-to'.
P.S. Really didn't like the comment on page 41, "where a western artist may have a darker, grungier look for the clothes and expressions." I really felt that was uncalled for! Their main audience is future 'western artists'... just a thought.

Editorial Review:

Art students learn to reproduce the distinctive style and vibrant colors that characterize Japanese movie animation—or anime. The author explains every stage in the creative process, from storyboarding to preparing and distributing the finished movie or video. Step-by-step tutorials demonstrate fundamental skills, such as hand-painting characters and backgrounds on separate cel layers, working with 3D graphics, and using digital pen-and-tone techniques. Separate chapters focus on stylistic techniques, animation basics such as characters’ movements and lip synching, application of styles that comprise fundamentals of animated visual grammar, and other vital topics for successful movie animation. This very useful manual features more than 400 instructive color illustrations.

Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters

John Grant

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Disney Resource 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a definite must-have for any Disney fan. The book is divided into three basic sections: Characters in shorts, characters in television shows, and characters in features. Each category has a mention of every Disney character created until 1997 including interesting articles about them. This is also a great place to find information on lesser-known or forgotten Disney characters such as Spike the bee from a number of Donald Duck cartoons and Little Hans, a star of his own wartime propaganda film. Combine this with hundreds of pictures from the films and you have a book that is sure to be a favorite of any Disney fan.

Excellent but not with every characters 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Disney historic resource. If you're a Disney fan you will enjoy it, unless you're locking for a line about Eega Beeva, because you won't find any- a pity. Daniel

Editorial Review:

From Mickey Mouse to Timon, Roger Rabbit to Hades, and Aladdin to Sebastian--the famous, the infamous, and the obscure--every character of the Disney honor roll is present and accounted for in this comprehensive volume that every true Disney fan and animation enthusiast will treasure.

Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects (With CD-ROM) (Dv Expert Series)

Trish Meyer, Chris Meyer

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Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Discover the experts' techniques for creating award-winning animation, composites and special effects for TV, film and more-with Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects by Trish and Chris Meyer. Dozens of inspiring examples help you break through to new heights of creativity and proficiency.

This color-packed book starts with the fundamentals of Adobe After Effects 4.1 and progresses step by step. The authors offer real-world explanations of how the program works, and a CD-ROM of example projects showing each concept in action. Hands-on tutorials demonstrate creative techniques, shortcuts, and tricks you can apply to your own art, using both the Standard and Production versions of After Effects.

For users of all levels, topics include:
- Mastering complex animation and keyframe assistants
- Creating transparency with alpha channels, masks and keying
- Transfer modes, rack mattes and numerous effects tips and tricks
- Building hierarchies of nested compositions
- Working with fields, DV, NTSC, PAL, widescreen and film

The companion CD-ROM contains hundreds of movies, stills, objects and audio clips, plus free plug-ins and more. It also includes the tryout version of Adobe After Effects 4.1 for Mac and Windows.

That's All Folks: The Art of Warner Bros. Animation

Steve Schneider

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Very good survey historical and technical survey 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

While writing an article for the Talaria Enterprises Museum Store's new release of Looney Tunes sculptures, I turned to this very informative book. It discusses the history and impact of the Looney Tunes characters from historical, technical, and theoretical perspectives. Very Good Sourcebook!

A great resource for WB cartoon buffs. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

First, I have to confess that I am a card-carrying adult who still watches cartoons every Saturday morning. As an adult, however, I'm now interested it the history of the cartoons I watch. (It makes me feel more...sophisticated about my cartoon viewing.)

"That's All Folks" has incredible full-color pictures, chronicals the history of WB cartoons, provides specific information about the most popular characters and cartoons, AND includes a filmography of WB cartoon releases. If you like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the rest of the gang, you should have this book.

Editorial Review:

For three generations of fans comes the first book to celebrate the unique achievements and beloved menagerie created by the inimitable Warner Borthers animation studio. Not even Walt Disney has produced a more popular and brilliantly witty oeuvre of cartoon shorts (as was written in Newsweek recently, "Disney cartoons may have been more beautiful; Warner's cartoons were always more interesting."). 100 line drawings, 255 full-color illustrations.

Stepping into the Picture: Cartoon Designer Maurice Noble

Robert J. McKinnon

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Stepping into the Picture: Cartoon Designer Maurice Noble reveals the extraordinary personal journey of one of the pioneers of the "Golden Age of Animation." In a career spanning seven decades, Noble (1911-2001) developed a unique, creative philosophy that enabled him to play an integral role in many of the best-loved animated films ever made, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, What's Opera, Doc?, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many others.

The author presents Noble's inside view of the workings of the celebrated Disney Studio during its earliest days, the triumph of the groundbreaking animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the notorious strike that changed everything. The book also examines Noble's stint in WWII and his fortuitous alliance with Theodore (Dr. Seuss) Geisel and Col. Frank Capra. The three helped create inspirational short films for U.S. Armed Forces.

Noble's best known and most highly regarded work took place at the Warner Bros. Studio. This volume covers his long and fruitful collaboration there with the legendary director Chuck Jones. At Warner Bros., the artist's wealth of experience enabled him to create unsurpassed concepts of animated cartoon design that have delighted generations.