The Animator S Survival Kit

"A manual of methods, principles and formulas for classical, computer, games, stop motion and internet animators"--Cover.

Animation is one of the hottest areas of filmmaking today—and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is Richard Williams. During his nearly fifty years in the business, Williams has been one of the true innovators, winning three Academy Awards and serving as the link between Disney's golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation exemplified by the films from Pixar. Perhaps even more important, though, has been his dedication in passing along his knowledge to a new generation of animators. In this book, based on his sold-out master classes in the United States and across Europe, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator—from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer-animation whiz—needs. He illustrates his points with hundreds of drawings, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system. In this revised edition, he expands upon and illuminates more difficult areas of animation, such as animal action and gaits and the correct use of live action, to help animators push the medium in new directions.

"The Weatherly Guide to Drawing Animals focuses on learning how to draw animals using solid drawing principles."--Publisher.

RUNS, JUMPS AND SKIPS From Richard Williams' The Animator's Survival Kit comes key chapters in mini form. The Animator's Survival Kit is the essential tool for animators. However, sometimes you don't want to carry the hefty expanded edition around with you to your college or studio if you're working on just one aspect of it that day. The Animation Minis take some of the most essential chapters and make them available in smaller, lightweight, hand-bag/backpack size versions. Easy to carry. Easy to study. This Mini focuses on Runs, Jumps and Skips. As with Walks, the way we run shows our character and personality. A lazy, heavy person is going to run very differently to an athletic ten-year-old girl. Richard Williams demonstrates how - when you're doing a walk and you take both legs off the ground, at the same time and for just one frame - a walk becomes a run. So, all the things we do with walks, we can do with runs. This Mini presents a collection of Williams' runs, jumps and skips inspired by some of the cleverest artists from the Golden Age of Animation

DIRECTING, DIALOGUE AND ACTING From Richard Williams' The Animator's Survival Kit comes key chapters in mini form. The Animator's Survival Kit is the essential tool for animators. However, sometimes you don't want to carry the hefty expanded edition around with you to your college or studio if you're working on just one aspect of it that day. The Animation Minis take some of the most essential chapters and make them available in smaller, lightweight, hand-bag/backpack size versions. Easy to carry. Easy to study. This Mini focuses on Directing, Dialogue and Acting. As a director, whatever your idea is, you want to put it over, so the main thing with directing is to be clear - very clear. The Director's job is to hold everything together so that the animator can give the performance. Richard Williams shows how that performance can be achieved with flexibility and contrast. With Acting and Dialogue, the temptation is to try to do everything at once - Williams' advice: do one thing at a time.

FLEXIBILITY AND WEIGHT From Richard Williams' The Animator's Survival Kit comes key chapters in mini form. The Animator's Survival Kit is the essential tool for animators. However, sometimes you don't want to carry the hefty expanded edition around with you to your college or studio if you're working on just one aspect of it that day. The Animation Minis take some of the most essential chapters and make them available in smaller, lightweight, hand-bag/backpack size versions. Easy to carry. Easy to study. This Mini focuses on Flexibility and Weight. How do we loosen things up and get snap and vitality into our performance at the same time as keeping the figure stable and solid? The answer: successive breaking of joints to give flexibility. In this mini, Williams stresses the importance of knowing where the weight is on every drawing. He demonstrates that the best way to show weight is to be aware of it, conscious of it, and think about it all the time - knowing where the weight is coming from, where it's traveling over and where it's transferring to.

The second edition of Game Anim expands upon the first edition with an all-new chapter on 2D and Pixel Art Animation, an enhanced mocap chapter covering the latest developments in Motion Matching, and even more interviews with top professionals in the field. Combined with everything in the first edition, this updated edition provides the reader with an even more comprehensive understanding of all areas of video game animation – from small indie projects to the latest AAA blockbusters. Key Features • New 2nd Edition Content: An all-new chapter on 2D and Pixel Art Animation, Motion Matching, and more • 20 Years of Insight: Accumulated knowledge from 2 decades of experience in all areas of game animation. • The 5 Fundamentals: Reinterprets the classic 12 animation principles and sets out 5 new fundamentals for great game animation. • Full Production Cycle: Walks through every stage of a game production from the animator’s perspective. • Animator Interviews: Notable game animators offer behind-the-scenes stories, tips, and advice. • Free Animation Rig: Free "AZRI" maya rig, tutorials and other resources on the accompanying website: www.gameanim.com/book About The Author Jonathan Cooper is an award-winning video game animator who has brought virtual characters to life professionally since 2000, leading teams on large projects such as the Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect series, with a focus on memorable stories and characters and cutting-edge video game animation. He has since focused on interactive cinematics in the latest chapters of the DICE and Annie award-winning series Uncharted and The Last of Us. Jonathan has presented at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco and at other conferences across Canada and the United Kingdom. He holds a Bachelor of Design honors degree in animation.