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Training manuals, CD-ROMs, and portions of this book are also available individually or can be tailored for specific needs. ISBN-10: 1-59863-260-4 ISBN-13: 978-1-59863-260-6 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006923482 Printed in the United States of America 07 08 09 10 11 BU 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Thomson Course Technology PTR, a division of Thomson Learning Inc. 25 Thomson Place ■ Boston, MA 02210 ■ http://www.courseptr.com TEAM LinG We would like to dedicate this book to all the animation pioneers before us. We are but fleas on the shoulders of giants. TEAM LinG Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG The Magic of Animation he 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 T 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 Floyd Norman, Animator and Story Guy 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 knowl- edge 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) iv TEAM LinG Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG his book has been lovingly crafted by two tal- ented animators who enjoy their work and T 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 con- vey to the artist, animator, historian, or fan the com- bination of technology, art, discipline, and heart that it takes to succeed as a contemporary animator. Richard Taylor, Director, Designer, and CG Pioneer 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 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 technol- ogy 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. TEAM LinG v Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG 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 reve- lations. 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. Lean to draw 2D animation. The nature of hand-drawn ani- mation 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 cer- tain gestures convey feelings and emotions. A true animator creates more than anthropomorphic charac- ters; 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.