Check out my review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of Planet of the Apes: The Art of the Films art book by Matt Hurwitz, Sharon Gosling and Adam Newell!
Click on the images to enlarge.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of Planet of the Apes: The Art of the Films* is a 173 page hardcover book by Titan Books published on July 8, 2014 to tie-in with the release of the film. It's written in English and is 12.1 x 11 x 0.8 inches (273 x 302 mm) and weighs in at a shipping weight of 3.3 pounds. It features full-color concept art, illustrations, photos, diagrams and with a foreward by director Matt Reeves.
Here's the official description: "The perfect companion for Planets of the Apes fans tying in in with the release of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, revealing the production photography and concept art behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."
The purpose of the book is to give insight into the making and development of the two films with it mainly focussing on the second film.The insights it provides are fascinating and you get to understand all the little details that go into making a film like this. From the set design, character design and special effects like the motion capture for the apes like Ceasar and the use of digital composited shots like the San Fransisco bridge. There are also posters from the films and infographics detailing the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, they didn't list any of the artists that worked on the film or what artwork they produced, but I recognize several artists like Jerad S. Marantz, Claude Pare and Aaron Simms Company. Matt Hurwitz is a Los Angeles-based entertainment journalist who co-authored The Complete X-Files and writes from major magazines like Variety,The Hollywood Reporter and Reuters. Sharon Gosling has written several companion books for Stargate SG-1 and other properties. I couldn't find anything on Adam Newell, but the three of them have created a very insightful book on the making of a major motion picture.
The book is very study and has a textured feel to the cover that is broken by smooth parts for Caesar’s face and piercing eyes. The title is silver embossed and brilliant red. The pages are glossy and brilliantly colored with an easy-to-read font and well-designed layout.
It's a wonderful book and makes up for the missing artbook for the last film. You'll enjoy every minute of this book. My only warning is that it has spoilers from Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but you can enjoy 90% of the book without seeing the movie.
You can buy Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of Planet of the Apes: The Art of the Films from Titan Books directly or from Amazon.comClick on the links if you want to see more of my book reviews or Rise of the Planet of the Apesand Dawn of Planet of the Apes artwork on my blog.
*Book provided by Titan Books for review. No compensation was made in any way. My opinions are my own and do not reflect the views of Titan Books,Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation or Apjac Productions, Inc.
If you've seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes or Dawn of Planet of the Apes what do you think of the designs?What do you think of the book?
Copyright 2014 Planet of the Apes 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Apjac Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes & 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Follow @filmsketchr