Product Description

The history of special effects is a long and varied one and is much more than images of sleek starfighters or CG raptors. From the concealed wires on Douglas Fairbanks' flying carpet in The Thief of Baghdad to amazing scenes in Lord of the Rings, the special effects industry has been finding ways to fuel our imagination and enjoyment. This book is not only a beautifully illustrated history of the special effects industry, looking at the different types of audio and visual effects, but contains a technical look at how all of the effects are actually created. Packed with over 500 colour illustrations taken from great movies and the personal portfolios of the special effects experts, many of whom have been interviewed and feature in the book, this book is a treat for any movie fan and will be an essential book for anyone looking to build a career in this area of the movie industry.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50579 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

Ray Harryhausen, from the Foreword
‘This splendid volume is a tribute to the great effects pioneers
whose innovations continue to inspire new generations of artists.’

Richard Taylor, Design and Effects Supervisor, Weta Workshop, winner of 5 Academy Awards for Lord of the Rings and King Kong
‘Richard Rickitt captures the essence of what inspires effects
technicians to push the boundaries of creative film-making into the
future.’

From the Publisher
New introduction by Ray Harryhausen.

Updated history section detailing recent technical and commercial developments and key effects movies. New section on visual effects and the Academy Awards.

Increased coverage of digital compositing and digital imaging techniques including digital cinematography, the digital intermediate process and its role in the production of visual effects.

Expanded modeling section to cover the changing role of physical models and miniatures and more in-depth explanation of computer modeling techniques including physically-based modeling, photogrammetry, lidar-scanning, procedural modeling, mapping and shaders. Spotlight on films including King Kong (2005), The Aviator, Master and Commander and XXX. Interviews with John Knoll, Richard Taylor, Joel Hynek.

Updated animation chapter with increased coverage of creature modeling, rigging and animation, facial animation, motion capture, procedural animation, cloth, hair and water simulation, rigid body dynamics, crowd animation, particle systems. Expanded coverage of virtual camera and lighting techniques, global illumination, subsurface scattering, and rendering techniques. Spotlight on films including Lord of the Rings, Revenge of the Sith, Matrix Reloaded. Interviews include Phil Tippett, Joe Letteri, Dennis Muren, Rob Coleman.

Expanded make-up, sound, physical effects and matte painting chapters.

New and updated technical diagrams.

Expanded glossary with over 300 fully explained terms, both current and historical.

‘With his new book on special effects, Richard has given voice to the visual effects artist. He has captured the very essence of what inspires effects technicians the world over to challenge the artistic and technical norms, and to push the boundaries of creative film-making into the future. Richard is not only a wonderful author but also an enthusiast excited by the history and ongoing developments of this incredible industry. His book is a wonderful testament to the passion and enthusiasm of a unique breed of film-makers.’ - Richard Taylor, Design and Effects Supervisor, Weta Workshop, Winner of 5 Academy Awards for Lord of the Rings and King Kong.

Customer Reviews

The greatest special effects book ever!
WOW! If you have even the smallest interest in special effects, filmmaking, or even general film history, you must own a copy of this brilliant new book - it's amazing!

Though at first I figured 'Special Effects: The History and Technique' seemed expensive, I thought I'd give it a try since so few books on this subject are ever published. Also, because I am a film studies lecturer, I need to keep up to date with books that are published on the subject. It turned out to be the BEST BUY I have made in a long time.

The book starts with an 'overview if the first 100 years of special effects' and perfectly summarises the first century of the commercial cinema. The author writes about the film pioneers, the formation of the studio system, the coming of sound, the challenge of TV, the changes in society and audiences - all the influences that affected the type of films that were made in each decade. He then gives a summary of the most important effects films of each decade and even includes profiles of important effects directors from Alfred Hitchcock to James Cameron.

Chapter Two teaches you everything you need to know about the basics of cinema technology - like how film and emulsions work, how cameras, lenses and projectors work, the physics of light and color etc. The author then explains the basics of traditional optical work and, with the help of fantastic graphic illustrations (there are hundreds of these thru the book), shows how an optical printer works and details the various bluescreen travelling matte systems and their variations like the Dunning Pomeroy Process and Sodium Vapor travelling mattes. There is a stack of examples and images from many films as well as interviews with people who worked on movies such as Terminator and Superman. The chapter then moves on to the history and science of digital technology - explaining how images are created and manipulated digitally with reference to many modern special effects companies and films.

Chapter 3 looks at models and miniatures. The Chapter explains how traditional models are built and filmed and gives formulas for things like camera speed, model size and scale. Examples from the earliest days until the current time are used. The chapter also explains how different types of miniatures are made and filmed - there's a section on boats and water, one on aircraft and flying and (best of all) one on miniature pyrotechnics. The chapter then explains how models are built in the computer and shows different CG modelling and painting techniques and interviews many masters of the process.

The animation chapter is the best of all. Every form and technique is covered in minute detail - from early cartoons, stop motion, go-motion as well as modern computer assisted cartoons and full 3D animation. There are profiles of films like King Kong and Jurassic Park and interviews with masters like Ray Harryhausen and Phil Tippet.

Chapter 5 covers matte painting from the earliest glass paintings to the latest amazing 3D computer generated environments in films like The Phantom Menace and Titanic.

The next section looks at special effects makeup - showing how to create anything from a scar to a huge animatronic dinosaur. All processes are covered in minute detail with explanations from experts such as Stan Winston and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The chapter ends with a look at digital makeup in films like The Mummy. Chapter 9 looks at physical effects and talks about how to create wind, snow, rain - even fake glass. It also has a fantastic section on guns and explosions which tells you just how it is all done in films such as James Bond and Indiana Jones.

The next chapter was a great surprise - sound effects! I can't think of another fx book that covers this subject - even though the sound of a dinosaur is, of course, as important as what it looks like. The whole process of film sound is explained from recording, mixing and dubbing to sound design with profiles of experts such as Ben Burtt.

The final chapter looks at the future of cinema and special effects and considers formats such as 3D (full coverage of history and technique, IMAX, digital filmmaking and virtual reality.

Finally chapter 10 looks in detail at the effects and techniques of the top 50 effects films of all time- some people might not agree that these are the top 50 films, but those chosen are definitely some of the most important ones. The author details exactly how each film was made and who did what.

There is a good bibiography and a really useful glossary with every complicated film and special effects term explained with amazing clarity.

I cannot fault this book - it is probably as good as a few years at film school or a hundred nights at the movies. Anybody even slightly interested in movies and movie making should have a copy on their shelf - I will definitely recommend it to all my students as one of the few books that is worth buying rather than simply borrowing from a library. I've read my copy from cover to cover twice and will refer to it for years to come.

Essential background, but expensive
Large and luxuriant, this volume is built for comfort rather than for speed. Intended for the coffee table, it cover the entire history of special effects with generous portions devoted to the recent contributions of digital effects artists. You won't find detailed tutorials for Maya, but you''ll be able to read all the basic theory behind camera work, optical effects, model making, make-up, matte painting, animation and audio effects.

Nearly all the right companies have been contacted, from Cinesite to ILM and on to Sony Pictures Imageworks. On top of the plain-talking and superb examples of digital creativity cited, the book is illustrated with great photos and diagrams. The only slight drawback is the price tag, but quality doesn't always come cheap.

Fantastic Effects Book
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!