Customer Reviews

The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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.