Customer Reviews

Droidmaker: George Lucas And the Digital Revolution

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
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I am the Co-founder of Pixar, with Ed Catmull. After years of reading mangled "histories" of Lucasfilm/Pixar, I am extremely pleased to read one by a guy who gets it right, including the arts, the technologies, the businesses, and the personalities. Michael Rubin not only gets the gist correctly imparted, but also those pesky details. I watched Michael as he carefully reconstructed our history, never quite believing all the stories we fed him, checking and double-checking the stories of the participants against one another and against the written record. Often he caught us (me anyway) having unconsciously edited out boring bits of the truth, and he put those bits back in. His book has allowed me to celebrate again a wonderful time of my life and, surprisingly, to teach me new things. For example, I came away from my first read of his book better appreciating exactly what George Lucas and Steve Jobs (and Francis Coppola) contributed to our part of the digital revolution, it not being in either case what is often claimed for them.

I was there to witness a great deal of the story. The book captures in great detail a story, a time, and place that was of great significance to me. (Now I don't have to try and remember it all!) Rubin's narrative rounded out parts of the saga I knew nothing about. It is really a strange feeling of destiny as I look back over the passion and inventiveness of those years and connect it all to the tools I use daily in my moviemaking today. The book is a unique historic document of a unique subject.

There are countless books out there about George Lucas and his rise from film school know-it-all to cultural icon and even more books about how Lucasfilm came to be and how it changed the world of filmmaking. I've read a good number of these books and then essentially stopped reading them because they seemed to paint the same picture with a different brush. All the main points were there and while some of the small details were different, something was always missing from these books. I could never quite figure out what it was, but they left me with more questions than answers more times than not.

I think it might have been the fact that they focused so much on Lucas himself and that all the bit players who made things happen never got their due. The importance of the smaller guys in the company cannot be understated. Without each and every Lucasfilm employee, especially in the beginning, they would not be where they are today.

DROIDMAKER by Michael Rubin fills the void present in those Lucasfilm biographies by letting us know that Lucas wasn't the only brain in the company. He was more like the Wizard of Oz himself - the idea man who made films and started a business while hoping others would bring the technology forward enough to meet his vision, which was way ahead of its time.

Most of the other "Lucasographies" I came across, while interesting, were flat at best. I wouldn't call them books that I read with enthusiasm and excitement. They were what they were and according to Lucasfilm and other sources, including Rubin, they're not all entirely factual. Given Lucas' tendency to rewrite certain parts of history pertaining to Star Wars, I wasn't sure what to believe or what not to believe - and perhaps that's the intent - but Rubin's book is indeed different from those other books. It's an accurate account of events as they pertain to the technical revolution started by Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola - and it's a bona fide page turner to boot. I found myself caught up in the parallel storylines and wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Again, I think the reason for this is that while the first couple of chapters dwell on Lucas and Coppola, roughly 80% of the piece features a whole different cast of characters, some of which I had never known about outside of the occasional mention in passing in another Lucasography. So in that aspect, the title itself is slightly misleading. You're expecting to read a book that goes on and on about the genius of Lucas when instead you realize that the man is actually as human as the rest of us and when put in a corner, he just puts his trust in people he believes know what they're doing.

Who does the book focus on, then? Just about everyone else who ever held a position at Lucasfilm, but there are two important characters in this story that you'd probably say were the "leads." One's a familiar name you might know and the other was a name I heard but never really knew well - Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, respectively. In fact, this book might be better titled, "The Adventures of Ed and Alvy." Their story and years of history together truly is a remarkable journey and they cast of supporting actors provide the basis of a good screenplay in itself. Should Mr. Rubin ever decided to turn this into a film, I'll be there to direct it!

DROIDMAKER starts off as most Lucasographies, going back to the early days of Lucas and Coppola - pre-American Zoetrope - and takes you through the different stages of Lucas up until the release of Star Wars in 1977. Keeping the focus of the book in mind, which is the digital revolution, certain aspects of this time period are given special attention. Coppola was just as driven (if not more) as Lucas at finding a better solution for editing features, for example. Coppola was eager to start using video while Lucas and his people were more into waiting for laserdisc technology to rear its ugly head.

As the book moves on past the first few chapters, the focus drifts away from Lucas and Coppola to Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, and there it stays for quite some time. Lucas takes a backseat for almost the rest of the book and even Coppola is mentioned more often at times. In any case, the story of Catmull and Smith is a great one, starting way back in their early days at NYIT and following the pair all the way to their Lucasfilm roles. Those roles, as you know, led to the creation of not only the Lucasfilm Computer Division but of a little company you might have heard of called Pixar.

Along the way you'll be treated to such relevant side journeys like the creation of "motion blur" in animation, the first all digital, computer generated and fully animated Pixar-like film... and it's not TOY STORY, and a great roller coaster ride of the history of the Atari company. There's a great Lucas moment in that section where a bunch of suits are arguing about the box cover for one of the first Atari/Lucasfilm games. They're going back and forth about what cover to use, all the while not knowing that Lucas himself is lurking in the corner of the room. At one point, Lucas decides he's had enough, walks up to the table and points to a box he likes saying simply, "I like that one," or something like that. Everyone naturally bowed to the master and all the arguing ceased. Classic.

You'll learn all about what really happened when Lucas decided to sell off Pixar to Steve Jobs and the circumstances surrounding that deal which aren't as sinister or dumb as you might have read. You'll learn where the name Pixar came from. You'll learn about how the business side of Lucasfilm was run and just how hands off Lucas actually was. You'll learn about how Lucas' divorce in the 1980's affected the company, which is quite more than you might think. You'll learn about the origins of non-linear editing and digital sound design. You'll learn about the beginnings of THX and how that part of Lucasfilm was committed to bringing better sound to theaters. Let's suffice it to say you'll learn a lot.

In the end, this book is not just a history lesson, it's an education. Entire college courses could be taught using this book alone. In fact, reading this book felt much like taking a college class. When I was finished, I felt illuminated. I felt like I learned many new things about an area I previously had felt quite comfortable in. New facts, people, and events put many things I thought I knew into perspective.

It's an education on Lucas, Coppola, Smith, Catmull, John Lasseter, and all the people they've dealt with along the way, but it's also an education on the history of computers and computer graphics, animation, editing, video games and corporate America. Oh, and there's a touch of filmmaking in there somewhere.

The book is a labor of love for Michael Rubin, who once worked for Lucasfilm for a short time. It's evident on every page. The interviews and quotes are revealing, the story is captivating, and the images are both rare and helpful in tracing the roots of the digital revolution. In fact, looking back, this book is deeply personal - or at least it feels personal. You can tell that people like Smith, Catmull, or Ben Burtt really supported the project. In fact, Rubin was given full access to the Lucasfilm archives for research, even though silly legal reasons prevented Lucasfilm from promoting this piece. Well, you don't need Lucasfilm to tell you this is a good and accurate book - take a look at some of the Amazon.com reviews and you'll see the likes of Alvy Ray Smith and Ben Burtt among others singing its praises like I am.

That's why this book is getting a rare 10 out of 10 from me.

Pick it up, read it, enjoy it, learn something new. I think you'll find DROIDMAKER to be a refreshing change from the normal Lucasography. Whatever your level of respect for Lucas is at this moment, it's bound to rise after reading this well-written account of the digital revolution.

Michael Rubin has done an excellent job of tracing the interdependent weave of threads that make up the history of digital cinema. He teases apart the fabric of this history in a way that brings us directly into the living world of the personalities responsible for inventing and developing the concepts and techniques many of us now take for granted.

In teaching my courses at CalArts and USC, I have always tried to impress upon the students that the tools we are learning are the result of prolonged intellectual struggle and flashes of inspiration. I believe that some knowledge of the driving forces behind the creation of the tools forms an integrated understanding that yields a more sustainable recollection. I was familiar with some of the stories of pivotal moments told in "Droidmaker" (such as Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith's initial conception of the alpha channel) and I have used them for years in my teaching, however many other stories were unknown to me and the retelling of them will now enrich my lectures.

In addition to serving as a great academic resource for me, "Droidmaker" was a fascinating and compelling read. I found it difficult to put down in order to attend to my routine responsibilities. So many friends and family have become interested in the book while visiting that I have purchased copies as gifts so that I may hang onto my treasured copy --this book invites repeated rereading and I do not want to be without it!

Droid Maker: George Lucas And The Digital Revolution by writer, educator, entrepreneur Michael Rubin (who joined "The Droid Works" at Lucasfilm in 1985 to introduce new sound and film editing technologies to the filmmakers) offers readers the inside story of George Lucas, his intensely private company, and their revolutionary work in filmmaking. Here is the story of how Lucasfilm's Computer Division make film and computer history, as well as Lucas' uneasy role in combining business, filmmaking, and technology. Providing an informed and informative, candid and revealing portrait that cuts through the mythology of George Lucas, here is the chronicled history of his vision made possible by the Star Wars films. Given unprecedented access to company records, personnel files, and photographs, Droid Maker is a definitive biography that is "must reader" for the legions of Lucas fans, as well as a privileged and seminal contribution to cinematic and filmmaking history.

I'm having a blast with this book! I saw Ruben speak at a MacFilmmakers meeting at the Apple HQ (great place for this type of talk!) and I bought the book from him immediately. There's some pretty jaw-dropping stuff in here; I never knew Coppola had the vision for a completely digital filmmaking suite as early as 1970!

This is a VERY comprehensive account of the development of digital film pre-, during, and post-production. At times the detail is a bit geekish, but Ruben never strays too deeply into technical waters (I'm an interested layperson and I can pretty much follow all the tech details). If you're at all interested in the explosion of indie film made possible by Final Cut Pro and other low-cost digital tools then this book is a great place to learn where it all came from. And if you're a Star Wars fan, this is the deep background of your life!

The fact that digital editing, graphics and animation tools are now available to the general public is something that can be easily taken for granted. Reading this book will give you a new appreciation for the digital toolset and the geniuses that brought them to life through hard work and dedication.

Droidmaker tells the story of the foundation of modern digital filmmaking, including all of the personal struggles and shady business deals that threw it off course.

Where most accounts of this development focus solely on the technical, Rubin keeps a strong focus on the human element and tells the story in an extremely compelling fashion.

I was intimidated by the textbook size of the book, but when I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It is one of the most interesting books on Lucas, Coppola, and Speilberg's rise in the digital revolution. I'm just going to recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about how digital animation and the use of computers in film came about. You don't have to be a fan of his movies to enjoy this book, but it's also great for the fans. Lucas' struggle was also inspiring. The industry didn't treat him well but the audience proved everyone wrong.
I'm not going to say any more about the book because I think it's best that you read it. Great book. Read this book. It's just great.

I am a borderline technophobe whose mind goes blank whenever I am forced to read any computer product user's manual. The brains of the people that write these things are obviously wired very differently than mine. The leaden, sterile word choices and phrases used by this engineering culture make the sense of disconnect even worse.
The good news is that I finally have found an Electronic Moses to lead me to the promised land. His name is Michael Rubin. "Droidmaker" is a remarkable book, bringing the story of computer animation to life, allowing non-technical people like me to understand how this process evolved. The photographs of the people and events involved in the story are particularly well chosen.
This book is required reading for anyone with a basic level of curiosity on how the digital revolution came to be. There isn't another one out there like it

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book. If you have a passing interest in modern movie making, the history of Pixar, or are a fan of Star Wars/George Lucas, you really have to read Droidmaker. The first half, dealing more with Lucas and the history of Star Wars is probably a little more accessible, but the back half, with its detailed telling of the evolution of Pixar and other Lucas-driven technical innovations, is equally fascinating. Oh, did I mention all the stuff about video games? Seriously, this is among the best books I've read in the past five years.