Every serious fan of modern filmmaking owes it to himself or herself to discover the work of Insight Editions. The California-based publisher regularly puts out stunning illustrated books, mostly devoted to the art of filmmaking, television and even comic books. These lavish books have redefined what an "art of the movie" or "making of" volume can be. And there are plenty to choose from.
While not a monster-sized hit, director Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla" proved to be one of the bigger successes of 2014's drab summer box office. Audiences loved it and so did critics -- so much so that Disney even hired Edwards to direct one of the standalone "Star Wars" movies the studio has planned.
Insight Editions teamed with Edwards and his production crew to produce "Godzilla: The Art of Destruction." Don't let the title fool you; this is no mere art book. This over-sized hardcover goes in-depth into the creation of the new Godzilla creature, the MUTOs he fights, the film's characters and settings, on-set production experiences and of course those spectacular visual effects. Mark Cotta Vaz, who's written more of these kinds of volumes than just about anyone, brings his expert eye for detail to the story of how the movie was made.
Most cinema buffs would agree that film is a powerful art form, but some might be surprised at just how much genuine art is created before a single frame is ever shot. Sketches, conceptual paintings, digital renders, storyboards and more are reproduced using the finest, full-color printing techniques. There are also in-depth interviews in the book with cast members Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, David Strathairn and Ken Watanabe. There's even a section devoted to the "Godzilla Experience" that attendees of Comic-Con 2013 got to enjoy, with pictures of the detailed set reconstructions fans got to walk through.
Probably the most prominent and engrossing feature of the book is the journey of designing the new Godzilla. Edwards' production employed a whole team of artists and designers to figure out what their updated monster would look like. Understandably, they stayed far away from the dinosaur-like creature from Roland Emmerich's much-hated 1998 reboot attempt.
The challenge was in finding a way to take Godzilla back to the design he's known for, while making that giant "man in suit" look believable to modern audiences. Dozens of sketches and renders show off the many Godzilla iterations the design team went through, even experimental ideas like what the giant beast might look like with fish qualities or bird features. No stone was left unturned in trying to find the right look, and in the end it came down to deciding on the best proportions for what looked good on camera. The icing on the cake is a huge, 12-page gatefold that unfurls to display many of these design studies side-by-side.
"Godzilla: The Art of Destruction" is a giant, beautiful book that would be equally at home on a coffee table or on a shelf alongside other textbooks on how movies are made. The people at Insight Editions always impress with the quality of what they do, and this grand, exhaustive title is no exception.
Download a PDF sample of the book here.
