Setting the Scene: The Art & Evolution of Animation Layout

by Fraser MacLean

The art of animation layout takes center stage for the first time in this gorgeous, full-color volume. Animation fans and students can finally take a behind-the-scenes peek at the history of layout, the process by which artists plot scenes and stitch together the many elements of animated works. With in-depth text by veteran animator Fraser MacLean, this extraordinary book features previously unpublished art from major studios archives including Warner Bros., Pixar, Walt Disney, and more as well as interviews with some of the biggest names in animation and a foreword by Academy Award winning director Pete Docter. From the genre's earliest pioneers to the digital world of contemporary cinema, Setting the Scene provides an enchanting journey into the history of animation.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Drawing, Research

270 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2011

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't decide if its priority is history or aesthetics, making for a disjointed read.

[Alec Longstreth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing to me that a book this specific could ever get made. It goes into minute detail about the filming and layout process of early animation pioneers, the Fleischer Brothers studio, the Disney studio (in various decades), Warner Brothers in its heyday, Hanna Barbera, MGM, Richard Williams' studio, DreamWorks, Pixar and others up to the modern day, including stereoscopic and video game applications. It includes excerpts from dozens of interviews and has hundreds of stills, concept art, layout drawings, background paintings, etc. It also includes one of the best glossaries of animation terms I've ever read.

I don't disagree with other reviews which point out that the writing meanders a bit from topic to topic, without a strong outline (The book starts by asking the question, "What is a layout?" which is then asked again... 200 pages later, "So, what IS a layout?"). The difference for me was that I was so fascinated by everything, I didn't mind.... A four-page tangent about the multiplane camera shot from Scene 2 in Pinocchio was achieved? Yes please! This book could have been 1,000 pages and I still would have wanted to know more.

It's a shame it's out of print and used copies are so expensive, but again, it's a miracle they were able to clear all these image rights even once to get this book printed in the first place.

[Rithy · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book

[Gijs Grob · Rating 1 out of 5]

'Setting the Scene: The Art Evolution of Animation Layout' is a richly illustrated and beautifully made coffee table book. It's the first animation book about the art of layout itself, with the writer being a veteran in the field. Unfortunately, MacLean is not much of a teacher. His writing has a stream-of-consciousness-like quality that is devastating for a textbook. All the chapters lack focus, and get lost in the enthusiastic, but rambling, unfocused and disjointed writing. MacLean heavily relies on interviews, and these certainly provide some interesting insights, but he completely forgets to incorporate them into an argument. Moreover, often I've no idea what the illustrations supposed to illustrate. MacLean easily could have broken down his text into elements of layout, like 'staging', 'color', 'camera movement', but not so. In the end one hardly knows more about the art and technique of layout than before. A frustrating read and a missed opportunity.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures of the book on my blog)

Author Fraser Maclean's Setting the Scene is a large 260-page book dedicated to animation layout. The detailed writeup and research covers the history of animation, specifically looking at layout, from the early days of hand-drawn animation to the 3D movies of today.

The book is filled with wonderful photos, art and interviews. I find photos of the old equipment fascinating for some of them look like surgical instruments. The art are screenshots of films, storyboards, posters and concept illustrations. It's nostalgic to look at the old designs, such as the endless sun-parched desert Road Runner runs on. In other examples of how layout is used, there are the storyboards for Pixar movies, original background drawing with areas marked out for colouring, etc.

It's a nice tribute to the unsung heroes of film making - the layout crew.. Good layout or background art blend into stories. In a sense, it's a thankless job because the better they are, the more they will go unnoticed by the audience. In this book, you'll get to find out just what goes behind the scenes to creating those backgrounds, the people who are involved and what they use.

This is not a technical book that gives you techniques on creating your own layout. However, you should be able to gleam some ideas and inspiration from the pages of stories.

This book is recommended to animators and people who love animation.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the Christmas wish-list has begun. Full disclosure - I didn't read this as much as flipped through all of the eye candy, although anything I did skim seemed very readable/fascinating. I hope to own this soon, at which time it can be given proper attention...in about 2 years when I'm done with grad school and 'leisure reading' becomes a thing again.