
Table of Contents
Character Animation
Recommended Books to Learn the Animation Principles
The principles of animation are the foundation of animation and help animators create believable characters, natural motion, and dynamic scenes. By having a fundamental understanding of animation principles like timing, squash and stretch, anticipation, follow-through, overlapping action, slow in/slow out, and more, animators can create high-quality animation that captivates viewers. So if you’re looking to get into animation or take your animation skills to the next level, it’s important to learn the Principles of Animation!
- The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION -This is considered to be the bible of animation.
- The Animator’s Survival Kit, Expanded Edition: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators
- Character Animation Crash Course!
- Timing for Animation, Second Edition
- Cartoon Animation (The Collector’s Series)
- The Animation Book: A Complete Guide to Animated Filmmaking–From Flip-Books to Sound Cartoons to 3- D Animation
This animation book is packed with the principles of animation that every animator needs to know in order to create believable animation. It takes you from how to approach animation as simple as a bouncing ball, to walk cycles, and more complicated animation such as how to animate a quadruped. With over 1,000 drawings and illustrations, this book is a comprehensive guide for professionals, students, and fans of all forms of animation. I require all of my 2d and 3d animation students in the beginning classes to use this book because it will serve as a reference book for the rest of their careers.
Animation Acting and Performance
Learning acting for animation can open up a world of possibilities in your animated performances. With the right tools, practice and dedication, exceptional acting can become second nature.
- Acting for Animators
- Action!: Acting Lessons for CG Animators (Wiley Desktop Editions)
- An Actor Prepares
- Building A Character
- Creating A Role
Acting and Stage Movement: A Complete Handbook for Amateurs and Professionals
- Emotions Revealed, Second Edition: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery
- Scripts People Live: Transactional Analysis of Life Scripts
- Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior–Anytime, Anyplace
- Bodywatching: A Field Guide to the Human Species
Writing
Storyboarding
- How to Write for Animation
- Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting
- Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need
- Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film
- The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You’re Not
- How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make
- The Definitive Guide to Screen Writing
- Creating Unforgettable Characters
- Making a Good Script Great
- Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation
- Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts
- The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition
Character Design
Layout for 2D Animation
Drawing
Figure Drawing and Sketching
Animation Business
Film Making and Directing
- Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions)
- Master Shots: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get an Expensive Look on Your Low-Budget Movie
- Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know
- Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know
- Master Shots Vol 1, 2nd edition: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get an Expensive Look on Your Low-Budget Movie
- Inspired 3D Short Film Production
- Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers, Directors, and Videographers
- The Visual Story, Second Edition: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media
- Producing Animation, Second Edition
- Inspired 3D Short Film Production