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Bring Me That Horizon: Pirates of the Caribbean - The Making of the Swashbuckling Movie Trilogy
"You spent three days lying on a beach drinking rum?"
"Welcome to the Caribbean, love " This beautifully designed narrative serves as your compass to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy of movies, describing in detail every aspect of the movie-making process, from casting to costumes to computer graphics, from curses to cutlasses to corsets.
Author Michael Singer takes readers on an extraordinary journey, recounting the links in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" chain--from the last Disneyland attraction in which Walt Disney was personally involved, to a film project spearheaded by one of the world's most successful producers, Jerry Bruckheimer, and a vividly imaginative director named Gore Verbinski.
A veritable treasure chest of exclusive photos and insider information, " "the book includes information on the production, makeup, location filming, shipbuilding, stunts, and special effects, as well as a scrapbook of Jerry Bruckheimer's on-set photographs. Also included are profiles on the films' incredible stars: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgard, and more
"Welcome to the Caribbean, love " This beautifully designed narrative serves as your compass to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy of movies, describing in detail every aspect of the movie-making process, from casting to costumes to computer graphics, from curses to cutlasses to corsets.
Author Michael Singer takes readers on an extraordinary journey, recounting the links in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" chain--from the last Disneyland attraction in which Walt Disney was personally involved, to a film project spearheaded by one of the world's most successful producers, Jerry Bruckheimer, and a vividly imaginative director named Gore Verbinski.
A veritable treasure chest of exclusive photos and insider information, " "the book includes information on the production, makeup, location filming, shipbuilding, stunts, and special effects, as well as a scrapbook of Jerry Bruckheimer's on-set photographs. Also included are profiles on the films' incredible stars: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgard, and more
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 28, 2023
Why yes, I did pick up this and that last book on the same trip to the library! I saw them in the same shelving area and was intrigued! Why do you ask?
This book was released sometime between “At World’s End” and “On Stranger Tides”--presumably before the latter was officially announced, because this book ends on the note that they don’t know if we’ll see any more “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. We did, obviously, and YMMV on how those turned out. This one talks about the making of the first three, how they came together, and how it was behind the scenes.
Well, sort of. Like the one on “Phantom Menace,” this IS promotional material. They don’t talk about any difficulties, like that they had trouble coming up with sequel ideas until Disney threatened to pull the plug, so the second and third movies were fast-tracked into production with storyboards for big set pieces but not a finished script. They don’t talk about how many people were so confused watching “At World’s End” that the DVD came with a small FAQ page in the box.
It also has a completely positive view of Johnny Depp, of course, which, uh, I mean yeah I get this is before everything went down, but it’s a bit weird to read NOW.
Still, it is really cool to see how a movie like this gets made. It makes me think about how, for all of its faults, “Pirates of the Caribbean” was both period drama and over-the-top epic fantasy in a historical setting. Do we have something that fits that niche right now? I don’t *think* so, and certainly not to this scale, being the sort of thing that everyone knows and can quote. I got seriously burned on the last outing, “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” but I kind of desperately want another PotC movie on some level. Or at least, something like it–an amazing pirate fantasy that has great sword fights, memorable characters, and spooky supernatural scenes.
And if nothing else, PotC had STYLE in spades. It didn’t always utilize it well, but it was something new and different and fantastical, and we don’t have as much of that in big budget films today. Especially not from Disney.
This book was released sometime between “At World’s End” and “On Stranger Tides”--presumably before the latter was officially announced, because this book ends on the note that they don’t know if we’ll see any more “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. We did, obviously, and YMMV on how those turned out. This one talks about the making of the first three, how they came together, and how it was behind the scenes.
Well, sort of. Like the one on “Phantom Menace,” this IS promotional material. They don’t talk about any difficulties, like that they had trouble coming up with sequel ideas until Disney threatened to pull the plug, so the second and third movies were fast-tracked into production with storyboards for big set pieces but not a finished script. They don’t talk about how many people were so confused watching “At World’s End” that the DVD came with a small FAQ page in the box.
It also has a completely positive view of Johnny Depp, of course, which, uh, I mean yeah I get this is before everything went down, but it’s a bit weird to read NOW.
Still, it is really cool to see how a movie like this gets made. It makes me think about how, for all of its faults, “Pirates of the Caribbean” was both period drama and over-the-top epic fantasy in a historical setting. Do we have something that fits that niche right now? I don’t *think* so, and certainly not to this scale, being the sort of thing that everyone knows and can quote. I got seriously burned on the last outing, “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” but I kind of desperately want another PotC movie on some level. Or at least, something like it–an amazing pirate fantasy that has great sword fights, memorable characters, and spooky supernatural scenes.
And if nothing else, PotC had STYLE in spades. It didn’t always utilize it well, but it was something new and different and fantastical, and we don’t have as much of that in big budget films today. Especially not from Disney.
April 10, 2015
For photos/video of this book, please visit my blog: http://www.movieartbook.com/2015/04/r...
The perfect mix of information and imagery, "Bring Me That Horizon" is the definitive book for Pirates of the Caribbean fans. The book begins with a foreword by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and is accompanied by a dozen photos that Bruckheimer took himself during the Pirates production.
The first substantial segment is called "Hitting the High Seas," which serves as an extended introduction to the book. The author cites the massive popularity and box office success of the Pirates franchise, among other things.
The next section of the book, "A Pirates Life For Them," focuses on the history of pirate movies and the history of the Disneyland attraction. Then it covers the major behind-the-camera talent: producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, and writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.
Then we get into the actors and their characters. The section titled "An Amazing Cast of Characters" chronicles each character appearing in the films. Of course major characters, such as Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, and Elizabeth Swann are covered, but so are minor characters like Mr. Cotton, Gibbs, and Mercer. Even the dog with the keys and Jack the monkey get honorable mentions. Some portions of these character profiles are fluff - actors talking about how great the other actors are, etc. But there are also interesting facts about the origins of these characters and the casting process.
The final section, "Creating the Pirate World," is by far the best portion of the book. This is where the behind-the-scenes information really gets interesting. We read about the creation of the sets and ships, the props, costumes, makeup and hair. Stunts and special effects are also discussed, along with the challenges of shooting on location.
What elevates this book from good to great are the astounding images that accompany the text. Images range from shots taken directly from the film to sketches and storyboards that we otherwise would never get to see. There are plenty of shots of the actors, sometimes on location and sometimes in a soundstage surrounded by bluescreen. Quite a few of the images are full-page; several span the entire two-page spread.
After reading this book and looking at the incredible images, you may have a greater appreciation for the complexity of large-scale productions such as the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
The perfect mix of information and imagery, "Bring Me That Horizon" is the definitive book for Pirates of the Caribbean fans. The book begins with a foreword by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and is accompanied by a dozen photos that Bruckheimer took himself during the Pirates production.
The first substantial segment is called "Hitting the High Seas," which serves as an extended introduction to the book. The author cites the massive popularity and box office success of the Pirates franchise, among other things.
The next section of the book, "A Pirates Life For Them," focuses on the history of pirate movies and the history of the Disneyland attraction. Then it covers the major behind-the-camera talent: producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, and writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.
Then we get into the actors and their characters. The section titled "An Amazing Cast of Characters" chronicles each character appearing in the films. Of course major characters, such as Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, and Elizabeth Swann are covered, but so are minor characters like Mr. Cotton, Gibbs, and Mercer. Even the dog with the keys and Jack the monkey get honorable mentions. Some portions of these character profiles are fluff - actors talking about how great the other actors are, etc. But there are also interesting facts about the origins of these characters and the casting process.
The final section, "Creating the Pirate World," is by far the best portion of the book. This is where the behind-the-scenes information really gets interesting. We read about the creation of the sets and ships, the props, costumes, makeup and hair. Stunts and special effects are also discussed, along with the challenges of shooting on location.
What elevates this book from good to great are the astounding images that accompany the text. Images range from shots taken directly from the film to sketches and storyboards that we otherwise would never get to see. There are plenty of shots of the actors, sometimes on location and sometimes in a soundstage surrounded by bluescreen. Quite a few of the images are full-page; several span the entire two-page spread.
After reading this book and looking at the incredible images, you may have a greater appreciation for the complexity of large-scale productions such as the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
July 10, 2012
Some really great stills and behind-the-scenes photography in this book, covering much of the trials and tribulations of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The text was mostly a bunch of back-slapping, high-fiving, "ain't it great?" compliments from cast and crew that had little substance in them and read more like an Academy Award acceptance speech than a "making of" commentary.
A few interesting facts throughout, and the section on the costume design was absolutely the most informative section of the entire book.
A few interesting facts throughout, and the section on the costume design was absolutely the most informative section of the entire book.
July 19, 2007
For anyone that is a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies like I am, than this book is a must have in your collection. It takes you from beginning to end. Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest & At World's End.
Beautiful pictures and interesting stories on the making of all three movies.
Beautiful pictures and interesting stories on the making of all three movies.
Want to read
February 18, 2008Okay, maybe, maybe not. But I do love "behind the scenes" on movies, and the "extra/bonus" features on DVDs. AND, I like the "Pirates" movies. And this one got loads of good reviews. So, maybe it will be interesting. Who knows? I believe it was put together by the movie's publicist, which in-of-itself could be interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2008
I learned that Johnny Depp actually stopped acting for the movie in NOVEMBER!!! That's six months before the third movie even came out! This book has a lot of nifty bits of knowledge for the common Pirates of the Caribbean fan. =]
July 3, 2013
This was a really good book and put in perspective all the hard work that went into making the POTC movies. I like how it had different bios for each character. I would recommend this book to any POTC fan.
January 28, 2017
Strong 3½ stars.
Lovely pictures, imagery, and bits and pieces of insight on what went into the creation of the (first) three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.
Not a comprehensive take on the filming and production by any means, but a nod towards the people who helped create the films.
Lovely pictures, imagery, and bits and pieces of insight on what went into the creation of the (first) three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.
Not a comprehensive take on the filming and production by any means, but a nod towards the people who helped create the films.
August 16, 2007
It looks at the making of all three Pirate movies.
May 3, 2023
The quintessential guide for any Pirates fan.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews