Brian Books

A lighthearted introduction written by Mel Gibson (who is the voice for Rocky in the movie) sets the overall tone for the book. In this overview there is a brief history of the animation process with some really slick photos of the British Aardman Studios that both Nick Parks and Peter Lord, the directors of "Chicken Run," help to put on the map with several Academy Award nominations for their past films.

Animation and story development is not just fun and games as one might think but envelops serious thinking and work. The book is sprinkled throughout with wonderful idea sketches, watercolor paintings, storyboards and outlines showing how script and plot ideas for "Chicken Run" were developed.

A wonderful chapter on the actual making of the physical characters gives an inside look into the art studio itself where molds, paint, and artists bring these figures made of a clay-like substance called plasticine into existence. In a chapter called "Making the Right Moves" Sibley details the various problems that animators had during production. Trying to give the human characteristics of anger, hate, love, fear, and happiness in front of the camera is a major feat in itself. The difficult task of lighting a scene along with making the miniscule movement of each figure to create the animated move almost sounds like torture. And when one realizes that the largest film shoot in one work way was a mere 26 seconds you wonder if it is. The animators say their work normally floats along on inspiration but at other times when they are tired, getting the job done becomes a matter of will. They are so involved with their work that it is only when the camera isn't running that they realize that they are only working with a lump of plasticine.

This book is definitely written for the connoisseur of animated films and filmmaking but children could also enjoy the "fun" illustrations from the movie, which are a large part of this publication.

The seriousness of this studio's filmmaking makes for some very interesting reading. A quote by one of the directors, Peter Lord, not only sums up the animation process but could be the kernel theme of this book. "We make films and by the way, they happen to be animated."

Ron Harmon rohar@msn.com

How did they do that?

"Chicken Run: Hatching the Movie" provides an engaging, behind the scenes examination of the workings at Aardman Studios, offering insight into the personalities and technologies that brought us Wallace and Grommit, as they work towards the completion of their first feature-length animated film.

There are plenty of photos from the final movie, but more importantly, the book is stuffed with the artifacts of the animation process- the sketches and drawings, storyboards and photographs that record the way the film was developed from idea to story to finished storyboard and characters.

The book stops short of offering specific timelines, technical details or recipes for plasticine, but the aspiring animator is given ample opportunity to read between the lines. There is a wealth of information and inspiration to be had; something to learn on every page.

Sibley's narrative follows Nick Park, Peter Lord and others as they discuss, revise, and rethink their ideas, meet with Hollywood moguls for the first time, hire and then change writers, and work their way through the transition from commercials and short films to producing a two-hour, animated movie.

The writing is open and lively, describing the time involved and the twists and turns in production as the storyline is developed and revised, characters and ideas introduced and then axed. This frank discussion of the creative process at work is perhaps the book's most valuable asset.

"Chicken Run - Hatching the Movie" is an ideal companion to Aardman's earlier book "Creating 3-D Animation".

One book gives a superb, do-it-yourself introduction the techniques and process of model animation, while the other provides an in depth study of the creative process in action during the production of a single feature.

Together, these books provide the most useful resources on claymation and model animation to date.

I did find a few grammatical errors in the book, but other then that, I would definitely give this book five stars. Although I wish that the series would not have ended witht his book, I think that the author, D. Brian Shafer, did a fantastic job in both his writing and accuracy. You've probably all ready read about the life of Jesus through our (a human's) viewpoint. I would reccommend reading this book, so you can see it through a spiritual one.

Broken down into 4 parts, with Part 1 covering Networking basics, such as an excellent explanation of the OSI model from top to bottom. Also 90 pages of TCP/IP breakdown as well as IPX/SPX and WAN technologies finish out this section.

Part 2 is the CISCO technology overview, from the router layout, which included several models, to the switch layout for both LAN and WAN switches and what I found to be most helpful was the 125 pages covering the IOS and commands.

Part 3 is the LAN switching and configuration section, covering Layer 1, 2, 3 and 4 switching. This is followed by Part 4 or the Routing section, and here you have coverage of all the protocols from RIP I and II, IGRP, EIRGP, OSPF in single and multiple environments and Access lists. What is missing is coverage of BGP, which could be included in the next edition.

Overall this book is very complete and while no specific exam is covered this book can and should help with all Cisco Exams.

Each selection is preceded by its own separate introduction which discusses such topics as the culture and language of the people who produced the text, the specific storytellers, and translation issues.

The material in the anthology includes creation myths, animal tales, trickster stories, songs, and stories of birth, death, and transformation. Some of the most remarkable selections include the Wolverine tales of the Innu, which are masterpieces of bawdy humor, and the Yupik tale of "The Boy Who Went to Live with the Seals," a magical story of human/animal relations. I highly recommend "Coming to Light."

I knew nothing about PowerPoint when I picked up this book. After going through the easy to follow lessons over several days, I became VERY proficient using the software. I'm not only proficient, but able to get results and use techniques FAR beyond my actual experience.

The only criticism I have is that the book is in need of editing for spelling, grammar and punctuation!! Also, a couple of examples/lessons need to be clarified. Despite that, I still give the book a 5 star rating. It accomplishes it's mission and then some!

If there were ever a better use for "must have," I would really like to meet the person arguing the case as it is applied to an introduction to PowerPoint presentation creation.

And like the definition of "truth" itself, (truth is simple, ubiquitous and eternal) the "must have" is not limited to a new comer but to old timers as well.

I should know. I have been a graphics' specialist since the earliest days of my accounting curriculum major when I wanted to express the numbers as a pie and as a bar chart and had to labor for hours with marking pencils. rulers, and press-on type (not to mention calculators, allocation formulas and such). That was while as a high school student, I had a winning Science Fair project on the effect of heat and light on the eating characteristics of guppies--something that today, probably only a cat would appreciate.

Yes, there are many reasons to present. And not all of us have the luxury of 30 years of desire and hard work to call upon when placed in the spot of having to do it quickly. So, that is the "what" of the author's book.

The what this book is about is the hands-on experience of the author being made real in type. From the opening intro on the three key elements of all presentations being "How the presentation is shown," "How the presentation looks," and "How the presentation reveals the content," the substance of the book is distilled.

But the remarkableness of the book is the author's keen ability to delve into the matters that really matter.

First up is the "down-and-dirty doing of a presentation" that is kept fast paced, clear and to the point (almost angelic and certainly worthy of a cat's meow}.

The author cites his own "Reilly's Laws" on key issues. These issues (seldom referred to by most PowerPoint authors) are insightfully useful.

A case in point is the instance of having to present on a screen (where people in the back of the room can only read the type that is 20 points and larger) and yet provide the material in printed form as well. One of Reilly's Laws state: "Expect the worst, and you'll never be disappointed." Reilly explains, "You have to execute this presentation anticipating the worst-case scenario." Continuing, "Use nothing less than 20-point type." Reilly concludes, "The reader of the screen version will be happy, and the reader of the paper version will be able to read it without glasses."

The worst would be a screen version where the type is too small to be read by those in the back of the room.

Communication is the operative issue. As Reilly notes, "If the communication is not effective, it is a poor presentation no matter how fancy or cool the techniques are."

And the doing of techniques are not overlooked (as is often the case in more than half of all presentations). Reilly covers the bases of scanning pictures, incorporating sounds and movie files as well as using tables, graphs and org charts. But not just by stating how to insert them as another kind of object. Reilly delves deeper into these objects to once again help the creator stop or foresee the glitches in what he/she is doing or would like to do.

After all is stated, Brian Reilly has a vested interest beyond your purchase of his book. As a highly valued contributor to the Microsoft newsgroup of Microsoft PowerPoint and in the CompuServe forum on PowerPoint , Brian Reilly makes time to answer users in their momentary PowerPoint usage dilemmas.

Read his book today, and you will be better able to keep the graphics' doctor away. Here's to your health and to your keeping the good times rolling!

Lewis Gudmundsen
Microsoft PowerPoint End-user MVP

Owner
Gudmundsen & Company, LLC
lewis@mymail.com

It is the story of a washed up minor league ballplayer, turned scout who gets the assignment of sneaking a hot new prospect, Ramon Diego Sagasta, out of Communist Cuba. Along the way, the duo encounters everything from flying fruit to inept Cuban cops. However, while the story is entertaining, the true magic lies in the meaning of each man's journey (the end has a twist).

I found the main characters very real and very engaging. The prose the author uses is amazing and the smart recollection of baseball's past only adds to the enjoyment of the book.

For anyone who ever wanted so bad to be a part of something, but wasn't good enough to do it, read this book. As Ramon Sagasta will tell you, some people will do anything just for the chance to be a part of history.