Based on the feedback from last week, I think I should focus on collecting literature in the following areas: the history of animation (which is a weak point for me), the animation production processes of 2D and 3D, and the animation industry.
For my study of animation history, I plan to read Stephen’s “The World History of Animation ” and also compare and read Scott’s work as a reference.
In the animation production process, apart from the 3DCA textbook “Survival Kit”, I plan to read “The Alchemy of Animation: Making an Animated Film in the Modern Age” to learn about 2D animation. This book was published in 2008, but it still maintains classic authority in the field of 2D animation and its content is still of reference value to this day. For 3D animation, I plan to read “Acting and Character Animation: The Art of Animated Films, Acting and Visualizing”, which covers a large amount of content related to 3D animation, including hand-drawn animation and motion capture animation, and it also has a set of aesthetic standards for these two types, which is of great significance for me to understand the mainstream aesthetics of 3D animation.
In the field of animation, I was recommended a book called “The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation”. This is an analytical book about Japanese animation. However, after reading the summary and the table of contents, I realized that this book is not merely an introduction to the animation industry; instead, it purposefully analyzes why the Japanese animation industry has developed in a completely different form from those in Europe and America. What are its technical dependencies and what are its aesthetic foundations? The author also uses philosophical means to analyze the common cultural symbols in Japanese anime. Although this may not be directly addressed in the content this time, I believe the author’s analytical method is very interesting.