Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy

I'm really happy I purchased this. I love the look of alot of the drawings/art. Although this is a 'story boards' book, alot of the artwork is great that I admired (alongside some basic drawings that are there to instruct and serve the production). There are some commentaries that I found interesting also. A fun read.

Beautifully presented (and weighty) book featuring exception artwork from the Lucasfilm archives. A sublime selection of key storyboards, including a never released scene where Obi-Wan escapes the Death Star. Also notable for some early work from future Hollywood director, Joe Johnson. A literal work of art. Good value, too.

As a Storyboard Artist, I have found this book to be a fascinating insight into how the trilogy evolved from the early stages of film production. By looking at the earliest sketches, you can really get a sense of the artist's collaboration with the directors and to see how the characters had developed in these shots. It also highlights the wonderful draftsmanship, composition and layout, which I will carry over into my work. Even for my 5-year-old daughter loves this book, and being a fan of the series it's one of her favourite 'picture books'.

Best Star Wars book I have ever bought - just a joy to read (well look at the pictures)! What more is there to say?

When I Iwas growing up, there weren't DVD's with behind the scenes featuretts or deleted scenes - so storyboards in books were the only way to access what 'could have been' in a scene or the film. It's amazing to see them here, all together - how the scenes were originally visualised. As a storyboard artist myself, it is wonderful to see hand rendered images for storytelling as opposed to 'animatics' that go with so many modern films and blockbusters. A joy to own!

A look at the original hand drawn storyboards from the original Star Wars trilogy. Some of the artwork is simply superb featuring the likes of Joe Johnston and of course Ralph McQuarrie. From each strip you can clearly see how they brought the visions of George Lucas and the various artists to life on the screen. Alongside the art are notes from the artists detailing the thoughts and processes behind the boards as well as some storyboards of scenes that didn't make it on screen. All you need is John Williams' legendary soundtrack score playing in the background when reading this. If you love Star Wars then I would recommend getting this hardcover book.

I really love this book, as an illustrator I can truly appreciate this for the behind the scenes work that went into three movies that helped inspire me today. As a fan I am constantly rereading this book and being able to understand the story is a whole new light as if a grade A graphic novel. If you are a true star wars fan or just looking for a truly unique read then you will love this book too!

Amazing book for a great price. Have spent ages flicking through. Either end to end or just dipping in. Recommended

Ótimo

Libro en gran formato y tapa dura con una gran y detallada selección de ilustraciones de la trilogía original. Para poder incluir tantas ilustraciones se ha omitido la información técnica de los storyboards en la mayoría de ellos, si bien es una excelente pieza que muestra el trabajo de grandes ilustradores, e incluso explica el por qué de los cambios de dibujantes a lo largo de los storyboards de las tres películas. El papel es de buena calidad y las impresiones son en color a pesar de que muchos de los dibujos son originalmente en tonos grises. Muy buen libro. Una compra más que acertada.

Dieses Buch ist schlichtweg großartig: Die Aufmachung ist sehr wertig und die ausgewählten Storyboards zeigen sowohl die Entwicklung der Handlung und der einzelnen Szenendesigns über den Verkauf der Produktion. Es gibt so viele dröge Star Wars Bücher, welche einfach nur den Entstehungsprozess erläutern, aber hier sieht man ihn. Rinzlers Auswahl ist zudem ein wahres Fest für die Augen angesichts der Fülle verschiedener Storyboardzeichnungen und des angewandten Layouts. Wohl der schönste Bildband zur alten Trilogie.

Devo ammettere che inizialmente avevo molti dubbi sull'acquistare o meno questa storyboard.... Qualcuno potrebbe pensare che alla fine sono solo "disegni". Devo dire peró che appena è arrivato mi sono ricreduto. Il libro è stupendo. Partendo dal formato importante di ben 24x31 cm ( più grande di un A4) copertina rigida, stampa di ottima qualità , ottima grammatura della carta e per chi se lo chiedesse non tutte le board ( "disegni") sono a colori, ma molte sono in bianco e nero, molte a tre quattro colori e solo alcune sono a "colori" ( come quella in copertina per intenderci. Per quanto riguarda i contenuti: Il libro è suddiviso in tre parti, una per ogni film. Oltre alle board che ripercorrono il film ( anche se in realtà è il film che segue queste board) sono presenti anche piccoli aneddoti di chi ha lavorato con Lucas e al film e in particolare ai disegni, vari commenti da parte di vari personaggi ed alcuni anche esplicativi ( come quello ad esempio che spiega il perchè viene realizzata una storyboard. Quest' opera di ben 348 pag. consente di immergersi contemporaneamente nel magico mondo di star wars e in quello di chi deve dar vita alla sceneggiatura con inevitabili divergenze di visione e problematiche varie. La cosa che più mi è piaciuta è vedere l'evoluzione "grafica" dei vari personaggi ( ad esempio Darth Vader il cui "volto" era inizialmente leggermente diverso) . Inoltre l'incipit del libro ( rigorosamente in inglese) che recita: "Per la prima volta, Lucas Film ha aperto i sui archivi per mostrare il meglio delle storyboards della trilogia originale.... Dai primi concept alle scene eliminate " promette che all'interno ci sono anche scene che poi sono state tagliate nel film ( che fin'ora non ho trovato, ma ho visionato poche pagine rispetto alle 348 pag totali, per cui aggiorneró quando lo avró finito). In definitiva posso dire che questa raccolta rappresenta una " delizia " per i fan della saga ( credo a parer mio che sia anche più significativa della storyboard della nuova trilogia)... Libro arrivato in perfette condizioni anche se non tanto velocemente ( preso su prenotazione con uscita il 13 maggio, é arrivato solo oggi, ma fa niente) Per quanto riguarda il prezzo sulla copertina è riportato: £25 - $40 , il prezzo Amazon si aggira sui 24€ , anche su questo Amazon imbattibile. Che dirvi.... Che la Forza sia con voi!!!

I'd say author/editor J.W. Rinzler deserves an MVP award for his current contributions to Star Wars fandom. He's hit another home run for the team with this OT Storyboards book. I loved his "Making of" books, and this is a perfect companion piece for them. It just keeps getting better. This book is not just a collection of various storyboard art. For the first time (I believe), Rinzler uses the original storyboard art to re-tell the stories of the three original movies (A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi) in their original theatrical release form. Text is sparse in this book. Beyond the foreward and introduction, it's all artwork with brief captions. If there is a drawback to this book, it's that not all scenes are included--probably to keep the page count and price manageable. One glaring omission is the Cantina scene. Given how choppy the Kenobi/"Walrus Man" battle was, I'd like to see how it was portrayed in storyboards. If there is one treasured advantage to this book, it's that we see more drawings based on early designs that didn't appear in the movie. For example, the original Millennium Falcon was the Blockade Runner ship from Ep4's first scene. The cockpit was reused for the MF's "hamburger" design so the BR got a "hammerhead" cockpit. In these boards we see the original MF design escaping from Mos Eisley and being captured by the Death Star. That kind of stuff pleases me to no end! SPOILER ALERT! You won't believe what Alderaan originally looked like! It looks pretty familiar! It appears that Rinzler kept his choices as close to the finished movies as possible. That means that pretty much none of the cut scenes are included. For example, the scene of Luke and Biggs early in Ep 4 isn't here. Nor are any of the 1990's Special Edition scenes included. I did find one board from the sandstorm scene in Jedi, and there might be a few other rare instances, but overall the cut material is left out. I very much hope a future edition gets the "Special Edition" treatment with all that added. ***Side note for those who don't know what storyboards are.*** Storyboards are drawings of each shot for a movie. Every shot in a movie is pre-planned. Directors hire artists to sketch out what a particular shot will look like, meaning who is in the shot, how close they are to the camera, what action is taken (such as a spaceship's movement across the screen), and important background elements. Sometimes storyboard artists are asked to redraw a shot many times, depending on how many times the director changes his/her mind! Keep in mind, storyboards are sketches. They are not conceptual art involving detailed paintings. These are just production sketches that are placed on a big wall so the director can see the flow of the movie. And since directors often use a team of storyboard artists, the quality and style can vary greatly. They also vary in medium: some in pencil, some in ink, some in grey wash tones, and a very few in color. PLEASE DO NOT EXPECT FULLY RENDERED PIECES OF ARTWORK! Directors do not need storyboards that are finished pieces, so it is wasteful to pay for anything more than a sketch that shows the bare essentials for the shot. The beauty in this project is to experience the movies in their raw, imagined form. It's not just a revisit to the visuals or the story. It's a journey into the mind of Lucas and his assistants as they create the greatest sci-fi epic of all time.