Synopses & Reviews
Successful animators- the ones who land the exciting jobs and who win the industry awards- must be more than simply a talented artist, a great filmmaker, or a skilled technologist. They need to be all three! For the first time, aspiring animators and those in the field looking to move up have a resource to help them develop this entire skill set with Exploring Digital Cinematography. Award-winning animator Jason Donati examines such key concepts as CG directing, lighting, and texturing from the three different perspectives of art, film, and technology. Beginning with a solid foundation of art and filmmaking knowledge, this groundbreaking book then translates key production techniques- including depth of field, camera blocking, and three-point lighting- into the 3D world. This unique approach bridges the gap between traditional live-action cinematography and cutting-edge 3D animation, giving readers all the skills they need to realize their full 3D animation potential.
About the Author
Jason Donati received a BFA in Computer Animation from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and an MFA from the School of Film and Animation at Rochester Institute of Technology. The winner of several awards, including SIGGRAPH Animation Theater in both 1999 and 2000, Jason is Chair of the Media Arts and Animation department at The New England Institute of Art.
Table of Contents
Section 1 - Overview and Introduction -Preface -Understanding Digital Cinematography Section 2 - Directing -Gallery -Introduction to Directing the Animated Film -Visual Storytelling -Directing the Camera- A Traditional Filmmaking Perspective -The Virtual Camera Section 3 - Lighting -Gallery -Introduction to Light and Color -Light Direction -The Virtual Light Section 4 - Rendering -Gallery -Introduction to Rendering -Rendering as a Directors Tool -Rendering - Technically Speaking Section 5 - Putting it all Together -Gallery -The Digital Cinematographer -Summary- Where To Go From Here