Book Description
From the producers of the acclaimed Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars comes an inside look at the secrets behind the saga’s artful models and sculptures. Lorne Peterson, model and sculpture designer for the entire Star Wars saga, takes us on a journey through the intricate process of crafting and sculpting the models from sketch to screen and the artistry behind the dazzling results.
Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop features more than 300 full-color photographs and illustrations from the Lucasfilm archives, models from all six films, interviews, images and text with concept sculptors, an overview of the ILM model shop from 1976 through today and numerous gatefolds of the most loved models.
ILM virtually redefined visual effects and blazed a trail into the digital realm, follow behind the camera and into the rarely seen workshops and an amazing look at the creation of movie magic. Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Modelshop takes readers behind-the-scenes for the first in-depth look at these amazing models and the process behind their creation, punctuated by Lorne Peterson’s exuberance and dedication to craft.
This unique visual treat is a must-have for any Star Wars fan.
Customer Reviews:
Giant coffee table book...mostly a retread.......2007-08-02
For those who have purchased the series of "Art of Star Wars" books, as well as "Star Wars: Sketchbooks" et cetera, this tome is impressive but not novel. Many photos from those earlier books are reused here. The problem is that they have been blown up for this larger format. Consequently, the blown-up recycled photos are slightly blurry. There are some wonderful photos of star destroyer details that have not been seen before...but is that enough to merit this huge new book? That decision is up to you, but I expected heretofore unseen, crisply focused photographs.
Great Content, Defective Copy.......2007-08-01
The actual content of the book is top notch, with many great shots model shots. I also enjoy the accompanying stories, from behind the scenes. The problem is, the binding was already coming apart when I received it. A beautiful book, marred by a crappy binding.
I received a copy of this book as a present, that was purchased on Amazon.
Un livre indispensable à tout fan de Star Wars.......2007-07-19
Le département Maquettes d'ILM est devenu Kerner-Optical, mais le savoir faire n'a pas été dispersé grace à Lorne Peterson.
Ce livre montre en détail toute cette expérience acquise depuis plus de 30 ans, ce livre donne des astuces pour tout maquettiste en herbe.
Un très bon ouvrage.
Bonne lecture
star wars fan.......2007-07-05
If you are a either a fan of star wars or a model builder this is the book for you. It is full for close up pictures not only of the ships but also creatures and settings.
Another great Star Wars book for the 30th anniversary.......2007-05-30
Lorne Peterson's book is another great Star Wars book being released to coincide with the movie's 30th anniversary. I've always been interested in the making of all six movies, and this book doesn't disappoint in letting us know how the model shop he headed at ILM accomplished the movie magic they have been doing for three decades. My only critique is that there could have been more photographs and the binding leaves something to be desired with some photos being severely "split". I was wondering if the book would start falling apart after a while... But overall, a book any Star Wars fan should have. I'm looking to forward to Steve Sansweet's new book due out in October.
Book Description
Offers user-friendly knowledge and stimulating exercises to help compose story, develop characters and create emotion through skillful creation of the sound track.
Customer Reviews:
One of my all time favorite books........2007-06-19
"Sound Design" by David Sonnenschein is a very rewarding and fascinating read. Full of knowledge and practical examples as well as exercises to develop the reader's own awareness for sound. It's became one of my all time favorite books.
I highly recommend it to anyone interested in sound... be it for film or radio.... or music...
Great Service.......2007-03-10
It was shipped the same day and delivered a few days later. For those college students that get ripped off at their school bookstore this is a must.
A most excellent read and perfect for classes in sound design.......2007-02-12
David Sonnenschein's book is my "go-to" book for not only the quality of information that he presents but the interesting way that it is told. This book is an excellent read besides being extremely informative. I find that these are the best to assign to my students as many texts are just that: texts - dry and dull. David Sonnenschein presents the information herein in a delightful way and has many excellent tips on the overall shape of sound.
A great book, full of examples and creativity.......2007-01-30
I have to thanks deeply Mr D. Sonnenschein for this incredible book. I enjoyed it so much. This book helped me so much understanding the 'how' of sound effects and ambiences in movies. For sure a good choice and a good book.
I just can give an advice: buy it!!! I am a sound designer in Spainn and I consider this book a must.
Thanks David!
Great book to teach with!.......2006-01-26
I use this book in my Sound Design class at the University of Saint Francis. It is a great foundation upon which you can build confidence in your inexperienced students just by having them read the book! Also it helps make sense out of the confusion of directors dealing with sound and audio crew. This book has made my teaching job a lot easier and the students of my class a lot more saavy in sound design.
This book also would be excellent for anyone interested in the sound of movies and TV. AND it is essential reading for any Director (any GOOD Director, that is) Thanks David Sonnenschein for writing it!
Book Description
Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound embraces the subject of sound for films. Based on the experience of the author and other top sound craftspeople and firmly grounded in practical techniques, this book provides numerous real-life examples and relevant technical data, as well as an appreciation of all the processes involved in creating motion picture sound.
This edition is completely revised, with all-new chapters on 5.1, the Nagra IV-S, and the Nagra V. The ProTools content is expanded, and there are new sections on how to record Foley in Pro Tools and the concept of ADR/looping. The accompanying audio CD presents demonstration material as well as a large library of sound effects, while numerous charts, illustrations, and photographs help to demonstrate techniques and common industry practices.
Learn about best practices and pitfalls from a Hollywood veteran
Audio CD with demos and sound effects
Experience-based advice on a wide range of topics
Customer Reviews:
Behind the attitude, there is a lot to learn here.......2007-09-29
As mentioned, Mr. Yewdall really knows his stuff, and the personal approach is unique and highly effective. It's rare to see a subject like this tackled in such a personal manner, and on that level it works.
However, as a "read" it has its problems. It is extremely lenghty, the writing is at times long-winded, and much of the information is unnecessary. The Pro Tools chapter should probably be removed entirely as it shows a lack of real awareness of how the system is being used by professional operators. (and it really doesn't seem to be his strength anyway.)
More troubling for me was the attitude. He has quite an ego, and his anti-intellectualism is not a positive influence, not for those practicing sound arts nor those who work with them (producers, directors, editors). In many ways, his book is geared toward all practitioners in film, and I fear that his attitude reinforces the perception many people have of the bitter sound guy.
However, while I found that aspect tiring, there's no denying that this is easily the most revealing book on audio for film I've found. If you want an in-depth look at the nuts and bolts process of film sound, you'll definitely learn a great deal in Mr. Yewdall's book.
The Practical Politics of Motion Picture Sound.......2007-08-03
This is the first book I've read on the specific topic of sound for films. I saw this listed on the Berkely School of Music website as a listed text book, so I figured if it's good enough for them....
There's a lot of great technical tips on many aspects of sound recording, from on-camera dialog, sound effects in the field, foley stage, to editing both linear and non-linear. The only thing less touched on was some techniques on the final mix of a soundtrack, even though the process of it was covered.
This book would be better for someone who's getting ready to enter the professional field, or just starting as tons of politics are discussed which at points made some chapters seems like an E! Entertainment report. Funny, but a little overkill for someone not in "the business".
Lastly, I would have liked to hear more about the mistakes the author made and how he learned from them, with solutions and the problem solving techniques used. Most references are on how everyone else made the mistake of not listening to the author, which comes across a little snooty, but I get the point. Good basic tips and setup for using ProTools as well. If you don't mind all the politics, and camera talk, then this will be a great read and learning expierence.
This book needs a new edition!.......2007-06-05
There's a lot of really good stuff in here - clear, concise, and helpful, even if the author is a little hubristic at times. Sadly, all of the information dealing with computer-based audio is at least ten years old: the author mentions applications like Sound Designer and the 'Audio Media III' hardware card, which went out with beige Macs.
Untold Secrets of Cinema Sound.......2005-02-27
Mr. Yewdall, the author, puts his long time experience into this book. Avoiding pitfalls with producers to working with budgetary constraints while producing academy award winning sound is probably the main emphasis of this book. The CD that comes with it is quite valuable, containing sample audio clips to demonstrates the author's points at various times. This book will save you atleast 2 years of experience in motion picture sound. It's worth every penny.
A good overview of sound for films.......2001-04-28
I found the book very entertaining to read, Yewdall tells many personal stories which he uses to illustrate points. In fact, I read it more like a novel. He passes his knowledge, and experience to the reader through stories of things he's done, and has seen in his many years recording, producing and creating sound for motion pictures. Some is fact, some is opinion, but his opinions are clear and are backed-up with his own unique style of logic.
There are also more technical areas of the book that cover topics like mic placement, how to record cars/explosions/dialogue, how to catalogue your own sound effects libary, etc. This book would also be useful to directors and producers who want better sound in their films. There's definately lots to learn about sound, and the author has done a good job giving the reader an idea about what motion picture sound is all about.
Book Description
Motion Picture and Video Lighting explores the technical, aesthetic and practical aspects of lighting for film and video. Written by a professional in the field, this comprehensive book reveals inside information based on years of experience and thoroughly explores the challenges faced by cinematographers, lighting directors, gaffers and grips.
Through a hands on approach which is augmented by insightful diagrams, tables, charts and photographs, the author illustrates the power of light as one of the most important elements of filmmaking. Whether the reader is a professional, or student, a gaffer, grip or cameraman, this book will be a useful reference.
Blain Brown is a cinematographer and lighting director based in Los Angeles, California. He has lit and photographed a range of productions - from macro/table tops to boxing arenas, and from no-budget shoestring productions to large-scale features. Mr. Brown has also worked as a producer and line producer on commercials, music videos and feature films.
Provides a comprehensive look everyone involved in motion picture or video lighting.
Contains diagrams, tables, charts, and photographs to supplement the text.
A perfect reference for the professional or the student.
Customer Reviews:
A completely professional approach.......2001-07-20
The thing about this book is that it is written from a completely professional point of view. It deals with lighting as it is really practiced on professional movie sets - not like most books on cinematography which seem to be written by people who haven't actually done it all that much in the real world. I've bought about every book there is on movie lighting and most of them are a waste of money.
This book covers everything from a basic introduction to color, exposure and electricity up to the more complex technical issues you have to deal with as a gaffer or cinematographer: very thorough and comprehensive. The Set Technicians book is good if all you are trying to be is an electrician, but this is the one you want if you really want to move up as a gaffer, lighting director or Director of Photography. Except for one chapter (film exposure), everything in the book applies equally well to video, digital video or High Def. There is also a very good chapter on video which covers what you REALLY have to know to work in video lighting.
If you work (or want to work) in the motion picture industry, knowing lighting is the key to advancement and success. This is the book to get if you really want to learn motion picture and video lighting.
A good lighting manual for a beginning cameraperson........1998-10-20
Blaine Brown's book provides a decent explanation of set lighting, it's instruments and protocol. The text, though, seems to speak more to the cameraperson or AC who is curious about lighting. There is a lack of attention given to the juicers and hammers who are actually creating and shaping the light. There is a considerable amount of text granted to electrics and the distribution of power, but much more thorough and much more practically explained definitions are readily available in Harry Box's "Set Lighting Technician's Handbook."
Product Description
Stop-motion animation has long been perceived as a technical practice rather than a creative, demanding art. Though stop-motion requires considerable technical knowledge, it also involves aesthetics and artistry that go beyond the technician’s realm. Just as important as puppet mechanics are lighting, filters, lenses, camera angle and placement, and dramatic pose and movement. This manual is a complete guide to the aesthetics of stop-motion animation. Information is organized in an intuitive, easy-to-use structure, following the order an animator uses in setting up and then executing a scene. The first half concentrates on the aesthetics of lighting and cameras, a primary concern in any shot, with details of camera placement, various lenses and myriad lighting techniques. The second half deals with the process of performance art, an oft-overlooked aspect of stop-motion animation. Included is a commentary on body language, facial expression, gesture, movement and emotion—key concepts that are exemplified through the acting process. The work also offers an introduction to narrative form and a glossary of related terms.
Customer Reviews:
Stop-Motion Filming and Performance.......2007-07-03
Like its two previous manuals, Stop-Motion Armature Machining and Stop-Motion Puppet Sculpting and Fabrication, the publisher chose to print Stop-Motion Filming and Performance on substandard paper stock, with low-quality images. This hurts the overall look of the manual, belies the content of the manual, and results in a product that is overpriced for what one gets visually.
The author had requested color photographs for the lighting portion of the manual, and was initially told by the publisher that up to 8 color images would be printed. Eventually, color photos were not used, which further impeded the manual's discussion on color lighting.
The most important aspects of filmmaking (be it live-action or animation) are the story and performances. As such, the author spent a great deal of time discussing story development and animation performance. The author would especially welcome comments from consumers of the manual on those aspects of the manual as well, and to provide more objective and fair criticism.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.......2007-04-06
I am a film student at the University of Miami. I was trying a first time stop/motion experiment and bought this awful book. The section on lighting techniques are all introductory and in no way specific to stop/motion animation. The very few pictures in the book are in b/w and extremely muddy. It is way too general, a complete waste of time, and a rip off for 50 bucks.
Book Description
This nuts-and-bolts guide to sound design for animated films explains audio software, free downloads, how sound works, the power of sound when wielded by an animation filmmaker, and provides varieties of examples for how to use sound to enliven your films with professional sound.
Sound-savvy animators save precious resources (time and money) by using sound for effects they don't necessarily have time to create. For example, the sound of a crow flying gives viewers a sense of the crow without the crow. Where there's a macabre element or scene in an animated film, this book explains why you should choose a low frequency sound for it-low frequencies are scary, because the ear can't decipher their origin or direction!
On the DVD: three 5-minute animations; sample sound clips, jump cuts and video streams; plus motion graphics with which to practice sound-applications explained in this book.
** The animation sound design techniques discussed in the book are based on those used by today's newest and brightest animation filmmakers
* The book's case examples give readers extra tips and tricks to apply to their own sound design
* The book's DVD is highly instructional, includes sound clips to be practiced with
Download Description
In situations where quality, shorter time to market and staying within budget are basic project requirements, companies cannot afford to overlook digital asset management (DAM). Anyone who has felt the pain of a poorly organized production, knows that a great DAM system isn't just desirable, it's critical. A look into how the top CG film, computer game and web development companies have saved significant time and money on their projects by optimizing a digital asset management systems and streamlining production processes. Implementing a Digital Asset Management System realizes that DAM is more than just technology, and covers all the essentials including workflow, teamwork, testing, quality assurance, demo version production, and versioning. Product neutral, this book is for computer-based media productions large and small, with hardware and software selection and configuration recommendations for a wide variety of project types.
Customer Reviews:
Great Introductory book to sound design.......2006-08-24
This is a very well written introduction to sound design for film. And while the book focuses on animation, it is also very relevant for traditional narrative film. The author has a real talent for getting to the basic essence of things. A very practical book!
Average customer rating:
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Encyclopedia of Motion Picture Sound
Marty McGee
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 078641023X |
Book Description
Ever since 1926, when The Jazz Singer broke the silence of the silver screen, sound has played an integral role in the development and appreciation of motion pictures. Fourteen years after the advent of talkies, Disney's Fantasia upped the ante by introducing fully directional sound called Fantasound to theater audiences. After myriad experimental and moderately successful multichannel processes, motion picture sound really came of age in 1977, when the popularity of Star Wars helped entrench Dolby Stereo as the dominant surround sound process in theaters. Dolby Surround, and later, Dolby Digital, also became the preferred sound in home theater systems, as more and more people thrilled to the cinematic flybys of jet planes and the ricochet of gunfire in their own living rooms. This encyclopedia contains the people, processes, innovations, facilities, formats and films that have made sound such a crucial part of the motion picture experience. There are sound-critical entries for every film that has won an Academy Award for Best Sound or Best Sound Effects Editing, from 1933's A Farewell to Arms to 2000's The Matrix. Every sound mixer or editor who has won an Academy Award has his or her own entry and filmography. Entries have been provided for every known sound process, from Vitasound to Dolby Surround EX. For the key developers and innovators of motion picture sound-including Jack Foley, Ray Dolby, George Lucas and Tomlinson Holman-career-related biographies are included. There are additional entries for technical achievement recognized by the Academy, key manufacturers, sound facilities, and much more.
Book Description
Representational technologies including photography, phonography, and the cinema have helped define modernity itself. Since the nineteenth century, these technologies have challenged our trust of sensory perception, given the ephemeral unprecedented parity with the eternal, and created profound temporal and spatial displacements. But current approaches to representational and cultural history often neglect to examine these technologies. James Lastra seeks to remedy this neglect.
Lastra argues that we are nowhere better able to track the relations between capital, science, and cultural practice than in photography, phonography, and the cinema. In particular, he maps the development of sound recording from its emergence to its confrontation with and integration into the Hollywood film.
Reaching back into the late eighteenth century, to natural philosophy, stenography, automata, and human physiology, Lastra follows the shifting relationships between our senses, technology, and representation.
Customer Reviews:
Sound and representation.......2005-02-04
This is a very well researched, well written, lucid account of how sound came to be born into cinema and how it evolved the way it did to modern sound practice. The timeline Lastra presents is crystal clear and it reveals why sound and picture had an acrimonious relationship, and the manner in which sound practice evolved.
Lastra tackles some very difficult notions of representation, including questions of 'truth', sound perspective, space and ambience and much more. Several scholars have dealt with this in one way or another, but Lastra does so with confidence and courage, cutting through to core issues of perceptual aesthetics.
For example, from his introduction (regarding photography):
"Nearly every contemporary newspaper image is digitized, and many are manipulated for purposes of clarity or rhetoric. We have not, however, consequently given up on the idea of photographic reliability since, in spite of our doubts about the medium, we still believe in the institution of journalism and the practice of journalists, which guarantee our faith far more than the simularcra produced by the computer. So, while it is all well and good to argue that every photograph is ideological to its core ... such arguments only go halfway. Indeed they lead to a kind of cynicism. No one today can be unaware that photography can be faked, yet that fact alone does not rule out the possibility that under some conditions a photograph might, indeed, tell the truth. And that is a possibility worth defending."
I found this statement refreshing, when too much writing on aesthetics gets bogged down by unanswerable questions of hegemony, ideology and the like. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar... or, a door slam is just a door slam.
It also helped defend my thesis, for which I'm grateful. :)
Beauty is not necessarily truth...........2004-04-11
Lastra's book definitely makes for an interesting read but in the end is rather problematic. Of course the degree to which you choose to see this work as flawed depends mostly on whether or not you fall into the (post-)modern camp of Derrida, Blanchot, Barthes, etc...I often enjoy the works of such authors but in this particular case the majority of Lastra's arguments rest on similes and analogies that while making for beautiful text fall short of making a definitive point. Lastra also has the tendency to float the terms and ideologies of previous centuries down stream into a modern discourse and analysis where I don't believe they necessarily fit or at least he doesn't support such a move textually (Oops! There I go with one of my own similes that mean little or nothing). In part this belief may be due to Lastra's research which while thorough seems decidedly one sided and leans too heavily on certain critics. Another downside to his insistence on the taking (post-)modern perspective and interpretation is that he treats "sound" as some sort of reflexive, self-perpetuating Ouroboros. He does this to such an extent (and with too little support) that one almost feels that the whole world sat in the stomach of this Ouroboros and that meaning was therefore elusive and somehow beside the point. In which case one is right to ask: "What's the point of writing this book?" Also the author has a rather annoying style of re-stating or re-phrasing certain notions within the same paragraph to appear to be the next step in a logical continuity, which makes for both tedious and confusing reading at times. However, like I said in the beginning the work has its beautiful moments and the first and second chapters are absolutely fascinating.
Book Description
Cinema is a medium of light. And during Weimar Germany's advance to technological modernity, light - particularly the representational possibilities of electrical light - became the link between the cinema screen and the rapid changes that were transforming German life. In Frances Guerin's compelling history of German silent cinema of the 1920s, the innovative use of light is the pivot around which a new conception of a national cinema, and a national culture emerges. Guerin depicts a nocturnal Germany suffused with light - electric billboards, storefronts, police searchlights - and shows how this element of the mise-en-scene came to reflect both the opportunities and the anxieties surrounding modernity and democracy. Guerin's interpretations center on use of light in films such as Schatten (1923), Variete (1925), Metropolis (1926), and Der Golem (1920). In these films we see how light is the substance of image composition, the structuring device of the narrative, and the central thematic concern. This history relieves German films of the responsibility to explain the political and ideological instability of the period, an instability said to be the uncertain foundation of Nazism. In unlocking this dubious link, A Culture of Light redefines the field of German film scholarship.
Average customer rating:
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Architecture for the Screen: A Critical Study of Set Design in Hollywood's Golden Age
Juan Antonio Ramirez
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Book Description
It is unlikely that you have ever found yourself trapped inside a burning skyscraper or entombed within an Egyptian pyramid. Nonetheless, you probably have some idea of these and many other places because of their portrayal on screen. The movies have overcome the constraints of time and place by bringing us images of diverse and otherwise unfamiliar settings.
This work covers the many applications of art and architecture appearing in the movies produced in Hollywood from the very beginning until the fifties. The first chapters deal with the process of design, construction, physical characteristics and immediate functions of a wide variety of architectural sets. The remaining chapters examine the great number of styles shown in those movies and take the reader up to the final triumph of modernist architecture in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Books:
- Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop
- Shag: The Art of Josh Agle
- Sixty Days and Counting
- Starting Your Career as a Freelance Illustrator or Graphic Designer
- Surfs Up: Collecting the Longboard Era (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
- The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus (3 Complete Adventures in One Volume, Vol. 1)
- The Big Book of Breasts
- The Big Book of Drawing and Painting the Figure
- The Book on Vegas
- The Complete Taj Mahal
Books Index
Books Home
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- Mark of the Lion : A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, As Sure As the Dawn
- History: Fiction or Science
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- Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past
- History: Fiction or Science
- Genealogical Evidence: A Guide to the Standard of Proof Relating to Pedigrees, Ancestry, Heirship an
- Painting in Sixteenth-Century Venice: Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto
- Cabin at Singing River: Building a Home in the Wilderness
- Pete Ellis: An Amphibious Warfare Prophet, 1880-1923
The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film (Star Wars)
The Winston Effect: The Art & History of Stan Winston Studio
Star Wars Complete Cross-Sections: The Spacecraft and Vehicles of the Entire Star Wars Saga
Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars
Creating the Worlds of Star Wars : 365 Days
