Special Effects Superman - The Art and Effects of Derek Meddings is admittedly for a niche market (of most entertainment to those who know already know who he is), but to those who enjoy the art of matte painting, movie special effects and model making, this is a treat. A glossy, oversize hardcover, this is wholly comprised of behind the scenes photos of his work.
Derek Meddings was the inventive pioneer of many effects for film and TV, notably model work for the James Bond series.
He began with AP films in England on TV series like Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet - fans of those shows will appreciate the pages dedicated to those years - before leading the units for the Bond films Live And Let Die through to Goldeneye in 1995 for which he received a BAFTA. Known for his matte paintings and realistic scaled model work, the end results were usually completely seamless with the live action. His other work includes Superman (1980), Superman II, and Tim Burton's Batman (being specially requested by Burton, a fan of Thunderbirds). This was the age of model artistry, where warehouse sized matte paintings were the backdrop for handmade models and controlled explosions mimicked real life - a far cry from todays CGI world.
Meddings did meticulous work, and fans of models, miniatures, innovative camera effects and matte paintings will enjoy this. The downside is that while almost every picture shows Meddings at work on the sets, there is very little information about his team, or how the effects were made. Short paragraphs talk of the challenges and the list of effects needed for each film, without accompanying photos - while whole pages are devoted to photos of movie sets without any information. The text is small and often blends into the picture, and there is virtually nothing about Meddings outside of the work. The Bond and Superman films get most of the space, while others like High Spirits or The Never-ending Story get just a page or two each.
Derek Meddings own book 21st Century Visions (1993) is far superior and a must have for fans of his work, however this does give you enough photos of backstage magic to make it worthwhile.
2008 / Hardcover / 160 pages
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