Flash 5 Cartooning (with CD-ROM)

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Summary: Missing files available at markclarkson.com
Review: Inevitably, in the complex process of putting a book like Flash 5 Cartooning together, a few bits and pieces get mislabled, misprinted or, far worse, left out altogether. As any mistakes, omissions and missing bits come to the attention of the author, they'll be posted at markclarkson.com

The file Mr. Carroll was missing "Labels and Buttons.FLA" is among those available. If any other readers have noticed missing files, please contact Mr. Clarkson at markclarkson.com

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Summary: Another geek who thinks he can draw!
Review: It's high time some real animators wrote a book about Flash animation. The same people who have been polluting the net with their useless Flash films are now going into print.Don't waste your money....completely hopeless.

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Summary: Great book. Could use more proofing.
Review: Loved this book. It's exactly what I was looking for. My only problem was the amount of mistakes I found. It can get confusing when your being told to select frame 11 and they mean frame 30. Also, at least one file was missing off the Mac version of the CD. Otherwise it's a must have for anyone new to cartooning with Flash.

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Summary: What's up, Doc?
Review: Mark Clarkson doesn't seem to have produced a great deal of cartoon work - he is primarily a programmer, and neither a very gifted cartoonist (many of his own examples in this book are dismal) nor a very funny one. His website reveals only 2 or 3 Flash animations of any degree of development, and they aren't terribly exciting.

You will not gasp with delight over his examples, though he does direct readers to some well known places (joecartoon, bunnygrenade, etc) where much funnier and better stuff is displayed.

So this book is a case of "Don't do as I do, do as I say." Of course, lots of how-to books are like that, and many books written by much more talented people are much less informative.

In addition, he is lucid and methodical in laying out some basic information for the beginning Flash cartoonist, and there are things to be learned from this book.

My principal criticism is that this is not really a book about Flash, but a book about cartooning, based on traditional studio techniques from the 20's onward, and modified for the Flash stage. But Flash opens up a whole new cartooning technique which is very different from TV or movie work. Clarkson's detailed chapter on Bopseying walks, for example is interesting, but I have yet to see a Flash cartoon anywhere in which a character Bopseys across the screen. It just isn't relevant to a medium where each kilobyte of code has to be weighed against download times.

The most successful and striking Flash cartoons these days achieve humor & visual impact with very economical, Zen-like means, and this book does not approach that kind of elegance, unfortunately

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Summary: Sorry there aren't 10 stars
Review: Mr. Clarkson is magnificent. The book is extremely helpful and inspiring. The CD-ROM is packed full of great animation and ideas. I cannot say enough about this marvelous book. I have learned SO much about animating using Flash, and am extremely pleased with the writing style and the amazing horizons it has opened up for me -- not to mention the fun. Thank you, Mr. Clarkson. Encore!

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Summary: Dumb ways to turn a great book bad....
Review: My niece (7) and nephew (13) wanted to see what you could do with this book, so I pulled out the CD and started running the animations for them. I was embarrassed that profanity was unnecessarily used in one of the first animations I showed them. It was the dope smoking sheep that put the book over the edge. While it was funning to me, I am now no longer allowed to show animations that I have not previously previewed to my niece and nephew. I didn't expect that I'd have to pre-screen the content of a Flash book on cartooning before showing it to kids.

As to the book, it is shelved away until my wife forgives me for what I have shown my niece and nephew....

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Summary: Flash 5 Cartooning (With CD-Rom) By Mark Clarkson
Review: The only reason I bought the Flash-5 program was to do some serious anination. The manual was as waste of time and did not help setting up an animatated script, so I ordered Mr. Clarksons book and cut through the mud and got to the pure water in a hurry. By following his well-written and humorus dialog, I have been able to complete several (My wife saids "wonderful and delightful...") very short cartoons. Anyone interested in animation will find this book very helpful. If not the bible of cartooning, then it is the sacred writ of animation. Clay Bramble Independence, Kansas

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Summary: Start from ROCK bottom...
Review: There is much to learn from this book if you are a complete neophyte to Flash and would rather read a colorful cartoony book than grope through Macromedia's dry monofont manual. This book will have you making cartoons very quickly (maybe not ones to brag about, but good beginnings nonetheless). You will NOT get a solid foundation in Flash overall. This isn't a replacement for the manual or a thicker more in-depth book; think of it more as a colorful supplement. If you have any in-depth knowledge of Flash you should avoid it completely (this may be moot anyway with Flash MX now shining the shelves, which brings up another point: make sure that you have Flash 5 before buying this book: you'll be very frustrated if you have Flash 3, 4 or Flash MX; luckily the title spells it out).

The book introduces you to Flash's toolbox and stage area, and teaches you some tricks for putting together characters, saving memory to avoid jittery playback, symbols, buttons and very very introductory material on sound and action script. Each section is laid out for a beginner, and there are very few things that would be considered advanced.

Overall, the book shines most on the technical, how-to-use aspects of Flash. The sections on the theory of cartooning are less helpful and almost too perfunctory to provide much guidance or inspiration.

In short, if you're impatient and want to start making colorful blocks fly across the screen RIGHT NOW then this is the book for you. You will have to later obtain more advanced and in-depth books to fill in the gaps this book leaves. Nonetheless, it is a great place to start.

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Summary: If you're into creating cartoons, get Flash 5 Cartooning
Review: This book covers cartoons in Flash from thought to finish. If you're looking for a bunch of action scripts, then you've come to the wrong place. This is great for any aspiring cartoonist ready to use Flash! It covers storyboards, sound, symbols, basics of animation and more. Mr. Clarkson breaks down his work to give you an idea on where you can take yours. The book is also on the CD included in pdf, examples from chapters and some wonderful Flash Toons. [....]
PLUS IT HAS PSYCHIC PIGS!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This book explained everything. The software it came with was great too. It gives you have an entire month with the Flash 5 program, a few othe programs, and about a dozen great movies as examples. And the book isn't boring, it's in full color and has a bit of humor here and there. This is more than enough for anyone who wants to learn about Flash.