Special Effects: The History and Technique

Special Effects: The History and Technique
Average customer rating:

A coffee table book for the geeks in all of us...

Why is this book out of print?

The Best Book Ever

Very good!

Special Effects

Special Effects: The History and Technique
Richard Rickitt
Manufacturer: Billboard Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0823084086
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

Ever wondered how Harry Potter flew in that quidditch game? Ever puzzled over King Kong swatting down airplanes? Ever tried to figure out Spider-Man swung from building to building? It’s all done with optical and digital effects, with miniature photography and animation, with pyrotechnics, animatronics, and even sound effects--and Special Effects: The History and Technique offers the definitive history of movie magic plus detailed technical explanations and diagrams. Packed with more than 500 photographs and profiles of such groundbreakers as George Lucas, James Cameron, and Robert Zemeckis, it is sure to appeal to fans of all ages. From A Trip to the Moon to X-Men 3, from The Lost World to War of the Worlds, from the 1933 King Kong to the 2005 King Kong, this stunning book reveals the magic of special effects.

Customer Reviews:

A coffee table book for the geeks in all of us..........2006-12-06

Yes there is great history and education in here, but the mass of photographs tells a truly beautiful tale. The artists illustrated here are for the most part the true pioneers of creating magic on film. Going into a project with truly no proven technique must have been terrifying and adrenaline pumping. Our techniques have greatly improved but since the advent of fully cg fx, the pioneering aspect is minimal. It is very well written but I can't call it a page turner since I spent so much time staring at the pictures. Great for fans and professionals alike.

Why is this book out of print?.......2005-01-27

I'm a film studies tutor and reccommend this title to all of my students. Why has the publisher/author allowed it to go out of print? This is the best book ever written on special/visual effects and one of the best introductions to film making and film technology generally. PLEASE REPRINT THIS BOOK and ideally, make a softback edition at a price my kids can better afford. THANKS!

The Best Book Ever.......2002-12-01

Special Effects is THE BEST book you could wish for on the subject. I have a shelf full of old, an mostly inaccurate books about special effects, but with this new book I could throw the rest away. Also, don't bother with magazines like Cinefex anymore, which are very dry and heavy going. this book is a pleasure to read and has interviews with everyone who is important in the business. There are hundreds of cool photos as well which makes it very good value. Anyone who works in special effects, or is just interested in the movies should read this book. Congratulations to the author Mr Rickitt who has condensed 100 years of movie magic into a single lavish book. Dont take my word for it - BUY IT!

Very good!.......2002-11-04

Although i didn't expect to find it so interesting, finally it was really good! Not only does it explain thoroughly every, if not all, technique of the motion picture industry, but it also has a lot of reference to really successful movies! Especially the section that refers to the special effects landmarks makes it unique and complete. It is not something you find in every book and thus it makes it really special.. It has a lot of images and really good explanations and descriptions.. Simply one of the best books on the subject!!

Special Effects.......2002-05-23

Once I picked up the Special Effects book, I seriously could not put it down. This book is truly amazing as it serves not only as an information source, but it is also very entertaining. The first half of the book goes through the decades starting with the 1900's. In each time period Richard discuses the new advancements in film making during that decade, along with writing about some of the best movies form that time. Some of the classics include Singing in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, and many Hitchcock movies. The second half of the book focuses on individual aspects of movie magic. From make-up and costumes, to lighting and pyrotechnics. The book cover many recent movies like Titanic, Star Wars Episode I and The Matrix. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the entertainment field. The book is easy moderate to read and full of amazing color pictures that you won't find anywhere else. Some of the pictures are accurate diagrams of film processes, such as animation, digital effects and camera techniques. I feel that form reading this book I gained a lot of basis knowledge needed to better understand the industry. Did you know that most of the snow used in movies is simply shredded paper? Or how about the fact that 90% of dialogue is movies is recorded and dubbed after the movie is shot! Find out hundreds of more amazing facts in Richard Rickitt's Special Effects: The History and Technique.

Average customer rating:

I wish I didn't buy this book.
Cool idea, insufficient execution
A nice once over
Look before you buy
wonderful layout, full of incredible inspirational media art

Pause :59 Minutes of Motion Graphics
Julie Hirschfeld , Stefanie Barth , Peter Hall , and Andrea Codrington
Manufacturer: Universe Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0789304775
Release Date: 2000-05-19

Amazon.com

All creatives need to go to a museum now and then; it's inspiring, encouraging, and refreshing. The problem that motion-graphics artists face is the lack of venues in which to present their work. Pause :59 Minutes of Motion Graphics is a showcase that helps fill that void; an oasis of images that are designed to enlighten and motivate.

This oversized softcover (which uses time code instead of page numbers) presents some of the finest work from a global pool, 300 lavish frames that illustrate the best in contemporary video design, motion graphics, and animation. This collection--featuring such luminary studios as The Attik and MTV, and individual artists like Mike Mills and Richard Kennworthy--is not to be missed. It's a shame that the pictures don't move.

In fact, if there's anything to complain about, it's the fact that there's no accompanying video, CD-ROM, or DVD to display the stunning work in this book properly. Even a Web site with QuickTime clips would have allowed readers to study and admire the work as it was meant to be presented.

If you create animation--or plan to--or do anything that's related to video, film, or motion graphics, you should read this book. Eye-popping, international, and oozing with creativity, Pause :59 Minutes of Motion Graphics belongs not on your shelf, but on your desk; open, accessible, and well worn. --Mike Caputo

Book Description

With its dynamic synthesis of such diverse media as film, animation, graphics and music, video design provides an expansive view into the many states of contemporary creativity. Pause tracks and contextualizes the visual and technological treends that mark the work of the most innovative video designers. As well as broadcast work, Pause examines demo reels, music videos, film titles, animation and experimental 3-D graphics.

Contributing video artists include Tomato, The Attik, Intro, MTV, Fuel, Tycoon Graphics, Richard Kennworthy, Mike Mills and many others from the US, UK, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Scandinavia and other countries. Work is arranged according to type, rather than author or history, and each chapter is devoted to a theme, with a short introduction. The book also includes an introductory essay and timeline on the development of motion graphics since the widespread acceptance of television.

Customer Reviews:

I wish I didn't buy this book........2007-03-18

I had bought this book because it was "Required Reading" for one of my classes in art college. Not worth buying. Each page features storyboards of various motion graphics commercials/video art (and not even the best motion graphics at that). If I could return it, I'd return it right away. If you're an art student and you're a motion graphics art student, and you're required to buy this book for class, please don't waste your money. You are better off reviewing reels of commercials on company websites and learning from them. The choices of work in this particular book are terrible. The art/color is very mediocre and most seemed to have been released in the 1990's. Much of commercials/motion graphics nowadays are very sophisticated and artsy. You'd learn a lot more by watching the commercials on t.v.

If you are a student, please save your money for your bus fare/train commuting, or better yet save it as lunch money.

Cool idea, insufficient execution.......2001-07-09

This should have been a CD-ROM or DVD product. The stills did nothing to inspire or educate me on motion graphic techniques. Nice philosophic text though.

A nice once over.......2000-11-16

I read this in a sushi restaurant, or rather perused it. The brief bits of text that capped each segment seemed ... inconsequential. Nice ideas at times, but most weren't developed. The design was great, well worth a few hours attention, but better to borrow than to buy. Cinematic works can rarely be broken down to key frames, but the compilers of this book did a good job of that, capturing the essence of the spot (or at least why they were excited by it) in a half dozen shots. I would have loved a VCD or DVD with the book, but no such luck.

Look before you buy.......2000-10-12

I'm not sure what I expected, but I was certainly glad I didn'tbuy it.

'Pause' takes several commercials and displays roughly16-20 frames of each one. The advantage is that most of thesecommercials aren't available to one audience (the USA, for example).

Yes, it's a neat looking, well-designed, oversized thing to hold.There WERE some inspiring things in there. However, in my opinionit's NOT a $35 dollar book. It makes a nice first impression, but inthe end it felt like a very high-end, $20 design industry magazine.It should have been priced as such.

wonderful layout, full of incredible inspirational media art.......2000-08-01

I just picked this book up in NY and I'm blown away. Every time I eye it on my shelf I have to stop what I'm doing and pull it out, sit on the floor, and pour over the pages... This is wonderful art for the generation X/Y age group. Not to cram too many buzzwords into this review, but this stuff really is on the edge... it's out there... I'll be a happy man is this is the direction the art world takes in the next few years...

Book Description

On today's feature films and commercials, visual effects are achieved using a wide array of tools and techniques, often combining camera techniques with computer-rendered images. This book presents a unique approach to the subject through the direct experiences of noted artists from the feature film, television and commercial realm.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one explores the historical background, including such tools as double exposure, in-camera mattes, miniature photography, Schufftan-technique, front and rear screen projection, Introvision, color difference mattes, motion control and other building blocks that have brought visual effects to its current status. Part two features a series of in-depth interviews with noted artists covering feature film, television, and commercial projects. The reader will learn how these technicians developed their tools and talents, including education, experimentation and development of their craft. The chapters will explore their approaches to various challenges in the projects they've worked on. Subjects such as blue/green screen, motion control, number encoding, plate photography, as well as miniature and creature design and implementation are only some of the areas that are covered. The artists also discuss how they work with the director of photography, how they document the set, production work, preparation for post production, as well as design and development of various composite elements. In addition to the techniques employed on various projects, the artists discuss specific shots that succeed and others they wish they could do over, and how they would undertake them the second time.

Examines visual effects from recent blockbuster films
Decision-making and problem-solving discussed by leading experts in the field
Useful for directors and producers as well as effects supervisors and cinematographers

Customer Reviews:

GREAT BOOK OVER 100 YEARS VISUAL EFFECTS MOVIES.......2005-03-10

Wow -- what has changed in Hollywood film, television, video and online more than anything are the Special and Visual effects. This book interviews the gurus of the business. From how Lucas changed the film world with his STAR WARS TRILOGY to a fabulous glossary of defining lots of terms you need to know from Anamorphic (wide screen photography with aspect ratio) to Xenon lights. This book is a quick course in modern production and directing even for the non-techie Great for the next-generation of game developers and for those who are venturing into the arena of mobile video and online IPTV etc.

A huge amount of REAL information in here.......2000-08-28

This book is fantastic, it's really just a collection of interviews but the amount of information you'll find in here is staggering.

It does help if you have some background in effects or at least understand the terms used .. but as a digital artist i learnt masses about the physical processes.

worth it for the interview with Douglas Trumbull alone

Informative.......1999-10-04

This book helps give the reader an idea of what tools are at the disposal of Visual effects supervisors. Good read.

Average customer rating:

Excellent "Art of..." movie book!
Mignola and del Toro and Barlowe, oh my
Great art, great book
Great art, great book
Great art, great book

Hellboy: The Art of the Movie
Guillermo del Toro , Mike Mignola , Wayne Barlowe , and Ty Ellingson
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1593071884

Book Description

Since its debut in 1994, Mike Mignola's Hellboy has been one of the most celebrated comics on the shelves. Mignola has won every major industry award for his work, and attracted the attention of Hollywood for a series of jobs on high-profile films, including Disney's Atlantis and Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula. Now the director he teamed with on Blade II, Guillermo del Toro, brings Mignola's creation to the big screen, and Dark Horse provides a unique look into this moment in comics-to-film history.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent "Art of..." movie book!.......2004-07-05

I was unfamiliar with the world of Hellboy prior to seeing the movie. When I did and when I ordered this book, I was blown away by the wealth of visual richness that inhabit the Hellboy universe. Being a collector of "Art of..." books, I realized that the strength of Hellboy lies in the visual galore. The book is fully detailed with drawings from every level of production as well as the closeness of working atmosphere between the filmakers and the creator of the original material not commonly known in Hollywood.

My only gripe in this book is that the structuring is kinda messed up and confusing, since the book mixes up the art section with the script.

Mignola and del Toro and Barlowe, oh my.......2004-05-16

Besides a complete shooting script and lots of commentary, this has tons of illustrations and concept art done by all the artists involved in the movie. It's wonderful to see Mike Mignola's and Wayne Barlowe's sketches following the development of all the various Hellboy monsters, characters and environments, and lots of stuff that didn't make it into the movie. A must for any fan of the film.

Great art, great book.......2004-03-16

A must have for art, comic and production design lovers, has lots new designs by Mignola Barlowe and other great artists including the prop makers. Includes beautiful pages illustrating both concept and the picture of the final prop supported by the commentaries and thinkings of the artist involved in the creation of that specific prop. It also includes the final shooting script, and images from Guillermo del Toro's notebook which are nice sketches and annotations depicting the first idea behind the final design of each character. Great!!! one of the best, just do not read it before watching the movie.

Great art, great book.......2004-03-16

A must have for art, comic and production design lovers, has lots of designs by Mignola Barlowe and other great artists including the prop makers. Includes beautiful pages illustrating both concept and the picture of the final prop supported by the commentaries and thinkings of the artist involved in the creation of that specific prop. It also includes the final shooting script, and images from Guillermo del Toro's notebook which are nice sketches and annotations depicting the first idea behind the final design of each character. Great!!! one of the best, just do not read it before watching the movie.

Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music
Average customer rating:

Whatever Happened to That Droll, Dry English Wit?

Fantastic!

Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music
Stephen Fry , and Tim Lihoreau
Manufacturer: Pan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0330438565

Book Description

Hello, Im Stephen Fry. Now time for the first outing of a brand, spanking new feature here on The Incomplete Utter History of Classical Musicputting some unsuspecting figure in music under the spotlight. In his Incomplete Utter History of Classical Music, Stephen Fry presents a potted and brilliantly rambling 700-year history of classical music and the world as we know it. Along this musical journey he casually throws in references to pretty much whatever takes his fancy, from the Mongol invasion of Russia and Mr. Khan (Genghis to his friends), the founding of the MCC, the Black Death (which once again became the new black in England), to the heady revolutionary atmosphere of Mozarts Don Giovanni and the deep doo-doo that Louis XVI got into (or du-du as the French would say). Its all hereAmbrose and early English plainsong, Bach, Mozart (beloved of mobile phones everywhere), Beethoven, Debussy, Wagner (the old romantic), right up to the present day. Entertaining and brilliantly written, this is a pretty reckless romp of a history through classical music and much much more.

Customer Reviews:

Whatever Happened to That Droll, Dry English Wit?.......2007-06-16

I like classical music, and Stephen Fry is a humorous sort of fellow. Put those together, and I eagerly bought this book that supposedly tells us the history of classical music. Now pretend you are locked up in a room with someone, and must spend the next 10 hours conversing with each other. To your dismay you find that this new acquaintance mouths nothing but wisecracks and silly remarks. After an hour you are pulling your hair out, and after two hours you have been reduced to a mindless, blubbering hulk.

Somehow I survived a similar experience reading this book. Now that I have recovered sufficiently I've decided to warn you about the dangers of reading it. First of all there is very little about classical music to be found in these 300 pages. We trudge through history, and are told what happened on various dates. Take 1764 for example. We are informed that Kenwood house was built in Hampstead, and La Madeleine went up in Paris. House numbering started for residences in London. A discussion ensues on how this made things easy for the postal service. Oh yes. This was also the year that Mozart wrote his first symphony. More about Mozart later, says the author as he skips on to 1772 to tell us that that was the year that Captain Cook discovered Botany Bay.

Oh yes, about the "humor". Here's a sample:

"Bach, in a breathtaking display of foresight, wrote the music for a mobile telephone incoming call alert, although he called it the Anna Magdalena Notebook. But hey, where exactly are we? What age is it now? Who's in, who's out, who's up, who's down? And why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?"

Please, someone get the hook, and get Mr. Fry off the stage.

Now for a full confession. My rule is that I don't write reviews unless I've read the entire book. I'd reached page 187 of this one, and could no longer stand this frenetic foolishness. So, for the sake of my mental health I tossed it in the trash.

Fantastic!.......2006-06-14

Mr. Fry gives us a merry chase through history, catching up with old, favourite composers and giving us the dirt on what was in, what was hot, what was now in the lives of these musical geniuses. The author's love for his subject is obvious, and his knowledge and singular wit will (may I use the word, Stephen?) edutain you to no end.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Hard Sudoku Book Out There.......2007-09-21

I love very difficult Sudoku puzzles. And I find Mr. Sheldon's to be the very best. They are very difficult. But they are fair and honest. No gimmicks. No tricks. After being disappointed by many "self-proclaimed" hard puzzle books, I hit on an interesting idea. Since it is impossible to remember a puzzle's solution long after you've solved it, I thought that working these puzzles a second time would be as challenging as the first. So I bought another copy and started in. Much to my delight, the puzzles were as new and fresh as my first time through. So I've now purchased five copies of Genius and another five copies of Master Class. At one puzzle a day, I'm set for almost four years.

Excellent! Great author and challenge........2007-08-17

This is just what I wanted to really challenge myself. I like the author's introduction much better than any other sudoku book intro that I have ever read. His style is both layman and explicitly logical. He gives real information and lessons as opposed to simple basics found most elsewhere.

I'm still on the first 'chapter' or first of nine circles of sudoku hell, and I'm eager to progress to even harder ones. The chapters are laid out so that the first circle is most numerous, where the eighth one has only 4 puzzles, and the last circle, dubbed, "Deadly," is only a single puzzle.

I enjoy this book very much as an everyday challenge companion book. I just feel a little bit self-conscious about the implications of carrying a book that says Genius on the cover. I'm more humble than that.

Welcome to Sudoku Hell.......2007-07-18

I bought this book about a year ago and found out early on that this book was not of the "hard" or "5 star" difficulty ratings of the newspaper puzzle variety. I was accustomed to polishing off those puzzles quickly. I wanted a challenging book with nothing but harder puzzles. Why waste time with a book that includes easy and medium puzzles? I got what I wanted with "Sudoku Genius". The puzzles were too difficult without guessing for me when I started it so I put it aside and went on the web to learn the more advanced strategies and methods to solve sudoku. Now I am cruising through the book and am close to the end in the 6th circle and already jumped to the end and completed the 9th Circle. With an understanding of the advanced strategies, I have not had to use the "Trailing" (guessing) technique. Left to the strategies in the "Master Class in Advanced Stategies" which are really just the simpler naked and hidden doubles and triples methods, I probably would have needed to "Trail". Puzzle 109 was a good example. I found 2 unique rectangles and the rest of the puzzle was child's play. Try the book if you like harder puzzles. Not quite "Diabolical" but close enough for Sudoku Hell.

Great for Sudokoists Who Want Hard Puzzles.......2007-06-03

*****
These puzzles are hard! "Sudoku Genius" is comprised of 144 hard puzzles, progressing from "Daunting" to "Tortuous" to "Merciless", on to "Harrowing", "Horrific", "Maddening", "Murderous", "Devastating", and finally "Deadly". I am just in "Merciless", the third level, and am really enjoying the challenge. There are some explanations of technique, which the author calls a "master class in advanced strategies"; it wasn't extremely useful for me, as I had known about the techniques already, but it was a nice refresher.

There is only one puzzle per page, large grids, and altogether a great book for those who really want to be challenged. Obviously, this would be an impossible book for beginners, and highly frustrated for those who weren't ready for it. I bought it a year ago, and kept working from other books until I was ready.

The author says that some of the puzzles require "trailing", which means that you DO have to guess, as there is not an logically identifiable solution. I have a problem with this. Fortunately, he lets you know which puzzles do require trailing, and there are only 30 of them. For those, I do cheat and look, as I think sudoku puzzles should not involve trailing. So I work around this feature of the book easily, and it doesn't detract from my fun. If you enjoy guessing and working a puzzle until you find out you've guessed incorrectly, then erasing everything, you won't have to do a work-around! Again, this really doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the book at all, though.

Definitely recommended.
*****

Promises Much More Than It Delivers--A Poor Value.......2007-04-25

Think twice--maybe even three or four times--before you buy this book. Here's why:

Strengths: Some good puzzles. Numerous puzzles deal with "trailing" or trial and error, a fun technique, and the author tells you which ones they are so you know what to expect. Grids are large enough so you can do puzzles in the book and not have to copy them on a separate piece of paper.

Weaknesses: A mere 18 pages of instruction deal primarily with basic techniques that most Sudoku solvers already know, and these techniques are duplicated in the author's Sudoku Master Class. The "Master Class in Advanced Strategies" ballyhooed on the cover consists of just four and a half pages on one method, "trailing," while many expert techniques that you'll need to solve more difficult puzzles are totally omitted. What Sheldon should have done is combine the instruction sections from Sudoku Genius and Sudoku Master Class into one book (easy to do, since they take so little space), rather than charging eight bucks a book for so little instruction--and oft-duplicated instruction at that.

In sum: If you simply want puzzles in a lightweight book that you can take on a plane trip to while away your time, you might enjoy these. If you're looking for instruction that will help you become a better Sudoku solver, get Mensa Guide To Solving Sudoku by Peter Gordon, which clearly explains just about everything you'll ever need in 81 (!) larger pages.

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