Now available in paperback, The Invisible Art provides an unprecedented retrospective of matte art painting -- the unsung hero in the fast-paced world of cinematic visual effects. Until recently, matte-painting techniques were closely guarded secrets kept locked up on studio lots. The Invisible Art flings open the gates to reveal the finest representations of matte paintings from rare examples seen in epics such as Gone with the Wind and Citizen Kane to prove that the brush is mightier than the computer, as seen in such blockbusters as Star Wars and Titanic. Lavishly illustrated, the book's tremendous scope unveils a century's worth of fascinating stories, legendary personalities, and cunning movie craft from the first pioneering "glass shots" to the dawn of digital technology. Including a foreword by George Lucas, The Invisible Art conjures a never-before-told story of film wizardry.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Mark Cotta Vaz recently completed his 19th book, a biography of Merian C. Cooper, creator of King Kong which is scheduled to be published by Random House in 2005. Vaz's books on movie history include Industrial Light + Magic: Into the Digital Realm , which
Craig Barron has been an innovator in the cinematic technique of matte painting for the last two decades, playing a key role in the effects for films from The Empire Strikes Back to The Last Samurai. A veteran of George Lucas's effects company, Industrial Light + Magic, Barron now heads Matte World Digital. He is currently creating the visual effects for an Imax film on the Universe for professor Stephen Hawking. Barron lives in Marin County, California.
Craig Barron has been an innovator in the cinematic technique of matte painting for the last two decades, playing a key role in the effects for films from The Empire Strikes Back to The Last Samurai. A veteran of George Lucas's effects company, Industrial Light + Magic, Barron now heads Matte World Digital. He is currently creating the visual effects for an Imax film on the Universe for professor Stephen Hawking. Barron lives in Marin County, California.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth looking for,
By
This review is from: The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting (Paperback)
To anyone interested in the golden age of moviemaking, in special effects, or the art of this very specialized skill, this book will be a grand treat. The author knows his subject, and knows some of the images created by these artists are among the most powerful and indelible in the movies. Lavishly illustrated and quite thorough, "The Invisible Art" is a treasure trove of behind the scenes information, explanations, and dissections of the complicated process by which these fantasy environments and set extensions were realized. It's an expensive book (the softcover is slightly less pricey) but there has never been a film book like this, on this subject. Other special effects guides reference matte painting, but no one has ever analyzed the technique in this way. Films profiled include "King Kong" "Wizard of Oz" "Citizen Kane" "Thief of Bagdad" "Black Narcissus" and "Ten Commandments", among dozens of others. A wonderful job by someone who clearly cares for his subject.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful,
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This review is from: The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting (Paperback)
It's a beautiful book with fascinating information. It takes apart scenes in movies that have matte paintings -- showing you the components that went into the painting.
5.0 out of 5 stars
At the very least, it makes a loveley coffee table book.,
By Cheryl Vanderbilt (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting (Paperback)
I purchased this book last year when I was taking a Digital Matte Painting class. I wanted to learn more about how it was accomplished during the golden age of cinema.
The pictures in this book are stunning! There are hundreds of before and after pictures, showing the original film and the glass plates separately. They also take care to show all the various techniques used in Matte Painting... such as using a mirror to reflect the image, hanging a scaled model in the foreground, and even using a circular screen for a rotating background.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
IN 1899, WHEN NORMAN DAWN first visited Paris, the Eiffel Tower-at a thousand feet the tallest building in the world-was celebrating its tenth birthday. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
matte department, traditional matte painting, matte painter, matte paintings, digital matte painting, invisible art, matte artists, matte shots, optical printer, glass shots, optical printing, wonderful magic, trick man, aerial image Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Star Wars, Peter Ellenshaw, Matte World, Chris Evans, Norman Dawn, Albert Whitlock, Gone With the Wind, Harrison Ellenshaw, New York, The Thief of Bagdad, Clarence Slifer, San Francisco, Alan Maley, Los Angeles, United States, Craig Barron, Leagues Under the Sea, Illusion Arts, Michael Pangrazio, Syd Dutton, George Lucas, Pop Day, The Ten Commandments, Chesley Bonestell, King Kong New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
IN 1899, WHEN NORMAN DAWN first visited Paris, the Eiffel Tower-at a thousand feet the tallest building in the world-was celebrating its tenth birthday. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
matte department, traditional matte painting, matte painter, matte paintings, digital matte painting, invisible art, matte artists, matte shots, optical printer, glass shots, optical printing, wonderful magic, trick man, aerial image Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Star Wars, Peter Ellenshaw, Matte World, Chris Evans, Norman Dawn, Albert Whitlock, Gone With the Wind, Harrison Ellenshaw, New York, The Thief of Bagdad, Clarence Slifer, San Francisco, Alan Maley, Los Angeles, United States, Craig Barron, Leagues Under the Sea, Illusion Arts, Michael Pangrazio, Syd Dutton, George Lucas, Pop Day, The Ten Commandments, Chesley Bonestell, King Kong New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 68
books:
See all 68 books this book cites
2
books
cite this book:
- Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas on 10 pages
- The Invisible Art by Mark Cotta Vaz on 6 pages
- Under the Sea (Reusable Sticker Book) by RH Disney on 5 pages
- Star Wars, Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut on 5 pages
- The Empire Strikes Back (Step-Up Movie Adventure Adventure) by Star Wars on 4 pages
See all 68 books this book cites
- Caught in the Web: Dreaming Up the World of Spider-Man 2 by Mark Vaz in Back Matter
- American Cinematographer Manual, Ninth Edition 2 Vol Set by Stephen Burum in Back Matter
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