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Reviews
The Art of Ghost in the Shell
FAiThFul uPgrAde Discover how the influential manga and anime
was turned into a live-action film for 21st century cinema-goers
Author David Cohen Publisher Titan Books Price £30 Web www.titanbooks.com Available Now
his year’s Ghost in the Shell
is the latest in a long line
T of films that have drawn on
the world of Masamune
Shirow’s manga from 1989. In The Art
of Ghost in the Shell, the creators of
this live-action adaptation reveal
how they updated the story while
staying true to the source material.
Opening with a foreword by Weta
Workshop’s design and effects
supervisor Richard Taylor, it soon
becomes apparent just how much
respect the whole crew have for the
rich heritage of the original saga. The
film’s creators keen to point out how
the manga and monumental big
The book features initial
sketches from the director,
providing an insight into
his vision for the film.
screen anime from 1995 helped to
shape the latest iteration.
Split into six main sections, the book
covers overall areas of design, from the
development of the script through to
the live action shooting. Along the way
it details world-building, character
designs, creating the look of the future,
location shooting in Wellington, and
cinematography. Each chapter is
packed with shots from the film and
The book nicely balances
the art and photos with
insightful commentary
behind-the-scenes photos of the cast
and crew, along with concept artwork
and storyboards.
Some of the most tantalising
artwork in the book, however, is the
most rudimentary. Early sketches by
director Rupert Sanders depicting
scenes well known to hard-core fans
might lack the finesse of later
storyboards, but they speak volumes
in terms of showing how much passion
has gone into the project.
The book nicely balances the art and
photos with insightful commentary. It
would have been nice to see some of
the original manga or stills from the
anime to get a sense of how they
informed the film’s aesthetic, although
David Bowie from the 70s was an early influence on
the design of one of the film’s leading characters.
this might have sidetracked from the
thrust of the story.
The big question hanging over the
release of this film has been whether it
lives up to what came before, which is
perhaps a misguided way to evaluate
it. Creator Masamune Shirow himself
has said that there’s no such thing as a
definitive version. Certainly, in terms of
visuals alone, The Art of Ghost in the
Shell shows why the film is a worthy
addition to the series.
rATing ★★★★
98 August 2017