The Guerrilla Guide to Animation: Making Animated Films Outside the Mainstream

"Do I have to be good at drawing to become an animator?" Walter Santucci declares that question to be the most pervasive during his 15 plus years in the business. His unequivocal reply? "No, but it helps to get good at it!" He likes to think, based on both his achievements and failures, that being funny, rather than having artistic abilities, is the real key to animation success. Hey, look at South Park! The Guerrilla Guide to Animation: Making Animated Films Outside the Mainstream seeks to teach those not able to afford animation training or who seek to find an alternate path. It's meant to provide the outsider, the anarchist, the rebel, guidance into the world of 2D animation. While there are many texts available on animation, the shortcuts, rule breaking and cheating are some of the elements that set The Guerrilla Guide to Animation apart from the others. By including an instructional section, as well as an anecdotal section, Santucci gives the reader a 'do-it-yourself' guide from the correct animation terms to setting up your own studio - even building equipment yourself - and a chance to walk in the shoes of someone who's been there and done that. He also includes a motivational/inspirational chapter on 'why do this if only your family will see it!', which will keep the reader grounded and focused on their original goal. Provocatively written, the author's experience in directing and teaching makes him the perfect source for all of those would-be animators out there. A great combination of in-depth knowledge and years of personal success and failure, The Guerrilla Guide to Animation is a unique resource for those who want to do animation their own way.

Table of Contents:
part I: instructional section Preface: An Unlikely Journey into Animation Introduction to the Entire Book Introduction to the Instructional Section Chapter One: What is Animation? Chapter Two: Materials Chapter Three: Basic Computer Knowledge Chapter Four: What is an Adequate Computer Set Up? Chapter Five: Animation Basics Chapter Six: Animation Essentials Chapter Seven: Animation Cheats Chapter Eight: Storyboards/Layouts/Backgrounds Chapter Nine: Storyboard/Layout and Background Cheats Chapter Ten: Character and Story Cheats Chapter Eleven: Effects Chapter Twelve: Sound Chapter Thirteen: Flash Chapter Fourteen: After Effects Chapter Fifteen: Work Habits Chapter Sixteen: Motivation/Inspiration part II: anecdotal section Introduction Chapter Seventeen: Boston 1986: The Evil Cat is Born Chapter Eighteen: New York 1987: The Big Pond Chapter Nineteen: Flashback to Age Nine Chapter Twenty: Los Angeles/Hip Hop Toonz Chapter Twenty-One: Winter Blossoms Into Spring Into Summer Chapter Twenty Two: A Vegetarian at McDonald's Chapter Twenty Three: Sixty Five Hours Straight Chapter Twenty Four: The Stone Stanley Era Chapter Twenty Five: The Nirvana of Noggin Chapter Twenty Six: A New Home for the Cat Chapter Twenty Seven: The Cat, the Bat, the Owl and the Duck Chapter Twenty Eight: Cookies and Couch Stuffing Chapter Twenty Nine: Bruce Wayne, The Riddler and Catwoman Chapter Thirty: Doing Time in Las Vegas Chapter Thirty-One: Cheating Las Vegas Chapter Thirty Two: Award Winning "Win For Life" Chapter Thirty Three: The Punisher Chapter Thirty Four: All Up in My Grill Chapter Thirty Five: The Sun Chapter Thirty Six: Sun Tzu Paraphrased Chapter Thirty Seven: "In Her Shoes" Chapter Thirty Eight: The Collapse Chapter Thirty Nine: A Post Script Chapter Forty: If You Can't Bring the Mountain to Mohammed, You're a WUSS! Chapter Forty-One: Passing it On Appendices

About the Author :
Walter Santucci is Animation Director at Klasky Csupo Animation and Professor of Animation History at California State University, Los Angeles, USA.

Review :
If the only difference between your career and Walt Disney's is lack of talent, fear no more! Maverick animation guru Walter Santucci is your knight in shining armor by way of his new book The Guerrilla Guide to Animation: Making Animated Films Outside the Mainstream.Santucci's book is an irreverent manual on crashing the professional animation party. Of course, artists and non-artists alike will benefit from the tips and life lessons in the manual. But Santucci clearly has a soft spot for those who are a bit artistically challenged, at least in the classic, life-drawing sense. Perhaps the reason is that Santucci himself started (and somewhat continues) his career as a non-conformist, untraditional artiste. In fact, the Guide is a love letter (albeit a lengthy one complete with detailed technical instruction) to the lad or lass in his or her bedroom creating and posting rudimentary animation on YouTube. Santucci gently directs these kinds of animators on improving his or her skills to perhaps one day earn money from them.To Santucci, some of the best tools of the trade are free or at the very least, priceless: pens, Post-Its, scissors, humor, good ideas, and GREAT ideas. Given that, it is not surprising that Santucci reveres the minimalist cut-and-paste approach of Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame! Santucci does venture into more expensive territory with explanations of animation desks, computer hardware, Flash, After Effects, and various sound recording software applications. But the most informative section of the book - entitled "Anecdotal Section" - is just that: stories from the trenches and real-life tales of survival in shark-infested Hollywood waters. Santucci's juicy stories include those from his work at Klasky Csupo and Stone Stanley, and on major feature films, such as "The Punisher" and "In Her Shoes."  In fact, the tabloid fodder, ahem, true stories is definitely the most entertaining section of the book; one might even say it is worth the price of admission!Overall, the Guerrilla Guide . . . is an easy and fun read for those in search of a down-and-dirty approach to animation film making."-Examiner.com