Rating: 
Summary: Best book on visual effects in years
Review: THE INVISIBLE ART is written by two special effects experts Mark Cotta Vaz who wrote two volumes of books about Industrial Light and Magic and by Craig Barron, a master matte painter who worked for Industrial Light and Magic. Together they have collected some of the most amazing artwork ever done because this art has to be good enough to make audiences believe it is something real and not just a painting. Some of the paintings are astonishing in their realism. All the great matte painters are represented here and the book is chock full of incredible paintings and behind the scenes photos. The book is sturdy hardcover and is printed on high-quality paper so it will last a lifetime. This is a must-have book for anyone interested in movies and visual effects and the best book on special effects since the last volume on Industrial Light and Magic.
Rating:
Summary: Film-history treasure
Review: This book is a unique collectors item. Many recent films have come out with a companion "Art of ____" book. There have been many special effects books that focus on one company or another (ILM, Digital Domain, etc). But the content of Invisible Art spans the entire history of film itself.
The focus of the book is matte painting, a specific branch of visual effects. It is a technique that has been used in films from the beginning. Over the last 10 years, matte painting has been transformed by the digital age. Before computers, many of the most stunning and beautiful effects were hand painted. Sadly, most of these paintings have been lost or destroyed. At the time of their creation, the paintings served a practical function. Looking at the pictures in this book make you realize that these paintings should have been saved and displayed in museums. This is an outstanding document of art, film history, and some of the personalities involved in this branch of visual effects. It follows the history of film through artists working in the industry. In the last chapter, it bridges that history into the digital age. A major achievement.
Rating:
Summary: Film-history treasure
Review: This book is a unique collectors item. Many recent films have come out with a companion "Art of ____" book. There have been many special effects books that focus on one company or another (ILM, Digital Domain, etc). But the content of Invisible Art spans the entire history of film itself.
The focus of the book is matte painting, a specific branch of visual effects. It is a technique that has been used in films from the beginning. Over the last 10 years, matte painting has been transformed by the digital age. Before computers, many of the most stunning and beautiful effects were hand painted. Sadly, most of these paintings have been lost or destroyed. At the time of their creation, the paintings served a practical function. Looking at the pictures in this book make you realize that these paintings should have been saved and displayed in museums. This is an outstanding document of art, film history, and some of the personalities involved in this branch of visual effects. It follows the history of film through artists working in the industry. In the last chapter, it bridges that history into the digital age. A major achievement.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning and Compelling
Review: What an incredible effort. I've always been curious about matte painting and this book has the most stunning images, lots of "before-and-afters" and compelling text answering everything about this elusive art form. I bought one for myself, and one for my parents, and they use it as a coffee table conversation piece. I don't think they've read a word, but they love looking through it. I guess it makes them feel like "insiders." I've read some of Mr. Vaz's articles in "Cinefex" and I can't imagine a better writer for this book. The other writer, Craig Barron is an acutal matte painter who works at ILM. I hope they do a book on miniatures next!
Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Book
Review: Whether you're just a fan of visual effects, or a veteran effects artist, you're going to love this book. Craig Barron and Mark Vaz have put together an incredible history of the fine art of motion picture matte paintings. There really is no book like "The Invisible Art." This is a must-have.
| 
