Tim Burton's hallmark as a filmmaker is his bizarre, inventive, and oddly beautiful visual style. It is fitting, then, that the companion book to his movie Sleepy Hollow is a big and beautiful hardback, full of images that range from quietly eerie to eye-popping. The book contains Burton's sketches, paintings from production designer Rick Heinrichs and costume designer Colleen Atwood, and dozens of stills from the film itself. All of this is juxtaposed with Andrew Kevin Walker's screenplay of Washington Irving's story. The result is a unique opportunity to see how a film comes together. Bare words on a page result in Burton's quirky roughs, which are fleshed out into more detailed paintings by Burton and the production team. Finally it all comes together in photographs of the end product. In addition to an engrossing screenplay (Careful! It's far from a direct cribbing of the original story, so see the movie before reading too far if you don't want the plot spoiled), the reader gets to see the evolution of Ichabod's binocular glasses and creepy yet strangely charming autopsy instruments. The book as a whole illustrates one of the most interesting aspects of Burton's vision--frightening images are clearly meant to be seen as beautiful at the same time. The Art of Sleepy Hollow is entertaining on several levels: as a good story, as a step-by-step tour of the way a film's design comes together, and as a fascinating picture book for grownups. --Ali Davis
Book Description
As the director of such blockbusters as Batman and Edward Scissorhands, and the producer of the modern classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton has earned a deserved reputation as one of today's most creative and innovative filmmakers. The New York Times calls his work "dazzling," and Entertainment Weekly hails him as America's "pop visionary." Now in this deluxe companion volume to his cinematic interpretation of the classic tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, we go beyond the sets and into the mind's eye of the director, to see how Burton's incomparable vision comes to life on film. Featuring production art, storyboards, costume designs, and set sketches, we see Burton's concepts transformed into screen magic.
More than just a look into the making of a motion picture, this is a collection of film artwork that is, in its own right, a major artistic statement. Drawings and paintings from the production show the depth of artistry that goes into the creation of Burton's world. His stunning vision of neo-Gothic nineteenth-century America comes alive: the foggy valleys of Sleepy Hollow, the cobbled streets of old New York City, and the menace and terror of the Headless Horseman. This volume proves that his vision not only resonates on the screen but on the canvas and sketchbook as well. The masterly work that accompanies the dramatic script demonstrates Burton's awesome creative prowess -- as both an artist and a major force in American cinema.
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