Intended for animators, story artists, writers and development executives, Comedy for Animators is a book written to introduce you to the remarkable art of physical comedy. If you want to make funny cartoons, it’s critical to understand this unique history of characters and stories. Animation teachers have long told students to “study the great silent comedians.” You could watch hundreds of hours of silent films, and read a hundred books on theater and film history, then spend time analyzing what you saw and read. Or you could simply buy this book. I have done all that for you. From the ancient Greeks to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. From vaudeville to recent film stars like Rowan Atkinson and Jackie Chan. I also include tips from Walt Disney, Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and other animators. I have sifted through vast amounts of material, searching for the most useful concepts to share. All of it presented to help animators create unforgettable characters and films.
Using examples from theater, live action film, and great cartoons, you will learn:
Classic character archetypes that have been successful for centuries
How context can give characters a world to work in.
How comedy teams work together.
The many ways props can be funny.
What made the great comic actors so special.
And much more.
Comedy for Animators also includes a foreward by Academy Award winning animator and animation historian John Canemaker. It will be published by CRC Press in early December. Click the image to visit the Amazon.com page for ordering information.
Jonathan Lyons has worked in animation for 25 years, from traditional 2-D animation to CG animated films such as PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and Seth MacFarlane’s TED. He has created award winning short films, and taught university classes. Since 1989 he has researched the art and history of physical comedy, with an eye towards what animators should know.