Richard Williams's Animators Survival Kit as 16 DVD's

That's pricey, especially for a beginner like me. Is there really that much more in this DVD set that isn't it the book which I payed $30 for? I just don't see paying nearly a thousand bucks for something, if I can just read the book.

It looks to me like you are getting thirty-two hours of lecture time from a professional so it price is cheap if you look at it that way. Schools, the industry, and hard core animator are most likely the market for this DVD set.

I would like to know if they are going to put this out in Blu-ray, if not then the should think about it for the near future. Maybe even a Blu-ray interactive set. :)

Yeah, but it seems to me that a lot of the information from the masterclass is pretty much already in the book.

Absolutely true. I stopped referring to my notes from the masterclass once the book came out.

Yeah, but it seems to me that a lot of the information from the masterclass is pretty much already in the book. Sure there are some things that seem nice about the DVD, (like actually seeing some animations playing, then being able to analyze them frame by frame), but how much more information is there?

$30 vs $900 is a big difference for someone like a student.

I think if someone has the book and actually applies themselves to do all the examples shown in the book then they will have learned the fundamentals of how to animate . BUT it requires careful , steady working through the book. There is so much good information in there. I'm often dismayed to hear some people shrug it off as "just a bunch of walk cycles" , as though that is all that is covered in the book. That tells me they've never actually sat down to read it cover-to-cover.

On the other hand, some people are visual learners, they learn by seeing and example. From the clips I've seen on the website I'd say this is done very effectively on the DVD's by intercutting the live lecture material with the animated examples. It looks like a very effective format . I will say that when I've taught animation I've used "The Animator's Survival Kit" as a text book and sometimes I will assign supplemental assignments that we don't have time to do in class, but are based on sections of the Williams' book . Now, despite the information all being laid out clearly in the book I've found that many students simply do not read. (or don't comprehend clearly what they have read) So they keep making the same mistakes, the same things are missing from their animation which if they had really absorbed what was in the book they would not have made those mistakes. This tells me that the Tell and Show method in the DVD's is a valuable adjunct to the book. I can see that these DVD lessons will help the information to sink in for the average person a lot faster than working through the book alone. (although if you really , truly work through the book carefully then you'll get the same information.)

So, frankly , if I could afford the DVD set I'd definitely get it. The high price is worth it for the "almost live" instruction from someone of Williams' experience and skill level. I also think that the high price is probably motivated by wanting to make a bit of profit on the DVD series from the initial pre-sales before illegal copies start showing up on YouTube and on various bit-torrent download sites. Once that genie is out of the bottle it won't go back in , so he has to make something back on the series before the pirates start their plundering. The high price may also deter people from casually posting it to YouTube ; after all, if one shelled out $1000 dollars of one's own hard earned money for something, then one will tend to treat it as a bit more valuable and exclusive than something that didn't cost so dearly to begin with. It's a way of keeping the material somewhat exclusive . (and again, anyone who really wants it can afford to buy the book to get the basic material .)

Speaking of $30.00 : don't forget that another master animator, Eric Goldberg, is releasing his long-awaited book on animation, Character Animation Crash Course (with supplemental CD of Quicktime movies) on July 15. This is another must-have for any animator, student or pro. It's currently available for $23.10 on Amazon.com (down from the suggested retail price of $35.00) .

If you're going to be at the San Diego Comic Con, July 24 - 27, I've heard that Eric will be there signing copies of the book.

EDIT: On the side note, am I the only one on this forum who thinks that downloading movies and the like should be legal? I'm not supporting making profit on someone else's product. But in this new market, you can't stop people downloading songs and movies. I don't think there's anything morally wrong with it.

Legal how? As in, paid for and downloaded, like iTunes? Or getting content for free because someone else has already paid for it? There's a big difference.

What's the price of yer average private college?
Looking at the clips on the site this is well worth it. He articulates everything well verbally and visually. I am in awe of his articulateness as one who stammers and digresses through lectures.Now more than ever one can teach themself animation.
For me talk of piracy to a master artist and mentor to millions who has given us so much, as Houdini giving us his secrets, is downright criminal and sinful.
We're not talking about expensive software with a minimal upgrade here (something of which I am less sympathetic to spend the money) but timeless information that will never date.
If the nine old men are our grandaddies Williams is our uncle. Don't screw over family.