Book Description
Stanley Kubrick The first book to explore Stanley Kubrick's archives is also the most comprehensive study of the filmmaker to date
Part 1: The films
In 1968, when Stanley Kubrick was asked to comment on the metaphysical significance of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he replied: "It's not a message I ever intended to convey in words. 2001 is a nonverbal experience…. I tried to create a visual experience, one that bypasses verbalized pigeonholing and directly penetrates the subconscious with an emotional and philosophic content." The philosophy behind Part I borrows from this line of thinking: from the opening sequence of Killer's Kiss to the final frames of Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick's complete films will be presented chronologically and wordlessly via frame enlargements. A completely nonverbal experience.
Part 2: The Creative Process
Divided into chapters chronologically by film, Part 2 brings to life the creative process of Kubrick's filmmaking by presenting a remarkable collection of material from his archives, including photographs, props, posters, artwork, set designs, sketches, correspondence, documents, screenplays, drafts, notes, and shooting schedules. Accompanying the visual material are essays by noted Kubrick scholars, articles written by and about Kubrick, and a selection of Kubrick's best interviews.
Customer Reviews:
Whoa!.......2007-09-16
Lucky me! I scored a copy of this and I have to say it is the best book on an artist I've ever seen. The previous reviewers weren't kidding--this thing is huge! Too large and heavy to be read anywhere but on a large flat surface, but that's not a complaint, unless you're lugging it across an airport like I did.
A spectacular book that you'll refer to repeatedly. I pored over it for hours. The first half is devoted to an incredible array of pristine stills from each film. The second half is focused on every film with a plethora of on-set photos and interviews with cast & crew. The book is helpfully tabbed by film.
A stunning look into one of the greatest of all filmmakers. So well designed that my friends were awed by its beauty. And that 70MM film strip--holy cow! IMHO, it's worth the price for just for that.
Do you like perfection???.......2007-08-12
One of the most beautifully produced books I have ever seen!!! Worth every cent. This is the kind of book you set aside in a special place, so you can revisit it and continually discover something new. Five stars is not enough. An essential addtion for anyone who is interested in the work of Stanley Kubrick!!!
PERFECT!!!
Genius.......2007-06-01
The book is definetely a work of art. Congrats, Taschen, for such a well done job. You will find photos, storyboards, interviews, texts, articles and sorts of wonders from the Stanley Kubrick universe. The strip from a 90mm copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey is a delightful gift for appreciators of his masterpiece.
Absolutely worth-having.
Beautiful luxury item.........2007-05-17
As others have mentioned, this is a tremendously well put together book, with the tab system making it easy to get to the sections on the particular film you've just seen or are interested in. The essays, for the most part, are well written and engaging, and do a good job of enhancing the movies and giving you a context for the circumstances under which the movies are made. I've been using the book while watching each of one of Kubrick's movies, and it's a great way to get more out of each.
The size of the book is impressive from a collector's perspective but frustrating from an reader's - you do really have to read the book in a particular position, otherwise you may damage it. That said, the size of the book does enhance the tome's first half, featuring shots from the movies themselves. This might seem a bit dull, but for Kubrick, who actually grew up a photographer, it's well worth the time to flip through and marvel at the compositions.
Finally, I had wondered before buying the book if it was still in its first run with the filmstrip - as of May 2007, it is. I recommend sending a question to Amazon to ask - they quickly got back to me to let me know that the book I was buying did have the film strip.
Of course, the book is a bit pricey, so you certainly do need to be a devoted Kubrick follower to make it worth it. There are a number of other quality books with similar essays to the ones you'll find here, but the whole package - filmstrip, largeness of the book, screen shots, and the essays - combine to make the overall item something very special, and well worth it for those who can't get enough of Stanley.
The Kubrick Experience.......2007-03-28
The other reviews of this remarkable book have more or less summed up what I would say so I've approached it from another angle: I've uploaded eight photos to give you an idea of what this highly visual (and costly) book looks like. Amazon doesn't display images numerically so you'll have to see them at random. Click 'customer images' under the cover.
If you are buying a used first-run copy do check with the seller that Mr Kubrick's film strip is in its sleeve and the CD is also included, photo one shows them in position. Some reviewers have rightly said that owning a bit of '2001' from Kubrick's personal collection gives the book extra kudos.
Photo two will give you an idea of how the book is organised. There are two sections, each with a series of colored tabs. His twelve movies have a tab each and in the first section there are eight hundred stills, black and white and color depending on the film. Photos three, four and five are some of the spreads from Dr Strangelove. The second part of the book covers each movie in detail with an amazing collection of visual material to back up the text. Photos six, seven and eight show some pages about the background and production of Dr Strangelove.
The back of the book has a fifty page Appendix A, B and C. A covers three unmade movies: Napoleon, AI and Aryan Papers. B has three essays. C is a chronology of Kubrick's life.
This is a BIG book, opening to thirty-three inches wide and at over fourteen pounds in weight it really can only be read on a table. Needless to say being a Taschen book it is beautifully designed and printed and if you do buy a copy the Kubrick experience will be quite overwhelming and long lasting.
Customer Reviews:
Explotation Goodness.......2007-09-14
This book is an excellent companion piece to the two movies that were part of the in theater double feature collectively known as Grindhouse.
The book treats us to plenty of pictures of not just the lovely ladies, of which there are many, but of everything from the movie. Included is the script for Planet Terror along with plenty of commentary about the filmaking process and the support network of both Robert and Quentin.
Unlike other film related books this one is not a fluff piece, there is a lot of material between the covers and this book is definately worth reading more than once.
Awesome.......2007-08-24
It's everything I expected and more! Loads of pictures and information. Even QT's AMI playlist. I love it XD
What a Ride.......2007-06-27
Talking about the movie, the girl riding on the hood of the challenger was quite a stunt and I have to admit that it was original and very edgy.
The girls in this movie were well cast and Cherry is hot.I can't wait to buy the DVD, hurry up and release it!
Not sleazy at all.......2007-05-25
Great transaction! No SLEAZY here! The book is great. The shipping was super fast. Thanks a whole bunch!
Grindhouse: The Sleaze-filled Saga of an Exploitation Double Feature.......2007-05-18
fantastic book with interviews, heaps of behind the scenes info and photos, screenplay for Planet terror and the trailers a very comprehensive book for any movie lover
Amazon.com
Writing for the screen is quirky business. A writer must labor meticulously over his or her prose, yet very little of that prose is ever heard by filmgoers. The few words that do reach the audience, in the form of the characters' dialogue, are, according to Robert McKee, best left to last in the writing process. ("As Alfred Hitchcock once remarked, 'When the screenplay has been written and the dialogue has been added, we're ready to shoot.' ") In Story, McKee puts into book form what he has been teaching screenwriters for years in his seminar on story structure, which is considered by many to be a prerequisite to the film biz. (The long list of film and television projects that McKee's students have written, directed, or produced includes Air Force One, The Deer Hunter, E.R., A Fish Called Wanda, Forrest Gump, NYPD Blue, and Sleepless in Seattle.) Legions of writers flock to Hollywood in search of easy money, calculating the best way to get rich quick. This book is not for them. McKee is passionate about the art of screenwriting. "No one needs yet another recipe book on how to reheat Hollywood leftovers," he writes. "We need a rediscovery of the underlying tenets of our art, the guiding principles that liberate talent." Story is a true path to just such a rediscovery. In it, McKee offers so much sound advice, drawing from sources as wide ranging as Aristotle and Casablanca, Stanislavski and Chinatown, that it is impossible not to come away feeling immeasurably better equipped to write a screenplay and infinitely more inspired to write a brilliant one.--Jane Steinberg
Book Description
Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience.
In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing readers with the most comprehensive, integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen. No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the "magic" of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee.
Customer Reviews:
Recommended by son, to mom and now you.......2007-09-23
Transforming a lifetime of short stories to screenplays has become my focus. Struggling with story, my son told me he had a teacher in film school suggest this book. It helped him. Now its helping me. Hopefully, you'll be next. Screenplays are perplexing if you've always written in short story or book form. McKee assists in making the necessary thought revisions you must in order to succeed.
A must read book.......2007-08-02
I bought this book three years ago, I keep referring to it whenever I am stuck in a script problem.I like the scene structure part very much, it is very focused, easy and helpful.
This is not a kind of book that you would read in the bus station or in one session.It is a lifetime friend once you decided to be a screenwriter.I am strongly convinced that "Story"is most useful for film and TV writers and not for any other writing genre.
Buy it, read it, re-read it and start writing knowing that it is a long journey.
There is only one way and that is McKee's way because he says so.......2007-07-30
If you can look past the contradictions, McKee's enormous ego, and writing as coherent and clear as that in Dianetics, you will occasionally find a helpful insight in this book.
Write the truth..........2007-06-26
In my experience books tested and proven before being written tend to be the best. A prime example - Angela's Ashes, won the Pulitzer Prize, fine tuned by the author McCourt doing a one man show talking about his wicked cruel childhood, growing up in Limerick, Ireland.
In the same way, Story evolved out of McKee giving lectures, and now, he continues to spread the word.
McKee is definitely an antagonist as opposed to a protagonist, and in person a funny and engaging fellow, and an excellent teacher. As you might expect, he does know how to tell a funny story, and he had a little fun at the expense of some of the sacred cows in the industry. I particularly liked his rant about Roger Ebert, who took his name in vain once but never again.
Anyway, the book shines a bright light on the elements of story. Conflict is to story what sound is to music. Story trumps dialogue in importance. Setups, payoffs, turning points, structure, inciting incident, protagonist vs antagonist, resonating and contrasting subplot, negation of the negation. Emotional value of scenes. Arc of the character. Act structure, rhythm and pacing. Text and subtext, beats, exposition. Character, dimension, step outline. All this and so much more.
Perhaps the most important single thing I learned from McKee is..treatment. The character treatment may be twice as long as the screenplay. This is the key difference between aspiring screenwriters, and successful ones.
I open my book, and look at his personal inscription to me, which I am sure he has written to many others... "Write the truth." I will, Mr McKee, I will.
If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.
THE book for understanding story.......2007-06-24
If one were to read Joseph Campbell's, A Hero With a Thousand Faces, and Story, you would have the foundations (not formula) for understanding why story telling is such a powerful medium for communicating eternal truths. McKee says all people have an insatiable appetite for story. We can't get enough of them.
Amazon.com
Film Directing Shot by Shot offers a good introduction to the rudiments of film production. Steven D. Katz walks his readers through the various stages of moviemaking, advising them at every turn to visualize the films they wish to produce. Katz believes that one of the chief tasks of filmmaking is to negotiate between our three-dimensional reality and the two-dimensionality of the screen. He covers the number of technical options filmmakers can use to create a satisfying flow of shots, a continuity that will make sense to viewers and aptly tell the film's story. Katz provides in-depth coverage of production design, storyboarding, spatial connections, editing, scene staging, depth of frame, camera angles, point of view, and the various types of stable compositions and moving camera shots.
Book Description
A complete catalogue of motion picture techniques for filmmakers. It concentrates on the 'storytelling' school of filmmaking, utilizing the work of the great stylists who established the versatile vocabulary of technique that has dominated the movies
since 1915. This graphic approach includes comparisons of style by interpreting a 'model script', created for the book, in storyboard form.
Customer Reviews:
Chicken scratches vs. Detailed Storyboards.......2007-08-19
I have used this book numerous times for my teachings in which students go through the process of making a short film with certain limitations being imposed. It is part of a process that I call "fast filmmaking". I like the examples that Katz presents, specifically that it is not the quality of the drawing, but how the drawing communicates the director's vision to the rest of the crew. I will usually have a student "explain" their storyboard to the class, and it is amazing how a few chicken scratches can give as much details as a fully detailed storyboard. Kudos to Katz for explaining the creative aspect of directing, and Michael Weise Productions for publishing these types of books.
of moderate interest to readers of video magazines.......2007-08-13
as a long-time reader of videographer's magazines, I didn't find much of interest in this book. If I were new to the trade, I'd probably have found it more useful. For that reason, I gave it a rather high rating of 4 stars
Mind-opening, even if you aren't interested in directing.......2007-06-30
I've worked in the graphics design business for years, but more recently I've grown interested in working with video, primarily shorts and documentary work. I was looking for a book that could help teach me the "language" of motion and visual storytelling, and this book fit the bill. In fact, I found it to be incredibly inspiring as a student of art in general. It's extremely well-written, chock full of practical examples, and contains numerous time-worn techniques as well as cutting-edge experimentation. One funny thing: since it was written a few years before the desktop digital video revolution began, it talks about some of the difficult aspects of shooting which are now in many ways moot. But it's good to hear about the history of the craft.
If you have any interest in all in shooting, directing, or producing any kind of motion picture, show, or short, you'll definitely want to buy this book. However, be forewarned: you'll never be able to watch movies the same way again. You'll begin to pick up all the subtle nuances of filmmaking without even realizing it, so don't feel bad if you have to force yourself to re-engage with the actual story as you're watching!
Useful, pleasurable.......2007-05-07
I'm a college student, not at film school, who makes videos as a serious hobby. I thought this book was much better than other titles in the same market, because it's so specific. Instead of telling you what anyone with common sense knows, like "keep continuity" and "composition can affect the mood of a scene," this film lays it all out in detail. I recommend this for everyone who wants to improve. Even if you're not particularly interested in storyboarding, you'll learn how to think about your sequences in advance much better.
Learning the Rules Before You Break Them.......2007-01-13
Even though many of the great filmmakers may have not utilized storyboards, every one of them has pre-visualized their films.
Pre-visualization is the essence of what it means to be a director. A director can only be effective if he/she properly prepares for each scene. Even if one does not have every shot precisely planned out, they will still have an idea of the look and the flow of the process.
There are certainly many people who feel directing should be intuitive, that there should be no structure to the process or else creativity is stifled. This is a valid point from the perspective of the artist.
What is wonderful about this book is that it gives extensive insight into WHY one should cover a scene in a certain way. Directing as a profession requires a certain amount of preparation and PROOF that you have a handle on the film. Producers want reassurance that you have a vision worth pouring tens of millions of dollars into. Armed with the ability to properly express yourself in regard to your vision, you will have a much easier time convincing others to follow you.
So, in the end, if you are interested in studying the language of film and the methodology behind classic film composition and editing, then this book and the accompanying Film Directing: Cinematic Motion are essential.
Book Description
Written by Stu Maschwitz, co-founder of the Orphanage (the legendary guerrilla visual effects studio responsible for amazing and award-winning effects in such movies as Sin City, The Day After Tomorrow, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), this book is a must-have for all those budding filmmakers and students who want to produce action movies with visual effects but don't have Hollywood budgets. The Orphanage was created by three twenty-something visual effects veterans who wanted to make their own feature films and discovered they could do this by utilizing home computers, off the shelf software, and approaching things artistically. This guide details exactly how to do this: from planning and selecting the necessary cameras, software, and equipment, to creating specific special effects (including gunfire, Kung Fu fighting, car chases, dismemberment, and more) to editing and mixing sound and music. Its mantra is that the best, low-budget action moviemakers must visualize the end product first in order to reverse-engineer the least expensive way to get there. Readers will learn how to integrate visual effects into every aspect of filmmaking--before filming, during filming and with "in camera" shots, and with computers in postproduction. Throughout the book, the author makes specific references to and uses popular action movies (both low and big-budget) as detailed examples--including El Mariachi, La Femme Nikita, Die Hard, and Terminator 2.
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading for Indie Filmmakers.......2007-10-03
The DV Rebel Guide, by Stu Maschwitz, formerly a member of Industrial Light And Magic, explains in easily understandable, yet highly technical language, exactly how to create astounding visual effects using the kinds of cameras, computers, and software available to ordinary people. A Spielbergian budget is NOT required. In addition to his information, he offers many links to other websites of technical expertise and training,
You may be making a little family drama, rather than a shoot-'em-up, but the techniques in this book will increase your palette of possibilities. In other words, every indie movie maker can benefit from this book. It's essential reading, period. No one else has published anything like it.
Maschwitz assumes throughout that you are not an idiot or a dummy. Scores of color photos show exactly how every technique is done. He also runs an on-line forum; he and other digital rebels (some of whom are exceedingly experienced and clearly top pros) will help you through the rough patches.
Get this book, go out and make movies better than anything you thought you could do.
This is got the TRICKS!!!.......2007-09-23
Awesome book. My friends and I make ugly videos as a hobby and we've tried many things... but this book has some balls to the wall tricks. The guy is not a scaredy cat about shooting videos with minimal resources and lets you know how to make the most with what you've got. Also has great instructions on how to build your own stuff and pull crazy stunts. Grease up your baby, this is gonna have you running to your video camera with ideas as soon as you open it up!
love it.......2007-08-27
I've done video production professionally for several years and picked up some of these tricks from simple trial and error. What I love is how well Stu connects the techniques in this referrence and compares them to equivalent effects on film. And its not just informative, its enjoyable to read.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in making their videos stand out or looking to up their production value without spending a lot of money.
Love this book.......2007-08-19
I have read a lot of film making books and this is easily the most useful and informative. Anyone trying to make a film on their own needs to have this book!
Best Book for Independent Digital Video Production Ever!!!.......2007-08-12
This is it!!! If you want to produce an Independeant Film this is THE book to read. Don't be fooled. You still need to know what you're doing go to school. Read the manuals, watch the best movies, by the best directors, then read this book and make your movies!!!!!
Customer Reviews:
Film: A Critical Introduction.......2007-09-12
Great book for a humanities class! I recommend it.
Great into to Cinema! Delivery quick and good condition.
A Superior, Well-Developed, Introductory Text . . ........2007-01-29
Whether you are a student or professor, there are a wide range of introductory film texts from which to choose -- it can be a bit overwhelming and a mistake is costly! This is especially true if you are the professor who is selecting an expensive text for your students (and they are all expensive) . . . you want provide them with a text worthy of the expense AND you do not want to invest additional hours photocopying material from other texts to compensate for less-than-fantastic chapters.
With this in mind, allow me to say that Pramaggoire and Wallis' text is the best I have ever encountered . . . bar none. I have used this text for over a year now, and the response has been extremely positive. It may initially seem irrelevant, but this text is extraordinary aesthetically appealing. Why is this important? Because we are talking about professors and students who have an interest in a VISUAL art. This text presents large, lush examples to compliment the text: not all texts invest this effort or expense. Moreover, the selected examples are spot-on . . . they are not randomly chosen BUT are the quintessential example of any given technique.
What makes this text great is both the organization (which others have mentioned) and the accessibility. Let's say you are not taking a formal class in film, you would have no problem reading this text solo. It is that understandable . . . and, let's face it, if an author cannot clearly explain an idea to a lay-person then he/she really do not know the subject. Pramaggoire and Wallis KNOW their subject.
And while there are several "well-written" texts on the market, not all incorporate contemporary examples. While Orson Wells and Ingmar Bergman are key to understanding film, one cannot successful base an introductory text on "The Greats." It simply does not engage the new student. Luckily, this text includes essential examples from film history as well as contemporary examples (like "Super Size Me," "Waking Life," "The Piano" and "Requiem for a Dream"). I am especially fond of the short analysis of Harron's "American Psycho" (an oft overlooked, cinematic masterpiece).
One final reason to select this text: while other writers are rehashing old critical approaches to film, Pramaggoire and Wallis select the most relevant and contemporary ones. They instruct readers on how to view a film in the context of race, gender, sexuality, class, and national identity: all of which are crucial to understanding film! Likewise, they address "film authorship" which is equally as valuable. The text is never bogged-down by jargon (many are) . . . nor is it heavy-handed in its approach. Unlike most texts, this one wants to be understood.
You will find texts with DVD-ROMs, texts with "writing" supplements, texts with online-course access, and other "bells and whistles" . . . but this text does not NEED any of that. (It seems the others are trying to compensate for their short-comings by including "bonus" material . . . but it just becomes MESSY!). I plan to continue using this text as a tool for teaching film . . . it is, BY FAR, the best on the market. It is "smart," beautiful, and completely accessible. Whether you are a professor seeking a new text or a lay-person looking to enhance your knowledge of film, you cannot go wrong with this work. Trust me, it is worth the price!!
Fabulous introduction!.......2006-01-19
This is not only the best introduction to film studies that I've found, it's also a model of how a textbook should be organized and written. After an opening chapter on plot structure and thematic analysis, it goes in-depth into the elements of film form, with chapters on narrative form, mise en scene, cinematography, editing, and sound. The final section includes chapters on documentary and avant-garde film, writing about film, social context, ideology, stardom, genre, film authorship, and the economics of the film industry. Everything is covered very in-depth and in detail, with lots of excellent examples and photos. There is also a helpful film glossary in back. The writing is model of clarity and organization. This textbook is notable for the way that writing instruction is integrated into the text. Each chapter concludes with brief essay which exemplifies the concepts and terms used in the chapter, and includes margin notes which discuss the formal and rhetorical features of a college essay, including organization, research, thesis statement, and so on. There is also a concise chapter devoted entirely to writing about film, including the different kinds of essays typically assigned by professors. Students who read carefully will be well prepared to write film analysis papers for their college classes. Since this is an introductory text, it doesn't try to give complete coverage to film history and film theory, although these topics are introduced. Film history and theory really need to be covered in separate books and classes, as the authors recognize.
As Reference & Textbook for "Intro to Film".......2005-08-26
As a current user of Giannetti's "Understanding Movies", I find this new text to be a breath of fresh air. First impressions: the initial page prior to the content is a splash-page still from Visconti's "The Leopard", a film that perhaps has seen recent resurgence of interest in the film community. Overall, the text tries to convey the thesis of "Film as Art & Cultural Phenomenon" with thorough examples & concise explanations. Also appreciated is the brief desc of "persistence of vision & the phi phenomenon" & other more operational/technical aspects of film, filming & projection equipment.
The book features examples of what could be student film analysis papers. It also goes about analyzing the road to writing essays with an adequate thesis statement.
The book's highlight is the Chapter on "Writing about Film", which will likely help students in their film journal writing & paper thesis formulation. There won't be an intro book to tell the entire "story" of film, but Prammagiore & Wallis's book provides a commendable "structure" with film stills that ties closely to their text.
If you're looking for a summary of general film history in intro film studies, I don't think you'll find it here. Still a highly recommended book for students of film.
Average customer rating:
- A Very Helpful Book
- Haven't Used it just yet...
- If you want to know how to make a MOD or GAME... Get This...
- Very good book
- Top Notch Book!
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Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design
Jason Busby ,
Zak Parrish , and
Joel VanEenwyk
Manufacturer: Sams
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Binding: Paperback
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Game Level Design (Game Development Series)
ASIN: 0672326922 |
Book Description
Let your imagination run wild in the world of Unreal Technology. Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design knows no boundaries as it shows you how to build custom mods, maps and levels with the Unreal engine. Its tutorial format will give you immediate results through the tips and demos provided from the industry's top level designers. Learn to create your own characters, weapons and gaming environments, as well as how to go beyond the Unreal environment and export custom elements from 3D modeling applications. A CD that contains the Unreal Engine, graphics, examples and code is also included, giving you everything you need to create custom levels in Unreal or build your own games and virtual environments. Mastering Unreal Technology will help put you on the cutting-edge of gaming technology.
Customer Reviews:
A Very Helpful Book.......2007-09-21
I am a Game Art Development student, and this book has been indespensible in aiding in my understanding of the Unreal Editor. Without this book, I'm sure that it would've taken me waaaaayyy longer to get things done than the limited time that I had. Even though the book is more expensive than the game itself, it is a must have for any aspiring modder or game creator.
Haven't Used it just yet..........2007-08-04
I just bought this book, and although It seems like it's going to be great, my major problem is finding either Maya PLE 5.0's registration number, or Maya 7.0 PLE and its registration number.
the Autodesk site only has Maya PLE 8.5 to download and there are only plug-ins for Unreal for Maya 5.0 PLE and Maya 7.0 PLE (note: there is no version for the regular Maya)
So it kind of leaves you stuck with nothing to use. There is also nothing on the net about it either.
If you want to know how to make a MOD or GAME... Get This..........2007-05-12
Wow, it Big, It heavy and yes my Friends it is a red Brick, But it well worth ever cent and every page. Packed full of Useful Information and Helpful Tutorials it writen with the Lamen in mind. and take you into the Skills needed to make almost a full game. The one thing it lacks is the swcripting language section. But this is forgivable as it would make the book way bigger and much more complex to read if you a new guy trying to make a few little Deathmatch levels.
Very good book.......2007-04-10
This book is very complete and very easy to follow. Get the videos from 3dbuzz and the planetunreal tutorials and you'll be making great levels in no time.
Also great is the coverage static meshes and character production in maya and export to unrealed.
Top Notch Book!.......2007-03-09
Anyone who wants to learn how to use the Unreal Engine should buy this bible, yes it is a bible, because without this book you would be lost, the second cd to the Unreal game which is all videos really isn't enough, this book will cover everything about the Unreal!
Definitely a good buy!
Average customer rating:
- Good Intro to Leni
- Brilliant But Petty and Cruel -- Oh, Wait, That's The Author!
- Double standard
- Good book but, a little too long
- Leni survives all
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Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl
Steven Bach
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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Leni Riefenstahl: A Life
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OLYMPIA -The LENI RIEFENSTAHL Archival Collection
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The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
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Triumph of the Will
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Einstein: His Life and Universe
ASIN: 0375404007
Release Date: 2007-03-13 |
Book Description
The definitive biography of Leni Riefenstahl, the woman best known as “Hitler’s filmmaker,” one of the most fascinating and controversial personalities of the twentieth century. It is the story of huge talent and huger ambition, one that probes the sometimes blurred borders dividing art and beauty from truth and humanity.
Two of Riefenstahl’s films, Olympia and Triumph of the Will, are universally regarded as the greatest and most innovative documentaries ever made, but they are also insidious glorifications of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Now, in this masterful new biography, Steven Bach reveals the truths and lies behind this gifted woman’s lifelong self-vindication as an apolitical artist who claimed she knew nothing of the Holocaust and denied her complicity with the criminal regime she both used and sanctified.
The facts and her actions, many unknown until now, bear chilling witness: her passionate enthusiasm for Hitler from her first reading of Mein Kampf; her involvements with Nazi leaders Joseph Goebbels, Martin Bormann, Albert Speer, and Julius Streicher, who advanced her career, and with Hitler, who personally helped finance it; her role as silent eyewitness to wartime atrocities against Jews; and her use of slave labor in the form of concentration camp Gypsies destined for Auschwitz. We see her after the war trying to sell footage to Hollywood under an alias, manipulating a sham “discovery” of the Nuba tribes of Sudan into a career comeback, fighting to disinherit her closest living relatives, and—to the end—unable to express remorse for the millions murdered by the Nazi regime made mythic by her work.
Relying on new sources—including interviews with her colleagues and intimate friends, as well as on previously unknown recordings of Riefenstahl herself—Bach gives us an exceptional work of historical investigation that untangles the past and is also an objective but unsparing appraisal of a woman of spectacular gifts corrupted by ruthless personal ambition.
Customer Reviews:
Good Intro to Leni .......2007-08-29
After reading Jurgen Trimborn's admirable but somewhat inaccessible biography of Riefenstahl, I sought out this book in hopes that it would be friendlier to a Riefenstahl novice such as me. It certainly is an easier read and a much better starting place.
Steven Bach, of Final Cut fame, writes from the standpoint of a motion picture enthusiast. He also has a POV where Riefenstahl's Nazi associations are concerned and he doesn't hide it. For Bach Riefenstahl is the living version of Klaus Mann's Mephisto, a careerist willing to do anything and associate with anyone to advance her "art." He also makes the case (clearly building on Trimborn's work, among others) that Riefenstahl not only had no problem with anything Hitler did or said, she likely agreed with most if not all of it.
Bach's style is that of a gossipy Hollywood bio, which is fine by me, but he's no fan magazine hack. He knows the power of the snide observation and, best of all, how damning Leni's own words were. At times Riefenstahl comes across as downright delusional about her artistic abilities and men's lust for her. To hear her tell it no man so much as entered the same zipcode as Leni Riefenstahl without falling madly in love with her.
Some may have disagreements about Bach's assessment of Riefenstahl's artistic contributions. I've only seen clips of her work so my own opinion is somewhat limited. Bach does make a good case the Riefenstahl either stole the ideas of others or took credit for their work. Bach doesn't buy the argument that the art is more important than the character or actions of the artist. He also doesn't buy that Riefenstahl was much of an artist.
This is no love letter to Leni. It is an entertaining read. Gossipy, slightly bitchy (as one reviewer here has aptly noted), and full of telling details and quotes, this is a easy entry into the myths and controversy that make up Leni Riefenstahl.
Brilliant But Petty and Cruel -- Oh, Wait, That's The Author! .......2007-08-26
Not since Albert Goldman's ELVIS has a dense, full length biography of a sexy, glamorous larger than life legend been written with such sadistic relish, such delicious malicious bitchery and pure venomous guile.
There's no question that Leni Riefenstahl, the stunningly beautiful German woman who made hypnotic propaganda films for the Nazis, was guilty of moral cowardice and hypocrisy, if not during the war, then certainly afterwards. She persisted to the end of her life in wanting to have it both ways -- saying in effect "I didn't know," and at the same time "I was too scared to stop Hitler -- too scared that I would be next." She claimed to have legions of Jewish friends before the war, but she never tried to help them when things got bad, even though she had lots of Nazi influence and power. And she always seemed weirdly out of touch with the human results of Hitler's evil deeds.
The problem is, Steve Bach doesn't know when to quit. He sneers at Leni Riefenstahl not just for the big things -- not strangling Hitler with her bare hands, the way he seems to imagine he would have done -- but for the little things too. The book is full of catty little remarks like, "Leni was always conscious of her hypnotic effect on men" or "Leni didn't mind having handsome, powerful men buy her presents" or "Leni's fearless mountain climbing only made her feminine allure more overpowering to the distinguished male cinema artists who indulged her every creative whim."
It's hard to tell whether Bach hates Leni for being heartless and callous or for being beautiful, talented -- and very knowingly seductive.
There is a much more serious issue here than the hissy ALL ABOUT EVE style bitchery of a jaded Hollywood insider. Bach insists on judging a German film maker by a far more rigorous standard than he would ever apply to the film industry in Hollywood today -- or seventy years ago, for that matter. When Leni goes to Hollywood he brags that the left-leaning Hollywood of 1938 treated the lovely German visitor with scorn -- but how did they treat Margaret Mitchell when she came to town the very next year? Bach has nothing to say about why those same "leftists" failed to prevent the making of a racist epic like GONE WITH THE WIND.
If Leni Riefenstahl shares any part of the guilt for Auschwitz -- and I agree that she does -- then David O. Selznick is equally responsible for the murder of Emmitt Till, the bombings in Birmingham, and all the other hate crimes perpetrated in the Jim Crow south. Bach is in a big hurry to compare Leni to the Stalinist film maker Eisenstein -- arguing in a feeble and half-hearted way that Eisenstein "probably" rebelled at what he was doing. But why not compare Leni Riefenstahl to D.W. Griffiths, or Margaret Mitchell, or David Selznick? All of them dealt in racial hate. They looked the other way while helpless people were tortured and murdered, too. But mentioning America's poisonous history of racial hate would reflect badly on Bach's own milieu. Bach's beloved Hollywood elite never questioned the racial status quo in the Jim Crow south -- at least, not until long after blacks had begun risking their lives to bring the horror of their situation to national attention.
What's really going on here is not genuine, humanistic outrage, but elitist hypocrisy. Bach hates Leni Riefenstahl because he knows that, for all their tiresome liberal cant, just about everyone in Hollywood (and the book world, and the world of leftist Manhattan politics) has the same rat-like survival instincts that Leni had. None of the liberals who demonstrate their courage by hating her guts now ever had to look Hitler in the eye. But they know who would have blinked first. And they know themselves too well to ever show mercy to someone just like them.
Double standard.......2007-08-22
Most of the facts and "facts" in this book cannot be disputed. Only one comment - there were many other people who "cooperated" with the Nazis, but who escape any oprobrium, Richard Strauss name comes to mind. In 1938 he composed "Festliches Praeludium" for the occassion of NSDAP Parteitag, he was the president of Reichsmusikkammer, directly working for Goebbels, he never lifted a finger to help his Jewish friends, etc. etc. Maybe Richard Strauss could be another topic for Steven Bach to delve into.
Good book but, a little too long.......2007-08-11
This was a very good book but, I think Bach gives us too much detail on Leni's life after WWII. I thought the book could have ended much sooner than it did. After all, did we really have to hear about Leni's search for a particular tribe in Africa? It would have suited me fine to hear about her various means of defending herself from various charges as a result of her association with Hitler and the Nazis. I don't see what benefit the inclusion of the African tribe info was to the reader. Still an interesting read.
Leni survives all.......2007-06-14
The author tries and fails to give an evenhanded account of this much reviled woman's life. All this proves once again that the winners write the history. In the meantime he does portray a fascinating and beautiful woman as the opportunist she was without detracting from her worth as a great artist. All in all the best effort so far reflecting an eventful life.
Book Description
Helps readers understand how the many languages of film work together to create meaning. Louis Giannetti organizes Understanding Movies around the key elements of filmmaking, including cintematography, Mise en Scène, movement, editing, sound, acting, drama, casting, story, screenwriting, ideology, and theory. He synthesizes every element through a complete case study: Citizen Kane. This book's ideas are illuminated with hundreds of high-quality still photos, more than 70 in full color, taken from movies such as The Matrix, Almost Famous, jackass the movie, Chicago, Lord of the Rings, Mystic River, and Traffic. New in this edition: a full section on contemporary special effects and computer generated imagery (CGI); up-to-the-minute information on new developments in film technology; more coverage of recent films and filmmakers; more ethnic diversity (including new material on the Islamic cinema); and more lavish use of color and high-quality paper. An updated Companion Website contains animations, video clips from interviews with movie professionals, and Research Navigator access to New York Times film reviews. For everyone who wants to understand the artistry and meaning of the movies.
Customer Reviews:
Great guide to film analysis.......2007-09-30
This is an essential book for students of cinema. It does one thing and it does it quite well: it introduces you to the language of film analysis, the categories that critics use to analyze a film. It doesn't try to cover film technology or history.
I totally agree with the other reviewer that the new editions are completely unnecessary, and serve only to destroy the market for used copies. Buy one of the older editions unless it's for a college class and you need the same edition as the class.
amazon never delivered!.......2007-09-24
This is a great book although, amazon never delivered. I had ordered this book 2 weeks before school(along with 2 other books for school), it never came. Amazon said that i have an "undeliverable" address, but when i ordered it from ebay i got it in 3 dAys! Then i had to wait forever for a refund!
good seller.......2007-09-10
great seller and i would buy from this seller again. the book was new just like it stated.
EXCEPTIONALLY INFORMATIVE TEXT -- Although Some Movies Don't Require Explanation (*A Haiku Review).......2007-05-10
So now when I watch
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES,
I "get it" . . . and laugh.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
[This goofy review is dedicated to the goofy MARTIN BRUMER (Feb. 15, 1960 to July 18, 1989),
a doggoned good actor and even better friend whose copy of this fine book was presented to me
by his Mother after he left for "That Great Sound Stage In The Sky."
Thanks, Marty & Miriam!]
An incredible introduction to film........2006-04-03
Gianetti continues to produce the ultimate in introductory film texts. He seemlessly introduces us to the history of cinema while teaching us everything we need to know to fully understand film. After finishing this text you will no longer look at films the same way.
The end of the book was by far the most intriguing. Gianetti devotes a whole chapter to what is arguably the greatest film in history, Citizen Kane. His synopsis allows the reader to truly understand the beauty of the movie as well as cinema as a whole.
A must buy for anyone truly interested film.
Amazon.com
At the beginning of The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler asserts that "all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies." Some may be hard-pressed to accept this idea (and will wonder how storytellers from Homer to Shakespeare to Robert Altman might respond to the proposition). Others may imagine that since Vogler uses movies like the Star Wars trilogy and The Lion King to defend his mythological philosophy, he is, unwittingly, listing the reasons why Hollywood films of the last 20 years have been so unimaginative. But there's no doubt that Vogler's notion, based on psychological writings by Carl Jung and the mythmaking philosophy of Joseph Campbell, has been profoundly influential. Many screenwriters have used Vogler's volume to understand why certain scenarios sell, and to discover a blueprint for creating mythic stories of their own.
Now in its second edition, The Writer's Journey sets forth archetypes common in what Vogler calls "the hero's journey," the mythic structure that he claims all stories follow. In the book's first section, he lists the different kinds of typological characters who appear in stories. In the second, he discusses the stages of the journey through which the hero generally passes. The final, supplementary portion of the book explains in detail how films like Titanic and The Full Monty follow the patterns he has outlined. --Raphael Shargel
Book Description
Provides new insights and observations from Vogler's pioneering work in mythic structure for writers.
Customer Reviews:
There is a lot of valuable material there . . . .......2007-10-03
. . . . . . but what is more noticeable is what has been left out.
It is obvious that the author is very knowledgeable in his field, namely, literary and psychological understandings of mythology over the last 50 years or so. Much of the advice he gives to new writers about the concept of "story" and "journey" is of value, as are some (not all) of the examples he gives. "The Heroic Quest" has been in the past, and remains an extremely significant literary motif. I also appreciated some of the stories he told about his own experience, especially his recounting of some of the "behind the scenes" in the Disney movie "The Lion King". I was pleased to see that some of my perceptions about this film were correct.
Why then only two stars?
Imagine someone writing the history of 16th and 17th century English theater -- and forgetting to mention William Shakespeare. Imagine someone writing an anthology of classical music -- and omitting Bach or Beethoven.
In my view, this is what the author has done. While the author has given Joseph Campbell, and his seminal work on mythology proper due; and while he has given Carl Jung his proper due (and arguably more than his due), he has completely ignored the writing, both fiction and non-fiction of JRR Tolkien, who besides being the best-selling author of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" was a professor of English at Oxford University for more than 30 years -- and was the foremost expert on the literary genre of myth and fairy-story in probably the past two hundred years. Tolkien's work on Beowulf? Ignored. "Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight"? Ignored. His essay "On Fairy Stories" (which is THE definitive word on the subject)? Ignored. And that's just the non-fiction. Tolkien's fiction, especially "The Lord of the Rings" re-defined the genre of the Heroic Quest. Yet both the book and the movies are excluded from his discussion.
Honestly, I don't know why this is. Perhaps the author is not familiar with Tolkien's non-fiction work on the subject -- but I find this difficult to believe. Perhaps he just didn't care for the books of for the films. Still not a good excuse. Perhaps the author is uncomfortable with Tolkien's philosophical and religious pre-suppositions. I just don't know.
All I can say is that a book of this sort which excludes a widely recognized expert in the field is a very incomplete book, and one that I can only recommend with serious caveat.
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