Rating: 
Summary: Looking to learn Flash animation - start here.
Review: As a student of television and video design, I've worked with earlier versions of Flash. When I purchased Studio MX 04, I wanted to add some strong titles to my Flash library and purchased a number of books here at Amazon. Of all the books I own, this book is the best title for someone getting started with animation for the web or for television and video. The black and white drawings and illustrations skillfully convey how to get your ideas across with Flash. The explanations of camera angles and shot types are thorough and detailed. Excellent examples of complete storyboards show the new animator how to develop boards and explain the role of storyboards in the finished product. Profusely illustrated throughout, Flash Cartoon Animation is another wonderful title from Friends of ED. The authors, animation professionals from Australia, are gifted teachers who not only know the software but are thoroughly grounded in the language and techniques of film and television.
Rating:
Summary: Looking to learn Flash animation - start here.
Review: As a student of television and video design, I've worked with earlier versions of Flash. When I purchased Studio MX 04, I wanted to add some strong titles to my Flash library and purchased a number of books here at Amazon. Of all the books I own, this book is the best title for someone getting started with animation for the web or for television and video. The black and white drawings and illustrations skillfully convey how to get your ideas across with Flash. The explanations of camera angles and shot types are thorough and detailed. Excellent examples of complete storyboards show the new animator how to develop boards and explain the role of storyboards in the finished product. Profusely illustrated throughout, Flash Cartoon Animation is another wonderful title from Friends of ED. The authors, animation professionals from Australia, are gifted teachers who not only know the software but are thoroughly grounded in the language and techniques of film and television.
Rating:
Summary: The animator who cried wolf didn't read this...
Review: Beginning Flash animators will probably find no better starting place than this book. It includes just about everything the neophyte animator needs for a good start. The book traces the evolution of a Flash cartoon from idea to actuality, with a bonus chapter on publishing to the internet and the inevitable issues that arise at that phase. Coming up with a story can stall the most stalwart animator, and the first chapter is dedicated to this brain bulging dilemma. There may be nothing more important for a successful cartoon than starting out with and ultimately following a plan, and the book reiterates this idea almost ad nauseum - but for good reason. A script can easily translate to a storyboard, which will slowly morph into the final product. Plans will only save time and frustration in the end (a very hard learned lesson that can leave permanent damage). Many beginners may leap right into Flash with an abstract or incomplete idea thinking "I'll get the ending eventually, now let's get to drawing!" (I've never done this, no way, not me, no no...) A toon abandoned from frustration typically results. The authors do a great job of driving this home (so don't skip the first chapter). A great introduction to Flash's drawing tools follows the story line chapter (a subject that could fill an entire book). Discussions concerning style permeate the chapter (e.g., advantages of the brush tool over the pencil tool, etc. - readers make the choice in the end depending on personal preference). A surprising discussion on Art Direction follows. Beginning animators probably grossly underestimate the importance of mapping out characters for consistency, composition with color and space, and ease of animation (i.e., don't create characters with multitudinous moving parts and hard to animate elements). I did. Next, the book outlines the basics of storyboarding and some basic concepts of cinematography (e.g., establishing eyelines, camera positioning, etc). The authors stress the importance of making an animatic (basically a rough draft for an animation that typically involves animating the storyboard) for a toon. This probably comes down to personal preference as well (I've never made an animatic, but these guys do have massive and impressive experience). The most important chapter, "Animation Principles", provides the basic theoretical foundation for what makes a toon tick. The inexperienced will find vital principles here: squash and stretch, staggering, depicting weight, anticipation, cycles, following through, and animating acting. All animators should have these concepts down to an almost second-nature degree. Everyone who reads this book should also supplement it with another book on animation principles (the authors provide a short list of possible titles). This information will improve a toon's quality and professionalism exponentially. Of course the authors eventually discuss animating using Flash, but not in detail until chapter eight. They put great weight on theory, as they should. It will pay off in droves in the end. The authors themselves say "you could learn in a sentence something that has taken other Flash animators weeks and months of toil to discover, by which we mean ourselves of course!" Having learned a lot of things the hard way myself (this book was no where to be found when I began animating with Flash 4 some years back), I support this advice with great weight. Heed it. Read before animating for the first time. In fact, read this book before animating for the first time. As a bonus, the authors construct an actual toon throughout the book to emphasize the priciples discussed. This also provides some hands-on experience with Flash.The book includes numerous typos and a few bizarre references (e.g. chapter eight says "You have probably heard of the animation term 'tweening'"; yes, because chapter five has already discussed it). These in no way detract from the discussion. Overall the book flows in an extremely readable way. Any and all Flash animation beginners should read it cover to cover.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Having been interested in animation for some time, but put off by traditional expensive and time-consuming methods, I was excited when a friend recommended this new Friends of ED book. With no previous Flash experience, I was cautious, but this book really did make it easy and fun. I'd made my first simple animation within days, now I'm hooked! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books on the Subject
Review: I have read a lot of books on animating cartoons using Flash, and this is one of the best, most informative books I have found on the subject. It isn't a Flash "tutorial only" book, like so many that have been written. What this wonderful book does,is to guide the novice animation producer, director, animator through the process. The authors really know there stuff as they are true professionals, not techno writers, but animators who make a living doing this type of work. Yes, it's black and white, and scarce on eye candy, but full of informational "meat" and "potatoes". If you want to make cartoon movies in Flash this is a "must have" text.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books on the Subject
Review: I have read a lot of books on animating cartoons using Flash, and this is one of the best, most informative books I have found on the subject. It isn't a Flash "tutorial only" book, like so many that have been written. What this wonderful book does,is to guide the novice animation producer, director, animator through the process. The authors really know there stuff as they are true professionals, not techno writers, but animators who make a living doing this type of work. Yes, it's black and white, and scarce on eye candy, but full of informational "meat" and "potatoes". If you want to make cartoon movies in Flash this is a "must have" text.
Rating:
Summary: Guiding the way
Review: Kevin Peaty was one of my directors at Disney in the early 90's. His book, like his direction, is easy to follow and digest. He has a knack for making difficult problems seam easy. If making a cartoon in Flash is a daunting thought, get this book - it will guide the way!
Thanks again for your help Kevin!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books on the Subject
Review: This book is quite drab. It had decent concepts in mind. But animation books should be exciting, colourful, and full of interesting art. This black and white doozy was the opposite. This book put me to sleep. Not to mention the stuff in it looks like it was traced out of a Preston Blair book. If you dont know anything about flash or animation then step right up. You'll think this book is the Illusion of Life.
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry guys-Thumbs down
Review: This book is quite drab. It had decent concepts in mind. But animation books should be exciting, colourful, and full of interesting art. This black and white doozy was the opposite. This book put me to sleep. Not to mention the stuff in it looks like it was traced out of a Preston Blair book. If you dont know anything about flash or animation then step right up. You'll think this book is the Illusion of Life.
Rating:
Summary: Teaching flash with an animator's touch
Review: This is by far a strong emphasis on doing all the dirty work before making the big mistake of starting before you have anything to start with. Its like the thumbnails before you paint. They won't let you touch the flash before you know what, how, why's to create a cartoon. Anyone after the film makers approach or interested in long term animating should have this book.
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