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Droidmaker: George Lucas And the Digital Revolution 1st Edition

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Michael Rubin (Author)
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Michael Rubin (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 37 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0937404676
ISBN-10: 0937404675
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 518 pages
  • Publisher: Triad Publishing Company (FL); 1 edition (October 24, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0937404675
  • ISBN-13: 978-0937404676
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.2 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsNot just for Lucas fans... this book is an education.
By Lou Tambone on March 11, 2006
Format: Hardcover
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.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsOne educator's perspective,
By Michael Scroggins on December 17, 2005
Format: Hardcover
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!
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5.0 out of 5 starsA definitive biography that is "must reader" for the legions of Lucas fans
By Midwest Book Review on December 9, 2005
Format: Hardcover
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.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe book I've been waiting for!
By PeaceLove on November 3, 2005
Format: Hardcover
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!
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5.0 out of 5 starsThis should be required reading for anyone entering the field of digital filmmaking and animation.
By Michael Stern on January 3, 2006
Format: Hardcover
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsIt's a history of the transition from film to digital video

I bought this expecting it to be an insider view of the making of "Star Wars", with the usual 'behind the scenes' gossip and perhaps some Lucas biography thrown in. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Strictly Amateur
5.0 out of 5 starsCool Book!

A VERY interesting read. It is awesome to read about the developments in tech that have come forth from this one independent filmmaker's quest to tell stories better.

Published 3 months ago by Travis Michael Tharp
5.0 out of 5 starsI love it.

I love it a lot. And it's very informative about the history of George Lucas getting started in the movie business.

Published on September 8, 2013 by Jessica Paaluhi
5.0 out of 5 starsReview

Great book. Must read for everyone interested in the history of computer special effects.

Also a great picture of an era unimaginable in this time.

Published on August 18, 2013 by Peter Maas
5.0 out of 5 starsMy Droidmaker Review

Yeah, I know it's been said before, but here's my short review. Once I started reading Droidmaker I couldn't put it down.

Published on May 10, 2013 by Floyd Norman
3.0 out of 5 starsJust like George Lucas: Powerful but overly long winded.

This book is 90% the boring parts of how George Lucas took the money from Star Wars and used it to create the 'Think Tanks' that would give us Toy Story and CGI in every movie we... Read more

Published on March 21, 2013 by jb
5.0 out of 5 starsHow Did We Get Here?!

I so enjoyed reading this book - not only was it educational and fascinating, almost like a detective story of how we got from the years when computers were just entering our... Read more

Published on February 21, 2013 by Ann Hearn
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat read if you care about the history of computing, animation, or...

This is a great book if you want to learn about the genesis of some of the most important technologies and companies of the last 30 years. Read more

Published on January 14, 2013 by Edward Giardina
3.0 out of 5 starsToo hard to read

Being a Lucas fan, I was keen to read this. But sadly I couldn't make it past the first twenty or thirty pages, because the writing was so ungrammatical as to seem like the output... Read more

Published on June 24, 2011 by Marcuso
5.0 out of 5 starsAmbitious

Incredible amount of information here, and gifted Lucasfilm alumn Michael Rubin presents it without being overwhelming. Read more

Published on July 19, 2010 by Mary Jo Mathew

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