100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

🏆Don't forget Father's Day this Sunday! Auckland Bookstore open 8:30am-5:00pm Sat & Sun 🎉

Elemental Magic

The Art of Special Effects Animation
4.39 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 114 ratings, 7 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Elemental Magic by Joseph Gilland provides a detailed guide to creating stunning animated effects such as fiery blazes, rippling water, and magical transformations. Combining clear, step-by-step diagrams with rich original illustrations, it unravels the techniques and philosophy behind classical hand-drawn special effects animation and explains how to apply these skills to digital projects.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Elemental Magic. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for professional animators, animation educators, students, and digital artists who seek to master the craft of effects animation and enhance their digital projects with authentic hand-drawn techniques.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A richly illustrated full-color guide to creating stunning hand-drawn and digital special effects by Joseph Gilland, whose work has been seen in films such as Lilo & Stitch, Mulan, and Brother Bear.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Create amazing animated effects such as fiery blazes, rippling water, and magical transformations. Animation guru Joseph Gilland breaks down the world of special effects animation with clear step-by-step diagrams and explanations on how to create the amazing and compelling images you see on the big screen.

Elemental Magic is jam-packed with rich, original illustrations from the author himself which help explain and illuminate the technique, philosophy, and approach behind classical hand drawn animated effects and how to apply these skills to your digital projects.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Now, finally classical effects animation gets its day in the sun with Joseph Gilland's fascinating new book. It's a revelation of the amazing blend of the art and craft behind the magic of this wonderful art form. -Don Hahn, Academy Award-nominated producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King

Veteran Disney animator Joe Gilland's informative book delivers, for the first time, the real nitty-gritty on the art of hand-drawn special effects. The mysteries of how to believably animate abstract forms representing rain, fire, smoke, etc. are revealed in articulate prose, revelatory graphs, and elegantly beautiful sequential imagery. A must-have guide for animation pros, teachers, and students! -John Canemaker, Academy Award-winning animator, animation historian, and teacher

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780240811635

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 February 2009

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Focal Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 276.0mm

Height: 219.0mm

Weight: 768g

Pages: 328

About the Author

In his 32+ year animation career, he has worked with such studios as Walt Disney Feature Animation, Don Bluth Animation, Productions Pascal Blais and the National Film Board of Canada. At Walt Disney Feature Animation, he served as Supervisor of Visual Effects for the Disney features Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear. At Disney he also served as Head of Special Effects Units for the Disney features Kingdom of the Sun and Tarzan, and was Special Effects Animator on such notable titles as Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, James and the Giant Peach, Hercules and Mulan. He served as Designer and Supervisor for all 2D and 3D visual effects on the television series Silverwing, and Chaotic at Bardel Animation in Vancouver. He has also designed and directed a wide variety of television commercials. Clients include General Motors, CocaCola, Honda, MacDonald's, Gillette, Players Tobacco, Larrouse Dictionaries, and Radio Quebec. For almost three years, he was the Head of animation, and Digital Character animation at the Vancouver Film School. He lectures at animation schools in Canada, Europe and Asia, and has conducted workshops at animation festivals and schools around the world. he is a professional musician and performer as well. He has been writing professionally for over three years now, and has a bi-monthly column in the online Animation World Magazine, entitled 'The Animated Scene' which has an enormous readership around the world. He has also had articles published in Animation Magazine, the world's foremost industry magazine, as well as well as an article in 'Cartoons' The International Journal of Animation.

Also by Joseph Gilland

View all
  • Elemental Magic, Volume II
    Design beautiful, professional-level animated effects with these detailed step-by-step tutorials from former Disney animator and animated effects expert Joseph Gilland. Filled with beautiful, full-colour artwork, Elemental Magic, Volume II breaks down the animated effect process from beginning to end, including booming explosions, gusting winds, magical incantations, and raging fires. He also breaks down the process of effects "clean-up," as well...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Computing & Technology

View all
  • Digital Minimalism
    Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport presents a revolutionary strategy for optimising your interaction with digital technology in a way that fosters productivity, focus, happiness, and creativity. Most of us recognise that our reliance on texting, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter is not due to sheer lack of intelligence or depth, but because these platforms truly offer significant value in the form...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Minecraft Annual 2027
    Pre-order
    New Release
    Minecraft Annual 2027
    The official Minecraft Annual 2027, full of updates, builds, activities, and more! Discover all there is to know about the past year of Minecraft in this exciting annual. Stuffed to the brim with updates, activities, step-by-step builds, and tips and tricks for the game, this book is a must-have for any minecrafter. This year’s annual includes: Mob guides on happy...
    Hardback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Empire of AI
    An eye-opening account of the tech arms race shaping our planet, from an award-winning journalist and AI insider to the world of Sam Altman and OpenAI. When longtime AI expert and journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, it was...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3700
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • kluge
    New Release
    kluge
    If you and I are in the same ='entertainment venue' for this ='stand-up comedy special' and I am ='my body' and you are ='my audience' I run to you and shout your name into the dark, in the hope you are there. Yes, you='dear reader'='attentive listener'. This is a story about the end days of a tech company and its...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • On Sale
    17% off
    Open to Work
    ‘Open To Work helps you stop fearing the future and start shaping it with purpose.’ Jay Shetty‘An instantly useful guide to futureproofing your career.’ Adam Grant‘Open to Work lays out a smart and clear path to the future of work’ Brené Brown In a world where AI is transforming work at a rapid pace, Open to Work is your essential...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Careless People
    Shocking and darkly funny, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to the decisions that are shaping our world and the people who make them. Welcome to Facebook. Sarah Wynn-Williams, a young diplomat from New Zealand, pitched for her dream job. She saw Facebook's potential and knew it could change the world for the better. But, when she got there...
    Paperback
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI
    Whether you want to criticise, kill, or use AI, you have to get through the hype and uncover the real story. Start with labour: in automation theory, a centaur is a person who chooses to use technology to help them do the things that matter to them. A reverse centaur is a person who has been conscripted to serve as...
    Paperback
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Book cover for 'Apple: The First 50 Years' by David Pogue, featuring a minimalist white background with black text and a stylized white iPod touch graphic in the center.
    On Sale
    20% off
    Apple
    On April 1, 1976, two scruffy twentysomethings, both named Steve, founded a startup. Their goal: To bring the revolutionary power of computers to everyone. Over the next five decades, Apple reshaped the technology and cultural landscapes, introducing the public to breakthroughs like the mouse, laser printing, CD-ROM, WiFi, digital video, home networking, touchscreen phones, and tablets. Jobs’s obsessive eye for...
    Hardback
    $6400
    Elsewhere:
    $9000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
    The founder of the field of AI risk explains why superintelligent AI is a global suicide bomb and we must halt development immediately. AI is the greatest threat to our existence that we have ever faced. The technology may be complex but the facts are simple. We are currently on a path to build superintelligent AI. When we do, it...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • How to Win At Chess
    Learn chess from International Master and YouTube's top chess teacher Levy Rozman (aka GothamChess) in this refreshing and fun guide for beginner and intermediate players. How to Win at Chess teaches you everything you need to know about the game, including all the important moves and strategies to start off strong and keep you thinking several steps ahead. Full of...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    Backorder
    Ships mid September
  • Tech Bros
    New Release
    Tech Bros
    The extraordinary story of Atlassian - how two university friends with a billion-dollar idea created a global tech company. In a cramped share house in inner-city Sydney, university classmates Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar started working together to create a $160 billion company from scratch and revolutionise the way the world works. They couldn't have been more different - Cannon-Brookes...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Nerd Reich
    Who really rules our future? When Silicon Valley says it is ‘moving fast and breaking things’, the world interprets the chaos as a necessary cost of innovation. Gil Durán reveals something far more sinister: a decades-long campaign to replace elected governments with corporate rule. Drawing on insider political experience and new investigations, Durán traces this ideology from its philosophical roots...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.