Customer Reviews

Stop-Motion Armature Machining: A Construction Manual

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First I'll state that as a shop manual the information contained within this book is great and indispenable. The author cleary describes the processes and tools needed to build stop motion armatures. What is disappointing is the quality of the book itself. I have a few books for which I have paid fifty dollars for (The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, Industrial Light and Magic: The Art of Special Effects) and I have never had buyers remorse. The same cannot be said here. The cover belies the interior quality. This book is approximately one quarter inch thick with poor quality paper stock which I can only describe as better than a childs coloring book. All of the photographs are black and white. Many are extremely grainy with contrast that is too high and resolution so poor that it is hard to see what is being described accurately (See figures 2-10, 3-4, 3-5, 3-10, 4-9, 4-10, 4-13 as examples). Not what I expected at this price point. The same information also applies to Stop-Motion Puppet Sculpting. I strongly suggest you either buy used or take what I have written into consideration before purchasing new. (Should be three stars not two)

I was very reticent in purchasing this book after reading all of the reviews. It is true that the pictures are not the highest resolution, are in black and white and the total number of pages is few. However that doesn't negate what a wonderful resource this book is. This is the first book I have seen that goes into such depth in how to machine armatures from aluminum and steel. Other books gloss over this process. This text is focused solely on that process which is exactly what I was looking for. If you are looking for text that covers the whole scope of stop motion animation, this is not that book. However, if you are looking for further insight into this specialized process, this book is a great investment.

This one-of-a-kind text is a wonderful primer on machining your own armatures. It clearly details the various joints and explains their construction. I highly recommend this book for all stop-motion animators, even if you don't plan on building armatures yourself.

This book is not bad. If you are into old school animation. It is a profesionally leveled book with lots of insight into building armetures and machining. For me it is a bit to precise to the subject area but a perfect one for anyone in stop motion . I would give 5 star