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"BOOK REVIEW: ANIMATION UNLEASHED - 100 Principles Every Animator, Comic Book Writer, Filmmaker, Video Artist and Game Developer Should Know" Author: Ellen Besen Illustrated by: Bryce Hallett Book Review by Matthew Terry Published by: Michael Wiese Productions ISBN: 13:9781932907490
I don't "get" animation. Oh, sure, I enjoy the stories. One of my favorite all time films is "Pinocchio." I love the Pixar films - a solid run of quality production that is unparalleled (though I think that "Wall-E" was not their best effort). What I don't "get" is the time and energy put into it. I recall watching a behind the scenes segment on Ardman Studios and the production behind the short "Wallace and Gromit" films. Making those stop-motion claymation films would make my head explode. After reading "Animation Unleashed" I get it. "Animation Unleashed" with wonderful illustrations by Bryce Hallett, goes into fine detail on all things animated. Showing the reader what goes into it, from the nuance of a raised eyebrow, to the detail that goes into computer generated fare. Touching on everything from character development (whether your character is a life-like person...or is a chair) to the aspects of sounds, shadows, details (both large and small). This book is an extremely thorough reference book and a must for anyone who is thinking about animation. My only issue with the book is that Ms. Besen references a LOT of animated films that I am not familiar with. Though she lists them at the end of the book, it would be great if, at some point, a DVD is packaged with the book to include the animated films she mentions. Or, a reference at the beginning of the book to go on-line and try to view (assuming they're on YouTube) the animated films she mentions. All-in-all, this is a very interesting book about nearly all aspects of animation. |