Acting for Animators: 4th Edition 2nd Edition

It has straightforward examples, a well thought out structure that is both thoughtful and practical, and it obviously comes from an author who has a great deal of insight and experience with his subject. This is not one of those books written by an academic who has limited hands-on experience in his field. It's short, simple to understand, and gets right to the heart of the matter. It is about digging deep into what makes characters come alive as opposed to moving in entertaining ways on the screen. Any animator who is interested in getting behind the characters that they work so hard to create should read and re-read this book. It will make you a better storyteller and help you understand what motivates meaning as well as motion.

Extremely helpful and easy to read, this is a must have for anyone interested in/or in the field of character animation. Be it for entertainment/film, gaming or advertising, this book is helpful for all. It includes scene by scene breakdowns of some great animated films and tells you what you should aim for, what works. It is a great product and I guarantee you'll love it.

Great read, and opens up a lot to think about in regards to acting in animation. The writing is easy to follow, and Ed Hooks inserts a lot of his personality and humor into the reading which helps the reader feel involved making this book more of a class rather than simply another book.

First half of the book is pure gold. It gives you good amount of theory, and explains acting principles very well. After that part, the book loses its structure. It seems that Ed Hooks tried to quickly go through everything he knew about animation, touching every new topic briefly and generally. Being an animation student, I have mixed feelings. Some topics are devoted more to directing and screenwriting than acting and animation. Anyway, they do have some really useful information.Huge part of the book is called 'Film Analysis'. It is, in my opinion, the only useless part in the book. It has nothing to do with job that animators do. The author simply reviews really high quality movies, and he also admits the animation is great in all of them. It's their plot that's being analysed, and the whole analysis is a bit subjective.There's some really cool acting exercises in the end of the book.Last and least, Kindle version of the book lacks all the video materials that are present on the CD with the paper version. It's not a big deal at all, just something to be aware of.Nevertheless, I find "Acting for Animators" really useful. Its first half is a must read for any animator.

Ed Hooks is a wonderful guy that really knows his stuff when it comes to this particular field of study. His lecture basically covers his book but is worth hearing him tell stories about the studios he's visited and the people he meets. For a deep dive, I recommend students to follow up his book with a book on body language that law enforcement use. I forget the name but it's here on Amazon as well.

This book is very important for who is just starting or for who is already in business for awhile.Sometimes we're worried too much with body mechanics, arcs, timing, etc.. and we forget about the most important, THE CHARACTER! The character and telling the story are the reason of animating after all, your animation must work accordingly. The books helped me a lot with mindset to approach it wisely.

As an aspiring animation student, I found this book very insightful and inspiring.Ed Hooks has found a way to incorporate humor, and knowledge.their are tons of reference suggestions so I encourage those who want to take their first steps in animation to start here.A must for all prospecting animators!

Great book. Thanks Ed Hook