Article Summary: a book review of The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio.
Book Review: The Winston Effect
This is a review of The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio (published November 1, 2006). It is a great and resourceful work with equal parts written content of visuals/photography. It truly gives the reader an appreciation for the impact Stan Winston has had on many important films in the last several decades. Recommended regardless of your interest in effects; interesting look into the film making process.
Overview (from the publisher)
For over 30 years, the amazing 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 terrifying dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and the fanciful character of Edward Scissorhands.
Now, at last, he’s opening up the Stan Winston Studios 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 exclusive photographs straight from the studio archives, this is a landmark book in cinema history! 336 pages
Book Facts (from the publisher)
The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio (Hardcover)
by Jody Duncan (Author)List Price 49.95
Amazon.com $32.97# Hardcover: 336 pages
# Publisher: Titan Books; 1 edition (November 1, 2006)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1845761502
# ISBN-13: 978-1845761509
# Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 10.2 x 1.3 inches
# Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
Written Content (7/10)
This book is well-written, interesting, and well organized. Overall, you truly gain an appreciation for how much work goes into visuals and effects, some of which are seen on screen for only seconds and glimpses.
You also learn how much of what can be done and how it can be done impacts the development and realization of a film product.
It’s really just astounding how much work, detail, and raw ingenuity goes into the realization of these visuals and effects – it’s amazing.
If I have one criticism of the content it is that generally equal amounts of content are devoted to unequal works of film. I would have personally been interested in more on Edward Scissorhands and less of, say The Island of Dr. Moreau, but that’s just me.
Visual Collateral (8/10)
This is, of course, the bigger draw to the book – the images. Of the over 300 pages, there are full color images to look at on every single page. A great deal of it is behind the scenes and making of-style images, which are great (much of which I’ve never seen) as well as publicity stills, screencaps, illustrations, etc.
Of particular interest are the studio shots and those showing technicians and actors at work.
Some of the large scale pieces are amazing, like the full scale T-Rex from Jurassic Park.
What more can I say other than tons of eye candy which is more than enough reason to buy the book. Great stuff.
Presentation/Quality (7/10)
It’s the typical nice-looking hardcover book with a reflective yet not “fingerprint magnet” jacket. The actual book underneath the jacket is all black textured material with silver title stamped just as it appears on the jacket.
The interior pages are of a high quality, and I get the impression it will hold up to handling quite well. Again, not of the “fingerprint magnet” variety so it encourages flipping around.
The content of the book is laid out in chronological order, with some focus on various elements not specific to films along the way (such as Stan Winston Digital, etc). There’s also a nice double gate fold pull-out towards the back of the book, an awards listing, a filmography, a listing of the people that have been part of the studio, and a comprehensive index.
In summary, a nice “coffee book-style” piece that has great imagery but is a bit dense in terms of actual written content. Comes across to me more as a work you’d make your way through chronologically.
Overall Value (7/10)
The retail price is $49.95, which is fair enough for a book of this size, scope, and quality.
It can currently be had via Amazon.com for $33 which isn’t a huge discount, but the book is well worth $30 if you have an interest in the films and the effects studio. I think it is worth it, even though I personally had zero interest in some of the films covered in the book. An excellent resource for fans of the Terminator and Jurassic Park films, Predator, Edward Scissorhands, and other favorites.
Conclusion and Overall Rating (7/10)
I would characterize this book as a great addition to your library if you have any interest at all in Stan Winston or some of the films he has worked on. There are equal amounts of both written and visual content, most of which is unique to this release. It is an interesting book with a wealth of information, but it didn’t absolutely blow me away either. Given that it is more about Winston and his work (hence the title of the book) first, and the films second, it might be more appealing to those that are more interested in actual effects and that side of the movie making process.
Jason De Bord