The Art of Film Magic: 20 Years of Weta

Weta has done so much amazing work over the years, and this book is a celebration of the company's history and it's contribution to the movies. This book is actually two volumes - one for Weta Digital (computer effects and animation) and one for Weta Workshop (practical effects, models, props, etc). I tend to find the Weta Workshop book a bit more exciting, because everything is actually made - whether it is Iron Man's suit, Wikus' gun in "District 9", or thousands of different swords for films like "The Hobbit" and "The Last Samurai". They do a lot of great work on various creature features, specializing in animatronics and prosthetics. The designs are so great and fan enthusiasm is so high that Weta has actually been able to produce various prop replicas, which are sold on their website and often sell out. But equally impressive (and perhaps more complex) are the innovations that Weta Digital is making on the virtual side of things. In particular, their pioneering of performance capture with movies like "Lord of the Rings", "The Adventures of Tintin", and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is nothing short of a game-changer in filmmaking. This company has brought to life almost every one of the most impressive CGI characters you can think of - whether it is King Kong, Gollum, or Smaug the dragon. The company has pushed the effects industry forward in a number of ways -- digital lighting and light scattering; tissues and textures; improvements in the stereo (3D) pipeline; etc. These books are absolutely worth owning. The text is rich with detail and insightful information. One of my favorite things is that scattered throughout the book are quotes and experiences from a bunch of different people - it's great to hear about the films directly from the artists/craftsmen who work on them. Emphasis is placed on the fact that Weta constantly goes into uncharted territory and each production has various challenges that had to be overcome in order for the project to be successful. The Weta Workshop book has a foreword by Peter Jackson and an introduction by Richard Taylor. The Weta Digital book has an intro by Joe Letteri. But of course, the most important aspect of these books are the imagery. For Weta Workshop: behind the scenes at the workshop, building sets, prop molds, actors in the makeup chair, models and miniatures, etc. For Weta Digital: on set w/ green screen, the mo-cap stage, visual effects progressions, digital models, etc. Images are abundant and range from very small to nearly full-page; most of them are very high-resolution and clear (though there are some behind the scenes photos that are not as sharp, but it's worth a look anyway). Finally, at the end of both books is a timeline/filmography, where you can see the totality of the company's work thus far. If there is one thing I'd like to see more of, it's concept art. These books tend to feature the finished product more than anything else, but I am also interested in seeing first concepts (even if they were unused) from early in the process. While the books have plenty of imagery and photographs, it is a bit spare on concept artwork. Fortunately, there are separately available art books available for movies like The Hobbit, District 9, and others (most of which do feature a lot of concept art). If you are a fan of Weta, creative filmmaking, or just movies in general, then this book is worthy of your time (especially if you are curious about the process). The price tag is higher than I usually pay for movie art books; but as a collector I can say this is easily one of the nicest books on my shelf. For more reviews of Film & TV related books, visit MovieArtBook(dot)com

It is a beautiful book and well worth it as a film fan. The books give a great overview of Weta and Weta Digital's growth as a company and it is exciting to see their progression through the years. Be aware that as the book covers such a wide span of time and projects you get more of a surface view of then a really in depth detailed account of every step of the process. However it is still filled with great anecdotes and facts that make it enjoyable to peruse.

My husband ordered this as he's always been a big movie buff, with emphasis on special effects. His favorite character is, of course, Kong, and he has much respect for Peter King and the people at WETA. He is very knowledgeable about this subject, as he is often a guest on Movie Night on a local talk show, so he poured over this book and gave it an A rating. Well worth every penny, and more

I have to admit that I did'nt know much about Weta studios. But I am pleasantly amazed at the variety of films and television shows coming out of this studio. Once I saw Peter Jackson's films, I was introduced to this studio. They are clearly more than just the Ring trilogy, and the Hobbit. I have viewed the Jane and the Dragon tv series, and found it to be very interesting. I did'nt know that Weta was involved in the Avatar and King Kong movies, I very much enjoyed the special effects in both films. Its amazing that such an out of the way studio could produce such incredible work. I certainly recommend these books to anyone wanting to learn more about the people behind the Peter Jackson films. JRV

El contenido muy bueno lo único es que llego con algunos rasguños pequeños y esquinas golpeadas

Thick pages, full color, amazing artwork, excellent photography, very very impressive gift for my son who lives movies and sci-fi

Beautiful! This is a fabulous set of books; I would definitely recommend it for film lovers, especially those who like behind the scenes stuff. The history of Weta included in the book is also sure to interest. Pretty good price point, too, I'd say. The books are fairly long and in full color, plus with the protective slip case, I'd say it's worth it.

Took a tour at the Weta Studio in Wellington, NZ. Saw this in the gift shop and wanted to get it then. Looked up the price online verse the one in the studio and found it to be less expensive here. Awesome studio tour though! If you ever get the pleasure of going to Wellington, the Weta Studios is a must see!!!

Das "dicke Werk" kommt in 2 Bänden: Weta Digital (Computer-Tricks) und Weta Workshop (Handarbeiten für die Filme). Es werden alle Weta-Filme und Projekte von 1994 bis 2014 beschrieben. Man erhält quasi ein zweibändiges Lehrbuch zur Tricktechnik der Weta mit vielen schönen Bildern :-) Das manche Bildqualität nicht ganz optimal ist, dürfte Absicht sein: Die Bücher laden vor allem dazu ein, die Kunstwerke selbst, also die Filme dazu, neu zu sehen... Mit dabei sind zudem auch die "Frühwerke" von Peter Jackson (vor der Weta) : Meet the feables, Bad Taste, Braindead - da freut sich auch der Rasenmäher auf dem Friedhof ;-) Die Bücher sind natürlich in englische Sprache - auf deutsch wären sie wohl unbezahlbar - auf englisch sind sie hier recht günstig für das, was hier geboten wird.

Ce coffret "The Art of Film Magic: 20 Years of Weta" contient deux magnifiques Artbooks. un Artbook est dédié aux effets spéciaux numériques et l'autre aux maquettes et maquillages. Ils retracent 20 ans d'effets spéciaux chez WETA. J'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à les lire. Ces Artbooks regorgent de photos et d'infos, pour beaucoup inédites. Bien sûr, c'est en anglais, mais pour celui que la langue de Shakespeare ne rebute pas, c'est un "must have".

Para quem é fã e tem curiosidades sobre o que rola atrás das câmeras e como o trabalho dos artistas é feito, esses dois livros vão te satisfazer por conteúdo, imagens e curiosidades sobre a Weta. Acabamento perfeito com luva e capas duras. Recomendo 100%

I was thrilled when this collection arrived. It looks and feels amazing. It is amazing. This is a huge two-volume slipcased set. It's quite heavy so if you're buying from Amazon, there might be an additional weight surcharge depending on the shipping location and speed. For overseas buyers, I recommend checking out the book at Book Depository because their prices are inclusive of shipping and the overall price may be slightly cheaper. The slipcase is gorgeous and stunning. It holds two hardcovers within, namely Weta Workshop: Celebrating 20 Years of Creativity and Weta Digital: 20 Years of Imagination on Screen, for a total of 464 pages. Weta today is made up of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, and hence the books are split as such. The books detail the history of Weta and all the work they have done for over two decades in chronological order. It's filled with insightful writeup that's bound to delight movie fans, especially those who like reading behind-the-scenes materials. There are many little bits of interesting information, like where their name Weta came from, the puppets they made for theatre, props for advertising, the sleep-deprived nights spent traveling from sets to sets. Those were the early days for Weta Workshop. They were already quite good and then came the big break that is The Lord of The Rings that made them even more prominent as a special effects company. Other then films, they have also created a lot of non-film related projects, such as TV programs like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, shows for children, high-end collectibles, published artbooks and even put up public sculptures. All those are in the books, complete with commentary talking about their other ventures and challenges. The pictures included comprise behind-the-scenes photos, graphics on how they create digital effects, film stills and more. You'll see photos of armour, weapons, miniatures, creatures and prosthetic make up. There are also pictures looking at how they do motion capture, editing, blending live backgrounds with computer graphics, rotoscoping, compositing and many more. It's an insightful look at film production from the perspective of Weta. You'll read about stuff like how they manage battle scenes in LOTR, create skin textures for the Na'vis in Avatar, use digi-doubles in films such as the digital Captain America that jumped out of the jet in Avengers, and many more. All the films that they have worked on are given a decent amount of writeup. It's very satisfying to read through all the information. Authors Luke Hawker and Clare Burgess have both worked at Weta Workshop and Digital respectively for more than a decade. They have done a terrific job with the books. The Art of Film Magic: 20 Years of Weta is an wonderful collection of stories and images from a very well respected high calibre company in the movie industry. This is one of my favourite books from 2014. Highly recommended to movie fans, digital artists and those who love movie companion books. (See more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Una raccolta veramente soddisfacente di tutta la folgorante carriera della Weta. Imperdibile per gli appassionati di cinema e del fantastico.