The Art of District 9
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
The Art of District 9
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand)
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand)
1st November 2010
New Zealand
Classifications
Young Adult
Non Fiction
Filmmaking and production: technical and background skills
Illustration and commercial art
791.43024
Short-listed for Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Collected Work 2011
Physical Properties
Hardback
160
Width 311mm, Height 246mm, Spine 21mm
1330g
Description
Under the supervision of multi Academy Award winner Richard Taylor, Weta Workshop was responsible for the design of the creatures and technology for director Neill Blomkamp's 2009 feature film, District 9. Weta Workshop's artists created he physical creature and special make-up effects elements, the alien weapons and special props, armour, custom vehicles and developed the graphic language that defined the film's distinctive alien aesthetic. This book illuminates the creative design process, detailing two years of interaction between Weta's artists and District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, including hundreds of images of concept art from both the designers and director, museum quality photographs of the props and sculptures, and insights in the form of quotes directly from the artists. Many of the images included have never been made public before, including some that were cut or barely glimpsed in the finished film. Written by designer Daniel Falconer, with a foreword by Neill Blomkamp and introduction by Richard Taylor, The Art of District 9 offers an unrivalled glimpse behind the scenes at the creative processes that shaped all of Weta Workshop's contributions to this amazing film.
Reviews
What makes Blomfeld's film so radical is the clarity and force with which it proves that science fiction can tell us as much about the world we live in as any social documentary.
Telegraph
A towering achievement.
The Times
The digital effects are so great they make it look like a documentary from hell.
Guardian
Author Bio
Daniel Falconer has been a designer at Weta Workshop for more than a decade, producing conceptual art as part of the design team on many of the company's high profile projects. Daniel wrote and collated Weta's first two books, The World of Kong and The Crafting of Narnia, art books showcasing the illustrative work of the entire design department on King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia movies. He lives in Wellington with his wife Catherine and two daughters.
