Customer Reviews

Special Effects: The History and Technique

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WOW! If you have even the smallest interest in special effects, filmmaking, or even general film history, you must own a copy of this brilliant new book - it's amazing!

Though at first I figured `Special Effects: The History and Technique' seemed expensive, I thought I'd give it a try since so few books on this subject are ever published. Also, because I am a film studies lecturer, I need to keep up to date with books that are published on the subject. It turned out to be the BEST BUY I have made in a long time.

The book starts with an `overview if the first 100 years of special effects' and perfectly summarises the first century of the commercial cinema. The author writes about the film pioneers, the formation of the studio system, the coming of sound, the challenge of TV, the changes in society and audiences - all the influences that affected the type of films that were made in each decade. He then gives a summary of the most important effects films of each decade and even includes profiles of important effects directors from Alfred Hitchcock to James Cameron.

Chapter Two teaches you everything you need to know about the basics of cinema technology - like how film and emulsions work, how cameras, lenses and projectors work, the physics of light and color etc. The author then explains the basics of traditional optical work and, with the help of fantastic graphic illustrations (there are hundreds of these thru the book), shows how an optical printer works and details the various bluescreen travelling matte systems and their variations like the Dunning Pomeroy Process and Sodium Vapor travelling mattes. There is a stack of examples and images from many films as well as interviews with people who worked on movies such as Terminator and Superman. The chapter then moves on to the history and science of digital technology - explaining how images are created and manipulated digitally with reference to many modern special effects companies and films.

Chapter 3 looks at models and miniatures. The Chapter explains how traditional models are built and filmed and gives formulas for things like camera speed, model size and scale. Examples from the earliest days until the current time are used. The chapter also explains how different types of miniatures are made and filmed - there's a section on boats and water, one on aircraft and flying and (best of all) one on miniature pyrotechnics. The chapter then explains how models are built in the computer and shows different CG modelling and painting techniques and interviews many masters of the process.

The animation chapter is the best of all. Every form and technique is covered in minute detail - from early cartoons, stop motion, go-motion as well as modern computer assisted cartoons and full 3D animation. There are profiles of films like King Kong and Jurassic Park and interviews with masters like Ray Harryhausen and Phil Tippet.

Chapter 5 covers matte painting from the earliest glass paintings to the latest amazing 3D computer generated environments in films like The Phantom Menace and Titanic.

The next section looks at special effects makeup - showing how to create anything from a scar to a huge animatronic dinosaur. All processes are covered in minute detail with explanations from experts such as Stan Winston and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The chapter ends with a look at digital makeup in films like The Mummy. Chapter 9 looks at physical effects and talks about how to create wind, snow, rain - even fake glass. It also has a fantastic section on guns and explosions which tells you just how it is all done in films such as James Bond and Indiana Jones.

The next chapter was a great surprise - sound effects! I can't think of another fx book that covers this subject - even though the sound of a dinosaur is, of course, as important as what it looks like. The whole process of film sound is explained from recording, mixing and dubbing to sound design with profiles of experts such as Ben Burtt.

The final chapter looks at the future of cinema and special effects and considers formats such as 3D (full coverage of history and technique, IMAX, digital filmmaking and virtual reality.

Finally chapter 10 looks in detail at the effects and techniques of the top 50 effects films of all time- some people might not agree that these are the top 50 films, but those chosen are definitely some of the most important ones. The author details exactly how each film was made and who did what.

There is a good bibiography and a really useful glossary with every complicated film and special effects term explained with amazing clarity.

I cannot fault this book - it is probably as good as a few years at film school or a hundred nights at the movies. Anybody even slightly interested in movies and movie making should have a copy on their shelf - I will definitely recommend it to all my students as one of the few books that is worth buying rather than simply borrowing from a library. I've read my copy from cover to cover twice and will refer to it for years to come.

This book covers every aspect of the special effects industry. From the early days of using mirrors, to George Lucas Starwars saga, everything is covered in a highly detailed book. There are also countless images and interviews on offer. Richard Rickett definately did his research, and it paid off in this valuable and informative book. Don't just take my word for it though, buy the book and you won't be disappointed!

Special Effects is THE BEST book you could wish for on the subject. I have a shelf full of old, an mostly inaccurate books about special effects, but with this new book I could throw the rest away. Also, don't bother with magazines like Cinefex anymore, which are very dry and heavy going. this book is a pleasure to read and has interviews with everyone who is important in the business. There are hundreds of cool photos as well which makes it very good value. Anyone who works in special effects, or is just interested in the movies should read this book. Congratulations to the author Mr Rickitt who has condensed 100 years of movie magic into a single lavish book. Dont take my word for it - BUY IT!

Once I picked up the Special Effects book, I seriously could not put it down. This book is truly amazing as it serves not only as an information source, but it is also very entertaining. The first half of the book goes through the decades starting with the 1900's. In each time period Richard discuses the new advancements in film making during that decade, along with writing about some of the best movies form that time. Some of the classics include Singing in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, and many Hitchcock movies. The second half of the book focuses on individual aspects of movie magic. From make-up and costumes, to lighting and pyrotechnics. The book cover many recent movies like Titanic, Star Wars Episode I and The Matrix. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the entertainment field. The book is easy moderate to read and full of amazing color pictures that you won't find anywhere else. Some of the pictures are accurate diagrams of film processes, such as animation, digital effects and camera techniques. I feel that form reading this book I gained a lot of basis knowledge needed to better understand the industry. Did you know that most of the snow used in movies is simply shredded paper? Or how about the fact that 90% of dialogue is movies is recorded and dubbed after the movie is shot! Find out hundreds of more amazing facts in Richard Rickitt's Special Effects: The History and Technique.

Large and luxuriant, this volume is built for comfort rather than for speed. Intended for the coffee table, it cover the entire history of special effects with generous portions devoted to the recent contributions of digital effects artists. You won't find detailed tutorials for Maya, but you''ll be able to read all the basic theory behind camera work, optical effects, model making, make-up, matte painting, animation and audio effects.

Nearly all the right companies have been contacted, from Cinesite to ILM and on to Sony Pictures Imageworks. On top of the plain-talking and superb examples of digital creativity cited, the book is illustrated with great photos and diagrams. The only slight drawback is the price tag, but quality doesn't always come cheap.

I'm a film studies tutor and reccommend this title to all of my students. Why has the publisher/author allowed it to go out of print? This is the best book ever written on special/visual effects and one of the best introductions to film making and film technology generally. PLEASE REPRINT THIS BOOK and ideally, make a softback edition at a price my kids can better afford. THANKS!

Mr Rickitt has produced an exemplary study of special effects. His examination is both perceptive and comprehensive, displaying a thorough awareness of the history of special effects. Every chapter offers highly useful and interesting information. As a Film and Media Studies teacher, I found this book to be essential reading. Above all, Rickitt's book is extremely well written. Highly recommended to anyone remotely interested in the world of special effects.

Yes there is great history and education in here, but the mass of photographs tells a truly beautiful tale. The artists illustrated here are for the most part the true pioneers of creating magic on film. Going into a project with truly no proven technique must have been terrifying and adrenaline pumping. Our techniques have greatly improved but since the advent of fully cg fx, the pioneering aspect is minimal. It is very well written but I can't call it a page turner since I spent so much time staring at the pictures. Great for fans and professionals alike.

For those who want to know ," How did they do that?". This book is a must for you.See how they first discovered how you could trick the movie going public into thinking they were seeing something ,that they only seen magicain's do on stage, but even more magical.From Georges Melies, through, Willis O'Brian, John P Fulton to Inustial Light and Magic.It also covers the great make up artist from Lon Chaney through, Jack P Pierce to the presnt master Rick Baker.How Animatronics were first used and made a big come back through the likes of Stan Winston and Jim Henson.These are just the more well know names who have contributed to the making of movie magic, and although not a refference book , that goes into details of each of the protagonist's careers.It does cover the finer points of cinema special effects.A must for those who are into the technical side of movie making , and also a great book for those who just like movies in general.

this book is great. it has everything about spesial effects, not just the digital ones. It covers every technique frome melies pictures at 1900' till todeys "the matrix" and "episode 1".