Title: Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and C.G.
Authors: Angie Jones, Jamie Oliff
ISBN: 1-59863-260-4
Pages: 300
Published: June 2006
Price: $39.99 (Hardcover), $27.99 (Kindle)
Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG
Thinking Animation is a foundational guide for artists navigating the space between traditional animation and CG. Written by veteran animators working across features, games, and commercials, the book breaks down the core principles of movement, performance, and storytelling—without tying them to any one software.
This isn’t a manual. It’s a mindset.
Through illustrated examples, industry interviews, and real-world tutorials, Thinking Animation shows how strong animation thinking transcends the tools—helping 2D artists move into CG, and CG artists level up their understanding of classic technique.
Perfect for artists building their foundation or seasoned pros wanting to reconnect with the fundamentals.
Book Forewords are written by Floyd Norman and Richard Taylor:
Thinking Animation was so very fortunate to have the book forewords written by Floyd Norman (a traditional 2D artist for Walt Disney Feature and Hanna-Barbera Productions) and Richard Taylor (a director, designer and CG pioneer.)
Floyd Norman – Thinking Animation
FOREWARD BY FLOYD NORMAN
The theater was pitch-black as we made our way to our seats. I held my mother’s hand because I couldn’t see a thing in front of me. Once in our seats, I looked up at the towering screen and saw something I’ll never forget. This was no ordinary movie, and the images on the screen were clearly not real. Yet they were hyper-real in a unique kind of way. The motion picture being screened that afternoon was Walt Disney’s Bambi, and it was the first animated cartoon feature I had ever seen. Keep in mind, this was the 1940s, and television had not yet invaded our lives. The only way one saw an animated film was in a theater.
Though only a small child, I knew the images I was watching were colored drawings. Yet these amazing drawings moved with life, had personality, and spoke clever dialogue. What kind of magic was this, I wondered? Whatever it was, this was something I wanted to do. This was something I had to do. That desire to bring life to pencil drawings has never left me. From my first animated scribbles in junior high school to viewing my early test footage at the Walt Disney studio, I continually remain in awe of moving drawings.
Over the years, I’ve been privileged to work with and learn from the best in the business. Masters whose work I enjoyed as a child were generous enough to share their years of experience with me. Yet knowledge can come from the most unlikely of places, so I’ve learned from kids as well as codgers. That’s because we all shared the same passion, and continually searched for ways to improve our art.
This book continues that search, and you’ll find yourself a better animation artist because of it. That blank sheet of pegged paper on your animation desk needn’t engender fear or trepidation because it’s an incredible challenge. It is the opportunity to create, for lack of a better word, magic.
—Floyd Norman (www.afrokids.com/floydsbio.html)
Floyd Norman, Animator and Story Guy
FOREWARD BY RICHARD TAYLOR
This book has been lovingly crafted by two talented animators who enjoy their work and recognize the value of knowing the history, the art, and the craft of animation. Jamie and Angie have pooled the knowledge of some truly talented professionals to help them convey to the artist, animator, historian, or fan the combination of technology, art, discipline, and heart that it takes to succeed as a contemporary animator.
What a phenomenal time this is in the evolution of animation and film. We are surrounded daily by the most complex visual imagery that mankind has ever created; be it in print, movies, television, games, or on the Internet, our lives are bombarded daily by images of seemingly limitless complexity. Today literally any image that a filmmaker can imagine can be realized. True, some dreams cost more than others, but the fact is the tools now exist that allow the artist, the animator, and the filmmaker to create photo-real illusions, fantasy characters that entertain and amaze us in films such as Titanic, The Incredibles, Shrek, Jurassic Park, King Kong, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Matrix, Alien, Terminator, Blade Runner, Star Wars, and Tron. Films packed with astounding special effects pour out of the studios yearly and on TV weekly. The technological tools to create this imagery are logarithmically improving as they become faster, better, and cheaper annually.
Tron—interesting that I would mention that film. I was a co-visual effects supervisor on the picture, which was released in 1982. Tron was the film that introduced the world to computer imaging. So I’ve been involved with computer animation since its first use in the film industry. I’ve watched as art and technology fused to create the most powerful and limitless visual tool in the history of man.
Computer-generated imaging (CGI) is now the fundamental tool used in creating visual effects and animated features. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that computers and software don’t create these fantastic images. A computer is analogous to a Steinway piano—it’s an instrument. It’s the artist who plays the instrument who brings it to life.
So how does one become an animator who is adept at the latest technological advances, yet still creates with the spirit and freedom of traditional hand-drawn animation? This book deals directly with that query and should give you plenty of answers.
To begin with, production designers, directors, animators, and other artisans who are legendary in the film industry have several things in common. They know how to draw, they study art and the history of their craft, they hang out with their peers, they are objective, and they make an effort to learn something new every day. But the most essential thing they have in common is self-discipline. Successful artists in painting, photography, music, dance, or animation are joined in an endless dance with their art forms.
They put energy into the process daily, and in return, it teaches them something new. The more you work at an art process, the more it teaches you. This dance is the mother of happy mistakes and magical revelations.
For those who love the art of animation and would like to make animation their life’s work, this book will reveal some basic skills and understandings. Learn to draw 2D animation. The nature of hand-drawn animation allows the animator to exaggerate the elasticity, the personality of a character. Drawing by hand creates a rhythm and flow that’s difficult to achieve in 3D work. It’s the human feeling, the personality, the heart of the animator that can be realized through drawing. Dedicated animators observe the world around them. They constantly watch the way things move; they analyze body language and know that certain gestures convey feelings and emotions. A true animator creates more than anthropomorphic characters; they can bring life, personality, humor, or emotion to anything, be it a teapot, a tree, a lamp, or a chair.
Drawing, I believe, is essential to all the arts, especially the art of animation. The structure, design, and composition of a scene, the gesture of a character, the angle of view, the location, the set, and the props are all created through drawing. Conceptual drawings, storyboard frames, and character studies all seem to start on a napkin or a scrap of paper when an artist quickly sketches an idea before it vanishes. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” In filmmaking and games, thousands of dollars are more like it.
Technology has always affected the arts. Advances in technology spike the creative juices of artists, so it’s inevitable that new ideas, new images, and new animations evolve—images that I like to say “remind you of something you’ve never seen before.” If you really want to be an animator, then begin right now by reading this book. And from this moment on, begin to learn and practice the basic skills of animation and learn to observe and interpret the magic
movements of life.
—Richard Taylor (www.richardtaylordesign.com)
Authors – Angie Jones & Jamie Oliff
Angie is a seasoned artist with over 30 years of experience as a character animator, supervisor, and team leader in the film, gaming, and commercial industries. Angie enjoys moving between the sweet and endearing and the evil and deadly. Her work includes Oscar-winning films, a Clio, and one VES award. With credits in 18 features, 75 commercials, and 28 AAA video games, Angie’s expertise is extensive. Additionally, she has authored and co-authored multiple animation books and taught at esteemed Los Angeles institutions, including as Assistant Professor at the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts, School of Cinematic Arts, CG Spectrum, Gnomon School of VFX BRASSARTS and ianimate.net.
Angie lives in downtown Los Angeles where she spends her spare time painting on enormous canvases.
Jamie Oliff is a classically trained animator, having studied at Sheridan College of Art and Design. With over 20 years of experience in the animation industry, he has garnered acclaim as both a director and feature film animator. Notable credits include work on the first season of The Ren and Stimpy Show, as well as contributions to acclaimed feature-length animated films such as Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Hercules, and The Emperor’s New Groove. Additionally, Jamie has expertise in CGI animation, having worked on projects ranging from Kangaroo Jack to Scooby-Doo Too and National Treasure.
Contributing Authors:
Henry Anderson, Bernd Angerer, Carlos Baena, Mark Behm , Chris Bailey, Tony Bancroft, Dave Brewster, Tom Capizzi, Brian Dowrick, Cory Rocco Florimonte, Dan Fowler, Angie Glocka , Eric Goldberg , Ido Gondelman , Evan Gore, Scott Holmes , Cathlin Hildalgo-Polvani, Victor Huang, Ethan Hurd , Ed Hooks, Mark Keotsier , Bert Klein, Keith Lango, Laura McCreary, Darin McGowan, Cameron Miyasaki, Mike Murphy , Floyd Norman , Eddie Pittman , Mike Polvani, Fred Raimondi, Nik Ranieri ,Leigh Rens, Keith Roberts , Troy Saliba , Joe Scott , Tom Sito , David Smith , Roberto Smith , Javier Solsona, Mike Surrey, Richard Taylor , Conrad Vernon , Roger Vizard , Don Waller , Larry Weinberg ,Paul Wood , Bill Wright , and Dave Zaboski
Chapter Summaries for the Book Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG
“I miss my pencil.” – Troy Saliba
Animators find themselves in the midst of a momentous change in our industry. As in many other fields, the computer has made what is known as a disruptive impact on our art form. Think of the car and the horse, the cellular phone and the pay phone, the CG feature and the 2D feature[el]. The introduction of the computer has changed an art form that had been, up until now, a pen and paper medium for upwards of 80 years. Three major shifts are responsible for the progression from pencil to a mouse in feature animation. These shifts can be traced to changes in audience, technology, and storytelling.
“What makes for a good plot? A giant monster, a pretty girl and an obsessed scientist. Oh, and the scientist should smoke a pipe.”
– Chris Bailey
There are many books out there that talk specifically about how to write a good story. Here, we touch upon some the important facets of telling a great story for animation. We talk about storyboards and their importance to the development of a visual medium such as filmmaking. In this chapter we tell you about the evolution of the storyboard into animatics, layout, workbook, pre-visualization, and choreography, and how these tools have made the story artist’s job easier in some ways and a lot more complex in others. Each of these tools is used in animation to help refine the story and get to the heart of what the audience should be experiencing. The storyboard of traditional animation has evolved into a complex set of steps in CG to ensure that all the pieces of the puzzle fit.
“Charlie Brown is my favourite because everybody hates him and he knows it.” – Darin McGowan
Memorable characters are a mix of traits we relate to and find appealing. A character must have some kind of appeal—both physical (good design) and emotional (strong personality type)—the audience identifies with and roots for. Even villains should have this kind of appeal. As much as the audience wants the hero to get what he is after, you are quietly rooting for an unbeaten villain to get his, too. A fully developed character stands out on the screen as acting human like. This chapter explores how to infuse your characters with personality, flaws, believable traits, motivation and further explains how to translate a 2-dimensional drawing into an appealing CG character.
“To just jump in and start animating so the director sees something, anything is a waste of time. Think about what you want to do. Then think about it again.” – Brian Dowrick
Excitement! This is what you feel when you have been handed a really juicy scene to animate! So you’re excited; what do you do? You turn on that computer and start animating. No! Idiot! Have you learned nothing? Don’t you dare! This will only lead to a scene that is convoluted and hard to follow at best. You must think about your scene and get inside the head of the character in the space and time of the story. Over the years, animators have adopted many approaches to how they think about their scenes. This chapter introduces and labels some of these techniques. b Using the practices in this chapter, you will create something that is original and unmistakably clear in performance.
“Animating with a computer is like getting both hands cut off and trying to use robotic arms in one of those plastic containers to handle toxic stuff.” – Nik Ranieri
Whether you came from a stop-motion, 2D, or CG background, you’ve no doubt been frustrated by trying to animate with a computer at one time or another. The computer distances you from the final image. It has a remote nature that is not as tangible as 2D or stop-motion. There are a literally thousands of controls at your disposal when animating on a computer and you have to establish an efficient workflow to be successful. The tools can often be not only complicated, but sterile and mechanical, so you must develop a process that is more approachable, streamlined, and natural to you. Workflow, posing, breaking the rig, in-betweens, breakdowns, and many more tools are discussed here to help you push your CG animation to a higher level.
“If you and I are acting on stage, and I touch your cheek, you will have an emotional reaction of some kind. You and I will both deal with that reaction, which will lead us to the next moment. An animator must create the illusion of a present moment.” – Ed Hooks
Acting is the heart of your animation performance. Each shot of every scene builds upon the performance and supports the intent of the story. The job of an animator involves re-motivating an acting moment in the movie again and again for weeks on end. Animators do not necessarily want to be actors (although some are real characters). To animate well, animators have to understand what an actor knows and how the actor prepares for a scene. The way an animator “acts” is very different from the way an actor “acts.” An animator has to be more analytical than an actor in his or her approach to a scene because the actor acts in the moment, and an animator has to be in the moment.
“You just have to play well with others.” – Cathlin Hildalgo-Polvani
Studio politics. It’s everywhere you go, and we are your studio politics “tour guides.” We have experienced almost every situation in this chapter and have made many mistakes through frustration with the process of politics within the animation studio. In this chapter, we walk you through many possible sticky situations that could arise (and eventually will) and how to handle them with class and restraint.
“Our studio has a tiny yard in the back and it was raining one day. I had only been an employee for a few weeks and took a break to watch the rain fall. As I stood there and watched, the company president walks up and stands next to me, casting his gaze to the rainfall. I had only met him briefly before and not ‘really’ spoken with him, and definitely not one-on-one. I thought to myself, “Wow, I wonder what words of wisdom he might bestow upon me at this moment. I wonder what my reply will be and if I’ll make a good impression?” The company president then says, “Sure is a lot of mud out there.” My reply was, “yeah”… – Roberto Smith
We are now armed with all the ammunition that history has provided us to march through on our way to something great! We are but fleas on the shoulders of giants in this industry. We have much to learn from our animation forefathers, such as John Whitney Sr. and Jr., Walt Disney and his Nine Old Men, Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Robert Abel, Richard Taylor, and so many others. We have much to examine as this young field we call CG animation unfolds and reveals the new pioneers, such as John Lasseter, Chris Wedge, Brad Bird, and more to come. The only way to predict trends in an industry driven by art, commerce, and technology is to look at the past and learn.
TIMELINE
A timeline from 1800-2005 is placed at the footer of each page, so the reader can flip through and see events that happened both in traditional and CG animation throughout history.
AUTHORS BIOS
Over 50 working professionals contributed to this book and their complete bios are listed in the back of this book.
PRODUCTIONS FROM 1994-2005
A complete list of all 2D, Stop-Mo, CG and FX movies produced since 1994 and their domestic box office profits are compiled into an easy to read chart that shows the changes in the audience.
ANIMATION TRENDS
A breakdown of the history of American animation is broken into The Golden Age (1928-1941), The War Time Era (1942-1945), Post War (1946-1980), The Second Golden Age (1981-1995), and finally the Digital Age (1996-?). This historical account provides a thorough list of films all animators should have studied.
ANIMATION HALL OF FUNNY
Our favorite section, this appendix has some comics and quotes that came directly from days in production like “I am not sure what I want, but that is not it…”
PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION
Developed by animators at Disney years ago, this is a quick summary of the principles of animation.
GLOSSARY
Character animation and CG animation terms are defined here.
FURTHER READING
This is a list of recommended reading in addition to our book.
BLOG
Javier Solsona was kind enough to keep a blog while he worked on the cartoony rig for Redd the Clown. Since there is no guarantee the blog will remain online, we decided to reprint it here in the back of the book, for posterity.
thinking of (getting into) animation? read this!
Reviewer: Nial McGaughey
April 27, 2009
Educational book for animators with lots of industry tips
Reviewer: Parka
April 25, 2009
Review from Amazon.com
Thinking Animation is a very well good read. The research is well done and is written with sincerity and a dose of humor.
The topics covered include the animation history, storytelling, creating good characters, technical and non-technical tips on animation and working in the animation industry. It covers enough ground and depth to make any animator more productive and knowledgeable.
The true value of this book is the quotes from multiple animation experts. They are almost on every page, dispensing useful tips and insight on animation, the career, the process. Oftentimes, they are pretty funny, since they are looking back at their work on hindsight.
There are over 70 pages of the appendix. That goes to show how much research was done, and also how many people the authors Angie Jones and Jamie Oliff have spoken too.
Of particular note is the Animation Hall of Funny which contains many hilarious quotes which I should include some here:
- “Make it bluer, because blue is more mysterious.”
- “Are we worried about production or are we worried about making a movie?”
- “I’m not sure what I want, but that’s not it.”
- “Can you shift that half a frame south?”
- “I want it to sound like nothing going through nothing”
- “Show me the funny!”
- “Make the animation a bit more ‘eek eek.’, You know,’eek eek?'”
- Thinking Animation is recommended to new and professional animators, 2D or CG.
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The authors have a blog by the same name. It’s constantly being updated with interesting stuff on animation.
Great resource
Reviewer: B. Sueyoshi
January 23, 2007
A must read for the modern animator.
Reviewer: Joel Fletcher
July 4, 2006
Review from Amazon.com
Being a professional animator, I was anxious to read this book. I finally got hold of a copy and was really impressed. The stage is set with a well-researched history of the dynamically changing world of animation. Then the title theme comes into play in a very authoritative explanation of the art and craft of CG animation, with its roots in the traditional methods. What I liked was that the techniques discussed are not limited to any particular software package. A smart decision by the authors, as this book is not likely to ever go out of date. Adding spice throughout the book are anecdotes by various pros in the business, which are often quite humorous.
THINKING ANIMATION is a must-read. Serves up methods for bringing the chutzpah and finesse of the 2D tradition to the 3D world.
September 1, 2006
Reviewer: Sarah Gurman
Review from Animation Magazine
Addressing all animators from the traditional toon-heads who are dragging their feet into the digital age to the CG trailblazers who now have to hang with the new crossovers, Jones and Oliff explore all of the elements that add up to quality toons and take special care to recognize the innovators who pushed the medium to new levels over the years.
Deals with a great deal more than animation, in either form, with humor and experience.
August 3rd, 2006
Reviewer: Libby Reed
Animation World Network Review
An introduction by Richard Taylor poses the question, “How does one become an animator who is adept at the latest technological advances, yet still create with the spirit and freedom of traditional hand-drawn animation?” Or as the authors put it “The Digital Age is here. No, seriously, put down that pencil or you’re fired.”
Dig out that Toy Story piggy-bank because when you do get this book, I guarantee you will have wished you would have bought it sooner.
August 7, 2006
Reviewer: Paul Williams
Review from 10 Second Club
Here is just a few of the chapter titles just to entice you with: Plot and Premise, Growth and Character Arcs, Orchestration and Back Story, Storyboards, Animatics, and Pre-Viz, Memorable Characters, Flaws and Emotions, Character Bio, Stereotype vs Archetype, Believability and Credibility, Motivation, Design, Handling Textures, Thinking and Planning, Reference and Acting, Gesture and Thumbnails, Graph Editor, Posing and Layering, Breaking the Rig, Using Breakdowns, In-Betweening, Overlap and Secondary Motion, Creating Principal and Secondary Characters, CG tools, Pushing your Animation, Motion Capture and Acting, Body Structure, Psychological Gesture, Power Center, Workflow, Dailies, Communication, Mass Production and Outsourcing. This is just a sample of what’s packed into this book. No subject is glossed over, the text is well written in a clear and precise manner that can be applied instantly. Each subject includes contributions from well-known people in the field who explain how it works for them in the real world of animation, given the present circumstances in the industry.
.: Great Book : After reading the first paragraph of Chapter Two, the tip on that page almost made the book worth the price I paid!
August 24, 2006
Reviewer: Larry on myspace
Review from myspace.com
I thought it was going to be Richard Williams’s stylebook but it wasn’t and in fact, I’m kind of pleased. To me, it’s more like a book full of wise wisdom and tricks of the trade and really explains things in a clear cut way. If only I had this book when I first started out in the whole learning 3D thing 6 years ago this would have been my bible for deciphering most of the terms and understand what they really mean.
I really like the book has the point of view from different people and how they approach their work. A really insightful book and helpful for people who have a 2D background and going to a 3D one, as there are so many terms in 3D that you don’t find in 2D e.g. a graph editor and tweaking f curves. For those with a 3D background already I think a book will help achieve more from their 3D animation.
This book would have really helped me a lot when I did my dissertation called as it covers nearly every aspect I was talking about and would have saved me time, it was even helpful to see where Angie and Jamie had referenced their information from too.
All in all, I think for some people as soon as they see too much text it might put them off as after all animators/creative are visual people. But on the other hand if you’re passionate enough and want to learn from the best or knowledge that’s been passed down from animator to animator its a worthy buy and for me it’s been a worthy buy – a book fully loaded with knowledge and wisdom, what more could you want, it is like having the best animator sitting right next to you.
Really well written and interesting book.
May 12, 2007
Reviewer: CORE CC “Fed” (Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa)
Review from Amazon.com
This book is just fantastic, it was such a pleasure to read that I really hoped it would not end.
I found it different from other books on the subject as it gives you an overview of most processes in animation and helped me solidify some concepts that I was not sure about. It’s not a technical book so don’t expect step by step tutorials, which I think it’s great as it wasn’t intended to be. It’s a book you can just enjoy on the couch without trying to follow and press buttons.
I recommend this book to really anyone who wants to have an inside look at the animation world, anyone who really wants to get to grip with the terms and concepts of animation.
Best chapter was the one on acting as it really supplied some stellar advice and ideas.
Excellent!!!!
March 10, 2007
Reviewer: By K. P. Henry (Denver, CO)
Review from Amazon.com
An incredible source of insight and information even for a novice like me. The layout and flow make this an easy read, interesting, and useful.
The insight is just what I was looking for. Thanks to the authors and editors. A great book!
Great Resource!
January 23, 2007
Reviewer: By B. Sueyoshi “animationCrazy” (Monterey Park, CA United States)
Review from Amazon.com
“Thinking Animation” is a good overview and learning resource for anyone that wants to know how the magic of animation is made.
It covers all the basic principles of animation, breaks them down and explains how they’re used. It’s not a step by step instruction manual of animation, though. If you’re an animation student, no matter what the medium: hand-drawn animation, flash animation, 3D animation, stop motion animation, etc, this book is an excellent ‘textbook’ that covers just about everything.
Book Showcase: Thinking Animation – Animation Mentor Interview
Click here to see the original interview
Animation Mentor: What inspired you to create the book?
Angie: I got the idea for this book while I was animating on Stuart Little 2 in 2001. The SL2 team was a majority of traditional animators hired from Disney and many of these guys were still grasping how to animate with a computer. In addition, we had two Animation Supervisors – Tony Bancroft and Eric Armstrong. Tony came from a traditional background and focused on performance and Eric took care of performance notes and all technical issues. So, we had both CG and traditional sides of animation at the helm of the show. During the course of production, the gap between animators who had used a computer and those who had not become very evident. In addition, much of the technical support on the show was overworked and couldn’t spend much time with these guys helping them with the tools. I watched many great animators struggle to get something out of the machine and understood what the traditional animators brought to the table…outside of pushing buttons within the software. So, I would try to help many of these animators figure out the graph editor and with their workflow, making them faster and letting them do what they are good at – animate!
I thought to myself after that production, there needs to be some kind of text out there to help bridge this gap. There needs to be a book out there that can speak to those trying to cross over from traditional to CG and at the same time, the material would apply to young rising stars just entering the field of animation. I soon got busy with other productions and forgot about the idea until I had a conversation with my editor from a previous book – Steve Weiss – who encouraged me to make it happen. I met Jamie at that time and asked if he would be willing to work with me on the project and represent the traditional side of things. Thank goodness he said “Yes!” because his contribution is so incredible. The book would not have been the same without him.
Animation Mentor: Tell us about the book.
Jamie: There are various books out there that teach you about the software, and many books that teach you the principles of animation. This book teaches you how to apply traditional principles and is written by working professionals who do just that. We have interviewed over 50 people coming from all sorts of backgrounds including stop-mo, traditional and CG. The contributors also range from directors, supervisors, story people and animators who have been working in animation for years. The chapters are broken out as; Introduction: Fleas on the Shoulders of Giants, Storytelling: Tell me a Story, Character: The Good, The Bad and the Just Plain Annoying, Thinking: The Thursday Animator, Animation: Every Frame Counts, Acting: Acting the Moment, Again and Again and Again, Studio Politics: When Push Comes to Stab and Conclusion: The End of the Beginning.
Angie: 
There is also a forward written by both a 2D and CG pioneers (Floyd Norman and Richard Taylor) in the front matter of Thinking Animation. Floyd Norman has been animating since the ’50s and is a talented story man and animator. After a ten year absence from film, Floyd returned to his roots doing story work on several feature-length Disney animated films, Hunchback, Mulan, Tigger Movie, Dinosaur, and Toy Story 2. Richard Taylor organized the effects for the film TRON and was a key designer of the film’s graphics and costumes. Richard continues to work in CG as Cinematics Director at EA-LA. These two amazing artists help us tell the story of how we got here and what is next for animation. We also have a timeline at the footer of the book that begins in 1800 and goes to 2005 documenting all events in both traditional and computer-generated animation. History is so important to understand what field you have entered, following trends in the industry and learning how to stay employed, as those trends change. Jerry Beck and Tom Sito were generous with their input on the timeline and the production lists and charts in the back of the book that further explain events in the history of American animation. There are over 50 hand-drawn and computer-generated illustrations throughout the book that also add humor and show how much fun animation can be with the silly things we do on a normal day. There is also a section called the Animation Hall of Funny with quotes and comics from productions. We wanted the book to be informative and fun to read. For more information, we have chapter summaries located on the Thinking Animation Website where people can learn more about each chapter and what this book is about.
Animation Mentor: Do you have any additional tips to share with our readers?”
Jamie: No matter how much the business changes, technology-wise, I certainly believe that there is no replacement for a good knowledge of the basics. Great draftsmanship will always be held in high regard. The ability to describe your ideas quickly and clearly is paramount. Great drawing ability is without a doubt, the quickest way to get those ideas across. Always be open to new technology and what it can do for your art. Have an open mind and keep your eyes and ears open. There is so much to learn, both from the past and from the younger people entering the business with fresh ideas.
Angie: Carry a sketchbook with you at all times. I stopped doing this for a while and my work suffered from it. Jamie just gave me a new one for my birthday and encourages me to carry it with me all the time and I do. As far as animation specifically I say: Listen, Stay Honest, Experiment, Think, Intuit, Feel and Learn. Because your supervisor knows what the client wants. Because that is the only way you will get into his head and create a real performance. Break any and all rules to animation while following them to create something different about the shot and you cannot go wrong. Understand that you have something new to learn and share with others around you. Every frame counts, every finger, every eyelid shape, every arc, the line of action…everything. The details are just as important as the broad strokes. Remember this, if nothing else. We mention Animation Mentor in the book and think what the school is doing is excellent. If you are taking classes with AM, you are on the right track! Finally, drink lots of Diet Coke – I hear it has caffeine to keep you awake.
Animation Mentor: Where can our readers hear more and get their copy of the book signed?
Angie: September 26th, 2006 we will be teaching a seminar at Disney Features through their Artistic Development Department including a panel with Floyd Norman, Richard Taylor, and Jerry Beck. By the Fall, we will have a schedule of public and private seminars, panels (including many of the contributors to the book) and speaking engagements on the Thinking Animation Website, so please check back for more on that.
To purchase Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG, please click here.