Book picks similar to
The Book of Alien by Paul Scanlon


film
science-fiction
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Hitchcock


François Truffaut - 1966
    Here is a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on two cinematic masters from very different backgrounds as they cover each of Hitch's films in succession. Though this book was initially published in 1967 when Hitchcock was still active, Truffaut later prepared a revised edition that covered the final stages of his career. It's difficult to think of a more informative or entertaining introduction to Hitchcock's art, interests, and peculiar sense of humor. The book is a storehouse of insight and witticism, including the master's impressions of a classic like Rear Window ("I was feeling very creative at the time, the batteries were well charged"), his technical insight into Psycho's shower scene ("the knife never touched the body; it was all done in the [editing]"), and his ruminations on flops such as Under Capricorn ("If I were to make another picture in Australia today, I'd have a policeman hop into the pocket of a kangaroo and yell 'Follow that car!'"). This is one of the most delightful film books in print. --Raphael Shargel

The Art and Making of The Expanse


Titan Books - 2019
    

The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story


Josh Kushins - 2016
    A thrilling endeavour for the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One is the first instalment in the Star Wars Story series, a collection of stand-alone tales set in the same beloved universe fans have called home for decades. The plot follows an unlikely band of rebel fighters, led by the intrepid Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who must unite to resist the evil machinations of the evil Galactic Empire. Their mission is a desperate one: prove the existence of the Empire’s new super weapon and steal the plans for this Death Star before it can be used to obliterate all who stand in the Empire’s way. Directed by Gareth Edwards – from a script by Gary White and Chris Weitz – the film also stars Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Jiang Wen, and Donnie Yen.The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is an invaluable visual chronicle of the Lucasfilm art department’s development of the fantastical sets, otherworldly machinery, and unforgettable characters found in this first Star Wars Story. This book will take you from the earliest gathering of artists and production designers through production, with unprecedented access to the filmmakers’ creative process.Bursting with exclusive interviews and imagery, fans can revel in hundreds of stunning works of art, including production paintings, concept art and sketches, storyboards, and matte paintings. This rich visual journey is sure to delight Star Wars fans and cineastes for decades to come. The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will stand as a definitive guide to the art behind the newest tale in the Star Wars franchise.

The Making of 2001: A Space Odyssey


Stephanie Schwam - 2000
    The critics initially disliked it, but the public loved it. And eventually, the film took its rightful place as one of the most innovative, brilliant, and pivotal works of modern cinema. The Making of 2001: A Space Odyssey consists of testimony from Kubrick's collaborators and commentary from critics and historians. This is the most complete book on the film to date--from Stanley Kubrick's first meeting with screenwriter Arthur C. Clarke to Kubrick's exhaustive research to the actual shooting and release of the movie.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive


Stephen J. Sansweet - 1999
    These are the immensely popular and eminently collectible action figures that Kenner Toys has produced for the past 20 years. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive book for the legions who collect these fantastic figures. "Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive is the visual compendium they've been waiting for. This definitive reference covers the older Kenner action figures as well as the new Hasbro/Kenner line. Every full-color page features shots of the action figures, many with movie stills on which the figure was based, and showcases accessories and the original packaging. Captions enumerate different versions of the figures, providing the exhaustive information required by the serious collector. With over 2,000 color photos, this is the definitive tour of the "Star Wars action figure galaxy.To the Official "Star Wars" Web SiteCheck out other Star Wars titles published by Chronicle Books!

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho


Stephen Rebello - 1990
    Rebello takes us behind the scenes for every step in the creation of this cinematic masterpiece-from the story's original inspiration to the controversy surrounding the creation of the famous shower scene. Drawing on new in-depth interviews as well as Hitchcock's private files, Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho is an eye-opening portrait of the artist at work.

The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s '2001: A Space Odyssey'


Piers Bizony - 2014
    Fifty years after the film's conception, TASCHEN looks back at the process of making the most important science-fiction film of all time. Though 2001 has arguably spawned more critical texts and scholarly analyses than any other film, this publication marks the first time that a truly exhaustive book has been devoted to it. TASCHEN readers enjoyed a sampling of previously unseen 2001 material in The Stanley Kubrick Archives; this four-volume set revisits the subject, exploring in great depth every aspect of the film and its making: the groundbreaking technical effects, the extraordinary set designs, and the fascinating collaboration between Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. Made in exclusive collaboration with the Kubrick estate and Warner Brothers, this copiously illustrated work features hundreds of unique 2001-related documents, concept artworks, and superb behind-the-scenes photographs from the Kubrick Archives most of which have never been published before as well as exclusive material from co-screenwriter Arthur C. Clarke s archives. The Making of Stanley Kubrick s '2001: A Space Odyssey' is a landmark book for film fans and a celebration of technical special-effects innovation before the digital age, conceived by the very designers of TASCHEN's instant collectible Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made. The Making of Stanley Kubrick's '2001. A Space Odyssey' Four volumes contained in a monolith-shaped case, designed by M/M Paris: Volume 1: Film stills Volume 2: Behind the scenes (including new interviews with lead actors, senior production designers, and key special-effects experts) Volume 3: Facsimile of original screenplay Volume 4: Facsimile of original 1965 production notes Limited to a total of 1,000 copies: Art Edition No 1-500 (Art Edition A and B) and Collector's Edition No. 501-1,500"

The James Bond Archives


Paul Duncan - 2012
    This impeccably British character created by author Ian Fleming has starred in 23 EON-produced films, played by 6 different actors over five decades. To celebrate 50 years of this innovative franchise, EON Productions opened their archives of photos, designs, storyboards, and production materials to editor Paul Duncan, who spent two years researching over one million images and 100 filing cabinets of documentation. The result is the most complete account of the making of the series, covering every James Bond film ever made, beginning with Dr. No (1962) and ending with the upcoming Skyfall (2012), including the spoof Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1983). The stunning imagery is accompanied by an oral history recounted by over 150 cast and crew members, relating the true inside story of how the Bond films were made. Containing previously unpublished photography and artwork, as well as production memos from filming, this book is a comprehensive tribute to the legend of James Bond.Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the most successful and longest-running film franchise in cinema history! Made with unrestricted access to the Bond archives, this XL tome recounts the entire history of James Bond in words and pictures Among the 1,100 images are many previously unseen stills, on-set photos, memos, documents, storyboards, posters, and designs, plus unused concepts, and alternative designs Behind-the-scenes stories from the people who were there: producers, directors, actors, screenwriters, production designers, special effects technicians, stuntmen, and other crew members Includes every Bond film ever made, from Dr. No (1962) to Skyfall (2012) Special bonus included with the first print run of the book only: an original strip of film from Dr. No James Bond films © 1962–2012 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved.Also available in 2 Art Editions, each limited to 250 copies.

My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria


Hasbro, Inc. - 2013
    Beginning with the show’s premiere and taking readers through its fifth season, the book offers an amazing collection of the art and design that bring this wonderful series to life. The book takes readers behind the scenes of the show and explores how favorite characters and the landscape of Equestria came to look as they are today. Beyond the television show, My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria also examines the intriguing fan culture—including the fan art movement inspired by Friendship Is Magic. With a rich array of conceptual art, episode storyboards, and memorable scenes from the show, My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria is the ultimate guidebook, collector’s item, and fan keepsake.

VHS Video Cover Art: 1980s to Early 1990s


Thomas Hodge - 2015
    The art explodes with a succulent, indulgent blend of design, illustration, typography, and hilarious copywriting. Written and curated by Tom “The Dude Designs” Hodge, poster artist extraordinaire and VHS obsessive, with a foreword by Mondo’s Justin Ishmael, this collection contains over 240 full-scale, complete video sleeves in the genres of action, comedy, horror, kids, sci-fi, and thriller films. It’s a world of mustached, muscled men, buxom beauties, big explosions, phallic guns, and nightmare-inducing monsters. From the sublime to the ridiculous, some are incredible works of art, some are insane, and some capture the tone of the films better than the films themselves. All are amazing and inspiring works of art that captivate the imagination. It’s like stepping back in time into your local video store!

The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror


David J. Skal - 1993
    Skal chronicles one of our most popular and pervasive modes of cultural expression. He explores the disguised form in which Hollywood's classic horror movies played out the traumas of two world wars and the Depression; the nightmare visions of invasion and mind control catalyzed by the Cold War; the preoccupation with demon children that took hold as thalidomide, birth control, and abortion changed the reproductive landscape; the vogue in visceral, transformative special effects that paralleled the development of the plastic surgery industry; the link between the AIDS epidemic and the current fascination with vampires; and much more. Now with a new Afterword by the author that looks at horror's popular renaissance in the last decade, The Monster Show is a compulsively readable, thought-provoking inquiry into America's obsession with the macabre.

The Rough Guide to Horror Movies 1


Alan Jones - 2005
    The guide includes all the icons, from Boris Karloff to Wes Craven and Frankenstein to Freddie Kruger, including classics from Argentina, Pakistan, South Africa and the recent chillers from East Asia. The canon of fifty essential horror movies features The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Switchblade Romance, via Psycho and The Exorcist. Everything you need to know is covered from festivals, adaptations, magazines and merchandise. The guide tells the stories behind the movies that have scared us throughout the twentieth century.

Alien³: The Unproduced First-Draft Screenplay by William Gibson


Pat Cadigan - 2021
    When the Colonial Marines vessel Sulaco docks with space station and military installation Anchorpoint, a new form of Xenomorph appears. Written by Hugo Award-winning novelist and "Queen of Cyberpunk" Pat Cadigan, based on Gibson's never-produced first draft.The Sulaco--on its return journey from LV-426--enters a sector controlled by the "Union of Progressive Peoples," a nation-state engaged in an ongoing cold war and arms race. U.P.P. personnel board the Sulaco and find hypersleep tubes with Ripley, Newt, and an injured Hicks. A Facehugger attacks the lead commando, and the others narrowly escape, taking what remains of Bishop with them.The Sulaco continues to Anchorpoint, a space station and military installation the size of a small moon, where it falls under control of the military's Weapons Division. Boarding the Sulaco, a team of Colonial Marines and scientists is assaulted by a pair of Xenomorph drones. In the fight Ripley's cryotube is badly damaged. It's taken aboard Anchorpoint, where Ripley is kept comatose. Newt and an injured Corporal Hicks are awakened, and Newt is sent to Gateway Station on the way to Earth. The U.P.P. sends Bishop to Anchorpoint, where Hicks begins to hear rumors of experimentation--the cloning and genetic modification of Xenomorphs.The kind of experimentation that could yield a monstrous hybrid, and perhaps even a Queen.ALIEN 3 TM & (c) Twentieth Century Films. All rights reserved.

Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks


Adam Nayman - 2020
    In Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks, Anderson’s entire career—from Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Punch Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), and Phantom Thread (2017) to his music videos for Radiohead to his early short films—is examined in illustrated detail for the first time.   Anderson’s influences, his style, and the recurring themes of alienation, reinvention, ambition, and destiny that course through his movies are analyzed and supplemented by firsthand interviews with Anderson’s closest collaborators—including producer JoAnne Sellar, actor Vicky Krieps, and composer Jonny Greenwood—and illuminated by film stills, archival photos, original illustrations, and an appropriately psychedelic design aesthetic. Masterworks is a tribute to the dreamers, drifters, and evil dentists who populate his world.

The Art of Frozen


Charles Solomon - 2013
    Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.Taking inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" and the culture and landscape of Norway, the artists of Frozen have created a dynamic, other-worldly icy setting filled with striking background work and detailed costumes. Featuring stunning artwork from the film's creation—including sketches, storyboards, colorscripts, and much more—The Art of Frozen is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the research and artistry that went into the making of this wintry action-packed adventure.