Entra nel mondo del team artistico, guidato dallo scenografo tre volte premio Oscar Stuart Craig, che ha creato i personaggi, le location e le creature fantastiche che animano il film tratto dall'omonima opera di J. K. Rowling. "Animali fantastici e dove trovarli. La creazione artistica del film", realizzato da Dermot Power, concept artist del film, condurrà il lettore in un percorso attraverso la creazione dei disegni, un viaggio fantastico come quello di Newt Scamander nel mondo magico: dalle prime riunioni tra artisti, sceneggiatori e registi fino al momento della produzione del film stesso nei Leavensden Studios. Pieno di centinaia di disegni, schizzi, bozzetti, progetti e illustrazioni, e arricchito dal punto di vista unico sulla realizzazione del film di Stuart Craig e degli artisti stessi, questo volume - autorizzato ufficialmente da Warner Bros Consumer Products - accoglierà i fan dei film di Harry Potter nel mondo di "Animali fantastici e dove trovarli". Prefazione di Stuart Craig.
It gets to the point sometimes when I wonder if my comments and reviews are taken seriously for various reasons (although to be honest I write these for myself since I am no reviewer - I leave that to more talented people than I). And one of those reasons is that I heap praise on a book already over loaded with high praise and gushing reviews.
This book is one of them. Now I have long been a fan and ardent follower of film concept books and as such I have a reasonable collection of the great and the good and all in-between. Now this book is one of the very best.
What you have here is a cornucopia of material - from early concept art, the various trials and iterations to finished frames and stills. Yes you have a lot of images and very little text - however the choice of art and how they have been presented tell much of the artistic process without lengthy treaties on how sometime was decided upon or what processed where involved to achieve a certain look.
The other beauty of this book is that you could read it and it not detract from the film - something many "making of" and "artwork of" books could learn from. This ability plus the fact that anyone could pick up this book and be impressed with its contents be them young or old, fan or not makes it an amazing book to own and read. And now we are back to my dilemma first referred to at the beginning of this review - even though I feel all my comments are true will they get lost in all the noise everyone else makes about the Harry Potter franchise and everything that comes out of it- may be - may be not - what I can say is that for me I know what I think.
Had this for years and haven’t dipped in. It’s surprising how interesting the evolution of the concept art is, especially for the beasts themselves. A mix of cgi composite and illustrations. The stuff around old New York I didn’t care about as much, but the majority was really compelling, and there’s a quadruple page spread of concept wands that is especially neat. Ah, back when I thought the series would be cool, and the second one wasn’t out yet, let alone the terrible third.
All the art is digital and I did miss some hand-drawn work, but it was just so fascinating to see the vast multitude of ideas and variations that the artists went through to arrive at their final creature and character designs. The bowtruckle especially went through hundreds of incarnations!
As always, the concept art books are interesting, but lacking in some of the background info regarding the subjects that they depict that I would like to have on hand or at least referenced.
Due to the nature of the book, it is one that (at least for me) doesn't make me want to immediately read through it all. You need to take your time to look at all these images and how the explanations and comments can be found in the drawings and sketches. Which is why it doesn't surprise me it took me so long to finish.
I think this book is incredibly interesting, giving a good look into the design process for all the visual qualities of this film. This was especially valuable when it came to all the elaborate and unique creatures we see in this film. I very much appreciated seeing the changes these creatures went through, and how certain choices were made. It was like seeing a puzzle being made slowly.
The two things I found less great about this book is that I was somewhat disappointed how almost every visual was a computer animated render. I understand that they are needed to make these movies, and they are extremely valuable, I guess I had just hoped to see a few more old fashioned sketches at the start of the process. But that is a personal opinion. Secondly, the book went into a lot of detail not only on the creatures, but also on set elements etc. and sometimes felt somewhat repetitive in how many different examples of very similar things were shown. And though I know this is part of the process, and small changes can have big impacts, it wasn't necessarily fun to read very similar comments again and again.
So in conclusion, I did really enjoy this book and seeing all the different sketches and drawings. Especially as someone who is also in a field of design, it was very interesting. That being said, I do think I would have felt somewhat let down by the contents had I paid the full price for it, as it did leave me with something to be desired.
The book, as it states, is a collection of the concept art behind Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. While the previous books I read focused primarily upon costume design, prop design, and the way the sets were built this book focused upon the actual creation of the pieces before they were brought to life by various departments. The fact the art was computer made in no way diminished its beauty - and man, was it beautiful.
From the architectural designs of 1920s New York City, and the buildings and speakeasies within, to the inside of Newt's case, wand design, and the creation of the beasts themselves (not least of which the Obscurus) the artwork is gorgeous. Small asides from the artists explain the reasoning behind the choices they made, and the Beast section is truly fascinating for all of that. The focus upon functionality behind the beasts, as well as making them believable rather than magic, was incredible to watch in the sketches.
This is a great book, and a beautiful one. Any fan should take a glimpse of it at least once. Even if you aren't a fan, if you like animals the Beast section is worth looking through. Like the medieval bestiaries, it's a fascinating study in how strangely things can be pieced together.
Honestly incredible. I’m obsessed with this book. Not only is it beautiful, but to me it’s a much wanted look inside of the minds of the people who make these films happen. It’s fascinating to see how many iterations and redos and entirely new designs it takes to get to the creatures and places that we know and love. It’s mind blowing but fantastic getting a tiny look into the collaborations that have to take place in order to make the finished product. LOVE these books because I love love love the movies as a whole and absolutely appreciate them as an artistic endeavor and want to see every single second of the process.
It's just plain ridiculous how much effort goes into creating the world for the movies. Seriously. The first third of this book is dedicated entirely to the buildings of 1930s New York, and rightly so. I loved seeing the variety of sketches the artists had. There's so much creative license and it's fascinating to see which direction they ended up going.
Shout out to the platypus for being the inspiration for the niffler! The platypus is the best animal ever!
Fantastiske væsner og hvor de findes – kreativiteten bag filmen af Dermot Power er først og fremmest en FANTASTISK bog, hvis man er Harry Potter/Fantastiske skabninger-fan (og det er man jo) 😉 Bogen er professionelt formidlet, utrolig smuk i design og æstetisk lækker, og ufattelig detaljeret i emner. Man får i den grad dækket sit Fantastiske skabninger-behov, når man har vendt sidste side og det er meant to be for en hardcore fan.
Da jeg så filmede var jeg tryllebundet (*tøhø*) og derfor også glad, da jeg så den anden gang, fordi jeg begyndte at lægge mærke til mere end bare plot og karakterer. Tredje gang (ja, nørd – loud and proud!) begynder man for alvor at lægge mærke til stemning, bygninger og detaljer i filmen. Og derfor er denne bog perfekt, for den går endnu mere i detaljer, så det du måske missede, da du så filmen – det kan du se helt tæt på og i detaljer i denne bog.
Som titlen siger, så handler det om kreativiteten bag filmen, dvs. det scenografiske, steder, detaljer, kostumer, skabninger og meget meget mere. Bogen er opdelt i 6 kapitler: New York, Macusa, Newts kuffert, De fantastiske skabninger, Den blinde gris & Obscurusen. Hvert kapitel er ufattelig detaljeret og man imponeres gang på gang fra ide til tegning til design og videre til slutresultatet.
Det er smukt og fantastisk at være bag scenerne. Der er lagt et stort arbejde i at vække bogen til live – og det lykkes i den grad. Der er kræset for denne bog, både i udtryk og detaljer. Det sætter fantasien i gang, og bedst af alt: minderne.
This book is absolutely beautiful. I will disclose upfront that I am obsessed with books like this. I love learning about what went into the design of characters and creatures whether it be in documentary form (extended editions of Lord of the Rings) or in book form (Art and Design of The Hobbit movies). This book did not disappoint. I will admit that this is a rather expensive vein of book love. However, this book has just enough text to explain the artwork which is visually stunning. I highly recommend this book.
Beautiful book! Loved getting to see some early design work and versions of things that were ultimately set aside in favor of the final versions we see in the film. The book also includes notes so you can read some of the artists' decision making. It was nice reminder that exploring different options for a story isn't wasted time, but rather part of the process.
For fans of Fantastic Beasts (me), those interested in detailed 3D renderings, concept art, architecture and movie making. It is set up as an art book (as you might expect) with most pages featuring glossy pictures with wide white borders along with captions and explanations by the artists who did them.
1) Deutsche Rezension Wie der Film ist das Buch am besten, wenn es Magie enthüllt und nicht nur das 1920er New York City kopiert. Ich verstehe immer noch nicht, wie die Zauberer- und No-Maj-Welten im Film fast identisch aussehen, wenn beide komplett getrennt sein sollen. Die Trennung zwischen ihnen ist zu der Zeit stärker als zwischen Weißen und Schwarzen in den USA und seht die Auswirkungen der Trennung dort. Das Buch brauchte mehr als ein Drittel, bis es sich mit den magischen Kreaturen beschäftigte. Einige der Konzepte hier, wie der Seepferdchen Bowtruckle, sehen viel besser aus als ihre Filmgenossen. Mit anderen wie dem Erumpet und dem Mondkalb haben sie wahrscheinlich die besten Versionen für den Film genommen. Die anderen, besonders die Erumpet sind nicht schlecht, aber verdammt komisch, das hätte für die komödiantische Szene im Film nicht funktioniert.
PS. die anderen Kobolde hier haben rosa Haut, aber die Jazz-Sängerin könnte braune Haut und Afro-Züge gehabt haben .... ok .....
2) English Review Like the movie, the book is at its best when it reveals magic and doesn't just copy 1920s New York City. I still don't understand how in the film the wizard and no-maj worlds look almost identical when both are supposed to be completely segregated. The segregation between them is stronger than between whites and blacks in the USA at the time and look the effect segregation had there. The book took more than a third until it dealt with the magical creatures. Some of the concepts here, like the sea-horse-like Bowtruckle, look much better than their film counterparts. With others like the Erumpet and the Mooncalf they probably took the best versions for the film. The others, especially the Erumpet are not bad but damn they look weird, that would not have worked for the comedic scene in the movie.
PS. the other goblins here have pink skin but the jazz singer might have had brown skin and afro features.... ok.....
It’s no surprise that the Art Of Harry Potter film books are my favourites, besides the books in the actual series, because they explore the creative genius of the teams of artists who put so much work and effort into bringing the stories to life. The author showcases a range of artwork from throughout the story of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, focusing each chapter on a specific major setting and detailing the artwork that went into creating the CGI-enhanced sets, character designs, and of course the beasts that populate the film. Obviously the creation of the various beasts are the real draw to the book, since each went through many different designs before settling on the one that made it to the screen and traditional bestiaries of magical creatures are a passion of mine, so I was engrossed from page one. It was also great to see each artist credited throughout the book, since they may all be working on the same film, but each has their own unique style to bring to the table. I would have honestly liked to see more focus on the artists themselves, maybe in the form of discrete bios which would give fans of fantastic and film artwork more of a portal towards their other work, but the big names and directorial team expectedly take dominance over the team aspect. I have yet to get my hands on the art book for the Crimes of Grindelwald, so I’m curious to see if the art team are the same, or if we see some new members, considering the style of the second film is very distinct from the first.
Beautiful digital concept art in here - especially on the creature and character design, my absolute favourite part.
The book is nicely grouped with a clear focus for each section, however some sections seems to be... more inspired than others?! I would love to have seen a few more details (like signs, window dressings, choice of building materials and so on.) in the first section regarding a historical New York. Some of the pages was wasted on big, boring, copy-paste concept art. However there's also some really interesting points on how they achieved some of those big city-shots without building the entire set, but beautifully merging the physical set with digital structures.
The thoughts, research and concepts going in to more specific elements like Newt's suitcase, the Blind Pig and it's clientele is much more to my liking. It's shown how perspective can be used to make a scene read clearer to the viewer, how small exaggerations or a new colourscheme can really transform a character. I loved seeing the early, rough concept art and how it evolved into fully fledged personas, whole races and impactful sets. I'm definitely going through the "Fantastic Beast"-section again soon, it's the most magical part =)
Ce livre remplis d’illustrations plus magnifiques les unes que les autres est un « must read » pour tous les adeptes du film Fantastic Beasts. On suit l’évolution des différents sketchs ayant servi à créer les différents animaux (ma partie préférée). On y voit aussi comment ils s’y sont pris pour recréer un New York des années 20 lors des tournages qui se sont déroulés en Angleterre.
On voit le cheminement des artistes derrière les caractéristiques de chacun des animaux et pourquoi ils ont choisi tel aspect plutôt qu’un autre. Je vais avouer que je n’avais aucunement conscience de tout le travail nécessaire pour les mener à la vie à l’écran.
Cette lecture me donne simplement envie de réécouter le film et de mon concentrer particulièrement sur les aspects visuels du film plutôt que l’histoire en soit.
I was looking for inspiration, ideas I could build upon, or simply steal. I love friendly monsters, adorable creatures with fangs. The scary made awww, but still scary.
This was not that. This is an ode to the film and it's characters.
Beautiful images, but very limited. It's everything you already knew if you've watched the film. Limited, disappointing, and kinda boring.
I suppose if your a mad fan, looking for a book to have on your shelf to show off. Or maybe you need to relive, but don't want to watch the whole film at that moment..
Ehh, the world is filled with all tastes, all needs, all special babies. I got no issues here, but I won't bother with this again (thank goodness it's a library read).
Die Illustrationen und Zeichnungen im Buch waren ganz toll zum Anschauen und ich hatte viel Freude an den verschiedenen Entwürfen zu den Tierwesen. Leider wurde dieses Buch sehr schlecht lektoriert und/oder übersetzt. In dem wenigen Text, der neben den Bildern zu finden ist, sind unglaublich viele Rechtschreibfehler, Dopplungen und schlichtweg falsche Worte. Ich bin ja sonst Vertreterin der Auffassung, dass jeder Fehler machen kann, aber das war mir viel zu viel.
Una locura el trabajo que hay por detrás de estas películas. Artistas increíbles y de todo tipo. Montones de imágenes y proceso.
Lo único que puedo criticar es que la edición cuenta con imágenes del arte que impresas salieron demasido oscuras y opacan un poco su esplendor. Por todo lo demás, hermoso.
This is the first time I've ever actually gone through a "movie magic" book; and after reading this one, I am sure to do so again!
It is simply fascinating to see the behind-the-scenes of some of the most powerful and evocative moments of a film and exactly how much work is done to accomplish such a feat.
i was SO EXCITED when i got this at the library cause I LOVE FANTASTIC BEASTS (fuck jkr tho)!!! i think i 110% missed the point of the movie though cause i flipped through every page going "i don't care about the beasts i want to see their OUTFITS" it was pretty good and i had fun looking at the pretty concept art but would have loved more about the people in the movie
Really enjoyed reading the book and getting to know at least the behind the scenes of the graphics and the panels when there were making the movies and honestly the art works are simply Amazing!!!!!!!
Es increíble este libro, no sólo te muestra el proceso de creación de escenarios, creaturas y personajes, sino que también te lo explica de forma sencilla y exacta. Es interesante ver las inspiraciones de los artistas, y también los primeros bocetos. La calidad de imagen del libro es espectacular.
The creature design brought this up from 3*...love art books but this is almost all computer-generated and they clearly saved all the interesting stories and production details for other books. Weak.
Really amazing artwork! It's clear that the artists worked hard to get all the creatures right and create the perfect environment. The small descriptions of all the pictures did get a bit repetitive after a while though and reading them felt a bit tedious.
Bastante interesante. Tanto si solo quieres ver el arte en sí y ver cómo se creo todo este nuevo mundo, como si te gusta el aspecto más técnico y quieres conocer cosas más especificas.