Animation Books

Outside of the page after page of cute cosplay girls, and some guys, this book also has chapters on cosplay design, hairstyles, lingo, information about both cosplayers and camekos - those people behind the cameras, how to pick a pose, and survival tips for going to events, such as rules of conduct. If you don't have a book on cosplay or are just started it, this WILL help you as it world also work with American Anime Conventions I go to.

This is a great reference guide for beginner and advanced costume makers. I highly recomend this book.

Another DH Publishing success! That's if you're into wacky Japanese pop culture! This book is full of cute J-girls dressed in every Anime and Manga character costume you can think of (and a lot you can't). Why do they do it? Well, it's all explained, plus bits and pieces about making costumes, doing your hair, posing, etc. There's also interviews with Cosplayers (who all seem a bit crazed) and the Cameko ... who follow them around with cameras (really are crazed) . It's a colorful, fun book, that you can look thru again and again and always find something strange and new. A great gift for somebody. And Amazon are offering 30%!

Ever since I was a little boy, I have dressed up as my favorite anime character. For the last eight years, I have lived my life in costume - Chun Li from Street Fighter. This book helped me realize that not only am I alone, but I could actually be popular. Thank you Jennifer Cahill!

WHAT A GREAT BOOK AND THE GIRLS ARE HOT TOO. HA HA

Most artists can't do everything - usually they are somewhere in the middle of a chain of production responsiblities that don't include the skillsets involved with presenting a portfolio, digital or otherwise. Many points of insider knowledge are invaluable - I was on the cusp of using PowerPoint for my CD portfolio (my wife has strong skills with this) before being warned that this bussiness presentation software's would be viewed with derision by art directors, and that a high resolution version of a website format is the way to go here - this one parcel of knowledge was worth the price of the book alone, but it is far from the only lesson imparted. Highly recommended - it doesn't stray into realms of esoterica for the sake of pagecount.

This handbook is targeted at beginners in designing portfolios to submit their artwork or photos when job hunting. It is filled with information, however most is very basic and will only be a review for most readers.

If you set can aside the near 100% focus on digital media (though it is excellent for that kind of format) and not hyperventilate in feeling like you need to come up with Flash or DVDs after reading this, it offers solid points on portfolio content, whatever format you choose.

It covers what should go in, what should not go in, how much should go in, how/if to deal with process pieces, storyboarding,
thematic ties to pull a disparate portfolio together, and sage advice on basics like the kinds of written copy you want to include, such as design briefs, problem statements, and tag lines. It's my favorite book for this effort right now. My husband's, too. I have to pry it off his desk.

It's also savvy when it comes to marketing, so I think it will have a long shelf life in my library for the days when I need to market myself on other things besides landing a job, like marketing my firm.

It has some printed web site design examples which offer visual eye inspiration for printed page layout. It even has great image workflow tips, towards preserving the best image quality with the least needed resolution, that are comprehensible to the lay person as well as meaningful to someone with a high degree of digital photographic processing background.

For several months I searched for an appropriate textbook for a course that I was developing. Several days prior to the deadline for the course outline, "Designing a Digital Portfolio " was published. After reading the book, I realized this was the authoritative text for anyone in a creative field. The book asks and answers all the essential questions. It is perfect for the technological savvy multimedia programmer or for any artist with limited technology expertise. I urge anyone who is even considering developing a digital portfolio to buy this book. Without qualification, this is the most valuable book on the market

Multimedia Portfolio Instructor/Art Institute/Art Institute Online
Subject Matter Expert / Curriculum Development Multimedia Portfolio

This is one of the best books on its topic that I have ever seen. From the title, I expected to find advice on preparing images for the screen, how to put them on a CD or DVD, etc. Those things are there, but the book begins in a logical place that I wouldn't have considered. Brown's approach is truly holistic.

Check out page 23 for the first page of a three-page self assessment check list. It has you evaluate your professional strengths and weaknesses, goals and personality.

Chapter 3 asks you a bunch of questions to help you identify who your audience really is and focus on them.

The rest of the book covers various digital formats, how to organize your work, how to get images of 3D and oversized work into your portfolio, including choosing a camera and setting up for shooting.

Ms. Brown covers editing your images to remove the most common problems, such as moire, sharpening needs, bad crops, etc. And ... she devotes a section to creating written content to accompany your stunning images, telling you how to write to that audience you defined earlier.

She explains the differences between a monitor screen and a printed page. You need to know that to design the correct interface for your portfolio. She also has a full chapter devoted to marketing and copyright issues.

The entire book is scattered with quotes (in friendly green type) from experts and those who have gone before you. The quotes tell you what agencies are looking for in a portfolio, how others have found success at this, what things you can do to streamline the process, etc.

There is no other book like this. Or I should say the complete book about compositing. All you need to know and more.
I think for compositing work you only need to read two books this one and one from Ron Brinkmann. No need for anything else.

I really struggled through the first chapter, but after that is stared to make more sense. This book is very technical, and many topics like 10-bit logarithmic color are definitely complex concepts, but generally the author does an excellent job of explaining them as simply as possible.

Explanations for what is happening 'under the hood' of a lot of compositing tools are explained, as well as how to achieve them manually. Stuff like keying, despill, unsharp mask, and defocus operations. I've read the 2 other main compositing textbooks available on Amazon.com, I would say this is definitely better than "Digital Compositing In Depth", and slightly better than "The Art & Science of Digital Compositing". It's definitely the most detailed and technical of the 3 books.

I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner, it'd be more suited to someone who has composited for a few years and wants to better understand the underlying concepts of their compositing software.

I ordered two compositing books at once: this one and the classic textbook. I found that the other book was thorough but also did not cover that much more than I'd already learned online and through the manuals that came with my compositing program.

This book, however, went into a lot more specifics and I actually took one greenscreen despill recipe from the despill chapter and implemented it in the compositing program I use (Shake) and the results were fantastic. WAY better than what I had been getting with the built-in tools.

The book has a conversational tone and gives a lot of practical tips and recipes for compositing. The CD is a little light in content (basically the photos for the color plates in the book), but the book is still well worth getting if you're doing compositing. He uses a generic node notation for processing diagrams, so users of After Effects or other non-node-based compositing programs will have a tougher time.

If you consider yourself an upper intermediate level user or less, I'd recommend this book. Among many other things that it does quite well, it explains what procedural keyers like Primatte are doing and shows you how to accomplish the same kinds of processes manually. You will know what each of the many keyers in After Effects (and other compositing apps) are doing and the logic behind each. You will also learn where best to use each based on the situation at hand. It also takes you through many other areas like matte extraction, despill procedures and color correction. After reading it, you will understand scientifically what is going on under the hood of your favorite imaging and video apps. To me, this is the "Photoshop Channel Chops" of 2001. What David Biedny's legendary PCC book did for Photoshop artists a decade or so ago, this book will do for compositors today. I have seen other books handle this subject, some do it well but none as good as this one. Well-written and very easy to understand -- though there are definitely places where you will have to reread passages to understand what's being said. But if you commit to reading it with more than a cursory perusal, you'll walk away a master. Highly recommended. Five Cows.

Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net

The author has done a great job of taking most if not all the tricks and tips and combined them into one excellent book.
Film and Video is completely explained and the reader gets a great idea why they are so completely different.
This book is an A+ must have for anyone wanting to know more about the compositing process.

Disney is often considered to be the premiere house for animation. Yet in the course of creation, there will always be ideas that were rejected, or didn't gel, or just fell apart. Luckily, Disney kept everything - good, bad or unused, and created a bounty for the animation historian. This book allows a peek behind the creative process. We are familiar with what made it to the screen, but Solomon shows us what didn't make it. A combination of a history of Disney successess and failures, and a portfolio of hidden artwork, this book is a trove of Disney information that is usually overlooked. It is interesting, following the release of Fantasia 2000, to look back at actual work prepared for Walt's original idea of re-releasing Fantasia annually with different pieces, creating more than just a film, but an experience. Economics and logistics kept this from happening, and only 60 years later did a new attempt at this vision appear. There is so much more that did not make it, beause of money, lack of story, politics or more, and most of the parts rightfully finally get their day in the sun (some of the work should stay buried, but that's few and far between). A fascinating look at "the rest of the story."

Over the years, Disney has given us 40 major animated features, but along the way, there are those that we never have seen. The art that always seems to instill ideas, the creations that are considered not creative enough, or those that were cut for various reasons. Here, Charles Solomon has pretty much ventured into the greatest journey of his life: The Disney Archives!!(Imy career in animation hoped to one day lead me to these hallowed halls). Here, he poured over hundreds or thousnads of drawings and much more, finding out everything from animated short ideas, to feature length movies. Solomon unearthed such concepts as "The Emperor's nightingale (showing wonderful pastel and watercolor prints), to shorts from Hans Christian Andersen (some art that was mentioned but not shown was the inspiration for the "Fantasia 2000" segment of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier"). There are even countless Mickey, Goofy and Donald shorts that were not made (such as one with Goofy called "How to Be a Cowboy"). In the realm of feature films, there are two incredible stories. The first centers around an idea Walt Disney had to join with another studio to make a telling of Hans Christien Andersen's life story, with interstitials from animation to live-action and back again. An unknown artist did FANTASTIC(it deserves caps) watercolor conceptuals, bu the project fell apart soon afterwards. The second story focuses ona joint venture between Walt and oil painter Salvador Dali. The numerous concepts were made and a short 8 second film reel was developed before it was shelved. There was even the story of the rooster "Chanticleer," which was probably in pre-production on and off since after World War II up til the time of "The Jungle Book." Tons and tons of artwork were made, but a story consensus could never be reached, and the project was never again to see the light of day. The greatest chapter to me is one that deals with the numerous planned segments that were to follow on the possible success of "Fantasia." However, "Fantasia" never came about (not until 60 years later), and over the years, countless ideas were tried, from baby ballets, to even bringing back the pegasus characters from the "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony" segment. There's even soem information on the "Clair De Lune" segment that was cut before the final release (it was 100% completed too!). I would hope that Disney woudl rerelease this book. It has shown me a lot in what went in to many ideas for the animators, and it is also an infallable reference to me.

If you're like me, everytime you see the newest Disney picture, you can't help but wonder, "What are they working on now?" Well, this book might answer some of that longing (at least you'll know what they're -not- working on). Although it only spans the years when Walt himself was alive, we are shown enough of the Disney might-have-beens to fill our dreams for a while. To be honest, I didn't read most of the text (so many books; so little time), but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying the book, since more than 2/3 is pictures anyway. The captions are well-written and informative--probably for people like me who don't read the text so that we can get the main points anyway. It's really fascinating to see how ideas are developed and why they get scrapped even though the artwork is so terrific. A chapter on wartime Disney was very entertaining--seeing what Disney did to balance the desire to make a political statement with their particular brand of family entertainment. I recommend this book to anyone interested in art styles and the development of animation or films of any kind.

This gloriously illustrated book is a must for anyone who loves animation, especially Disney animation. The wealth of projects that were never produced is almost as rich as those that were. I especially love the illustrations from the "Ride of the Valkyries" segment that was not included in "Fantasia," and the characters from an unproduced "Chanticleer." The text is also full of interesting information. Get it and enjoy.

I was lucky enough to find a copy of this out-of-print book and I am really glad that I did. This book is packed with drawings created by Disney artists that were working on projects that were never put into production. Along with the drawings are the stories of the projects and in most cases, the reason why they were never completed.

I was especially interested in the material that was considered for the original Fantasia. I recently saw Fantasia 2000 and during this feature they talked about some ideas that were considered and discarded for Fantasia 2000. I found it particularly interesting to see that some material originally considered for Fantasia was actually used for Fantasia 2000 and other material considered for Fantasia was also considered for Fantasia 2000, but still not used.

I recommend this book to anyone (who is lucky enough to find a copy) who is interested in Disney animation and some of the material that might have come from the studio that never made the grade.

This book doesn't contain a lot of jargon. It has pictures of how to do things and explains things in non-technical terms. Great for beginners but also useful as a refresher when you haven't used some aspect for awhile. Well laid out index so easy to find what your looking for. These people have done a good job. Hope they bring out another one more advanced.

I had no idea what the interface looked like or ANY idea about how to use 3DS Max; I just knew I want to learn how to do animations.

Well, I know this book isn't going to have me making 3D animation movies, but it does give a great insight into the program's basics.

Lots of hands-on exercises, just as I like. Lots of pictures too. The authors do an excellent job of spelling out the basics and telling you exactly what you need to do to complete an excerise. And, as you move further along in the book, they "neglect" to tell you how to do something they've already covered - just like a teacher would do in class. It forces you to explore, reread (if you don't understand a subject) and practice with the program - what you need to do if you're ever going to learn to use 3DS Max.

A very well written book about the basics of 3DS Max 7.

I highly recommend this book to the beginning 3ds max student. It was very helpful to me, as it explained more of the basics and gave more detail behind the steps. Also, the tutorials frequently used diffent tools to accomplish the same task. This showed how to use the graphical interface, quad-menus, toolbars, etc.

I found it the best of several books I bought to get my feet wet with 3ds max. It really helped with some of the basic lighting and material concepts. While, this book doesn't even begin to touch all the features of 3ds max, it was a great primer and I'm glad I read it.

This book is perfect for those just getting started in 3ds Max 7. There are a lot of easy to follow screen shots to accompany the text so it is possible to still follow along when you're not in front of your computer. It is written with plenty of step by step explanations of what you are doing and why as well as a great accompanying disk to help with tutorials. It even tackles some of the more difficult aspects of 3d modeling such as composition, the dreaded material editor (it even throws in a side bar about UVW unwrapping) and lighting. It is written with the beginner in mind and does a great job explaining concepts and procedures without insulting your intelligence. It may, however, be a little below intermediate users, it can be a great tool to brush up on fundamentals. I can't recommend this book enough for those looking to get their feet wet in MAX.

The book by Till & O'Connell is great for newcomers simply because it doesn't attempt to give you too much information but only what new users might need to learn the basics of max 7. I had never turned on max 7 and within a week I was amazed as to how much I had learned without having any previous experience with 3d softwares. This should be the first book you buy if you are starting from scratch with max 7.

I started with iMovie to edit videos as a hobby, but about two years ago, I decide to move on to Final Cut Pro (FCP). I first tried using the included manual. That was very slow and difficult. It great as a reference, but not as a trainer. I then ordered another book on Amazon, which was much better than the manual, but after I finished it, I still felt a little awkard with FCP. This book, Hands-on Training, is much better. The footage is very cool, and the training movies are excellent! The writer is down to earth and really helps you to feel comfortable using this advanced, but very cool program.

Larry Jordan has recently published Final Cut Pro, Hands on Training. Because Larry Jordan publishes a monthly (free!) newsletter about FCP, he is very much aware the problems a user might encounter (whether novice or more experienced) and that shows in his book.
His book is without doubt the only book one needs to learn FCP or to enhance one's ability to use all the many facets of FCP HD. The book explores in detail all the nooks and crannies and it contains a veritable cornucopia of problems a user might encounter and he gives solutions.
The book is written in a very readable style, at times funny, like a good teacher.
In addition the DVD with the book contains 11 Quick time movies in which Larry Jordan illustrates some of the contents of the book chapters, next best thing to have Larry Jordan as a private teacher.
This is the only book one needs to become a very efficient and knowledgeable user of FCP HD.
My only complaint is why Larry Jordan did not publish this book earlier, before I bought all the books that claim to teach FCP. They will now gather dust on my bookshelf.

This Book Is a superlative "Must Read" for FCP users of all levels. I am Apple Certified in FCP 4.0 and have an insatiable appetite for new books on the subject. Larry Jordan's book is by far, one of the very, very best on the market. There are many good FCP books written by talented film editors and fine authors. Larry is both, to be sure. But, he is also one of the most gifted teachers on the subject as well. This may be what makes his book stand so far apart. The way the material is presented draws on his many years of practical editing experience and is personalized by his unique way of bringing the subject matter to his students. He presents you with easy to follow QuickTime movies which prep you for the full-bodied step-by-step versions set forth in the 500+ page book. The student lesson media which is included on the accompanying DVD is robust and exactly fits the needs of the tutorials. I might add that even if one skipped the lessons (which would be absurd!) what one would gain from the many tips and sidebars would be well worth the price of the book. This book boasts that it will take you from organization through editing to professional output using Final Cut Pro HD. And it does! The only thing that might top having this book would be to have Larry teach you the subject in person and, as I understand it, that too is possible.

I am new to FCP. I actually got FInal Cut Pro 5, but since FCP 5 books are scarce as of July '05, I decided to buy the HD version instead. No problem there, as everything that worked in FCP HD works in FCP 5.

I have to say that this book is great for anybody wanting to learn FCP. It doesn't assume you are an expert, but you don't get the feeling that you are being talked down to, either. The videos on the DVD are great for visualizing what Larry is talking about. The lesson files are key in understanding the concepts as you go through the chapters. I am a newbie coming from iMovie and this book got me to change many things in my digital lifestyle workflow. Now, someone needs to write a DVD Studio Pro H-O-T book!

Note: For Mac users only. But then again, most of the people wanting to do things like edit movies are using a Mac already.

Final Cut Pro HD, is the latest version of the Final Cut program. HD stands for High Definition, and this version is indeed capable of editing HD video. But like with a lot of other software packages, the basic tools that you will use every day form the basics of the package, and they can be learned in a short time. Then as you reach points where you want to do more you can go back to the book to catch up on each point as you need it.

Final Cut is suitable for editing the movies showing your new baby, or if you really want to you can use it to get just about as sophisticated as you need for that feature length film you are making with your A-List actor friends.

After you read the book you'll want to go to the author's web site (given in the book) and subscribe to his newsletter on Final Cut. It's free (a very good price) and filled with information on what's going on with the program.

This book is a must for everyone who is tired of animating on paper and wishes to ditigalize their work completely in Flash or After Effects. The book covers many great aspects including; making shortcuts of your workflow with user made extensions, brilliant tips & tricks and personal advices how to make life easier for the animators.

This book is also amazing for those who already have knowledge of Flash or After Effects, but wish to enhance their skills or take their production to the next level.

After reading this book, my animation workflow and quality improved.

Best recommendations from here.


-Alex Volkov (Flash Animator)

not only did i read the book cover to cover i went back into the book and downloaded the source files and worked through the tutorials. this book is perfect for organizing and creating flash animation at a professional level which is a key foundation for any up and coming flash animator. this book teaches you industry secrets that are priceless if you are pursuing a flash animation career. thanks guys. the best flash book i have come acrossed in a long time.
josh johnson

There are many books about cartoon animation in Flash. What sets this book apart from the rest is the approach the authors have taken to make this book much more than just another step-by-step book about drawing and animating characters. Foundation Flash Cartoon Animation is for the animator who needs to stretch beyond the mechanics of the Flash tools and perfect the decision-making process necessary to become a productive animator. One of the biggest questions that is answered in this book is when to use Flash and how to use it most efficiently. The next question is what tasks are beyond Flash's capabilities and when to turn to another software such as After Effects.

The authors assume that the reader has a basic knowledge of Flash and the principles of animation. Because of this, you will find only a few step-by-step examples. What they do cover thoroughly is every phase of the production process for cartoon animation from planning, storyboards and animatics to post-production and delivery. The approach for this book is to examine working examples which can be downloaded from the publisher's website.

If you have ever created a complex character animation including lip synching and facial expressions, then you know that your character must be divided into a large number of individual animated parts. This is why the authors dedicate a whole chapter to organization and using the Flash library system to build character libraries. As you progress through the process from head comps and onward, the authors show when it is best to draw from scratch and when to use Flash symbols. Storyboards and animatics are next in the production process and the book covers several decisions that must be made such as choosing between traditional, hand-drawn storyboards and the digital method in Flash.

Moving from the planning stages to character creation, the authors discuss the technical and organizational issues such as Flash file structures and project architecture. They take a look at several working examples to give the reader a comprehensive overview of this topic. One of the most helpful aspects of this book is how the authors help you decide when Flash is not enough to get the job done and how to expand Flash's capabilities with plug-ins. They discuss several of their favorites, how to find more on the web and when to make your own.

One of the most important decisions that an animator will need to make is the choice between traditional frame by frame animation and tweening. The authors share their four step process for frame by frame animation and then discuss tweening and how to avoid common mistakes.

I mentioned earlier that the authors discuss the use of a dedicated motion graphic software such as After Effects to take your Flash project to a higher level of quality and sophistication. They discuss some of the advantages to using After Effects for editing and composition such as complex camera movements and 3D effects.

Flash has been plagued by one major drawback since its conception a decade ago and that is the extreme "digital" look of the vector artwork created in Flash. The authors share several tips and suggestions for enhancing your Flash project to achieve a more "hand-drawn" appearance to your animation including line styles and color choices. They also cover the digital equivalents for traditionally hand-drawn special effects such as distortion, drag, fade in/out and blurs.

This book was a joint effort of several authors. Tim Jones is an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer and head of production at ANIMAX Entertainment. Barry J. Kelly is an Emmy Award-winning editor and artist and is also a member of ANIMAX Entertainment. Allan S. Rosson is animation director at ANIMAX Entertainment and has over twenty years experience as an animator. David Wolfe was an animator at ANIMAX Entertainment and is now with Cartoon Network Studios.

This book is probably best for the reader who has some drawing experience, and preferably, a grasp of animation principlals as well as some Flash experience.

It should be noted, there isn't an over-arching animation project created in this book; However, readers could certainly follow along with their own project as the process is fairly linear, from the planning stages, through effectively using Flash's library and a host of useful plug-in for tasks such as timing and motion tweening. There is a fair bit of coverage of Adobe's After Effects, and the book discuses the pros and cons of doing various tasks in either software.

For Flash animators, two chapters stand out in the 300 pages: There is one chapter on how to properly use Flash's tweening tools so as to avoid the overly-precise look common with generated animations. A second is on 2D effects, covering common special effects like smoke, fire and water.

Since there was no review posted of this book I figured I'd add my bit. This is an independent review - but it isn't entirely impartial. I work at Animax and have had the opportunity to read several of the chapters as part of my training, to work with the authors in a production environment and to see this book in action everyday - these are real world procedures used in a dynamic, award winning and fast growing studio.

The chapters on character setup alone are worth the price of the book in my opinion. Learning these techniques you can maximize usability -and re-usability- of your art assets. You'll find the time spent upfront, preparing characters the Animax way, will speed up your animation production which is a real boon to small independent studios with limited resources, and larger studios looking to better structure their pipeline.

Amazon has an excerpt from the beginning of the book, and the publisher -FriendsofED- has a sample chapter posted on their website. You can use these to get a sense of the quality and depth of coverage of this excellent book.

A must have for art, comic and production design lovers, has lots new designs by Mignola Barlowe and other great artists including the prop makers. Includes beautiful pages illustrating both concept and the picture of the final prop supported by the commentaries and thinkings of the artist involved in the creation of that specific prop. It also includes the final shooting script, and images from Guillermo del Toro's notebook which are nice sketches and annotations depicting the first idea behind the final design of each character. Great!!! one of the best, just do not read it before watching the movie.

A must have for art, comic and production design lovers, has lots of designs by Mignola Barlowe and other great artists including the prop makers. Includes beautiful pages illustrating both concept and the picture of the final prop supported by the commentaries and thinkings of the artist involved in the creation of that specific prop. It also includes the final shooting script, and images from Guillermo del Toro's notebook which are nice sketches and annotations depicting the first idea behind the final design of each character. Great!!! one of the best, just do not read it before watching the movie.

Besides a complete shooting script and lots of commentary, this has tons of illustrations and concept art done by all the artists involved in the movie. It's wonderful to see Mike Mignola's and Wayne Barlowe's sketches following the development of all the various Hellboy monsters, characters and environments, and lots of stuff that didn't make it into the movie. A must for any fan of the film.

I was unfamiliar with the world of Hellboy prior to seeing the movie. When I did and when I ordered this book, I was blown away by the wealth of visual richness that inhabit the Hellboy universe. Being a collector of "Art of..." books, I realized that the strength of Hellboy lies in the visual galore. The book is fully detailed with drawings from every level of production as well as the closeness of working atmosphere between the filmakers and the creator of the original material not commonly known in Hollywood.

My only gripe in this book is that the structuring is kinda messed up and confusing, since the book mixes up the art section with the script.

A must have for art, comic and production design lovers, has lots new designs by Mignola Barlowe and other great artists including the prop makers. Includes beautiful pages illustrating both concept and the picture of the final prop supported by the commentaries and thinkings of the artist involved in the creation of that specific prop. It also includes the final shooting script, and images from Guillermo del Toro's notebook which are nice sketches and annotations depicting the first idea behind the final design of each character. Great!!! one of the best, just do not read it before watching the movie.

This is a great book written by a solid guy in the business. All the research he has provided is a big boost for people wanting to know where the opportunities are within the animation and visual effects industry.
If animation is what you want to do then this is book that will give you the goods to getting the gig. I own 2 Post-Secondary 3D Animation and Multimedia schools and this will be required reading for the students.

This is my first review of any book ever, and I was impressed enough by the quality and content of this book to write this review. I am a 3d modeler in the process of putting together my reel, with this book I can proceed with the confidence that I now know everything that I need to know to put together the best reel I possibly can.

This book is an invaluable guide to putting together a top quality demo reel that is sure to be "watched" by a reviewer, lets put it that way. If you are an artist with talent, then this is the book that you will need to help you best showcase that talent to a potential employer in the form of a demo reel. Nearly every question you may have in regard to demo reel format and requirements are covered thoroughly in this book, and the entire chapter devoted to the advice of working cg professionals to the entry level artist (with talent) desiring to enter the cg industry is a must read. Overall, if you are serious about putting together a strong reel that will stand out in its quality, as well as in making an excellent impression of yourself as a professional seeking employment in the cg industry, GET THIS BOOK, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

So far this book has been very informative to read. the only issue I have with it (a very annoying issue) is the listing of companies and schools in the resource section. There are A TON of listings, but they are organized alphabetically by company name NOT by location!!!!

quote from book ( p.211)
"There may be a company that you'd really like to work for just down the street but, without the address listed [in this book], you'd never know that it was there"

Ok, so if I don't know the company exists, I'm probably not going to know the name of the company, so why list if alphabetically by company name??? What would be great was if there was a section for the U.S. and within that section, each state had it's own listing of companies. Same with schools. Your probably not going to be looking for a school by the name, its more about location. And if you do know the name of a school your interested in you probably already know its location. On the other hand, If you know the location you want to live in, you have to find out what schools/companies are there.

Anyway, I ended up taking a highlighter to the book and highlighting the cities that i was interest in, each with their own color.

This book is still great though, it has the listings of companies and schools, you just have to do a little extra work to scan through them all.

This book is focused on the job-hunting process - demo reels, resume, interviewing, salary negotiation. I found the chapter on freelancing, as well as the reference sections (books to read, animation studios and post houses) most enlightening. The compilation of animation studios and post houses alone makes this book well worth the money.

I also recommend "Getting a Job in Computer Graphics, Real Advice from Reel People", which has a more extensive discussion on what skills one needs for the different career paths and has a lot of interviews with people from the industry. The two books complement each other very well.

This book would benefit anyone who is thinking about getting into the computer animation field. Just the list of all the production and game companies is worth the price of the book. As a graduate of a computer animation school, there were many tips and suggestions that I never learned in school and that everyone would benefit from. This is a MUST HAVE book!!!

I'm not new to the Mac, but am new to iMovie and was struggling with some basics. I recently purchased Missing Manual and am glad that I did. Well written, complete and easy to read. My iMovie editing productivity has skyrocketed and would strongly recommend this book

I bought this book because I wanted to use I-movie to help me put together a short film in short order. It is quite simply the best computer book I have ever purchased. It is a very straightforward, lucid, step by step explanation of how to get the most out of this program specifically, and digital video in general. It seemed like every time a question or would pop up he would have a special box on the next page explaining how to solve it. Mr. Pogue appears to have thought of everything and then some. He presents a number of excellent "work-arounds" for the limitations of I-Movie and lays them out in step by step fashion. Using this book is like having an I-Movie Guru sitting next to you, helping you along. If you use I-Movie, you need this book.

I have used the iMovie application since March 2000 to create over a hundred hours of edited footage for my video production company. Before reading "iMovie: The Missing Manual, I concluded that I had learned all their was to know about this program. I previously considered it a limited program that was most effective when production time was critical and expectations were relaxed. However, I was astonished to learn of techniques and shortcuts that greatly expanded my knowledge of iMovie and radically refined my approach in it's use. The concise layout and effective index of this manual has kept it within arm's length whenever I launch iMovie. Few computer manuals are "page turners", but if you use iMovie the information that is contained in "iMovie: The Missing Manual" will surely excite and inspire you. The software that is made available is alone worth the purchase price of this excellent manual.

This book answers every question I have had since I started using iMovie in January. It is not only very complete and extremely easy to follow, it also includes some unexpected surprises such as a very comprehensive explanation of film basics such as lighting, camera angles and sound. Before reading the book, I thought that iMovie was a great program but had some severe limitations - that was not the case after reading the book. Any limitations I had come across were covered in the book and Pogue provided excellent and simple workarounds for most difficulties I have had. I would highly recommend this book as a starting point to any person- skilled or novice - interested in creating video productions for personal or public use.

David Pogue's long-awaited iMovie manual is a terrific intro to digital movie making using the incredibly popular and now FREE iMovie for Mac.

Now there's no excuse for not making that little movie that's been rattling around in your head. Pogue's guide is logically laid out with numerous easy to understand graphics that take you step by baby step through painless editing of your video footage.

This is the finest of the iMovie guides and equal to Pogue's best past efforts. He's a master of technical explanations and has a deservedly large and devoutly grateful following.

If you are considering buying an iMac or have ever thought about making a simple movie, this stimulating book would be an smart, inexspensive first step -- even before forking over a dime on any software, hardware or a DV cam.

The digital revolution has begun and this is the manual that is entry level. The initiation rites happen when you first plug in that firewire, batch capture and string some selected scenes in a new creative order.

For someone with a strong visual sense and some basic story skills and with careful pre-planning and this manual, it is possible for a first time filmmaker to make a high quality mini masterpiece. Or better yet, a product to enter in one of the red hot film competitions like the Palm Springs Short Film Festival.

Pogue even promises a (free?) download or revision for the inevitable iMovie version 2.

This book covers all bases and FAQ's regarding iMovie and iMac configurations.

Now stop reading this review, buy Pogue's book and commit to making that life-altering little film that's still screening in your head. Isn't that why you're reading this? Now you can be empowered to create that film that comes out of nowhere and charms the world (to say nothing of making millions). Step aside BLAIR WITCH. I know what you're thinking!

Every man, woman and now child can be a studio unto him and her self. No middleman. Peasants, raise your no longer missing manuals. Share the vision.

In other words, I am saying David Pogue's iMOVIE THE MISSING MANUAL is highly recommended.

And, hey, don't be ashamed if all you want to do is edit some vacation video or the kid's recital or some hanky panky with the spouse. But the potential for something far more creative is definitely available to anyone now. My guess is THAT is the drawing power of iMAC, iMOVIE and the terrific MISSING MANUAL.

A suggestion for future editions: include a simple appendix of film language and story structure basics. Maybe a CD-ROM for an on screen guide that includes filmmaking and digital film internet links.

And then, Mr Pogue, a clear guide to Final Cut Pro.

Quiet on the set. Action!