The Spider-Man Chronicles: The Art and Making of Spider-Man 3 [Hardcover]

Grant Curtis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2007

In The Spider-Man Chronicles, author and Spider-Man 3 producer Grant Curtis provides unmatched insider access to the devoted Spider-Man fan. Curtis has hand selected a phenomenal collection of unpublished concept art, sketches, models, and his own behind-the-scenes photography, and pairs these brilliant visuals with his detailed account of how the film was made from the story and casting to the costumes, production, and special effects. Everything that the serious fan wants is here: early story notes on Vulture, who was later replaced by Venom; shooting locations in Los Angeles, New York, Cleveland, and elsewhere; the real world materials and computer wizardry that brought Sandman to life; transforming Spider-Man's suit into something darker, more sinister, and otherworldly; and much more. Contributions from the key players, including director Sam Raimi, the production designers, costume designers, and visual effects technicians complete this celebration of a groundbreaking motion picture.

Spider-Man, the Character: TM & 2007 Marvel Characters, Inc. Spider-Man 3, the Movie: 2007 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The pleasure is doubled in Spider-Man 2. Crackerjack entertainment from start to finish." - Variety "This triumphant sequel to the hard-to-top 2002 original may be the first great comic-book movie in the age of CGI wizardry." - Entertainment Weekly" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Grant Curtis is a producer for Spider-Man 3 and was co-producer of Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811857778
• ISBN-13: 978-0811857772
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Inside Look, June 12, 2007

By 

Nicholas P. Snyder (Chapel Hill, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spider-Man Chronicles: The Art and Making of Spider-Man 3 (Hardcover)

Most behind the scenes or 'Art of' titles amount to coffee table books with lost of gorgeous production art but little written content. This one is a notable exception. Written by Grant Curtis, director Sam Raimi's former assistant-turned Spider-man producing partner, the book contains great first hand looks at different stages of the Spider-Man 3 production, from early story meetings at Laura Ziskin's house to the casting of Thomas Hayden Church as the Sandman, to the late decision to jettison the villainous Vulture in favor of Venom. It's great to hear the process behind crafting such a massive project from someone who was in the room for all the meetings, who was helping to call the shots. The final section of the book is especially interesting, as it's Curtis' on-set diary- chronicling the day-to-day shooting process of one of the most expensive movies ever made.

PS: The pictures are pretty cool too.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blow-by-blow tour of Spidey 3's creation, May 3, 2007

By 

Michael Rogers (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spider-Man Chronicles: The Art and Making of Spider-Man 3 (Hardcover)

The summer Hollywood blockbuster season is nigh upon us, and it's going to be quite a ride. Itchy fans will get a new fix of many of their favorites including Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates III, Shrek III, Harry and the Hogwarts gang, and the mighty Spidey threequel. Things officially kick off with the May 4 release of director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, with everyone's favorite web slinger this time taking on a trio of baddies--Sandman, the New Goblin, and Venom--while still grappling with his own inner turmoil. Curtis, the film's producer, takes fans on a blow-by-blow tour of Raimi's creation, highlighting the crafting of the original story, casting, costume design, and, of course, the stunning visual effects. A healthy portion of the text is dedicated to Curtis's production diary covering the daily shooting activities inside studio sets and on location in LA, New York City (again including NYPL's Fifth Avenue gem), and Brooklyn, giving lay readers an appreciation of just how monstrous and minutely detailed a production of this scale truly is. Pictures sell a book like this, and Chronicle's quality shines. Illustrations and photos are plentiful and range from thumbnails to two-page spreads (more finished costume pix over concept art would be nice, but that's nitpicking). With the series first two films scoring big time, Spider-Man 3 should be a slam dunk (online ticket sales reportedly are triple that of Spider-Man 2), so this book will have great browse appeal for fans, and film students will lap up Curtis's production notes. Recommended.--Mike Rogers, Library Journal/LJXpress

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Insight into Filmmaking Process, March 25, 2010

By 

JMM (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spider-Man Chronicles: The Art and Making of Spider-Man 3 (Hardcover)

The Spider-Man Chronicles is a fabulous book for those curious about the process of filmmaking. The book was written by Grant Curtis, a producer on the film Spider-Man 3. The book includes his daily entries to a production journal that he kept during the making of the film. Every topic is discussed in detail, from location scouting to visual effects, and from casting to costume design. The book includes a brief foreword from fellow producers Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin.

The only caution is that people expecting lots of drawings or concept art might be disappointed. There are plenty of images in the book, but most of them are production photos. The Spider-Man Chronicles has less artwork than other movie art books, but in exchange you get a daily journal entry that gives a first-hand account of what it would be like to work on a massive film like Spider-Man 3.