Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts (Paperback)

by Michael Westmore (Author), Alan Sims (Author), Bradley M. Look (Author), William J. Birnes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Special bonus: a section that will show you
how to re-create your own makeup as well as create
your own props, using readily available items.

Words on paper. Without the resourceful, innovative, almost magical talents of the untold hundreds of behind-the-scenes people who have worked on Star Trek, those and countless other futuristic marvels would be just that -- words on paper. For years the major responsibility for making it all real for viewing audiences has fallen to people like Academy Award®-winning makeup supervisor Michael Westmore and property master Alan Sims, and their incredible staff of artisans. These modern-day dream shapers have guarded their award-winning secrets with national security-level caution...until today.

The veil of secrecy is pulled back in Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts. Through dozens of rare sketches, photographs, and designs, discover how those remarkable craftspeople made the fantastic vistas, creatures, and technology encountered every week. You'll be amazed at how low-tech some of these hi-tech wonders really are!

Who decided to make the Andorian blue? Of what was the belt on the original Klingon costume made? Was the first phaser really a block of wood? All your questions will be answered in Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts!

About the Author
The Oscar®- and nine-time Emmy® Award-winning Michael Westmore is the Makeup Supervisor and Designer at Paramount Studios and was the head of the Makeup Department for Star Trek: The Next Generation® and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine®. Mike currently holds the same title on Star Trek: Voyager®. He also was responsible for the makeup on the features Star Trek® Generations, Star Trek: First Contact® and Star Trek: Insurrection. Mike is a scion of the legendary Westmore family of Hollywood, who have dominated the theatrical and motion picture makeup industry since the silent-film era. His makeup designs have been seen by millions in such features as Rocky, Raging Bull, 2010, Clan of the Cave Bear, The Andromeda Strain, and Mask, for which he won an Academy Award. On television, Mike's makeup for The Next Generation's "Conspiracy," Deep Space Nine's "Distant Voices," and Voyager's "Threshold" all won Emmys. In addition, his work on Eleanor and Franklin, The Three Wishes of Billy Grier, and Why Me? won him the coveted statuettes, along with his work on the anthology series Amazing Stories. The list of Mike's other shows that were accorded Emmy nominations are a catalog of some of television's most interesting fare: The Babe Ruth Story, The Day After, MacGyver, The Amazing Howard Hughes, and Frankenstein. Plus four other Star Trek episodes were nominated: "Who Mourns for Morn" and "The Dogs of War" from Deep Space Nine and "Inner Light" and "Brothers" from The Next Generation. Exhibitions of Mike's work have been seen at the California Museum of Science and Industry, the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. You can still see his creations in an exhibit at the Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek: The Experience. Mike is the author of The Art of Theatrical Makeup for Stage and Screen. Because of his extraordinary talent, Mike has been asked to contribute cosmetic chapters in the medical texts Symposium of Aesthetic Surgery, The Burn Patient, and Aesthetic Dentistry. Mike Westmore lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Marion, with whom he has three children: Mike Westmore Jr., Michele Westmore-Garcia, and McKenzie Westmore.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671042998
• ISBN-13: 978-0671042998
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,629,109 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A poor effort, especially w/ the props, October 7, 2000

By A Customer

I am disappointed by this book; it could be much, much better than this. We have been delightfully spoiled with such great books as The Art of Star Trek, The DS9 Companion, The Making of DS9, The ST Encyclopedia, and so forth. But this short book has problems. For one, there are no conceptual sketches or production drawings where we see props or makeup evolve. Additionally, the photos they include are nothing special. The text of the book is somewhat interesting, but is skimpy and has holes... I want the Reeves-Stevens and the Okudas back! Oh, and the claim "Make your own makeup and props!" is a great exaggeration... The back of the book simply tells you how to use the Rubies costumes kits, and there is one thin description of how to build a Voyager dermal regenerator, which includes a warning: "This is not a job for a first-timer." If you are starving for basic descriptions of what different aliens' makeup looks like, maybe you'll enjoy this book. If not, and especially if you are more interested in props, this book is a waste of money... There are much better books out there already, whether you like artwork or an interesting read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Sore Disappointment, October 12, 2000

By	Aureliano Sanchez-Arango (Springfield, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was hoping this book would be a great new reference for both props and makeup, but it should be retitled "Aliens and Afterthoughts." There are so few props in this book as to make it not worth your time, if that's what you're after.

The section on the original series is absolutely meager. There is barely a mention of any of the props from the original series at all. Very disappointing to those who were hoping for a new reference work describing anything from the old show at all.

The final disappointment has to be the photos. With such an enormous collage on the cover, one expects a wealth of photos within. But the vast majority of the cover photos are not in the book at all. And many of the photos that are in the book--in fact, nearly all of the props pictures--are recycled from The Art of Star Trek.

Bottom line: if your primary interest is makeup, this book is marginally useful. If your primary interest is props, give this book a pass. This disaster gets as many thumbs down as I can muster.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Star Trek's make-up and props. 3 1/2 stars., December 27, 2002

A Kid's Review

This is a pretty decent book. I love make-up effects so I thought I'll love this book. Well, it could've been a LOT worse. The pictures in the book was great. Some of the pictures on the were inapporiate. I saw several pictures on the cover of Stewart, Brooks, Shatner, and other actors w/o special make-up. If I was mostly interested in props, this book would've just 1 star. This book is pretty good. I love the Do Your Own Make-up and props section, although the only prop that looks cool enougth to build, I'll need my dad's help. OH, and this is for the guy who said that the Do Your Own Make-up was a waste of time, how the hell would you want to like a Star Trek alien, take days and make molds and sculpt clay? I thought the make-up application pictures were great, except for John Poole's finished Ferengi picture, I saw the edge of the latex, not glued, around his eyes. The authors were kind enougth to tell how to make more base makeup for the pieces except the obvious ones. (Most Vulcans and Romulans have the same pigment as each other.). Overall a pretty good book, if love make-up and want to apply it to yourself.