Elemental Magic Volume II : The Technique of Special Effects Animation

358 Pages·2012·29.89 MB·English

by  Gilland, Joseph

Elemental Magic
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Elemental Magic
Volume II
The Technique of Special Effects Animation
Joseph Gilland
With a Foreword by Wayne Kimbell
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gilland, Joseph.
Elemental magic: the technique of special effects animation / Joseph Gilland.
p.cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-240-81479-7 (pbk. : alk. Paper) 1. Animated fi lms—Technique.
2. Drawing—Technique. I. Title.
NC1765.G49 2011
741.5(cid:2)8—dc22 2008046558
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-0-240-81479-7
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11 12 13 14 15 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in China
To my dear Sister Kathy with love . . .

Table of Contents
Foreword by Wayne Kimbell ix
Preface: The Art of Animating Special Effects xiii
A Message from Cyberspace xxxiii
Acknowledgements xxxix
Chapter 1. Introduction to the Elements 1
Chapter 2. The Wave 21
Chapter 3. The Splash 57
Chapter 4. Lighting a Fire 165
Chapter 5. Blowing It Up 243
Chapter 6. Magic: The Art of Animating Pixie Dust 279
Index 307
vii

Foreword
by Wayne Kimbell
In 1981 I moved to Montreal from Hollywood to work on the special
effects for the animated feature fi lm Heavy Metal. I was hired to do
the backlight effects—the fl ares that run the length of magical swords,
the ebbs and glows of a volcano about to explode—and to add fl ash to
explosions and magic dust and sparkle wherever needed. As I began, the
movie’s release date was moved up three months. No panic—I asked
for help. A director and a production manager suggested Joe Gilland, a
rookie animator in the in-between department. They said Joe had loads
of talent and lots of promise. Hmm, he’d be a gofer in Hollywood. I was
stuck with a rookie and an impossible deadline. It’s the biz.
As it turned out, Joe did have the skills I needed. He had good
instincts—an artist/animator’s intuition, an intuition based on keen
observation of life’s little things, the details. Most artists can see the big
picture and put a frame around it. Special effects artists have to notice
the details, especially the details.
ix