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Industrial Light And Magic Presents: Making Solo: A Star Wars Story Book Review

“Industrial Light And Magic Presents: Making Solo: A Star Wars Story” is pure heaven for SW fans.

Written by Rob Bredow, “Industrial Light And Magic Presents: Making Solo: A Star Wars Story” (try saying that five times fast) is a big coffee table book that is essentially from Bredow’s POV of working on the film in the pre-production, production, and post-production phases. Really, it almost feels like one big diary that happens to include epic color and B&W behind-the-scenes photos.

Anyway, the book kicks off with an honest and insightful foreword by director Ron Howard along with an intro by Bredow (the VFX supervisor and coproducer) in which he talks about his career and what SW means to him. After that, the book is divided into various sections about the making of portions of the film ala location shooting (and sometimes scouting) for Vandor, Savareen, the Fawley Power Station, Kessel, the Millennium Falcon, the Sabacc game, Pinewood Studios, and the train heist and speeder chase sequences. That just scrapes the surface, however, as the book also contains cast and crew member quotes, Lucasfilm archive pics, pieces on select characters, additional photography and stunt testing, how scenes were constructed, insight into VFX and VFX rendering, interviews with first camera operator Sylvaine Dufaux, creature effects supervisor Neil Scanlan, visual effects producer T.J. Falls, a page on how the train heist explosion was made and much more.

Even though the movie underperformed, I’m glad that we get another book centered around the vastly underrated “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (seriously, see this movie if you haven’t) and what a book it is! While there’s plenty of fascinating written content within these pages, the hundreds of photos within these pages are what really standout. Whether you’re gazing at the aerial photography showcasing breathtaking vistas, seeing a more up close look at aliens (note that wonderful 2 page spread of the Sabacc players), looking at Warwick Davis on set in various roles, or seeing shots of cut scenes ala Han and Chewie riding beasts, there’s so much to pour over here.

In addition to all the visual goodness on display, you get such a glimpse into the entire production of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” through all its phases. If you have an interest in such fields as VFX and cinematography, this book may be up your alley due to the numerous behind-the-scenes stories about them.

Now, I could go on and on about the section on the Holochess table creation and so forth, but I’m not here to spoil all the contents. This is the type of book that is best experienced on your own. Check it out.

April 15, 2019 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Industrial Light And Magic Presents: Making Solo: A Star Wars Story Book Review, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Book