Free Flash Classes

Wanna know how to produce character animation using Flash? Apply for these free classes taught by Animax and some of the other top Flash studios in Los Angeles. Hurry though - time is running out!

Press Pours In

Animax is happy to see that Bob & Doug has been getting lots of coverage in consumer and trade press and it's all positive. The McKenzie Brothers were already close to being patron saints of Canada and all this press just backs that up. Bob & Doug airs on Global TV in Canada this Sunday.
· National Post
· Vancouver Sun
· Canada.com
· Channel Canada
· Time Colonist
· Leader-Post
· Montreal Gazette
· Edmonton Journal
· Macleans
· Winnipeg Sun
· The Barrie Examiner
· TV Time
· Radio Interview: Talk 1410AM
· Radio Interview: DBS Podcast
· The Movie Blog

Pushing Mankind Forward

Well, this video is really old now so the archival look is really appropriate. Nobody has ever seen it except for a few select Animax employees from the early days. Created for Sundance Channel it never saw the light of day and it might not live out there in the universe for too long so take a gander at it while you can. It's a Flash animated peek into the not so distant future.

This Joint is Jumping

In a first for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), they used animation instead of live-action to communicate their message about joint pain. Working with AAOS's agency August, Lang & Husak, Animax Entertainment's new division, Animax Health, produced the Flash animated video.

More Slacker Cats

ABC Family finally launched more episodes of the Flash animated TV show Slacker Cats. You can watch streaming versions of the episodes on ABC Family's website or you can download them from iTunes. In particular check out episodes 6 & 11 to see Animax's animation handiwork.

Bam Margera and Santa

Christmas is coming. Bam Margera has a new DVD coming out December 2 called "Where the F#$&% is Santa?" -- no we didn't just flub the typing. Imagine a bleep in there. Animax animated this promo spot for the movie for Jetset Studios.

The Good Book

Are you a Flash Animator or do you just want to look like one? Then you need to get your hands on the brand new book Foundation Flash Cartoon Animation written by Animax Entertainment folks Tim Jones, Allan Rosson, Barry Kelly, and Dave Wolfe (he comes and goes round these parts). It's chock full of solid advice and direction on how to make your Flash animation really zing. It's also chock full of samples from the Animax past portfolio of work including our perennial faves Bob & Doug McKenzie. It's the perfect holiday gift!

The book details:
Whether you are an experienced Flash designer or developer looking for a guide to doing animation in Flash, or a novice to Flash who is looking for an effective way to create and distribute animations, this book will prove invaluable to you. Covering every aspect of Flash animation, the book is a fast-paced yet thorough review of the Flash animation process. Written by the Emmy-Award winning team at ANIMAX, this book not only reveals the step-by-step process followed by one of today's leading Flash animation studios, it gives you valuable tips and tricks to take your Flash animation to the next level. Divided into three phases of production (pre-production, animation, post-production) this book breaks the Flash animation process into smaller, more manageable steps. And because the authors approach the animation process from various perspectives (such as producer, animator, and editor) the book balances many of the real-world issues facing today's Flash animators, from artistic to technical to financial. The book starts off by looking at planning and designing an animation project, including working out your goals, and putting together character libraries and storyboards. Next up we look at the production phase, which includes using plug-ins to make your work more efficient, implementing your animation, and adding special effects. Finally, we look at post-production work, including how After Effects can be used effectively alongside Flash for tasks such as camera mechanics, how to make Flash not look like Flash, and tips and tricks from the experts. Whatever the reason, like millions of others around the world you've become interested in Flash animation. And you've come to the right place to learn more. This book is compatible with pretty much any fairly recent version of Flash.

• Covers the full process of Flash animation, through preproduction, production, and post production
• Covers many practical techniques, including creating character libraries, using plugins, and camera mechanics with After Effects.
• Written by the Emmy award winning ANIMAX team

What you'll learn

• How to effectively plan an animation project
• How to put together storyboards
• How to create elegant character libraries
• How to set up your .fla file, ready for animation to commence
• How to make more efficient use of your time with plugins, where to find good plugins, and how to create your own
• How to animate, frame by frame, or using tweens
• Why After Effects can be better than Flash for some tasks.
• Effective After Effects Techniques, such as camera mechanics
• How to make Flash not look like Flash