AVP: Alien vs. Predator: The Creature Effects of ADI [Hardcover]

Alec Gillis (Author), Tom Woodruff Jr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Foreword by Lance Henriksen

In 1979, Ridley Scott introduced moviegoers to a new definition of fear and horror with his sci-fi classic, Alien. To coincide with the release of AVP, special effects gurus Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. opened the doors of their Academy Award-winning creature shop, Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. (A.D.I.), to invite all to a behind-the-scenes journey, as they once more breathe life into the characters that have been scaring audiences for over two decades. Different from many "making of" books, it focuses exclusively on the creature effects of AVP; what it takes to create some of sci-fi's baddest baddies. It follows Gillis and Woodruff and their talented crew of over 100 artists and technicians throughout the design, sculpting, fabrication, and finishing processes. The story continues on location in Prague where, as the cameras roll, their creations truly come to life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Film Review Magazine, January 2005: "...this lavishly produced profile will not dissapoint fans of either creature." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr are the co-founders of ADI: Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. Having provided the Alien Creature effects for both Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection (Gillis and Woodruff also worked for Stan Winston on Aliens), ADI were asked to handle the Creature Effects for AVP. Woodruff also suited up again to resume his role as chief Alien performer for the new movie. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 126 pages
• Publisher: Design Studio Press; Ill edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972667660
• ISBN-13: 978-0972667661
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings You to the Production Floor Literally, August 10, 2008

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: AVP: Alien vs. Predator: The Creature Effects of ADI (Paperback)

Length:: 0:31 Mins

This book is the tour guide to the production floor of Amalgamated Dynamics Inc (ADI), a studio specialize at creating creatures and effects.

Prior to reading this book, I thought all the creatures in Alien vs. Predator (AVP) were computer generated, but somehow they look too real to be products of 3D models. After reading the book, I have more respect for the people in the field of creating these creatures. They are good, very good.

You'll read about how the movie was conceived. There are numerous biography on the artists involved and the two founders of ADI.

Every single page of the book is filled with photos and captions detailing the process of creating the characters and bringing them to life on the big screen. It starts on the drawing board where sketches were done, the creature was then modeled into clay, photographed and made into mold, painted for textures and goes onto the set.

A lot of effort was put in the making of this book. You can tell just by the incredible number of photos taken and put onto the pages.

If you're a fan of AVP, this should be in your collection.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for creature effects, May 15, 2011

By 

Stop Motion Maniac "Elroy Jetson" (Toonville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: AVP: Alien vs. Predator: The Creature Effects of ADI (Hardcover)

I'm a huge fan of the Alien franchise and loved the original Predator film, so I was particularly interested to see how the creatures were created. You really gain an appreciation for how much work goes into a film like this. Nothing is left to the imagination. Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars oh yeah, December 14, 2011

By 

dracoon - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: AVP: Alien vs. Predator: The Creature Effects of ADI (Paperback)

for the price, it's truly a masterpiece.... as i was working in 2010 and 2011 on a avp project with a full predator costume and alien set with eggs...facehugger..chestbuster...alien drone....and queen.... if i had found this book before it would been easier to do all this stuff but i founded it after... anyway it will greetly improve what i can do next ...many and many details on every picture... many details about hot it been done etc.. my only negative thing to say is that the cover glue was not strong enough and started to separate from the rest after only 2 days... some more glue on it fixed the problem without so much trouble from me... for the price it's truly a necessary book for someone who want to know more about how they created the film...