Acting for Animators

Just... I... Still a gem of a book if you are an animator.It's slender and reads very clearly. Especially like how he uses "the Iron Giant" as a case study in animated performance.

While targeted towards animators, non-animator actors will find this book useful. I am studying acting myself, as well as traditional hand-drawn animation, and read this book in less than a day, absolutely drawn into Ed Hooks' teachings. A wonderful overview of 'method acting' and other theories of acting. I lent it to my acting teacher, and even she learned some new stuff from it.

The outer design of this book and cdrom seem to suggest a very professional, straight forward approach while actually the under lying concept is rather like an informal workshop.Not everyone may appreciate the style of presentation but the information is some very good material for aspiring or established animators looking into character animation. It is mostly a study of motivation. I must add that the cd that came with this book is on crack. Actually I thourouly enjoyed it. If you ever tire of the book just pop the cd into your computer while you have some friends over. The aghast look on thier faces, as they watch these actors be attacked by unseen forces, is aboslutely priceless and well worth the cost of the cd.

As a novice animator recently graduated, I am really glad I picked up this book. I bought it more out of curiosity than anything else. I am glad to say that I was surprised to find this much useful information in such a consice form. The book highlights many different acting forms and excersices without rambling on endlessly, and more importantly does so from an animators point of view. An animator has to approach acting from an almost backwards way, which is addressed a lot in this book. Another nice feature is that the auther cites many other references and books on the subjects he discusses, so you are free to study even further on subjects that are impotant to you. The nice thing about that is that he's done the research for you. Hooks keeps things light, easy to understand, and interesting for artists and animators of all skill levels. The only minor complaint I could voice about this book would be the lack of artwork displaying the points discussed. After reading the book myself I think this is due to the fact Hooks is trying to avoid making a generic, cookie cutter, how to book. He succeeds, so I won't complain too much. Overall, best money I've spent on an animation book in a long time! I don't care how long you've been in the industry, you'll learn something from this book!

This is a dense, thoughtful work, of lasting value, which will reward careful study. Hooks writes in an easily readable style, concisely and directly, about the most difficult and elusive portion of the art of character animation. Buy this book before you buy any other character animation title, or for that matter, before you choose software or other animation tools. You will find that Hooks' advice will also improve your script and storyboard development. One of the problems with books about computer-based character animation, such as my own "Character Animation In Depth", is that they lose value as the software they are written for becomes obsolete. Hooks' work will retain its value for a long time. Buy a copy, keep it handy, reread it frequently, and don't loan it to friends; you won't get it back. Give them a copy, instead. Highly recommended.

I found the content of this book too thin to justify the price. There was really not much stuff in it that I didn't already know, which is a shame considering that I have never been trained in acting. As a character animator, I also find the title somehow decieving since most of the topic could be covered in any acting book and in most parts, it was not really animation related. I wish I had spent my money on a general purpose acting book with more content.

"Acting for Animators" is a real must-have book for any serious character animator. I agree that sometimes it needs a bit of digging around to find the information you are searching for because they are embedded into the chapters but hey: Isn't it the same with "Illusion of Life" for example - you have to study it in-depth and not just read it. But as soon as you have really taken the time to get a hold of the informations in the book your animation quality will rise. Also look out for any of Mr. Hooks "Acting for Animators" - Classes in your area. This is really the best acting education you can get in the world being an animator.

Ed Hooks delivers a consise and insightful look at the background and fundamentals of acting for animators.