 Twilighters will love it! |
| Review Date: March 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Holly Thatcher, Apple Valley, MN USA |
I'm still giving this 5 stars, but there were a few things that I found a tiny bit disappointing...
1. The book is 163 pages, but there is not much text and the pages are small. It took me less than and hour to read it from cover to cover.
2. The book is written in Catherine's handwriting which can be hard to read sometimes.
3. I thought the book could have covered the topics more in depth. I thought the chapters about how they shot various scenes were interesting, but they made me wish I could ask her questions (and get the answers!). There were so many more things I wanted to know about how and why she made different decisions in shooting the movie.
Despite those 3 things, I still thought the book was really interesting and fun to read. I saw the movie twice in the theaters and this book made me excited for the DVD release (especially the bonus material). I realized after reading the Director's Notebook there were lots of little details from the movie I had missed. Here's one example: After the nomad vampires kill the security guard they wear his clothes, James wears his jacket and Victoria wears his "Kiss me, I'm Irish" t-shirt. I never noticed that before.
This book also made me realize how difficult it is to a translate a book into a film and how budget constraints can really limit a director's vision. I feel sad that it didn't work out for Catherine to do New Moon because you can tell how much she loves Twilight and put everything she had into this movie. |
"Like seriously, don't waste your time!"
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| Review Date: May 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. Carothers, Reisterstown, MD |
The Tuesday this book was released, I walked through the door of my local mall. I was on a mission. I had been anticipating going on this outing ever since I had read the news it was being released. I had marked this day down in my calendar, and crossed off the days until the day finally had arrived. It was something to keep me occupied until my Twilight DVD arrived!
As I turned the corner and walked down a small set of stairs, I looked at the "dazzling" display window of the bookstore. There it was: the "Twilight Director's Notebook". Fresh out of the box, hot off the press, waiting for someone to pick it up and read it was the very item that had motivated me to go to the mall that day. Once inside the store, I grabbed a copy out of one of the multiple rows of the books, making sure none of the corners of the hardback book were messed up (oh come on, you know you do it too!), and that no one had opened this book before me. I walked to the cash register, bought the book, (I was the first to purchase it that day) and then rushed home. (Seriously, I'm not sure Edward himself would have been able to out-run me!)
As soon as I got through the front door, I tore the bag off of my new purchase and sat down to enjoy the book. About 30 minutes later, I had examined every single page, and read every single detail on each page. And now, I'd like to share with you my thoughts on the "Twilight Director's Notebook".
If you had a chance to look over the Entertainment Weekly scans, it's like a miniature scrapbook. Each page is jam-packed with notes and photographs, scans, and various graphics. The book itself is divided into 13 different sections (14 if you include the credits...but really, does anyone pay attention to those?) These sections include an introduction by Catherine Hardwicke, inspiration for the movie, character development, planning the scene, the van crash, the meadow, the tree tops, the baseball game, music, visual effects, misery, and twilight mania.
So far so good, right? Wrong. OK, I had high hopes for this book, I really did. But after looking through it, I have to say: I was really disappointed. I mean, for $13 I wasn't expecting it to be the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the year, but I was expecting a lot more than what I got. Sure, there's a bunch of neat facts in the book that we haven't heard or read in interviews with the cast or Catherine before, but there's also a lot of material that I myself have already heard or read. It left me wanting more, a lot more.
First, let's talk about the physical size of the book. The book itself is about 8" tall and 5" wide. It's really great for us Twilighters who love to carry our Twilight books in our purses and backpacks (and pockets? seriously...this book is small!). But for those of us who would like to have decent eyesight after we've read this book, the sizing is not the most practical choice here. When I lifted my head out of the book, I was practically cross-eyed. Most of the text is very hard to read.
Next, did we really need an entire section on filming...in the treetops? Catherine, I love your enthusiasm and passion for bringing the Twilight fans what we want, but treetops? I appreciate how much time and energy went into creating those scenes for the movie, but let's be honest here: did Edward ever take Bella up into the trees in the book for a pivotal "someday all of this will be yours" scene? No...he did not. So why are we covering it? I would have much preferred to read about the biology scene, one of my personal favorite scenes from the movie. But there's nothing in this book about it. Not even a reason behind why a stuffed Hedwig-lookalike from "Harry Potter" appears in the background of the scene, nothing!
Another section I could have done without: Twilight Mania. Yes, I'm sure most of you have a thought bubble with just a large question mark above your head right now, but stay with me. This section is literally two pages long. Seriously...why bother? Yes, it's a thank you to the fans for sticking with the series and making the movie such a success. But why bother when I could have more facts about the movie instead? A simple "hey fans- thanks for sticking with the series and making the movie such a success" would suffice. There! I did it in one sentence! Those 2 pages weren't even necessary!
In addition to the things I could do without, there were things I wanted more of. I would love to have read more behind-the-scenes stories, little anecdotes, inside jokes, anything. Basically, I would have loved to have read more words. The book relies heavily on visuals such as photographs, watercolors (all of the characters have paintings for make-up references, costume references, etc.) sketches of Catherine's, and even some pages from the script itself. I found it pretty disappointing to find that the entire book was laid out in this format, because it seriously was lacking in those anecdotes and other things I was craving.
So in conclusion, if you were to ask me whether you should run out and buy this book yourself, I would say no. Go to the bookstore and skim through it, then put it back on the shelf. I think your money is better spent on "Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion". In the words of Jessica Stanley, when it comes to buying this book "like seriously, don't waste your time."
I am on staff at www.TwilightersAnonymous.com, the best and most comprehensive Twilight community around; for those of us who are truly addicted to Twilight. If you don't want a cure, come join us! |
Full of technical details, very cool!
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| Review Date: March 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M.P.H, Shreveport, LA |
Let me preface my review with the following: this book is unlikely to appeal to the screaming tween Twilight fans. This is a book for those who are fans of the *film* and want to get an intimate look at what it was like to adapt a hugely famous novel into a cinematic masterpiece.
The book itself is beautifully put together. The pages are thick and glossy and filled with conceptual artwork and hand-written production notes by the director Catherine Hardwicke. There are set design notes, wardrobe notes and step-by-step breakdowns of the most involved scenes. Altogether, its packed with just over 150 pages of insider details. I have been a fan of Hardwicke's films since "Thirteen" and was quite impressed with her interpretation of "Twilight" the novel, which greatly influenced my decision to purchase this little companion.
For aspiring film-makers, producers, set designers and all-around film buffs who love Twilight, this little text is a gem. Combined with the hilarious commentary on the Twilight special edition DVDthere's no detail about the film-making process left undisclosed.
For those of you who are Twilight-crazy-for-Rob-Pattinson save a couple of bucks and stick to Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion which contains dozens of 8x11 glossy close-ups of Edward Cullen (and Bella). |
very cool idea
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| Review Date: April 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: AJ, St.Petersburg FL |
| I loved the entire twilight series and was concerned as to how it would transfer to the screen. The directors notebook gave lots of insight into how they made the movie. I now know that Catherine Hardwick had both the authors story and the fans expectations in mind and was very sensitive to both. The book is done in a scrap book style with lots of handwritten comments that make it an interesting read for any Twilight fan. |
Awesome Twilight Book
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| Review Date: May 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Brandy Solis, Mountain View, AR USA |
| Hi, as I am the ultimate Twilight fan, this book was way sooo cool. I will probably buy every book that comes out for all the movies. Awesome!!! |
twilight
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| Review Date: May 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Schulke, Phila., PA |
| This book was for my 14 year old daughter, she really seemed to enjoy it. |
twilight
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| Review Date: May 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Natalia Andrea Gallego Zuleta, |
| Twilight: Director's Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie Based on the Novel by Stephenie Meyer |
Twilight: Directors Notebook
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| Review Date: August 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Erliene C. Aramini, RENO, nv |
| IF YOU LOVE TWILIGHT, THIS IS. GREAT. IT TELLS YOU ALL THE BEHINDS SCENES OF THE MOVIE AND SHOW HER NOTES AND PICTURES OF THE PLACES THAT THEY FILMED... REALLY VERY INTERESTING |
Twilight Director's Notebook - is awesome!
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| Review Date: August 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. Poulson, Billings MT |
| This book is really great!! It shows an inside look at the Twilight movie and how it was made. The director's view is very interesting!! I definitely recommend this book to Twilight fans!! |
Amazing
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| Review Date: August 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Stacie Moquin, Ny |
| This book was very detailed with lots of information and pictures. I loved learning how they made certain scenes and how they picked locations. I also learned new information about the characters. This book is definately for those hard core twilight fans. |
Really great book!!
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| Review Date: August 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Farr, Rutland, VT USA |
| This book is a short little read to help you get a feel for how Catherine and her amazing crew were able to so eloquently translate the Twilight saga book into the Twilight movie!! It is not as detailed as the Twilight movie companion book but it has some great backstage photos that make it so totally worth buying and reading. It shows Catherines muse and also shows how they came up with the looks for each character including pics of original drawings for the costuming and such. A really interesting book, I would reccommend it to any and all Twilight fans!! |
Must Have
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| Review Date: September 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. Rafael, Sacramento, CA |
| This book is a must have for the Twilighter. You get some really interesting facts behind the films makings. I can only hope that each director will so the same. |
Great Book!
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| Review Date: October 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Craig, WI |
| This book gives so many little details of the process of making this movie. My 12 year old sister can't put it down. Very cool!! |
twilight:director's notebook
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| Review Date: October 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Julie K. Politano, jesup,ga |
| this was very interesting. i really enjoyed the behind the scenes sketches and photos. i also found the descriptions of how the fight scenes were filmed insightful. it was helpful to know how and why some things were changed or added form the book. |
THANK YOU CATHERINE!
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| Review Date: October 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: RPhmom, sunny Arizona! |
| This is such a great treasure! Catherine Hardwicke is brilliant! She is so artistic and dedicated to giving her best to the fans. |
Wonderful Book
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nina Daugherty, Jacksonville, FL |
| This book really gives insight into the world of movie making. For me this book helped me on a current college film project. It was interesting to see just how much time and detail went into everything about the film. |
Really Insightful for a Behind-The-Scenes Look
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| Review Date: December 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kayla Wilson, California, US |
| I really liked the book. Shows how they got all the ideas for the movie. :) |
AWESOME!!!!!!
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| Review Date: December 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: shppnchick, |
| If you love the twilight series, then you need this book!!!!!! It tells alot of inside information about the movie and is really interesting! |
Mightier than the Sword
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| Review Date: February 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: E. B. Webster, London, England |
| Great book. I also recommend "Mightier than the Sword" by Megan Webster. EXCELLENT read. Mightier than the Sword |
Twilight
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| Review Date: April 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Sulleybug, GA |
| I love this book! It is awesome! The seller sent me my book quickly! I would recommend this book to Twilight Fans! Seller is awesome. |
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