Signed: Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. Billboard Books. 2004

Description

Signed by Ray Harryhausen.
" . . . [Ray Harryhausen] . . .  is best known for his collaborations with producer Charles Schneer, which
led to Mysterious Island, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver and Clash of the Titans, to
name but a few.The films' journeys-from original concept, key drawings, storyboards, directing the actors' interactions with creatures, filming, through to the final reviews--are all covered. Furthermore, he reveals the secrets to the amazing special effects he created. Learn how Raquel Welch was picked up by a flying dinosaur in One Million Years B.C., why the octopus in It Came From Beneath the Sea was only a sixtopus, and what Talos' ichor was made from in Jason and the Argonauts.
As the creator of DYNAMATION, Harryhausen explains how the models were made, constructing armatures from ball and socket joints and then covering them in the appropriate material; the incredible patience and precision needed to ensure their movements were fluid; how they were matted into the final picture; and the techniques he used to give them 'contact with the
live actors. Yet his work involved far more than just animating models: frequently it is the little details that give the films that all-important sense of reality. Consequently, he has spent hours creating the right size of bubbles for underwater scenes and ensuring that blood was mixed to the right consistency. However, if you think that Ray's role was confined to animator, you are very much mistaken. As the Associate Producer, frequently it was his original ideas that provided the basis to the films, and he was heavily involved in the story development, sent round the world to recce locations, designed sets and promoted the final picture.