Special Effects: An Oral History--Interviews with 37 Masters Spanning 100 Years

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful work...
Review: Anyone even slighty interested in this subject will like this book - end of story. From Stan Winstons 'Terminator' to Nimba Creations full size animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex, this is a cracking book filled with great photos that is the best of it's type.

It covers everything from the beginning of filmmaking right up to present day and leaves nothing out, hence the vast 600 page count; this thing is thicker than a phone book!!

No complaints, it's a wonderful piece of work.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not the best
Review: I liked this book a lot. The best thing about it is the pictures, they are well researched and some are quite rare. Unfortunately the text does not live up to the quality of the images and the book's sumptuous feel. The author attempts to explain how techniques work, often relying on interviews with experts who often say WHAT they did but not really HOW. Unfortunately this often leads to slightly baffling and incomplete explanations. I dont think it helps that it has been translated from French. If you want to read about how effects are achieved with REALLY CLEAR EXPLANATIONS and helpful diagrams you still can't beat Richard Rickitt's book 'Special Effects: The History and Technique' which is a real class act- I recommend it to all my FX students. But this book comes a close second (though I did find one or two factual errors). It has some unusual examples and it's interesting to see some of the stuff about TV and theme park effects.

Rating:
Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know about Special Effects...
Review: Yes, it's finally happened. A skilled author has taken the time to contact the best FX artists in the world and compile the most comprehensive collection of stories, interviews and photographs ever published. Every major FX film gets a mention in this book, and there are 'behind the scenes' photos you will never have seen before which gives this book a real feeling of being a benchmark for literature on the subject. Whether you want to be a special effects artist or you're one already, I GUARANTEE you will not be disappointed by this high quality publication - congratulations Mr. Pinteau and thank you for compiling a book that will grace shelves for years to come.