The Technique of Film Animation by John Halas, Roger Manvell (review)

Books 181 There are few, let alone inexpensive, books on the history of photography. A professional photographer who wants to do something new must know what has been done by his predecessors. One of the advantages of a brief history such as Newhall’s is that a reader can obtain quickly a cohesive picture of the development of photography. Newhall, who is one of the Trustees of the George Eastman House in Rochester, N.Y., has written a book of sound scholarship. At first it may seem difficult to read. My own feeling is that the first few chapters are a bit slow but that may be because the lonely individual inventors of the past do not seem to be closely related to what is considered photography today. However, I was most pleased with the insights I obtained from the second and third parts of the book. A few things bothered me, which does not diminish its status as a classic in its field. The book is very sober, sometimes a bit too much so. Yet, within this context it is well designed, handsomely illustrated. Could it be that a paperback version points up the need for an up-dated layout for this ‘package’? American photography dominates some sections a bit too much, even granting that it was often in the lead. Color photography is inadequately discussed. Although it is stated that the book was ‘revised and enlarged’, few of the good-quality illustrations are dated after 1958 and only a couple in 1962-63. Since photography is changing so fast, 1964 is already ‘history’ and, therefore, I believe a major revision of the book is needed. With the sound basis on hand, this should not be too difficult a task. The Technique of Film Animation. John Halas and Roger Manvell. Focal Press, London, 1971. 360 pp., illus. €3.00. Reviewed by : Ana Sacerdote de Guthmann’ This is a comprehensive presentation of film animation in which the reader is taken into a world of fantasy where exaggeration and distortion are the rule in the domains of characterization, proportion and movement. The authors state that the essential quality of animation begins where the possibilities of the filming of actual life ends (p. 25). A departure from reality is a necessity in film animation, just as it is in any art, but while much has been done with nonfigurative subjects in the plastic arts in recent decades, there have been only a few efforts in this direction in film animation. Animation tends to be concerned with interpretive figurative representation, with an emphasis on drawing and a clear tendency towards charicature. Ample illustrative material is given to permit a clear conception of the wealth of different styles used by animators in various countries. The illustrations are grouped by sections to emphasize different applications, such as entertainment, advertising, education and public relations. They point out that, in spite of the rigid bounds fixed by commercial requirements, animators succeed in producing charming and ingenious films. The operation of a professional studio is described in detail, telling how a particular project begins, develops and terminates. This is a situation where an artistic idea materializes in the hands of a team of individuals. Five good examples of ‘story boards’, which present initial sketches, are given for films of very different style and length. The description of the story board for Animal Farm makes one pause to reflect. There must be great enthusiasm behind a project requiring 10,000 drawings for a 75 minute projection . Animation is certainly very tedious and very costly. Sums are quoted (p. 258) showing that in 1971 the cost of an animated 20-second commercial film for television was as much as $6000 in the U.S.A. Such sums lead one to think of the possibilities of using computers for animation in order to reduce labor time. An article is reproduced in which several investigators describe their research and tell of promising developments for animation. In addition, a discussion by a professional *Vidt 2004. p. 14, Buenos Aires, Argentina animator is included (p. 321) envying composers of music, who need only a piano to test their works. One can appreciate his feeling...