Topic - Animator's Toolkit DVD set?

I too have the book. but honestly 1000+ dollars seems to be a pretty steep for DVD training material.

Ram Iyengar

Chennai, India
191 posts

It depends - If you were going to pay for night classes, you could actually save a good amount of money in some cases. Though only downside to that is no qualification at the end, but I'm sure the theory and practical elements being taught on the DVD would most likely surpass any local institutes quality.

They definitely would in my local area. :)

Message edited by Philip Lawson on 1/17/2009 - 1:34 AM

1/17/2009 - 1:33 AM

I agree with Philip.

I too own the book and it is one that I will keep forever as the info it contains is the basis of all good animation as we know it.

Yes £700 is a lot to pay for a DVD set, but not for someone who is committed and serious about learning animation. Richard Williams is of the few people left you should be listening too. I am sure every minute is packed with useful information.

I just might start saving or at least pester my boss too.

Wow!

Thanks for pointing me to this. That guy is so amazing and
has a brilliant teaching method. I just love the first few minutes of the
promo video showing the difference between how a man and woman walks.

Great stuff.

:)

John

Message edited by John Rafferty on 1/17/2009 - 3:30 AM

1/17/2009 - 3:30 AM

I'd say if you were to invest 1000+ pounds in learning CA try to get yourself a mentor to help you out. i have found that trying to self learning CA is incredibly difficult and animators survival kit is at best a guide to help you learn the finer points.

Ram Iyengar

Chennai, India
191 posts

The DVD's are worth getting. They are excellent.

They take a bit of getting into at first because it follows the same chapters as the book (or it has done so far ... still working through them). But a lot is dealt with in greater detail, such as walks and animal walks.

Everybody should definitely own a copy of the book, if you can afford it, get the DVDs, they are really worth the money.

-Matt

http://www.matt-cox.co.uk

1/17/2009 - 7:29 AM

Carrying the flag for daft forum nicknames
2786 posts

Sorcerers Plaything

If it's any help, the current price is roughly half what it was when the DVD set first came out.

The book is wonderful, of course, and Richard Williams is a great teacher as well as being a fantastic animator. I've no doubt that the DVD course would be well worth the price for anyone who planned on making character animation their life's work.

Mark

1/17/2009 - 7:46 AM

I attended the 3 day seminar back in the early 90's, and as I understand it this is essentially that seminar video taped with some extras added in. I remember filling most of two notebooks with tips and gems I had never heard from anyone else. He had a knack for explaining things in a very clear and practical way. Richard Williams is a true living treasure and repository of animation history and knowledge. I'd buy these dvd's for a thousand bucks :-)

John Carter

Sacramento, CA
748 posts

Wow, first it's awesome to see the characters on the cover of the book moving, it's like walking through a museum of things you like and the mannequins start moving. Definitely something I'll be investing in when I have the money, but I wish they would sell the discs individually so buying them was a little more financially flexible.

{Somebody's gotta be the HERO... Might as well be ME.}

"When a friend's in trouble, don't insult him/her by asking what you can do, think for yourself and start doing it." - Unknown

Needless to say it's pretty interesting to hear that Brad making such a heavy investment CA materials...Not assuming anything, but it's nice hear. Particularly given that he wasn't one of the early iPhone adopters, because of cost...could be a work expense.

{Somebody's gotta be the HERO... Might as well be ME.}

"When a friend's in trouble, don't insult him/her by asking what you can do, think for yourself and start doing it." - Unknown

Message edited by Butch007 on 1/17/2009 - 2:58 PM

Quote from Butch007 :
Wow, first it's awesome to see the characters on the cover of the book moving, it's like walking through a museum of things you like and the mannequins start moving. Definitely something I'll be investing in when I have the money, but I wish they would sell the discs individually so buying them was a little more financially flexible.

Apparently, that took 9 months to animate. He says on the DVDs that if he designed the logo again he would do it completely differently to make it easier to animate.

http://www.matt-cox.co.uk

I am in class 5 at animation mentor and I have to say this is a wonderful set of discs, I have been studying them and they are truly for someone looking to learn the foundations of animation. I would recommend them to everyone...

1/20/2009 - 12:58 PM

Animation Mentor, now that's a course I would love to attend as it is impossible to find any kind of local animation course to fit around a full time job. Besides this, I'm sure my lack of quick drawing ability would hold me back. :-)

flynnsters,

I can't draw, but once you learn the basics it all starts to click...

1/20/2009 - 4:43 PM

Lambchop,

How much time do you need to dedicate to Animation Mentor? I know the answer is as much as you can find, but I could only find 2 hours a night and possibly 8 hours at the weekend due to family commitments.

Would this be enough to do the course justice?

When I checked out "The Animator's Survival Kit - Animated", the DVDs were for Europe Region 2 player, not Region 1 (USA). I assume this means they would not work on USA DVD player. Is there any way around this problem?

Message edited by Kori on 1/21/2009 - 6:16 PM

I am married with a full time job and a baby on the way, that being said it really is all about your attitude. I've always wanted to learn character animation so it's all about what you give to it.

Class 1 is the basics, if you have up to two hours a night and 8 hours a week you can do it.

Class 2 & 3 are body dynamics, these classes get into the tricky stuff and more advanced topics. You can do it but trust me you'll have some late late nights polishing your animations, etc.

Class 4 is dialog heavy and again required a lot of polishing while taking in new layers on your animation.

Class 5 thus far is pretty light (I'm in week 3) as it's all pre-prduction so right now we're working on pitching our final project then comes storyboarding, etc.

Class 6, I know will be tough to finish my 30 second short in 3 months...

Deciding to go to AM has been great...

1/21/2009 - 2:59 PM

Hi Lambchop,

Thank you for the additional insight into the course and I seem to be in a very similar situation as you are regarding family and work commitments. Your comments have just put a positive spin on a course that I have felt is out of my reach and it may be time to re-consider.

Good luck with the course and I hope to see the results of your short on AM's next demo reel. :-)

Kori,

It looks to me like the DVDs are region free and are NTSC (North America) format.

http://www.theanimatorssurvivalkit.com/about.html

If you are still unsure, you can buy and ship them to my address, I will be more than happy to email you the details of what Richard Williams says. ;-)

You are right, they are Region free. I was looking at a different site.

I am a little confused about theses DVDs. Are they for 3D animation or are they for cell animation? I own and use modo, but lately I've been interested in anime cell animation. I have found many books on the subject, but not DVDs on anime cell animation.

Quote from Kori :
You are right, they are Region free. I was looking at a different site.

I am a little confused about theses DVDs. Are they for 3D animation or are they for cell animation? I own and use modo, but lately I've been interested in anime cell animation. I have found many books on the subject, but not DVDs on anime cell animation.

Neither really. They are about animation. The DVD's discuss the principles and techniques of animation that can be used in either 3D or Traditional animation. However, all the examples and teaching is done from a traditional 2D perspective.

-Matt

http://www.matt-cox.co.uk

1/22/2009 - 3:59 AM

If you are really adept, then yes, that is enough time for AM.

In the first couple of classes, it's not such a big deal. The assignments are simple.

Class 3 and up requires a LOT of dedication, and you can expect to pull some all nighters. There are a couple of un official weekend video chat rooms for AM students and Alumni, (usually the last minute crunch into the Sunday deadline) where you can get crits and help.

Steve Rogers

Los Angeles
1230 posts

Quote from flynnsters :
Lambchop,

How much time do you need to dedicate to Animation Mentor? I know the answer is as much as you can find, but I could only find 2 hours a night and possibly 8 hours at the weekend due to family commitments.

Would this be enough to do the course justice?

1/22/2009 - 8:03 AM