The book will begin with a brief historical timeline and overview of creatures in the movies. From the ice-monsters and Lunar sprites of George Melies' earliest fantasies to the mind-blowing CG creations of the 21st century, this section will provide a concise historical summary of the creatures, the films, the creative talents, and the techniques.The main focus of the book will be in-depth profiles highlighting the work of some of the most important contemporary artists and companies. Using first-hand interviews with many of the greatest names in special effects, Designing Movie Creatures and Characters will reveal what has inspired these artists, how their creations can be brought to life and, just as importantly, how they can be made to give great performances.These chapters will look at conceptual design, how the techniques used to create a character are decided, the manufacturing process, and finally the performance.All aspects of creature creation will be covered, from stop-motion and CGI animation, to puppets, performers in suits, and full-scale animatronic beasts.Chapters/sections:Monster HistoryA look at the role of creatures in a century of cinema, dating from the earliest cinema experiment of Melies all the way through to today's CGI, motion capture, and animatronics. Includes stills, concept art, and on-set imagery in the context of a cinema and technology timeline.Ray HarryhausenThe 'grandfather' of movie monsters has inspired generations of designers and special effects experts. He reveals the secrets of designing and building convincing characters and why he believes his 'old-fashioned' techniques produced the most magical results. Includes drawings, stills, photos of his original models, and an explanation of stop-motion techniques (which have also been used as recently as Star Wars, Robocop, and Terminator).HR GigerAn interview with visionary concept artist HR Giger, designer of the original Alien.