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The Making of Jurassic Park #1
The Making of Jurassic Park
Made by Hollywood's most inventive and successful director, Steven Spielberg, JURASSIC PARK was one of the most talked about, most anticipated films to capture the American imagination in years. Now you can go behind the scenes for a rare, inside look at the making of the movie. Learn the story behind the story--the road from novel to screenplay; Watch as the finest f/x team in movie history pooled their talents to create the lifelike dinosaurs; Read exclusive interviews with Steven Spielberg, Michael Crichton, and the key actors, and so much more!
195 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
11 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
About the author
Don Shay
85 books10 followersDon Shay is the author of the new award winning coffee-table book "Endangered Liaisons," on African wildlife and the safari experience. He is also the founder/publisher of "Cinefex," a quarterly magazine on movie special effects, and has written extensively on motion picture technology for that publication and others. His book, "The Making of Jurassic Park," topped the New York Times best-seller list for several weeks in 1993. He lives in Riverside, California. "
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 4, 2018
The book starts out with a map of Jurassic Park so you can see the location of attractions and buildings in relation to each other. It has everything one would want in a "behind the scenes" book: generous photos of the sets, cast, and crew, dinosaurs inside and out, ideas for scenes that were never shot, even a story board in the back. Would make a great addition to any Jurassic Park collection.
February 2, 2013
This is one of those books that every film maker should read. Even if you don't plan on making films it's a book that you should read and study. It takes you behind the scenes to where all the movie magic is made. The interviews with all the individuals who made this film provide the clues needed to understand what it takes to bring a story like this to screen.
Jurassic Park is by far one of the greatest films ever made. It broke new ground in digital technology, it incorporated a new style of film-making into the process and it enabled many more films after this to be made. JP showed us that we can see what dinosaurs would be like if they were to live among us. They made us feel like kids again because almost every kid goes through a dinosaur phase. Spielberg showed us his creative power in storytelling from how he structured this movie. He introduced the idea and power of it, then brought in the characters, but just like he did with JAWS, it made sure to keep what people really wanted to see, limited. He made the whole movie feel like there were dinosaurs in every scene of the movie but in reality, there was only about 6 minutes of actual film time of dinosaurs.
The behind the scenes explains what the process was like to create the life size T-Rex and just how much robotic power is needed. There seem to be people who think that movies are just made with smoke and mirrors but many do not learn that they require the same kind of people that other major companies need. In order to build the dinosaurs they needed engineers, and lots of them, but also all different types of engineers and then they needed people to tell them how to make the robots behave, which is where the famous paleontologist, Jack Horner, comes in. He explained what all the different movements of each dinosaur would be and how they would act in different situations. Then on top of all that, you had the special effects guys who had to layer the on-screen dinosaurs with "masks" to make them look real, sometimes adding a shine to their skin or a wet look to their mouth.
Then you have to think about all the buildings and structures they had to make in order for the park to look and function as if dinosaurs really lived there. It would be interesting to know what happened to all those buildings after they finished, since most got destroyed in the massive hurricane that swept through when they were just finishing up filming. In order to make the movies that he does, you really have to have a multi-dimensional way of thinking in order to take into account all the different departments that are working for you because you have to take all that and put it into an order that, not only makes sense, but Wows movie goers.
It is a great book to read, just like all the other classic, "The Making of..."titles, and this is a book that would sit nicely among the other Spielberg and Lucas books.
Jurassic Park is by far one of the greatest films ever made. It broke new ground in digital technology, it incorporated a new style of film-making into the process and it enabled many more films after this to be made. JP showed us that we can see what dinosaurs would be like if they were to live among us. They made us feel like kids again because almost every kid goes through a dinosaur phase. Spielberg showed us his creative power in storytelling from how he structured this movie. He introduced the idea and power of it, then brought in the characters, but just like he did with JAWS, it made sure to keep what people really wanted to see, limited. He made the whole movie feel like there were dinosaurs in every scene of the movie but in reality, there was only about 6 minutes of actual film time of dinosaurs.
The behind the scenes explains what the process was like to create the life size T-Rex and just how much robotic power is needed. There seem to be people who think that movies are just made with smoke and mirrors but many do not learn that they require the same kind of people that other major companies need. In order to build the dinosaurs they needed engineers, and lots of them, but also all different types of engineers and then they needed people to tell them how to make the robots behave, which is where the famous paleontologist, Jack Horner, comes in. He explained what all the different movements of each dinosaur would be and how they would act in different situations. Then on top of all that, you had the special effects guys who had to layer the on-screen dinosaurs with "masks" to make them look real, sometimes adding a shine to their skin or a wet look to their mouth.
Then you have to think about all the buildings and structures they had to make in order for the park to look and function as if dinosaurs really lived there. It would be interesting to know what happened to all those buildings after they finished, since most got destroyed in the massive hurricane that swept through when they were just finishing up filming. In order to make the movies that he does, you really have to have a multi-dimensional way of thinking in order to take into account all the different departments that are working for you because you have to take all that and put it into an order that, not only makes sense, but Wows movie goers.
It is a great book to read, just like all the other classic, "The Making of..."titles, and this is a book that would sit nicely among the other Spielberg and Lucas books.
June 14, 2025
ASK THE LIBRARINA TO HELP YOU FIND THE FIRST BOOK IN A SERIES. CHECK IT OUT
AND READ IT. AFTER YOU READ IT DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK! 🌿🦕🌴
AND READ IT. AFTER YOU READ IT DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK! 🌿🦕🌴
October 15, 2020
Onvan : The Making of Jurassic Park - Nevisande : Don Shay - ISBN : 034538122X - ISBN13 : 9780345381224 - Dar 195 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1993
January 8, 2021
This is possibly the best book about the art of making movies I have come across. Jurassic Park being my all time favourite movie obviously makes it even more interesting but overall the book is a surprisingly comprehensive look on, not only JP, but making movies in general.
Jurassic Park was the film that truly brought computer generated imagery into movies. Meanwhile it also featured the works of the more classic effects industry by utilizing animatronic robots and hand crafted puppets. The combination of all this talent, the movie being based on a great book and the masterful execution of the more usual cornerstones of a great movie (screenwriting, directing and acting) make it one of the all time greats. It is hard to imagine what movie would be better suited for a book like this. As JP has it all, this making of account has even more.
Jurassic Park was the film that truly brought computer generated imagery into movies. Meanwhile it also featured the works of the more classic effects industry by utilizing animatronic robots and hand crafted puppets. The combination of all this talent, the movie being based on a great book and the masterful execution of the more usual cornerstones of a great movie (screenwriting, directing and acting) make it one of the all time greats. It is hard to imagine what movie would be better suited for a book like this. As JP has it all, this making of account has even more.
July 15, 2022
Ultimately suffers from the fact that “Jurassic Park” was guaranteed to be a huge success, and viewed as such by the studio, from before the original book was even published. That’s good for them, but makes the story of the movie’s production less entertaining and more just like “we had to get this done; we had plenty of time and resources; we did it.” Most interesting part was when a hurricane interrupted filming in Hawaii, and things didn’t go according to plan for a while.
Also, the book is totally padded out by the inclusion of all those storyboards at the end. They aren’t really *that* interesting to read through on their own.
Also, the book is totally padded out by the inclusion of all those storyboards at the end. They aren’t really *that* interesting to read through on their own.
April 23, 2015
I remember my grandma buying me a copy of this book when I was a kid, and I read through it a bajillion times, even without knowing what all the technical bits were about. I read it until the thing fell apart and I had to hold it together with rubber bands. Just fascinating.
January 24, 2018
This book was excellent. I enjoy good storytelling in whatever form it takes--the stage, the screen, an audiobook, or the printed word. For me, Jurassic Park has always stood out as one of the greatest films ever made. It has always been my favorite movie, and fueled a love--nay, an obsession with dinosaurs that will always be a part of me.
As it happens, this year marks the 25 anniversary of Jurassic Park's theatrical release, which makes me doubly glad that I took the time to read this book.
But enough gushing about the movie. This is a review of the book, after all.
The book is very cleanly organized and well put together. It isn't incredibly long, but it does give you an idea of what an achievement the film was--and believe me, it WAS an achievement. The team that came together to create this movie was one stockpiled with creative geniuses dedicated to a cinematic vision years ahead of its time.
This book follows the film's creation from pre-production through to its release, giving insights into how many drafts of the script were written, how they ended up using CG dinosaurs instead of the originally-planned stop-motion animation dinosaurs, and how their success with the computer dinosaurs enabled for an entirely different (and brilliant and perfect) ending sequence. Or how the music and sound crews collaborated before John Williams scored the film, something atypical to film making.
The movie is amazing. If you agree with that statement, you may want to read this book. Or, if you love film and want to know more about its creation, then you would also be likely to find this book interesting.
But if you've never seen Jurassic Park, cancel all of your current plans, get a copy, and watch it. THEN maybe read this book.
As it happens, this year marks the 25 anniversary of Jurassic Park's theatrical release, which makes me doubly glad that I took the time to read this book.
But enough gushing about the movie. This is a review of the book, after all.
The book is very cleanly organized and well put together. It isn't incredibly long, but it does give you an idea of what an achievement the film was--and believe me, it WAS an achievement. The team that came together to create this movie was one stockpiled with creative geniuses dedicated to a cinematic vision years ahead of its time.
This book follows the film's creation from pre-production through to its release, giving insights into how many drafts of the script were written, how they ended up using CG dinosaurs instead of the originally-planned stop-motion animation dinosaurs, and how their success with the computer dinosaurs enabled for an entirely different (and brilliant and perfect) ending sequence. Or how the music and sound crews collaborated before John Williams scored the film, something atypical to film making.
The movie is amazing. If you agree with that statement, you may want to read this book. Or, if you love film and want to know more about its creation, then you would also be likely to find this book interesting.
But if you've never seen Jurassic Park, cancel all of your current plans, get a copy, and watch it. THEN maybe read this book.
July 2, 2023
With complete storyboards as an appendix, this chronologically tells the making-of story from deal making with Michael Crichton before the book was out to post-production. Among the most interesting things to me was how this movie was pivotal in the emergence of CG. That is, while over investment and resources were going into animatronics, puppetry, and costumes a skunkworks of CG put some output in front of Spielberg. He was so impressed with the results he tilted the direction heavily into CG during production.
A lot of the development story includes why scenes were filmed in what order, what was deleted from the script or finished film, and the physical effort put in by actors such as during the car falling through the branches and clumbing the wire fence.
A lot of the development story includes why scenes were filmed in what order, what was deleted from the script or finished film, and the physical effort put in by actors such as during the car falling through the branches and clumbing the wire fence.
May 11, 2019
A brilliant read for film fans. Before there were DVDs with bonus features, there were books with all that information in. Jurassic Park was a ground breaking production, and this box does a great job of charting the journey of the production team as their brought Steven Spielberg's vision to the big screen.
August 29, 2017
It is interesting the way that they went about making the film but I was too young to appreciate the information when I first read it.
July 1, 2018
Occasionally interesting but frequently far too technical for the casual reading. More information on casting, wardrobe and design would have made for a better book.
September 9, 2019
It was ok, but it did not really show how movies are made.
September 16, 2021
Great book if you love the movies. I do wish the book went into more detail though.
November 14, 2022
Un po meno bello di quello del Crichton ma sarebbe un oltraggio solo pensarlo. Semplicemente perché non é un romanzo..
July 23, 2024
Justo lo que promete, un vistazo a cómo se creó esta mítica película. Es el primer libro de ese estilo que leo y me ha encantado, especialmente el poder ver los storyboards.
May 1, 2025
Lifelong love of filmmaking.
I saw Jurassic Park in theaters on opening week at Santa Monica in 1993 as a five-year-old.
Later that year, this book came into my possession from a book store in Philippines.
I'll never forget its impact on me, as it may have been the source of my love of filmmaking -- which is a big part of my life to this day.
It also cultivated my fascination of special effects in movies, as well as a love of Steven Spielberg's work in the 80s & 90s in general.
I saw Jurassic Park in theaters on opening week at Santa Monica in 1993 as a five-year-old.
Later that year, this book came into my possession from a book store in Philippines.
I'll never forget its impact on me, as it may have been the source of my love of filmmaking -- which is a big part of my life to this day.
It also cultivated my fascination of special effects in movies, as well as a love of Steven Spielberg's work in the 80s & 90s in general.
October 29, 2025
Good info about the making of the movie, but very cursory. The book isn’t very thick, and even then the font is quite large and the margins extend inward more than a third of the page width. That combined with all the photos (some good images of concept art, but way too many generic on-set photos) make for a book that just doesn’t have the amount or depth of content you might expect. The final quarter of the book is entirely storyboards of some of the major sequences.
Many questions I had about choices made in adapting the book or designing various scenes and elements were not touched on at all. It very much feels like a book designed for people who liked the movie, but are not necessarily interested in film in general. For those more casual fans, it’s a pleasant, magazine-like read, but people looking for something more substantial will be disappointed.
Many questions I had about choices made in adapting the book or designing various scenes and elements were not touched on at all. It very much feels like a book designed for people who liked the movie, but are not necessarily interested in film in general. For those more casual fans, it’s a pleasant, magazine-like read, but people looking for something more substantial will be disappointed.
October 24, 2015
I loved this book when I bought it, after seeing the brilliant film! I have always loved dinosaurs so seeing this film for the first time was so exciting! I watch the films constantly and this was the ideal companion book. There is so much information from behind the scenes about how the film was made, making the dinosaurs, on location and the problems they faced. Who thought that one of my favourite bits caused so much trouble to film? (the ripples on the glass of water that starts the T-Rex attack).
Great book for fans of the film!
Great book for fans of the film!
July 19, 2013
Picked this book up used and it was definitely worth the 2 bucks. I enjoyed looking back at how the film was made. Computer generated animation was just starting to take over at that time. It's hard for me to imagine that the movie would have had the same impact without the Stan Winston puppets. Loved the animated storyboards! It was so cool to see how scenes like the raptors in the kitchen got their start in drawing form.
October 22, 2016
4 Stars -- Awesome concept of the sixty-five million years in the making!
This book receives an:
B: Pre-Production (Takes about two years to set up production of this film)
A: Production (Great filming!)
A: Post-Production (Edible editing, nice music composition)
This book serves the good helping hand, however the dinosaurs are computer generated. A good read for anyone who really liked this movie.
This book receives an:
B: Pre-Production (Takes about two years to set up production of this film)
A: Production (Great filming!)
A: Post-Production (Edible editing, nice music composition)
This book serves the good helping hand, however the dinosaurs are computer generated. A good read for anyone who really liked this movie.
November 24, 2015
A wonderful insight into the making of one of my favorite films! From pre-production all the the way to post, it was great reading about the different people that worked on this successful project. Recommended for anyone who is a fan of this movie!
July 13, 2011
Sweet storyboards...SFX made a big impression on me.
June 19, 2013
Saw the movie in 3D last spring! Loved it all over again. Loved this book!
November 6, 2013
Great book about the making of a great film, and especially cool because it includes the actual storyboards, which I used to teach storyboarding to students.
July 23, 2014
I was pretty obsessed with "Jurassic Park" when it came out, so I read this book about the making of the movie. Lots of nice big photos, and explanations for why they changed details from the book.
February 19, 2016
Fun book - relive the novel and understand the behind the scenes work in making the movie. Fun for all ages!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews