Richard Williams' new training product distils the legendary animator's teachings into 16 must-have DVDs, says technical editor Paul Champion
Richard Williams’ book The Animator’s Survival Kit is widely accepted as a must-have resource for animators. After its publication in 2001, lecturers quickly added the title to required reading lists for students, while studio professionals began to keep a copy close at hand. So what could be done to improve on this established classic? Simple: add animation.
The book’s content originated from masterclasses that Williams gave to major studios such as Pixar, Dreamworks and ILM. His new 16-DVD box set, The Animator’s Survival Kit: Animated, amalgamates footage from one of these masterclasses, filmed at Blue Sky Studios, with the original content of the book.
The training starts by exploring how animators learn, explaining the importance of life drawing, how to think about animation, how to animate – and how not to. Walk cycles, accents, vibrates, anticipation, eases, overlapping action and weight are among the many topics covered.
Although the discs can be studied in any order, Williams suggests that “you swallow the whole pill: start from the basics and move on layer by layer through to [more] sophisticated uses”. The more you learn from the basics, the more sophisticated your work can become.
Aimed at both students and professionals, the discs excel in revealing the fundamental principles behind animation, making it suitable for animators working in any field, including classical, digital, games, stop-motion and online animation.
During the course of the videos, Williams frequently reaches for a marker pen and illustrates his points with drawings. In addition to between 30 and 50 minutes of video footage, each DVD includes up to 30 minutes of animation – running to hundreds of individual animated example over the course of the box set. Each can be viewed and analysed frame by frame, making this an invaluable resource.
The Animator’s Survival Kit: Animated combines Williams‘ professional experience with the know-how he gained by working with celebrated animators such as Milt Kahl, Ken Harris, Art Babbitt and Grim Natwick.
He hands down their teachings in an engaging way, revealing their methods through stories and anecdotes. Essentially Williams distils the wisdom and principles of the ‘Golden Age’ generation of Warner Brothers and Disney animators in one box set.
Although the training is not available as separate DVDs, it is comparatively priced when compared with other training products on a per-disc basis. Unless you’re fortunate to have your school or studio purchase it, the box set is not cheap – but it is worth saving up for.
If you’re resolute about improving your animations, The Animator’s Survival Kit: Animated is an inspiration. If you have the will power to watch the entire box set without having an uncontrollable desire to test out these techniques, the chances are you’re in the wrong vocation.
VERDICT
Everything you need to know about animation: just supply your own talent, discipline and dedication
10/10
DETAILS
FOR
Any software
PRICE
£634.04 / $951* / €749*
*Currency conversion
CONTENTS
1 Starting Right
2 Timing and Spacing
3 Working Methods
4 More Timing More Spacing
5 Building Walks
6 Flexibility in a Walk
7 Sneaks, Runs, and Animal Action
8 Flexibility
9 Overlapping Action and Weight
10 Takes
11 Vibrates
12 Accents
13 Dialogue 1
14 Dialogue 2
15 Giving the Performance
16 Putting it all Together
RUNNING TIME
13 hours 18 minutes
PUBLISHER
Richard Williams Animation Masterclass
