The Art of Making Movies: Behind-the-Scenes Looks at War Horse, Tintin, and Arthur Christmas
RSSJoy Fleishhacker
Brimming with magnificent artwork and fascinating perceptions, these handsome volumes provide an intimate look at the making of three recent releases that are on top of holiday movie-goers' lists. Each book explores the particular plot elements and production challenges associated with its featured film, while also conveying an overview of the creative process behind the finished product, the mind-staggering logistics of big-budget movie-making, and the many roles played by contributors from directors to artists to actors. In addition to catching the eye of movie fans, these titles will reel in YAs interested in filmmaking, computer animation, acting, theater, and careers in art, and will also support high school coursework in these areas. They make great choices for display, as well as suggestions for holiday gifts for those hard-to-please teens. War Horse Gorgeously illustrated with more than 140 images, many of which fill single- or double-page spreads, War Horse: The Making of the Motion Picture (Newmarket, 2011; Gr 6 Up) touches upon the creative process behind the film as well as major story elements and themes. Several forewords provide a glimpse at the filmmakers' inspirations: for example, Spielberg explains that he was "drawn to both the historical backdrop and the emotional depth of this story" and ultimately made the movie because of what it had to say about courage, while Morpurgo discusses the process of writing the book and his hope that it will continue to "resonate not only from the page, but from theatres and cinemas around the world," touching hearts and "asking the questions that we need to keep asking." The first section focuses on "Joey's Journey," recounting his life with Albert in the lush Devon countryside, being trained for the British cavalry, and his wartime experiences in France, powerfully culminating with the horse being found wandering alone in No Man's Land. Stunning film photos dramatically convey the story's affecting events and emotions, while excerpts from the script and quotes from the actors and filmmakers add detail and pertinent observations. A "Making of" chapter pairs behind-the-scenes photos with remarks from the movie's creators, revealing much about the endeavor, from efforts made to underscore broad themes, to the breathlessness of participating in the filming of a cavalry charge, to the challenges of eliciting a discernable emotion from a horse. The final segment presents a brief introduction to the history of horses in battle, spanning from ancient times to the modern day and attractively illustrated with reproductions of drawings, paintings, and photos. Throughout, visual images and from-the-source commentary combine to provide insight into an old-school style of moviemaking that relies not on special effects, but on a strongly conveyed sense of time and place, richly nuanced characterizations, and universal truths conveyed through compelling storytelling. The Adventures of Tintin Packed with spectacular visuals, The Art of the Adventures of Tintin (Harper Design, 2011; Gr 6 Up) provides a riveting look at the making of the movie. Written by Chris Guise, the Lead Conceptual Designer for the film at New Zealand's Weta Workshop, the book opens with forewords by Spielberg and Jackson, who describe how the project came about and share their enthusiasm and respect for the source material. The first section, "The Beginning," provides background about Hergé and the Tintin books, summaries of the three tales upon which the movie screenplay was based, and a description of the conceptual design process as artists created their own versions of specific comics panels and book covers to imagine what Tintin's world would look like if it were real. Here, and throughout this attractive volume, production artwork is closely paired with Hergé's illustrations, revealing how the moviemakers remained faithful to the original work while expanding images and ideas into a new format and fashioning an interpretation that convincingly blends both fantasy and realism. The next section zooms in on the creation of the characters, showing the process of transforming Hergé's familiar players into believable three-dimensional individuals who exhibit both carefully wrought physical details and a full range of emotions. The film's "Environments" are given a similar examination, from Tintin's apartment on Labrador Road, to a slew of shipboard scenes, to the fictional city of Bagghar, and more. The book also introduces the process of performance capture with a brief description and behind-the-scenes photos showing the actors—dressed in black leotards with dots identifying important body areas, their faces similarly marked, and wearing strange-looking helmets with mini-cams-performing their roles on an empty stage. The attractive spreads are filled with colorful production artwork, photos, and film stills, and readers will enjoy making comparisons between these images and reproductions from Hergé's comics. Extensive commentary from the filmmakers about the characters, settings, and concepts appears throughout, clearly describing the movie's artistic vision, delineating challenges faced and overcome, and presenting much insight into the creative process. This book will mesmerize fans of Tintin in both his print and film incarnations, as well as aspiring artists and teens interested in high-tech movie-making. Arthur Christmas Co-produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Aardamn (the Bristol, England-based studio known for its stop-motion clay animation films featuring Wallace and Gromit) and told with an invigorating dose of British snark and satire, this 3-D CG-animated comedy/adventure even appeals to teens that have outgrown more traditional holiday fare. Arthur Christmas (PG) takes on that timeless question—how does Santa deliver all of those presents in one night?—with humor and panache. Hidden beneath the North Pole is a state-of-the-art facility stocked with the latest high-tech equipment and manned by an army of highly trained elf operatives. Santa (voiced by Jim Broadbent) runs the show, aided by his ever-efficient older son, Steve (Hugh Laurie), while his somewhat bumbling but kindhearted younger son, Arthur (James McAvoy), proudly mans the mail room. When things go wrong on Christmas Eve and one child is left in danger of remaining without a present, it's Arthur who realizes the true enormity of the situation and must find the wherewithal-and courage-to set things right. Send YAs to the official website for a look at the action, online games, and more. Publication Information War Horse: The Making of the Motion Picture. Newmarket Pr. for It Bks./HarperCollins. Dec. 2011. Tr $34.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219261-5. GUISE, Chris. The Art of the Adventures of Tintin. Harper Design/HarperCollins. 2011. Tr $39.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208749-2. The Art & Making of Arthur Christmas. Newmarket Pr. for It Bks./HarperCollins. 2011. Tr $40. ISBN 978-1-55704-997-1. This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. 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Produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, this World War I drama premieres in theaters on December 25. War Horse (PG-13) is based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel of the same title, which has also been adapted for the stage in London and is currently being performed at New York City's Lincoln Center Theater in a Tony Award-winning production. The movie tells the tale of a friendship between a horse named Joey and Albert (Jeremy Irvine), the young man who trains and cares for the animal at his family's small farm in rural England. When Joey is taken into the British cavalry and shipped to France, the story follows the horse's adventures as he encounters and touches the lives of soldiers on both sides of the trench as well as a French farmer and his granddaughter. Meanwhile, Albert remains determined that the two will one day be reunited. Teens can visit the official website to view a trailer and sample the movie's gorgeous cinematography and poignant emotional scope. Click here for info about the media edition of Morpurgo's unforgettable novel (Scholastic, 2011).
Originally featured in a comic strip created by Belgian artist Hergé in 1929—and a cultural icon and favorite action hero ever since—Tintin steps up to take center stage in a 3-D motion capture film (PG) directed by Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson that premieres on December 21. The movie tells the tale of the intrepid young journalist (Jamie Bell) whose pursuit of a story propels him into a fast-paced, globe-trotting, swashbuckling adventure. Accompanied as always by his loyal dog, Snowy, Tintin comes across a model ship that conceals a centuries-old secret and soon finds himself launched into an amazing mystery... a puzzle that also puts him in the sights of a ruthless villain. Teens can visit the official website to get the scoop, watch video trailers, play online games, and more. Click here for info on a Tintin movie novelization for young adults and new reissues of Hergé's graphic novels from Little, Brown.
Teens can find out more about the movie's colorful animation, cleverly imagined plot elements and settings, and delightfully quirky-looking characters in the profusely illustrated pages of The Art & Making of Arthur Christmas (Newmarket, 2011; Gr 6 Up). Beginning with an introduction by director-writer Sarah Smith, who enthusiastically admits to be being "absolutely totally gob-smacked" when she saw the first shots from the movie, the book is divided into three sections: "The Beginnings" introduces the characters and traces their development from early concept sketches through to final CG images (their costumes, gear, and gadgetry are also given a revealing treatment); "How Does He Do It?" recounts the movie's plot through an array of storyboards, production paintings, and film stills along with close-up looks at important locales in Santa's realm (e.g., "Mission Control"); and "The World Outside the North Pole" details the design of true-life settings ranging from the English village of Trelew to Toronto to Africa's Serengeti and more. The array of full-color images-sketches, paintings, concept art, background art, color keys, models, actor photos, and more-are supported by script excerpts and in-depth comments from the movie's creative staff that are both enlightening and entertaining (readers will see from whence the film's offbeat humor springs). For example, Smith describes the "crazy maths" needed to estimate the number of elves and the flying speed necessary to pull off the worldwide disbursement of Christmas presents, and Digital Set Designer Till Nowak comments on making the specifics of the gift-delivery system aboard the S-1 (Santa's state-of-the-art sleighship) believably workable ("If a kid gets a canoe will it go through the scanner?"). Readers will enjoy browsing this volume, and come away with a sense for the amount of planning, effort, imagination, and inspiration necessary to pull off such a major animated undertaking.
