Book Review: Ideas for the Animated Short

Katie July 31, 2013 0 Comments

I picked up Ideas for the Animated Short because my brother went to school for animation and I figured I could find out a little bit more about what he does by checking out the book.  I didn’t realize that as a wannabe writer, it might have actually helped me out more than I actually thought – since obviously behind every animated short is some sort of story.  The first chapter talks a bit about why a lot of stories seem the same, structure to stories, different characters, etc.  There are also interviews and other tid bits throughout the book that I found to be quite valuable – from people from Pixar, etc that really know their way around an animated short.

Ultimately I thought I would go in to this book with some good stuff to tell my brother – and while that is true (and I’m going to have to get him a copy of the book to check out) there are a lot of great tips and tricks for non animators as well – anyone who is creative at all would benefit from checking out the book whether it be crafting, writing, or anything else that you need inspiration for.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

From demo reel creation to festival shorts, students and professionals alike are creating animated shorts that are dynamic and eye catching but the time constraints of these shorts are challenging in their own right. The unique format of the animated short of two to five minutes in length presents a practical and aesthetic challenge that is rarely addressed in the classroom. Ideas for the Animated Short is a comprehensive and practical blueprint for creative and unique animated short creation with a focus on the strength of a compelling story. A comprehensive guide to the animated short, this title is an invaluable asset for aspiring animation professionals, students and independent filmmakers. Explore the process of developing a short from conception to final delivery and adapt the industry’s best practices in your own workflow. Written by four leading animators, artists and professors, Ideas for the Animated Shortis written from the unique perspective of a professional animator adapting creative stories into incredible animated shorts.

Follow from start to finish the creation of an animated short from the pre-production thought process to story development and character design. Explore the best practices and avoid the common pitfalls of creating two to five minute shorts. Watch a specially created animated short, demonstrating the core techniques and principles at the companion website! Packed with illustrated examples of idea generation, character and story development, acting, dialogue and storyboarding practice this is your conceptual toolkit proven to meet the challenges of this unique art form. The companion website includes in-depth interviews with industry insiders, short animations (many with accompanying animatics, character designs and environment designs) and an acting workshop to get your animated short off to a flying start! With all NEW content on script writing, acting, sound design and visual storytelling that further enhance your animated shorts and apply the industry best practices to your own projects.

Book Review: Musical Ink

Katie July 26, 2013 0 Comments

Musical Ink is a really, really neat book.  It starts out with an interview with tattoo artist Kat Von D where they discuss musicians with tattoos and how many have them because it is a job that kind of lends itself to that sort of culture.  Then it goes in to the portraits – where there is 1 page that is an image of the musician and then the next page focuses on one of their tattoos close up. (Many of the artists could probably have a book of just them talking about their own tattoos they have so many!)  They talk about why they got it, what it means to them, the story around how they got it and where, etc which are all really interesting.  Some of these have really, really deep meanings and that is really interesting to read about.

Then there are bios  table of contents which talks a bit about each of the musicians and when they were photographed for the book.  And then some more on the equipment that was used to capture the photos (they are all really great photos!)

Definitely a really interesting read and something that I wouldn’t mind reading more about with other musicians (or even hearing about some of these musicians other tattoos!)

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Musical Ink is a portrait project from Toronto-based photographer Jon Blacker that spotlights 62 musicians and their tattoos. This exciting volume of imagery not only has something for every musical taste – featured artists range in genre from heavy metal to hip hop and opera – the tattoo styles include elaborate sleeves, creative one points, and traditional Japanese themes. Each portrait is photographed in black and white using a special infrared camera, which allows the tattoos to truly stand out from the skin because while infrared light largely reflects off of skin, it is absorbed by the tattoo ink, creating a great deal of contrast between the almost glowing, ethereal appearance of the skin and the deep blacks and greys of the tattoos. But Musical Ink goes more than skin deep and focuses on the personal meanings of the artists’ body art, be it a deep personal reflection or simply a great funny story. This outstanding collection of images, including artists like Dave Navarro, Chad Smith, and Sammy Hagar, is ideal for music lovers, tattoo aficionados and artists, and photographers.

Jon Blacker is a portrait and music photographer best known for his lightning-fast location and live concert work. He has been hiding behind the camera for more than 20 years. He lives in Toronto with his girlfriend, her son, and their neurotic cat.

Book Review: Pretty Little Liars #13 Crushed

Katie July 24, 2013 0 Comments

Crushed is the 13th book in the Pretty Little Liars series.  I am wondering if this series is ever going to end.  In this book it is almost time for prom and A is still tormenting our Pretty Little Liars.  Always one step ahead of the girls, they try anything they can think of to try and throw her off their tails.  They hide in panic rooms,  get untraceable phones but as always A knows all.  They make a list of who might be A and one of the people on the list is quite close to Aria.  Meanwhile they are being questioned by police about things that happened while they were vacationing in Jamaica and Iceland. (How do these girls afford all these trips?!)

Will we get any closer to figuring out who A is? Yes and no. Of course.  There always has to be a set up for the next book 😉  I generally dislike reading these books while the show is on because it is 2 different worlds – the show has taken in one direction and the books in another and some characters are dead or non existant in one version and not the other, but I had to read this one after the new season picked up because that’s just how it worked out in my schedule.  I do really love the books and they are quick and easy reads – they can easily be knocked out in less than a day but once they are over you want to read the next one right away and I’m not even sure if it’s begun being written yet!

I was not asked to write this review, I purchased the book to read on my own time and posted the review because I thought it was something that would interest my readers.

About the Book

In the thirteenth Pretty Little Liars novel, the secrets are more crushing than ever. . . .

Book Review: Annette Funicello America’s Sweetheart

Katie July 23, 2013 0 Comments

America’s Sweetheart is the story of Annette Funicello – one of the most famous mouseketeers. (Should I say original mouseketeers?)  I really didn’t know too much about her – I knew she was on MMC I knew that she was an actress and I knew that she had MS and passed away earlier this year.  Now that I’ve read this biography I know a lot more.  I starts with how her parents met – a really cute story – her dad told his friend that he was going to marry that girl.  Turns out that girl was his friends sister and he teased him about it.  But it turned out that her dad was right and he did marry that girl and they had Annette and then 2 boys – Joey and Michael.

Annette was shy but her teacher realized that she had rhythm so Annette started playing drums at an early age.  She also auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club and for some reason became Walt Disney himself’s favorite even though many others on set did not think she would make it from the blue team b squad to the red team a squad.  She did and then had several spin offs and other acting jobs – doing many beach movies with her dear friend Frankie Avalon.  She even had a singing career – despite constantly telling people that she could not sing.  Her records kept charting for a while though, so she continued to live out the  fantasy.

The book is really interesting and focuses a bit on how difficult her life was – especially once she had taken off as a star and was not home with her family and her mother traveled with her quite a bit as her guardian.  She was sheltered and went from her parent’s house to her husband’s house which caused added pressure – on top of always being in the spotlight.

Ultimately Annette was quite a fighter and was hopeful that there would be a cure for MS.  We can only hope that one day there will be so others won’t have to suffer like she did. (Even though she fought the disease all the way.)

If you are looking to find out more about Annette – be sure to check out Annette Funicello: America’s Sweetheart.  The back of the book also features her discography and filmography if you want to check out all that she did in her career (it’s a lot!)

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Annette Funicello was the “it girl” of a much more innocent time.

As a member of Disney’s Mouseketeers in the classic children’s television show The Mickey Mouse Club, as a pop singing star of non-threatening or controversial pop music, and helping to usher in a new era of teen-friendly movie high jinks with the Beach Party movies, Annette literally defined four decades of pop culture during her time in the spotlight.

But it was not always an easy ride.

Annette would be the first to admit that she had grown up “a sheltered child.” Consequently when reality did strike, she was not always up to the task of dealing with it.

Annette Funicello: America’s Sweetheart looks at the life and career of Annette from all angles, all sides, the ups and downs. Stories that are supported by exclusive interviews with fellow performers Carl Gardner (of the group The Coasters), Freddy ‘Boom Boom’ Cannon, Tommy Sands and songwriter Richard Sherman. Annette has told her story before. But it has never been told this way.

Marc Shapiro is the NY Times best-selling author of We Love Jenni – An Unauthorized Biography, The Secret Life of EL James, Who is Katie Holmes?, An Unauthorized Biography, Legally Bieber: Justin Bieber at 18, J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter, and Justin Bieber: The Fever! and many other best-selling celebrity biographies. He has been a free-lance entertainment journalist for more than twenty-five years, covering film, television, and music for a number of national and international newspapers and magazines.