Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days [Deluxe Edition] [Hardcover]

John Knoll (Author), J. W. Rinzler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005 | Series: 365 Days

John Knoll was 14 years old when the first Star Wars film (Episode IV) came out in 1977, and it changed his life. By the time the first prequel, The Phantom Menace, was released in 1999, he was its visual effects supervisor-in charge of all special effects-a position he held through Episodes II (Attack of the Clones) and III (Revenge of the Sith). With Knoll as tour guide, this deluxe addition to Abrams' 365 Days series provides the single most comprehensive collection of Star Wars images, including breathtaking 360-degree panoramic shots of sets and models, as well as concept art, props, film stills, and memorabilia.

The only book that covers all six films, Star Wars: 365 Days is Knoll's spectacular survey of the visual world created by those films. It shows us George Lucas and his crew creating their universe on location and in the studio-in pages dense with imagery and information, documenting a remarkable sustained creative effort by hundreds of devoted filmmakers and craftsmen. A CD-ROM, with nearly 100 QuickTime panoramas of the sets, adds to the beauty of this edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Star Wars visual effects supervisor Knoll serves as tour guide on a behind-the-scenes journey, covering all six films in the 365 Days series. The book is a comprehensive resource that includes breathtaking, 360-degree panoramic shots of sets and models as well as concept art, props, film stills, and memorabilia. The author includes firsthand descriptions of both the shots and techniques that made the movies a success. In addition to never-before-seen images, the book contains enough trivia to make any fan happy. Because of its small size, it is easy to hold, and the format is easy to read; each day includes one full-page photo on a facing page and a half-page narrative that explains the techniques in a way that even non-techies can understand. A CD-ROM contains more than 100 QuickTime VR 360-degree panoramas.–Erin Dennington, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

John Knoll is visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, a three-time Academy Award nominee for his visual effects work, and co-creator of the world-changing digital image-processing program Photoshop. This is his first book. He lives in Marin County, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 744 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810959364
• ISBN-13: 978-0810959361
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.6 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A making-of book that's making me happy!, October 16, 2005

By 

Steve Wiskowski - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days (Hardcover)

I've purchased many behind-the-scenes Star Wars books in my life, and I have to say that this one tops them all. This book is loaded with a wealth of information on all 6 movies in a chronological order. Lots of rare pictures and trivia that I have discovered for the first time...and I thought I've seen everything! John Knoll worked hard on making a book that Star Wars fans were waiting years to see. I also appreciate the graphic design and format of this book. Very easy to read, large images, not too much clutter. A definite labor of love. The icing on the cake is the CD-Rom inserted at the end of the book which contains over 100 Quicktime VR 360° panoramas that you can watch on your computer. Amazon has a great price on this gem of a book too that can't be beat! Highly recommended.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 365 Days is not ENOUGH!, October 16, 2005

By 

Scott Alexander - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days (Hardcover)

John Knoll has done something very unusual: He's written a book that is very satisfying, providing infomation that quells rumors, sets records straight and imparts a vast amount of new information about a subject that has become just as much a part of life for some as living and breathing is for us all. And for those of us who place Star Wars in a more normal context, this book is just plain fascinating!

To continue this review with examples from the book will not do it justice. The book is configured in a way such that facing pages have incredible photos and a very succinct narrative, rarely more than half a page long. Not that a lot of text would be bad, but Knoll does a such good job of telling the story in this fashion that more text would just take up the room where more of those 'thousand word' pictures could go!

The photographs in this work are excellent. Particularly welcome are all the new photos from the first 3 films. Most have never been seen before and those alone are worth the price of this book. And speaking of the price-- $30 full retail is the deal of the century, gang. This book is hardbound for the ages, too.

My personal request would be that Mr. Knoll continue with additional volumes on a yearly basis, but I have a feeling that would not be in the cards-- he's one busy guy. I think it would be a great idea to devote each additional volume to a single film at a time, particularly the first 3 films. As wonderful as this book is, and being the gluttons that we are, 365 'days' does not provide enough coverage for all 6 films!

Finally, in case you are not aware-- this book is a rather odd format in that it measures 6.5 by 9.5 inches and is 2.25 inches thick. Sort of a 'wide screen' format. But, don't let that phase you. Its a coffee table book that fits on the smallest of coffee tables-- and its easy to read in bed!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, November 2, 2005

By 

charlieheston (Portland, Or United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days (Hardcover)

Five stars is not enough. This is quite possibly THE best behind the scenes Star Wars book. It rivals the original Star Wars Chronicles and (in terms of photos) nearly wipes the floor with the prequel Making Of books. There are literally thousands of pictures here that you have not seen, half of which are pre-1983. Spectacular.