Animation Books - Page 13

iMovie 2 for Dummies

Todd Stauffer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Includes a good CD demo 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have two other iMovie2 books, but I put out the money for this one because not only does it contains quite a few other techniques not found in other books, but because the attached CD comes only with sample movie clips of camera and editing techniques discussed in the book. It also includes among other things shareware and demo software like Adobe After Effects, sound effect utilities, graphic converter, MoviEffects to use with QT movies.

I wouldn't say this is the best iMovie2 book, but the author does a good job outlining, laying out, and explaining editing procedures and techniques. It's not that iMovie2 is a difficult program to learn or use, but it's just that books like these provide insightful strategies that enable you to get more out of the program. I certaintly recommend this book for first time and intermediate users of iMovie2.

Editorial Review:

For the first time, making and editing your own movies is as easy as plugging in your camera, turning on your iMac and double-clicking the iMovie icon. What the iMac did for Internet access iMovie will do for video editing. iMovie for Dummies not only shows you the ins and outs of using iMovie, it also shows you the techniques and tricks to making professional-looking video. Storyboards, effects, titles, sound, music, manipulating tracks -- these authors cover it all in an engaging and entertaining fashion that will make learning to make movies as much fun as watching them!

Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson

Tom Sito

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Industries & Professions -> Industrial Relations

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

As cartoons and animated features became an increasingly important part of the entertainment business, the production of cartoons industrialized to meet growing demands for the new global media. Artists adopted traditional union models to protect their jobs and working conditions, and a unique set of unions was born.

Drawing the Line is the first labor history of an industry whose principle figures--Walt Disney, Chuck Jones, and Max Fleischer--helped define American entertainment. Author Tom Sito, Disney animator and former president of the Hollywood Animation Guild, draws on oral histories, archival information, and firsthand knowledge of the animation process to create an insider's history of a colorful set of labor unions.

Sito describes the history and the fiery personalities behind the formation of the Screen Cartoonists Union, the strikes and walk-outs, the effects of Hollywood blacklisting, and the battles at the bargaining tables. He closes with a look at the changing nature of animation and the way in which current giants Disney and Dreamworks are again reshaping the relationship between studios and animators. Well illustrated with never-before-seen images from the backstage of classic Hollywood, Drawing the Line will change basic assumptions about animation history and its place in the story of American labor.

Don Bluth's Art Of Animation Drawing

Don Bluth

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Emphasis on "Animation", not "Drawing" 4 out of 5 stars.
32 of 34 people found this review helpful.

I looked through this book at a bookstore. Its focus is on the animation process; it talks about backgrounds and models and voice actors, and it gives examples of how to match a character's mouth movements with a vocal track. It also shows how to punctuate a character's animation with frames that show extremes of emotion. There's a reason, though, why this is in the "Filmmaking" section of a bookstore, and not the "Drawing" section - the emphasis of the book is on the techniques used to bring an animated character to life, NOT on how to draw them. There are lots of pictures of lots of characters from lots of Bluth projects, everything from Banjo the Woodpile Cat to Dirk the Daring to Space Ace to Anastasia to Rasputin to Mrs. Brisby to Jenner and more, and the pictures would be really interesting to someone with some drawing skills; there are some character sheets in there, and lots of rough animation drawings showing the characters in various poses. This is not a "how-to", nor is it a comprehensive history of Bluth's work, but it's still a really interesting book.

Editorial Review:

While its predecessor, Don Bluth's Art of Storyboard, described in detail the technical and creative processes involved in crafting the visual blueprints for animated films, Don Bluth's Art of Animation Drawing focuses on the process of designing characters; adapting them to script, voice talent, and music; directing their "performances"; the timing and rhythm of movement; analyzing action; and more. The acclaimed animator/director of The Secret of N.I.M.H., An American Tail, and All Dogs Go to Heaven, Bluth’s gorgeous artwork and lively commentary make this a must for animators of any level and a delight for animation fans of any age.

Animated Painting

Betti-Sue Hertz, Suzanne Buchan, Lev Manovich

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Editorial Review:

Illustrated with approximately 235 color images and packaged with a DVD of selected videos, Animated Painting brings together some of the most compelling recent contemporary art to combine traditional conceptions of painting and drawing with the techniques and time-based elements of animation. As the moving image continues to overwhelm our visual field, artists are using the playful possibilities of time and movement to extend the languages of painting and drawing to literally "animate" them without completely releasing the work of art from the visual codes and conventions of the traditional two-dimensional art object. These artists often wrap their doubts and concerns about society into an aesthetically delightful package, claiming animation techniques for contemporary art, either wholly or as part of a hybrid artistic practice. Animated Painting features 14 international artists, including Sadie Benning, Jeremy Blake, William Kentridge and Julian Opie.

The Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effects

Isaac V. Kerlow

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Editorial Review:

The world of 3-D animation and imaging is rapidly expanding and changing. Since the publication of The Art of Computer Animation and Imaging, 3e in 2003, there have been major advancements in software, technique and hardware. This new edition is critical to the continued use of the Kerlow book in both academic and professional settings.

Tezuka School of Animation, 1: Learning the Basics

Tezuka Productions

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Astro Boy's a cute 'lil guide... 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Anime fans doing animation courses can get it a little tough here in the UK. The style just isn't popular enough and as much as I admire walt disney, it's a shame he stereotyped the genre as a kids-only zone. Interesting I should say that, as Tezuka is often hailed as the Japanese walk Disney (up there with such greats as Mamoru Osamu and Hayao Miyazaki.)

Even for non anime fans, the walk cycles remain basically the same and this was a simple and understandable guide that gave you all the basics nessecary for various cycles, whether you use anime as a style or not. I mean, heck, I just made an entire SKIP CYCLE! SKIPPING!

Not a great deal of information, but ideal for anyone just starting out with basic walk cycles and animation terchniques. Not a bad job, though it could've had a little more info. The book is probably better suited for younger people with an interest in the genre but hey, this nineteen year old ain't complaining.

Editorial Review:

The work of artist Osamu Tezuka has been as influential in Japan as that of Walt Disney in the US. His most famous character, Astro Boy, guides the reader through this book on the fundamentals of animation. The focus is on mastering movement, timing, and expression-the keys to bringing anime characters to life. This book is filled with step-by-step instructions on how to depict weight, walking speed, dynamic action, and effects like fire and water. The concepts are all taken from Tezuka's works and have his particular stylistic mark. Become a master by mastering the basics!

Understanding Animation

Paul Wells

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

For the students of art science 3 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This is essentially a scholar book for students of art science: lots of texts, few pictures, and in black and white. It contains a good discussion on the origin of animation, and it tries to specify its specific characteristics. It contains many and very diverse examples, but, of course, they work best as such, when one is able to see the mentioned films. I think this book really helps the reader 'understanding' animation (at least it helps to develop an analytical view towards animation as an art form), but I don't think it is suited for the average animation fan.

Editorial Review:

Animated film is commonly perceived as children's play and is often neglected as a serious form of cinematic art. With Understanding Animation, Paul Wells aims to change that.

Part history, part theory, part celebration, this book explores approaches to animation through an eclectic range of case studies from Betty Boop's Snow White, to Jan Svankmajer's Jabberwocky. Opening with a discussion of the early history of animation through experimental figures like Emile Reynaud and J. Stuart Blackton, Wells also discusses narrative, realism and Disney-esque hyper-realism, the construction of comedy, representations of race and gender, the construction of comedy, and animation and audience research. Engagingly written, Understanding Animation demonstrates that animated film has much to tell us about ourselves, the culture we live in, and our perceptions of cinematic art in the twentieth century.

Animation and America

Paul Wells

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Editorial Review:

The 'cartoon' is synonymous with the United States - the all conquering Disney studio, the anarchic antics of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, the satiric vision of The Simpsons - but rarely is this taken seriously as an important aspect of artistic and cultural achievement, nor as a vision of America itself. In Animation and America, Professor Paul Wells looks at animation in the United States afresh, discussing the distinctiveness of the cartoon form, and the myriad others types of animation production, insisting upon the 'modernity' of the form, and its crucial importance as a barometer of the social conditions in which it was made, and which it reflects. The book does not work as an orthodox history of animation in America, but rather uses animation as a way of discussing personal, social and political change, concentrating on the ways in which the form continues to grow, experiment, and remain subversive while gaining increasing popular acclaim and recognition.Now in the vanguard of visual culture per se, animation occupies an important position in representing both the outcomes and impacts of new technologies - as it has always done - but also has laid the foundations for a new understanding of social and artistic practice.

The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who’s Who of Cartoon Voice Actors

Tim Lawson, Alisa Persons

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Stories of the actors who gave voice to SpongeBob Squarepants, Beavis and Butthead, Bart and Homer Simpson, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and many more

The Magic Behind the Voices is a fascinating package of biographies, anecdotes, credit listings, and photographs of the actors who have created the unmistakable voices for some of the most popular and enduring animated characters of all time.

Drawn from dozens of personal interviews, the book features a unique look at thirty-nine of the hidden artists of show business. Often as amusing as the characters they portray, voice actors are charming, resilient people-many from humble beginnings-who have led colorful lives in pursuit of success. Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill's Mike Judge was an engineer for a weapons contractor turned self-taught animator and voice actor. Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) was a small town Ohio girl who became the star protégé of Daws Butler-most famous for Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and Quick Draw McGraw. Mickey Mouse (Wayne Allwine) and Minnie Mouse (Russi Taylor) are a real-life husband-and-wife team. Spanning many studios and production companies, this book captures the spirit of fun that bubbles from those who create the voices of favorite animated characters.

In the earliest days of cartoons, voice actors were seldom credited for their work. A little more than a decade ago, even the Screen Actors Guild did not consider voice actors to be real actors, and the only voice actor known to the general public was Mel Blanc. Now, Oscar-winning celebrities clamor to guest star on animated television shows and features.

Despite the crushing turnouts at signings for shows such as Animaniacs, The Simpsons, and SpongeBob Squarepants, most voice actors continue to work in relative anonymity. The Magic Behind the Voices features personal interviews and concise biographical details, parting the curtain to reveal creators of many of the most beloved cartoon voices.

Fantasia 2000 : Visions of Hope

John Culhane

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Brilliant Visions 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Whether you are wanting a companion to the wonderful film, to learn more about animation, to keep a little piece of the fantastic art for yourself or simply to inspire you by sitting on your coffee table, you will not be disappointed with this book. The layout and presentation are stunning and you will treasure this beatiful book for years to come.

My suggestion is to also buy the soundtrack and listen to it while flipping through the pages of this book. You will find yourself inspired - no matter what sort of day you've had.

Congratulations to John Culhane for a beautifully realized presentation.

Editorial Review:

When Walt Disney created Fantasia in the late 1930s, it was his plan to periodically update the animated feature film with classical music and state-of-the-art animation techniques. But a disappointing box office showing forced him to shelve those plans, until now. Under the auspices of Roy E. Disney, Walts nephew and vice-chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Walts dream will come true when Fantasia is reborn as Fantasia 2000.