Title: The Making of Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Author: Laurent Bouzereau & Judy Duncan
ISBN: 0345431197
Publisher: Del Rey
Copyright: 1999
Reviewed by LadyAeryn
Perhaps one slight drawback of as technologically elaborate and vast a production as a Star Wars film is that much of the currently published behind-the-scenes material on the films tends to focus more on the technical aspects of production, and less on the evolution of the story. The Making of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which details the making of the first prequel film, is no exception to this trend. That aside, it's still an incredibly thorough and impressive account of the evolution of The Phantom Menace from storyboard to screen.
Following the introduction, the book is divided chronologically into three major sections, each focusing on a specific stage of production (and each taking their name from quotes from George Lucas about the process). The first section briefly overviews the story of the Episode I script before launching full-bore into the pre-production process: concept artwork, casting, location scouting, set design. Following sections detail the actual shooting (including the simultaneous joys and headaches of on-location filming in places like Tunisia) and the new special effects technology from Industrial Light and Magic, and how it gave Lucas the means to realize his vision for the Star Wars world more accurately and seamlessly than the technology of the time period of the original trilogy had permitted.
As mentioned earlier, the one major potential drawback of this book, at least for those more interested in the storytelling aspect of the films, is that it focuses very little on the development of the film's story and characters. But Bouzereau and Duncan's fondness and dedication to the subject matter still comes through clearly, making the book a fascinating and enjoyable read even for those who aren't as interested in aspects such as the rendering of CGI Gungan armor. The nearly staggering amount of detail in each page makes this book is a testament to the effort the authors' efforts, and makes "The Making of" perhaps the next best thing -- on paper at least -- to a walking tour of the film sets themselves.
And for those who simply prefer a visual medium to the textual, this book has a wealth of pretty pictures on nearly every page, which on their own provide a well-rounded summary of Episode I's making. The preproduction section, for instance, contains dozens of pieces of concept artwork covering everything from Queen Amidala's gowns to Trade Federation battle tanks to set design.
This book is an excellent addition to any Star Wars coffee-table book collection. It's still in print and easily locatable either at your local library, or online at bookstores such as Amazon.com.
