Animated Performance: Bringing Imaginary Animal, Human and Fantasy Characters to Life (Required Reading Range) Paperback – September 15, 2010

There are plenty of books written on character design, and there also plenty of books written on animation. What Nancy Beiman has done with her new book, "Animated Performance" is bridge these two aspects of animation production. This book shows that animation is more than just the technical aspects of timing, stretch & squash, walk cycles, etc (which have been covered in great detail by Tony White, Richard Williams, Preston Blair, and many others). Further, the book shows that character design doesn't just stop with the turnaround and the model sheet -- the true design of the character is shown in how it performs on the screen, otherwise it's just flat and mechanical.The hefty volume is packed with detail and terrific, color artwork and delves deep into the art of bringing animated characters to life. What I like best about this book is that she spends a great deal of time focusing on non-human characters. Many other animation books focus on things like four-legged walks and similar topics for animals, but Nancy goes way beyond this and provides great instruction on making animals *perform*. And that's the real theme of the book -- performance! Not just acting, not just animating, but performing.There are also lots of exercises so you can apply what you have learned. The best way to self-study is to draw draw and draw, and that's what these exercises get you doing, starting with a daily sketchbook and learning how to observe. The book is a large format and opens flat, so you can have out it on your lap or desk while drawing (the best way to study this book!)This book applies to all animation styles, not just hand-drawn Disney-style animation -- the principles apply to 2D & 3D digital animation, stop-motion and cut-out animation, too. If you have the Richard Williams book, you need this one at your desk, too. Williams will teach you how to make your characters walk and run and stay on a bear, Beiman's book will teach you how to make your characters breathe and laugh or cry and make you care about them. Your animated characters will become memorable characters not with just what they say but what they *do*.

This is a good pickup for the introduction of the animation performance that is a part of the AVA books set. There are brief projects to try throughout the series, and more hints on approaching the career in obtaining a masterful grasp of the craft. The whole series is more about opening one's mind to a new way of thinking that is relevant to the field of animation. The series does provide a plentiful amount of gems that are not in any other books on the subject, and it also covers some reiterations, yet at times they are more reinterpretations. The picture qualities in all of these provide excellent sources to extrapolate inspiration and references.This book in particular provides new ways to think about the performance and acting, or rather to pry away the self-imposed restrictiveness we have in order to approach the topic with an open mind and a few pointers to start from. It always gives great ideas to obtain hands on experience through the practice of such a subject. I would recommend joining a local area animation society or finding a close school teacher professing the subject to look over the work, and if not then try a close friend or family because it would be beneficial to obtain alternative feedback for your work without one supervising it for you. Our eyes are able to pick out peculiarities, but we might be closely regarded to the work of have worked with it for such a period that it hinders the self criticism needed to succeed in the beginning. If not just drop it for a few days and come back to check it out after the eyes and brain have had a break from it.

The wonderful professor Nancy Beiman has written and illustrated "Animated Performance", THE VERY BEST BOOK I've seen on the art of animation. Animation is about acting and in these pages are profound examples of the how and why great cartoon characters come to life and communicate with us. Filled with Ms. Beiman's delightful drawings, inspiring text, and practical exercises,"Animated Performance" will lift the aspiring artist to the levels needed to perform professionally. Included throughout are interviews with some of the great animators of all time. This is truly a beautiful book but,hey,get it off your coffee table and put it on your drawing board where it counts! I'd think the only thing better than owning "Animated Performance" would be a seat in Nancy Beiman's classroom at Sheridan Tech, Ontario. Thanks! Sam Cornell

A combination instructional (exercises), interviews, and analysis for aspiring animators. Contains some (200+) great production sketches & drawing series.Touches on some key principles. Not fluff or stuff you've read before (novice) but rather insightful, original & honest insight for someone with experience.Has a nice focus on acting (hence the title) of people (different sizes / ages) & animals. Isn't that what animation is?Comprehensive enough while keeping it under 250 pages. A textbook on becoming an animator (here's what you should consider ...).

Amazing! Definitely on the core required book list that every animator should have. The great thing about the teaching style is the focus on the more abstract analysis of motion and acting in animation. It is not the whats but rather the whys. Many new animators ask "what should I do with this animation?" When the most important questions are "Why am I animating this way?" "Why is this pose important?" "Why would they act this way?"

The amount of content doesn't match the large size of the book. Some chapters feel like a lesson plan introduction with no lesson to follow. Some good concepts are brought up, but not explained or explored.

Just as advertized

I ordered this book after seeing a review given at skwigly.co.uk and it instantly made it to the top of my most wanted list. Now that I own it I am glad that I do. I strive to be a better animator every day and this has really pushed the levels I expect from my own work. It may sound like the basics, but the importance of thumb-nailing is really emphasised in this book as a way planning your animated performance and it shows how it differs from storyboarding, which, until now, I have always seen to be the same thing.The author, Nancy Beiman, has been at the top of animation for years, being one of the first students in the famous A113 class with Brad Bird, John Lasseter, John Musker, Tim Burton etc before going on to work with Disney, Warner Bros and other well respected studios. So you don't need to worry about the credibility of the information given.I thoroughly recommend this book to all animators as, aside from the knowledge contained within, it is put across in a way which makes it clear to understand and you can almost feel it in your brain that you are improving with each chapter.