The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators

by Williams

• ISBN13: 9780571212682
• ISBN10: 0571212689
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-01-07
• Publisher: Faber & Faber

Summary

The definitive working manual on animation, from the triple Academy Award winning Director of Animation ofWho Framed Roger Rabbit. Animation is one of the hottest and most creative areas of film-making today-- and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is Richard Williams. During his more than forty years in the business, Williams has been one of the true innovators, and serves as the link between the golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation successes. Perhaps even more important, though, has been his dedication to passing along his knowledge to a new generation of animators so that they in turn can push the medium in new directions. In this book, based on his sold-out Animation Masterclasses in the United States and across Europe attended by animators from The Walt Disney Company, PIXAR, DreamWorks, Blue Sky and Warner Bros, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator-- from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz-- needs. Urging his readers to 'invent but be believable,' he illustrates his points with hundreds of drawings, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system in order to create a book that will become the standard work on all forms of animation for professionals, students, and fans.

Author Biography

Richard Williams is best known as the Director of Animation and designer of the new characters for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, for which he won two Academy Awards including a Special Achievement Award.

Canadian-born Williams has won three US Academy Awards, three British Academy Awards, and an Emmy among 246 international awards-- starting with his first film The Little Island in 1958.

Williams has also animated title sequences for Return of the Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, What's New Pussycat, Casino Royale and linking sequences for The Charge of the Light Brigade, as well as countless prize-winning commercials.

In 1990 he was voted by his peers as "The Animator's Animator," and in 1995 he started giving the Richard Williams Animation Masterclasses for professionals and students worldwide in London, Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, Sydney, Hong Kong, France and Denmark.

He lives with his family in Wales and works as an independent film-maker.

Table of Contents

Why This Book?	1	(10)
Drawing in Time	11	(12)
Time to Draw	23	(12)
It's All in the Timing and the Spacing	35	(6)
Lesson 1	41	(5)
Advancing Backwards to 1940	46	(38)
History of the Chart and Inbetween	47	(1)
Extremes and Breakdowns	48	(9)
Keys	57	(4)
Three Ways to Animate	61	(7)
Testing, Testing, Testing	68	(2)
The X-Sheet	70	(5)
Came the Dawn...	75	(1)
The Best Numbering System	76	(2)
The Great Ones and Twos Battle	78	(2)
The Top and Bottom Pegs Battle	80	(4)
More on Spacing	84	(18)
Classic Inbetween Mistakes	88	(2)
Watch Your Arcs	90	(2)
Getting More Movement Within the Mass	92	(4)
The Elongated Inbetween	96	(3)
The Major Beginner's Mistake	99	(1)
The `Ruff' Approach	99	(2)
How Much Do We Leave To The Assistant?	101	(1)
Take The Long Short Cut	101	(1)
Walks	102	(74)
Getting the Weight	106	(3)
Set the Tempo	109	(2)
The Passing Position or Breakdown	111	(4)
Two Ways to Plan a Walk	115	(3)
The Double Bounce	118	(2)
Loosening it Up	120	(8)
Digging Deeper into Walks	128	(7)
There's Nothing Like Trying It	135	(1)
The Heel	136	(1)
Foot Action	136	(6)
Normal Walk Spacing	142	(4)
Weight Shift	146	(1)
The Belt Line	147	(1)
Arm Movements	148	(8)
Counteraction	156	(7)
The Recipe	163	(4)
Sneaks	167	(6)
The Tip Toe Sneak	173	(3)
Runs, Jumps and Skips	176	(41)
The 4 Drawing Formula Run	189	(3)
The 3 Drawing Run	192	(3)
The 2 Drawing Run	195	(5)
The Recipe	200	(1)
Run, Jump, Skip and Leap	201	(8)
Skips	209	(3)
Jumps	212	(1)
Weight on a Jump	213	(4)
Flexibility	217	(39)
The Breakdown	218	(5)
Simple Overlap	223	(3)
Overlapping Action	226	(4)
Simple Counteraction	230	(1)
Breaking Joints to Give Flexibility	231	(15)
Flexibility in the Face	246	(3)
Overlapping Action in the Face	249	(2)
Instant Read - Profiles for Readability	251	(5)
Weight	256	(17)
Pressure and Weight	262	(2)
How Much Effort Do We Have To Expend?	264	(5)
Dancing	269	(3)
Rules of Thumb On Synchronising Action	272	(1)
Anticipation	273	(12)
Surprise Anticipations	282	(1)
Invisible Anticipations	283	(2)
Takes and Accents	285	(12)
A Hard Accent Bounces Back	295	(1)
A Soft Accent continues	295	(2)
Timing, Staggers, Wave and Whip	297	(7)
Stagger Timings	297	(2)
The Side to Side Vibration Formula	299	(2)
Whip Action	301	(1)
Wave Action	301	(3)
Dialogue	304	(11)
Phrasing	305	(5)
Picture and Sound Sync	310	(1)
Accents	311	(3)
Attitude	314	(1)
The Secret	314	(1)
Acting	315	(12)
Change of Expression	320	(1)
Look for the Contrast	321	(2)
An Acting Point	323	(1)
Body Language	324	(1)
Symmetry or `Twinning'	324	(1)
Steal It!	325	(1)
Eyes	325	(2)
Animal Action	327	(6)
Live Action Reference	328	(2)
Basic Animal Walk Pattern	330	(3)
Directing	333	(5)
The Brief	334	(1)
The Leica Reel	334	(1)
Separate the Characters	334	(1)
Best Foot Forward	335	(1)
Casting Animators	335	(1)
Making Changes	335	(1)
`Say! Say!'	335	(1)
Voice Recording	335	(1)
Hook Ups	335	(1)
Research	335	(1)
Editing	335	(1)
Believe in Your Material	335	(3)
Review	338	(4)
The Procedure	338	(1)
The Ingredients	339	(3)
Acknowledgements	342