Filming a Blockbuster

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

A book about filmmaking with no film stills, studio shots, or celebrity pics? I was prepared to be disappointed by this entry in the "Expert Guide" series. I was wrong. Mellett's logical explanations of the production process from preproduction all the way through to a film's premiere is informative and easily understandable. James's illustrations are perfectly keyed to the text. Together the two cast just the right amount of light on topics such as trick photography and the creation of a sound track for a younger audience to understand. It's a complicated, expensive business, and kids should be intrigued enough by this introduction to better appreciate the movies they watch. An index and useful glossary are appended. 1999, Heinemann Library, Ages 7 to 12, $24.22. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Mellett's attempt to explain how a big-budget, special-effects film is made, from script idea to star-studded premier, is a big flop. Given the 32-page heavily illustrated format, only the most basic aspects of any topic can be discussed. The text is not so much a fluid narrative, but rather a series of short paragraphs describing the artwork. It is sometimes difficult to determine the order in which they are designed to be read, or whether they are to be read in any order at all. There is also a running ribbonlike loop across each spread that contains brief summaries of the processes described on each page. The design is just too busy and distracting. The author and illustrator try to tie the information together by creating a fictional movie to show the filmmaking process. It is a sci-fi, time-travel thriller about a superhero battling dinosaurs and is, in a word, ludicrous. The pen-and-ink and garish watercolor drawings, such as the portrayal of a man with a lizard head and army fatigue pants, look like a low-budget B movie directed by Roger Corman. Readers would be much better served by Jake Hamilton's Special Effects in Film and Television (DK, 1998).-Tim Wadham, Dallas Public Library, TX