Intro to Animation & VFX

Designed after Alvarez's Creature Development course (taught at Hollywood's Gnomon School of Visual Effects), this 'class-in-a-box' includes 25 hours of lectures, 66 HD video clips for live action integration, and a 176 page book. This is intermediate level material which assumes that the student has a solid grasp of the fundamentals, from modeling and UV layout, to rigging and animation.

The career and knowledge of Williams (Academy Award-winning animator behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) straddles the 'golden age' of hand-drawn animation and the modern era of computer animation. Based on his animation masterclasses, Williams runs through the underlying principles of animation. His points are illustrated with hundreds of drawings and videos. This DVD accompanies the essential handbook.

Directed by Yves Montmayeur
This French television documentary is a journey into the universe of director Hayao Miyazaki and his Ghibli studio. Through interviews with fellow Ghibli filmmaker Isao Takahata, Ghibli President Toshio Suzuki and French comic artist Jean Moebius Giraud, we get to know the man who delivered some of the most inspiring visuals and incomparable landscapes and characters ever seen in animation.

This Japanese documentary follows the routines of filmmakers at Studio Ghibli, including Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Features footage of the productions; extensive storyboard art (sketched, inked and painted); and detailed explanations of certain artistic and casting decisions.
Available to stream via Beamafilm in the AFTRS Library. (Offsite access available for AFTRS faculty and students).

Directed by Leslie Iwerks
A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios, the company's relationship with Disney, and its remarkable initial string of eight hits. It features never-before-seen footage of crew and contributors including Steve Jobs, Ed Catmull and John Lasseter. The AFTRS Library holds this documentary as a special feature on a Blu-ray copy of WALL·E.