The best book on the art of stop-action animation and a must-have for animators and animation fans. From the creators of the wildly successful Wallace and Gromit films and Chicken Run, here is a unique guide to making your own 3-D (or stop-action) animation.
The book sets the achievements of Aardman Studios into the tradition of 3-D animation, which spans such Hollywood triumphs as King Kong and well-known characters like Godzilla. At the heart of the book is a guide to the process of 3-D animation today: a practical, fully illustrated, step-by-step description of how to create effective characters, a storyboard and sets, and then an entire film.
The Aardman Studios in Bristol are without doubt the b, ggest success story in the new wave of British animation. Founded by Peter Lord and Dave Sproxtcon. their achievement in creating such characters as Morph.Wallace and Gromit and Shaun tne Sheep has oeen rewarded Dy worldwide fame througn unparalleled success in tne Academy Awards. No fewer than eight Aardman films haw been nominated for Academty Awards. Nick Park at Aardman has received four Oscars for The Wrong Trousers. A Close Shave and The Curse of the Were-rabbit. all featuring tne dqaracters Wallace and Gromit. and for the first Creature Comforts.
The first part of this book. written by Brian Sibley, sets Aardman's achievements and the history of the studio into the tradttion of 3-D animation which soars such Hollywood triumphs as King Kong and asan and the Argonauts, as well as suck well-known characters as Godzilla.At the heart of the book is an idlspensable guide by Peter Lord. co-founder of Aardman to the process of 3-D animation culminating in a Dractical. fully illustrated step-by-step oescription of how to create effective characters. animate them conwnangly, create a storyoboard and sets and then a complete film. This new and uodated edition includes an entirely new cnaDter on CG1 ana the text has been revised tnro.ugnout to retied recent tecnnological advances and to exolore the ways in which new media use animation
There is no other booK that orov{des this nformation in such telling and entertaining aeta, making it possible for everyone to create their own 3-D anmnated classic For fans ano enthusiasts of a, ages. as wetl as for serious stuaents of animation. this book is not only a lot of fun - it is essential reading.
foreword
introduction
the medium
one basic needs
The Camera
The Digital Image and Motion Control
A Simple Studio
A Complex Studio
The Power of Lighting
two simple techniques
Simple Clay Animation
Simple Object Animation
Other Animation Techniques
three models and modelmaking
Basic Principles
Making a Sheep
Gromit Construction
Wat Construction
Rex Construction
Preston
four set design and making
Planning a Set
A Straightforward Set
Matching Sets to Products
A Complex Set
Ingenuity and Props
Special Effects
Advanced Special Effects
five animation and performance
Movement
Walk Cycles
Making Movement Believable
Running and Tumbling
Action and Reaction
Special Movement Effects
Expressions and Gestures
Speech and Lip-sync
six CGI-computer generated imagery
Modelling Figures and Sets
Rigging
Animation
Lighting and Rendering
seven making a film
The Role of the Producer
Thinking about a Script
Flash Animation and the Web
Online Games
Creating a Storyboard for Adam
War Story
The Pearce Sisters
Morph
Angry Kid
Creature Comforts
Shaun the Sheep
Timmy time
Wallace and Gromit
Chicken Run
Editing
Sound and Music
a career in animation
filmography & bibliography
index