Hollywood 2D Digital Animation: The New Flash Production Revolution [Paperback]

Sandro Corsaro (Author), Clifford J. Parrott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2004 | ISBN-10: 159200170X | ISBN-13: 978-1592001705 | Edition: 1

Digital animation, particularly using Flash, is primed to take Hollywood/TV by storm in the Fall with two feature films and three television shows underway. This book describes why Flash is the future of broadcast animation. As the future of 2D animation, the knowledge provided to the reader by this book will be a necessity for animators, producers, and executives. Author, Sandro Corsaro, is currently working on a feature film, "Lil' Pimp", for Sony Pictures done 100% in Flash, and has worked on two animated films for Warner Bros, "The Iron Giant" and "Osmosis Jones". Corsaro provides rare insight for many budding animators stemming from his consulting and connections with numerous studio executives. The book explains Flash animation and shows its direct correlation to real-world scenarios that animators experience at studios including budgets, schedules, salaries, labor issues and production flow.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Includes rare insight of Flash production models from major studio networks such as Disney, Warner Bros, and Nickelodeon. Author is currently working on a feature film for Sony Pictures, "Lil’ Pimp", done 100% in Flash. Educates animators with innovative step-by-step Flash animation techniques. Filled with interviews from veteran studio animators. Four-color book loaded with incredible, original animation and artwork.

About the Author

Sandro Corsaro has worked as an animator in creative development for Warner Bros. Animation, MTV Networks, and Revolution Studios. He has lectured at conventions for SIGGRAPH, Flash Kit, and the Atlantic Film Festival, and is the author of The Flash Animator . He is an Art Director at Crest National, a worldwide leader in optical media manufacturing and he is co- founder of Teachtoons. com, an interactive educational site.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (March 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159200170X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592001705
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sandro Corsaro is the Creator and Executive Producer of Disney XD's Emmy-nominated animated original series "Kick Buttowski - Suburban Daredevil."

Previously, Corsaro served as Creative Director for Disney Online, a unit of Disney Interactive Media Group where he oversaw innovative creative initiatives across the flagship web site Disney.com including the expansion of Disney franchises online, site re-design and content development. Prior to joining Disney in 2006, Corsaro worked in creative development for a number of other leading entertainment companies including Warner Bros. Animation, MTV Networks and Crest Digital. Specializing in digital animation, he created projects for global properties including "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Thomas & Friends" and "Barbie."

For Corsaro, animation is among his many endeavors. While in college, he worked on the renowned animated feature film "The Iron Giant" and developed his passion for storytelling. An accomplished author and animator, Corsaro has two published books, The Flash Animator and Hollywood 2D Digital Animation: The New Flash Production Revolution. In them, he shares his distinctive techniques for applying traditional animation principles in the Flash environment. Corsaro has spoken at Siggraph, NAB, Flashforward, and on G4. He also served as an Adobe Systems Flash consultant.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flash Goes To Hollywood, March 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Hollywood 2D Digital Animation: The New Flash Production Revolution (Paperback)

Sandro Corsaro recently released his new book Hollywood 2D Digital Animation, H2D, which could best be described as going to the next level from his previous book The Flash Animator, TFA. In TFA the author's point of view is creating traditional 2d animation for distribution on the Web. It is an overview of how to utilize Flash to create animation and publish that animation on the Internet. TFA has lots of good examples and sample files as well as interviews with successful Web 'toonists and has been regarded by many readers as an excellent learning resource.

Corsaro's new book H2D has a different point of view which is the application of Flash as a major part of a broadcast production environment. He spends a lot of time in interviews and discussion talking about the typical studio production pipeline and the pros and cons of Flash as a cost saving tool. There is an interesting comparison between "Ink and Paint" applications and Flash. As well as pro's and con's of scanning VS digital drawing. Corsaro and co-author Clifford Parrott also discuss character design do's and don'ts, optimizing Flash's strengths, creating special effects, implementing camera moves, and methods for going from Flash to broadcast. There is minor overlap between TFA and H2D but it is minimal, mostly some of the same art work, otherwise H2D moves toward a different focus which is Flash as a major tool in broadcast production. References to the WB, Cartoon Network and Hanna Barbera as well as interviews with industry pros are scattered through out the book. A CD with samples different from the CD that came with TFA is included. I personally enjoy Corsaro's writing style and I found both of his books easy to read and very informative. TFA is a better introductory book for new Flash movie makers. H2D is a good introduction to taking Flash to the next level from the Web to Broadcast. There is still plenty of room for more detailed and comprehensive books and instructional resources addressing these subjects, but for now Hollywood 2D Digital Animation is a welcomed addition to the current literature.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Total Broadcast Package, September 30, 2004

By 

Samantha_Becks "SBecks" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollywood 2D Digital Animation: The New Flash Production Revolution (Paperback)

I have created dozens of flash websites, but about 2 months ago I had client that need some marketing materials animated on a VHS tape. I have long wondered about using Flash for broadcast, but never really delved into it. I bought three books from here on the subject matter and this one was certainly the most comprehensive. While I learned about all the technical parameters of the broadcast world, I also learned a ton of simple tricks to improve my graphic skills.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Flash Production Revolution is here!, July 13, 2004

By 

Nicholas Da Silva (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollywood 2D Digital Animation: The New Flash Production Revolution (Paperback)

For those of you looking to join the new Flash Production revolution, whether you're a traditional animator, a student pursuing a career in the animation industry or an independent flash animator looking to make the jump from web to television and film, look no further. I have the perfect book for you. Hollywood 2D Digital Animation is THE definitive guide for the new generation of storytellers producing broadcast-quality animation. There are a few books out on the market that discuss the topic of Flash Animations for Broadcast but this book is different in a big way. This full-color book discusses the flash production pipeline in great detail and features innovative step-by-step digital animation techniques that provide an efficient way to produce amazing broadcast animation. It's also loaded with incredible, original animation and artwork as well as interviews from veteran studio animators. There's even a chapter that discusses how to pitch your content to the major studios. So if you're serious about producing your flash content for broadcast, this is your guidebook! I highly recommend this book to our members at FlashTV and to all our participants of The Greatest Story Never Told competition.