Product Description

Packed with illustrations that illuminate and a text that entertains and informs, this book explains the methods and techniques of animation preproduction with a focus on story development and character design.

Story is the most important part of an animated film-and this book delivers clear direction on how animators can create characters and stories that have originality and appeal. Learn how the animation storyboard differs from live action boards and how characters must be developed simultaneously with the story. Positive and negative examples of storyboard and character design are presented and analyzed to demonstrate successful problem-solving techniques. Artwork from an international array of students and professionals supplement the author's own illustrations. Three never-before-published interviews with well known development artists and a comprehensive glossary are also included.

·Written and illustrated by a renowned animator with 30 years experience as producer, designer, and story artist.
· Storyboard and character design examples from an international array of students and professionals.
· Positive and negative examples illustrate the techniques.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156545 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
'Nancy Beiman has done an excellent job explaining the story development and boarding process, and I am certain this book will be a useful tool to all animation students and schools.'
Brian P. McEntee, Art Director 'Beauty and the Beast' and Production Designer 'Ice Age'

'No one knows more about designing characters and creating story for animation than Nancy Beiman. Lavishly illustrated and expertly written, she draws on all her experience as a teacher, an artist and an animation industry veteran. A must-have for anyone who wants to make an animated film.'
Jerry Beck, Animation Historian, www.cartoonbrew.com

'In the library of motion picture how/to books, one topic that has not been adequately explained is the art of storyboarding. Internationally known animator Nancy Beiman draws upon her experience to create for the first time a definitive manual for the art. Lavishly illustrated and highly readable, it is essential reading for anyone serious about learning how to create stories, characters and storyboards for film.'
Tom Sito, animator, author of Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson.

'At long last we have a comprehensive new book covering the not always fully-understood areas of the animated film production processes of story and character development, and their care and feeding. Nancy Beiman, a seasoned Producer, Writer, Teacher, Story Artist, and former Disney Animator who has worked all over the globe, has authored a book which I predict will become a textbook in animation programs everywhere.'
Bill Matthews
Animation Professor

'Nancy Beiman knows that storyboards are about more than continuity and cutting; they're about character and conflict. A good storyboard has the power to make things as elusive as thoughts and emotions tangible for audiences. Prepare To Board fulfills the promise of its title by supplying readers with solid advice and illustrated examples that will help them make successful animated films.'

Mark Mayerson, Professor of Animation, Sheridan College

'Nancy Beiman has written an excellent book on
animation...Beiman is a natural for writing about storyboarding.'

AWN.com

"The author has a breezy, anecdote-packed style that makes reading about the craft a real pleasure. Beiman, who teaches animation at the Rochester Institute of Technology, is the kind of guiding force you wish you could have by your side at all times. Reading her book is the next best thing." -Ramin Zahed, Animation Magazine

About the Author
Currently teaching animation and character design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Nancy has worked for nearly thirty years as a supervising animator, director, character designer, and storyboard artist. A graduate of the Character Animation Program at the California Institute of the Arts, Nancy worked in development and as a supervising animator on several Disney features including A Goofy Movie, Hercules and Treasure Planet. She was nominated for an Annie award in 2000 for storyboarding Little Angelita for Disney and won a Cine Golden Eagle in 1984 for her personal film Your Feets' Too Big. Nancy is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and the Australian Black and White Cartoonists Club. In recent years she has illustrated two children's books, Duffy and the Invisible Crocodile and Basil Bigboots the Pirate for Australian writer Patricia Bernard in 2004, and taught at the Savannah College of Art And Design.

Customer Reviews

A treasure house of insight
This book, which is aimed at students, covers only the pre-production stages of animation. That said, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the subject including those like myself who are merely enthusiastic fans.

If you want to understand more about how animators work and the skill involved in creating successful films then there's a wealth of insight here. Nancy Beiman has worked as a professional animator at the Disney studios and elsewhere for many years and what's presented here is hard-won through experience, not acquired second-hand. It's copiously and entertainingly illustrated with examples taken from both CGI and hand-drawn productions.

I'd expect anyone interested in the subject at whatever level to get something from this book, and I heartily recommend it.

Fantastic Book
My title says it all. I was studying animation at University and had no problem thinking of and drawing characters but when it came to the story and the story boarding i usually became stuck.

This book gives you so many ideas for stories and ideas for story boarding that i no longer struggle. This book has made me more productive and has given me the inspiration to start up my own website to display my work.

Its a great book if like me you sometimes to struggl with the story, however this book is good also for tips on charatcre ideas and many other things.

A great book on the whole with many pictures if like me u need a break from reading now and again.