Explore the lives and creative worlds of makeup artists, monster makers, and special effects professionals through biographies, concept art, behind-the-scenes looks, interviews, and more. These books offer a fascinating glimpse into the workshops and careers of some of the industry’s most talented artists.
Masters of Make-Up Effects
A Century of Practical Magic (Hollywood Monsters)
By Howard Berger and Marshall Julius
Dive into the fascinating world of movie make-up effects with this stunning illustrated oral history of the art form.
Masters of Make-Up Effects is a celebration of make-up artists and acclaimed make-up effects from the world of film and television. Authors Howard Berger and Marshall Julius have gleaned untold stories from the sets of cult classics (Planet of the Apes, An American Werewolf in London, The Thing), fan-favorite film and TV franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter and the MCU) and modern blockbusters like Dune to chart the fascinating evolution of an industry.
Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos, many of which have never before been seen in print or on social media, it showcases some of the most iconic make-up effects of all time, while revealing how they came to be in the artists’ own words.
Featuring a foreword by Guillermo del Toro, an afterword by Seth MacFarlane, and contributions from more than 50 make-up effects legends, as well as iconic actors including Doug Jones, Robert Englund, James McAvoy and Doug Bradley, and directors Mick Garris and John Landis, Masters of Make-up Effects is the most complete book on movie make-up history ever assembled, and a must read for cinema fans everywhere.
Inside Stories from the Creators of Hollywood’s Most Iconic Creatures (Hollywood Monsters)
By Howard Berger and Marshall Julius
“A magnificent piece of work. Making Monsters is a brilliant book on the history of creature FX and cinema.” – John Carpenter
Explore behind the scenes of the greatest monster movies ever made!
What makes a great movie monster? Academy Award-winning make-up effects artist Howard Berger and acclaimed journalist Marshall Julius have spoken to dozens of film industry legends to find out.
A celebration of monsters, monster movies and monster movie makers, Making Monsters delivers an illuminating, entertaining and accessible oral history of the genre, gathering an enviable array of A-list talent from make-up and digital effects legends (Tom Savini, Phil Tippett) to directors (John Carpenter, Ti West), actors (Simon Pegg, Barbara Crampton), composers (Michael Giacchino) and writers (Russell T Davies).
Packed with hundreds of images, from film stills to personal, behind-the-scenes pictures from dozens of interview subjects – many never before published – Making Monsters is a treasure trove of monstrous creations, and the stories behind them, that is sure to make fans jump, scream and howl with delight.
The secret of Hollywood’s Monster Makers. Mark Salisbury and Alan Hedgecock look at the master makeup artists who have, in the 20 years since “The Exorcist”, proven themselves to be the leaders in their craft.
This book is filled with behind the scenes shots from well known movies and information abput some of the best makeup fx artists and monster makers in the industry.
Widely regarded as the ‘godfather’ of modern makeup effects, Dick Smith’s extensive career covers such cinematic classics as Little Big Man, The Exorcist, Altered States, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Midnight Cowboy, Starman, Scanners and Ghost Story. As well as an Emmy, a BAFTA and two Saturn Awards, Smith earned an Oscar in 1985 for his stunning aging makeup on F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus, and an Honorary Oscar in 2012.
Aside from his own long career, Smith devoted a huge part of his life to mentoring and advising young makeup artists. Contrary to the often secretive nature of his trade, Smith shared information willingly, first with his 1965 Dick Smith’s Do-It Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook, and later, his Basic and Advanced Professional Makeup Course, the recipients of which include numerous Oscar nominees and winners.
Dick Smith: The Godfather of Makeup examines Smith’s life and career, from his early student makeups created as a prankster at Yale, to his tenure as NBC’s first makeup department head during the era of live television, and finally his decades-long freelance career. In addition to extensive first-hand conversations with Smith himself, the book interviews dozens of friends, family, and co-workers, and is accompanied by hundreds of rare images, many from Smith’s own archives. Over a decade in the making, it’s the most comprehensive look at the iconic makeup legend ever published.
What can you say about Tom Savini? Well, the facts work just fine for this multi-hit wonder. He created the zombies and all of the iconic special makeup effects for the mother of all zombie movies, DAWN OF THE DEAD. He created Jason, one of the most prolific movie villains of all time, for the movie franchise FRIDAY THE 13THand for the mega-hit video game. He created Leatherface in the much-loved fan favorite TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART TWO. He created the crate creature Fluffy, the grave-rising cadaver Nate, and all of the twisted, cockroach-filled, water-soaked zombies for the five horrific chapters of the movie CREEPSHOW and continued to dazzle audiences with his work on a dozen other horror movies in his career as a special makeup effects magician. He played the crotch rocket-wearing character Sex Machine in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN and mesmerized movie-goers with his many other standout roles as an actor, including those in GRINDHOUSE, MACHETE, and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. He directed three of the most memorable episodes of the television series TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE and the much loved and respected remake of the movie NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and most recently he was called upon by his pal Greg Nicotero to direct an episode of the new Creepshow television series for AMC’s Shudder.
In this beautiful picture book, Tom, in his own unique writing style, tells his life story, discusses his movies, shares anecdotes, give his opinions, and of course, talks about the movies in a way only Tom can.
For over 30 years, Stan Winston and his team of artists and technicians have been creating characters, creatures and monsters for the silver screen, from The Terminator and the extraterrestrial monstrosities of Aliens and Predator to the amazing dinosaurs of Jurassic Parkand the fanciful character of Edward Scissorhands.
Now, at last, he’s opening up the Stan Winston Studio to collaborate on the first-ever book to reveal all the behind-the-scenes secrets of his groundbreaking and hugely influential artistry and effects work.
Featuring an extensive array of sketches, production art, and photographs straight from the studio archives, this is the book his fans have been waiting for!
Dive deep into the mind of award-winning special effects makeup legend Steve Johnson – the Hunter S. Thompson of Horror who’s designed special effects for Ghostbusters, The Abyss, and An American Werewolf in London.
The insane journey of illustrious Special FX artist Steve Johnson continues in Volume II; that’s right, more drugs, more sex and more stories from some of Hollywood’s greatest movies. This time, Steve’s beautiful and unique writing style takes us on a haunting journey about never being able to get over a friend who took his own life while working on Fright Night. From his own plastic surgery obsession to working on the ill-fated Nicholas Cage Supermanmovie to being fired from the set of Predator to being sucked into a graphic novel, Steve’s story is legendary.
Join Steve as he continues traveling through his life as he observes his insane achievements as well as his failures of epic proportion. Johnson’s uniquely creative writing turns his life story into a wild ride that you just can’t stop. Thankfully, there is more volumes to come!
Behind the Scenes Photos, Never Seen Before from: Big Trouble in Little China, Fright Night, Poltergeist II, The Cat in the Hat, The Village, Species, Species II, Monkeyboneand Bicentennial Man.
In addition, there is the crazy concept art and FX tests from movies that Steve…almost worked on, which includes, The Lost Boys, Super Man Lives, Predator, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Love Guru, The Jetsons, Iron Man, Lost in Oz, Planet of the Apes, Constantine, Alien vs. Predator andWar of the Worlds.
A behind-the-scenes look into the careers and creations of Hollywood’s most talented makeup artists reveals how they have created, through gimmickry and artistry, movie monsters from Frankenstein to Star Wars. With over 400 illustrations.
From Rocky to Star Trek The Amazing Creations of Hollywood's Michael Westmore
By Michael Westmore and Jake Page
A peek behind the Hollywood mask by one of its foremost makeup artists
In Hollywood’s heyday, almost every major studio had a Westmore heading up the makeup department. Since 1917, there has never been a time when Westmores weren’t shaping the visages of stardom. For their century-long dedication to the art of makeup, the Westmores were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. In this lively memoir, Michael Westmore not only regales us with tales of Hollywood’s golden age, but also from his own career where he notably transformed Sylvester Stallone into Rocky Balboa and Robert DiNiro into Jake LaMotta, among many other makeup miracles.
Westmore’s talent as a makeup artist first became apparent when he created impenetrable disguises for Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Frank Sinatra for the 1963 film The List of Adrian Messenger. He later went on to become the preferred makeup man for Bobby Darin and Elizabeth Taylor, and worked on such movies and TV shows as The Munsters, Rosemary’s Baby, Eleanor and Franklin, New York, New York, 2010: A Space Odyssey, and Mask, for which he won an academy award. The next phase of his career was to create hundreds of alien characters for over 600 episodes of Star Trek in all its iterations, from The Next Generation to Enterprise.
Replete with anecdotes about Hollywood and its stars, from Bette Davis’s preference for being made-up in the nude to Shelley Winters’s habit of nipping from a “little bottle” while on the set, Makeup Man will satisfy any Hollywood’s fan’s appetite for gossip or a behind-the-scenes look at how tinsel town’s most iconic film characters were created.
Academy Award-winning Michael Westmore has been making up the stars for over fifty years. He frequently appears on the SyFy channel show Face Off with his daughter McKenzie Westmore.
A Glimpse into the Wondrous World of Special Effects Makeup and Fine Art of Akihito
By Akihito Ikeda
Akihito brings inimitable and interesting characters to life. The Heart of Art welcomes one to look deeper into the creative process and motivation behind the work of Akihito. Whether you are a designer, sculptor, makeup artist, or fine artist, this book will regale, challenge and inspire. The Heart of Art features the extraordinary work of an artist that creates characters that meld a love of Japan, its culture, and its rich history into fantastic works.
With the release of Star Trek Beyond in 2016, viewers were given a spectacular visual treat as a whole host of new aliens made their appearance for the first time in the rebooted franchise.
At the heart of the process of bringing these breathtaking intergalactic species to life was Academy Award-winning make-up artist Joel Harlow. Together with his team of amazingly talented creatives, Harlow set to work on creating aliens from over 50 different races for the film and documented the entire creative process for each one in exhaustive detail, from preliminary sketches to final make-up application.
Star Trek Beyond – The Makeup Artistry of Joel Harlow presents the extraordinary work done by Harlow and his crew. Featuring fascinating pencil sketches, stunning concept art and beautiful photography, this visually arresting book gives fans a unique in-depth look into the remarkable work that went into this immensely popular movie.
By J. W. Rinzler, Brandon Alinger, John Landis, Peter Jackson and Dick Smith
The definitive visual history of the thrilling make-up artistry of the legendary Rick Baker, a must-have for collectors and special effects afficionados.
From the gory zombies of Michael Jackson’s Thriller to the staggeringly lifelike results of Bigfoot in Harry and the Hendersons to the groundbreaking effects in An American Werewolf in London, Baker’s special effects, makeup, and prosthetics are some of Hollywood’s most enduring legacies. This deluxe, two-volume set is replete with more than 1000 four-colour images and original sketches. It covers the makeup artist’s 40-plus-year journey, from his early days as a young “monster maker”, creating body parts in his parents’ kitchen, to his more than 70 film and television credits–that earned seven Academy Awards, one Emmy, and three BAFTAs, among numerous other awards.
Cinema is illusion, and in this book you’ll find profiles of twelve masters of screen magic, the best you can find in Hollywood, including:
–Dick Smith, a living legend whose work has graced The Godfather, The Hunger, and many other films
–Stan Winston, the man behind Terminator 2, Jurrasic Park and Aliens
–Tom Savini, whose work for George A. Romero’s “Living Dead” movies made him a leader in the milieu of splatter effects
–Rick Baker, whose apes have conquered the screen in Greystoke, Congo, and Gorillas in the Mist
These masters and eight other specialists-including today’s hottest talents, such as Bob (Hellraiser), Keen, Kevin (Child’s Play) Yagher, and Tony (Addams Family Values) Gardner-offer details looks at the art and craft of movie makeup.
From foam latex to complicated puppetry, it’s all here in this essential handbook. With many rare and illuminating photos-including eight pages in color-this book is invaluable for anyone interested in learning the craft of movie makeup and fascinating reading for anyone who ever wondered, How did they do that?
Using his unique and personal narrative, Shannon shares his funny, embarrassing, and brutally honest life story, detailing his journey from a monster obsessed Louisiana kid to co-supervising the creation of the iconic alien hunter from the film Predator along with his countless other iconic film creations. A must for any film fan, Rubber, will give fans a behind the scenes look at such classics as House, Star Trek IV, Evil Dead II and much more
Learn everything there is to know about special effects in films and what it goes into designing iconic monsters that still show up in nightmares in Monsters in the Movies. From B-movie bogeymen and outer space oddities to big-budget terrors, legendary filmmaker John Landis showcases the greatest monsters ever to creep, fly, slither, stalk, or rampage through theaters!
Landis provides his own unique and entertaining insights into the world of moviemaking, and hosts in-depth conversations with leading monster makers, including David Cronenberg, Christopher Lee, John Carpenter, and Sam Raimi, to discuss the art of monster making. He also surveys the historical origins of the archetypal monsters, such as vampires, zombies, and werewolves.
Go behind the scenes to discover the secrets of the special-effects wizards who created legendary frighteners like King Kong, Dracula, and Halloween‘s Michael Myers.
With more than 1,000 stunning movie stills and posters, Monsters in the Movies is sure to keep even the most intense fright-seekers at the edge of their seats for hours!
Do you know of any books that should be on this list? We'd love to hear from you - get in touch! We're always looking to expand our collection with books covering makeup artists, monster makers, special effects, prop making, stagecraft, and more.
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