Wonder Woman: The Art and Making of the Film

by Sharon Gosling, Patty Jenkins (Foreword)

Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman sees the hero brought to the big screen for the first time in her own movie, and fully realizes the breathtaking wonder, strength, and grace of such an historic character. Wonder Woman: The Art & Making of the Film celebrates the creation of this groundbreaking movie, taking fans on a voyage of discovery through the world of Wonder Woman. Showcasing the earliest concept art, set and costume designs, sketches and storyboards, the book delves deep into the filmmaking process, from creating the stunning island of Themyscira to the war-torn trenches and towns of First World War Europe.

This official companion explores the Amazons rigorous training regimens, their weaponry, armor, Themysciran culture, and the amazing women themselves. With exclusive insights from cast and crew, including director Patty Jenkins, production designer Aline Bonetto, and Diana herself, Gal Gadot, this volume is the ultimate guide to the past, present, and future of one of the most iconic heroes in the world Wonder Woman.

WONDER WOMAN and all related characters and elements (c) and TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment. (s16)

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Film, Dc Comics, Comics, Media Tie In, Superheroes

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 2017

About the author

Sharon Gosling began her career in entertainment journalism, writing for magazines in the science fiction and fantasy genre, before moving on to write tie-in books for TV shows such as "Stargate" and the 'reimagined' "Battlestar Galactica."

Reviews

[Andrés · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful companion piece to the movie that takes us behind the scenes to show us the sets, costumes, weapons, and other props, while explaining the logic and amount of detail that went into their design. For instance, I hadn't (consciously) noticed how Wonder Woman's costume is present throughout the designs of the Amazons' own armour, to the point it feels more of a natural variation rather than a sudden departure like the classic costume we see in the 2009 animated movie. I also hadn't realized the amount of practical effects and sets that went into making this movie and how they were, at times, combined with digital animation to achieve a result more faithful to the concept art. In some cases it was a bit over-the-top perhaps, as we see in the third act of the movie, but in others I have just realized I didn't even notice them at all!

The book also features short descriptions for characters like Diana, Steve, Hippolyta and Antiope, among others, sometimes explaining what the creators were looking for in each and how and why actors like Gal Gadot and Chris Pine were such good fits for their characters. I can hardly disagree.

While I had not expected something as long or intricate as Rinzler's The Making of Star Wars I have to admit it felt rather short for an "art" and "making of" book. I had been looking forward to reading more about what the actors or the director thought during the shooting of certain scenes, particularly the more emotional ones involving Diana and Steve, and understanding how those came to be. Unfortunately, the closest I got was a short description of the No Man's Land scene, although accompanied by gorgeous art work. Even then there's no reference as to how it was almost cut from the movie, something that would've made for a wonderful anecdote!

I was pleasantly surprised by the little extra included at the end of the book in the form of a negative print of the photo Bruce returns to Diana, neatly tucked inside an envelope that reads, "Wayne Enterprises." It's not something one usually finds in art books and I appreciate that this one went the extra mile and wrapped things up with such a cool gift.

Wonder Woman: The Art and Making of the Film is a great companion piece for people who enjoyed the movie and are eager to know more. It made me better appreciate the amount of effort that went into bringing the Amazon Princess' story to life and makes a compeling case for another, more thorough, viewing.

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with beautiful photos of the sets, props, and actors. There are some interesting revelations about the filming of the movie, but overall this book is light on text. If you liked the movie, you should definitely check this out.

[Nadin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly beautiful, it was quite fascinating to step into the world created by a passionate team and the amount of work (hundreds of individually made costumes and weapons, months of research, unbelievable attention to detail) is something I still can't quite wrap my head around. I have even more admiration for everyone involved with this project now.

[Julia Pika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well done, though the font colors kind of blended in with some of the backgrounds I could barely read it. I like reading art books like this, but compared to the others I've read this one is lacking. Could use more concept art, behind the scene photos, and more interviews with the cast/crew. It's not bad on its own, but to someone like me who reads art books often, it's pretty lackluster.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely beautiful and very informative. This book is full of amazing behind-the-scene information and photos.

[Kristine]

beautiful book with loads of cool behind the scenes info on the movie.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plenty of focus on weaponry and style, but also some interesting breakdowns of photography composited with visual effects.

[Jan Peter van Kempen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a weak spot for ‘The art and making of the film’ books. This one is no exception. Highly recommended for lovers of the genre.

[no · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST have for any Wonder Woman fan who saw the movie! The pictures are GORGEOUS and I literally cried opening it up because it meant so much to me to see these women do what they do. So much representation! As an artist this is a dream come true to have. I've sketched Greek and Roman clothes since I was in the single digits because I was so fascinated by Greek and Roman mythology, and to see how they've used technology to create the costumes we see and adore, WOW!

It's a million stars!

[The Story Girl (Serenity) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really just bought this for the pictures, and the fact that it comes with the film negative (I think that's what it's called) of Wonder Woman that we see Bruce holding in Batman vs. Superman, which is so cool! But I actually learned a lot about the movie from this book, so I'm glad I read it all the way through. For example, I learned about the three side characters: one was Native American (Native Americans were only in Britain if they had been brought over from the US specifically to act in the Wild West shows or something like that; so he was assumed to always just be in the pursuit of money, but in the film you can see that he never takes money from people), one was Moroccan (the only job people of his 'color' were allowed to have was as a soldier, so after the war, the only way he was able to make money was by being a conman, which is sad), and a soldier who is now suffering from PTSD (this is the first time there was a war of this scale where there was really no hand-to-hand combat, it was mostly just guns). That's just one thing I learned, and it gave me greater appreciation for the movie. And you learn about how much time and detail they put into every little aspect of the movie, even parts that the audience would never be able to see. Also, there are great images of the concept art throughout. I'm so glad I bought this book.

[J'aime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED the Wonder Woman film, so for Christmas I received the soundtrack and art book. The book was very enjoyable, but definitely hews more to a "making of" than an art book. There is concept art, but also a lot of stills from the film. I have all the Marvel art of books, which is what I compared this to. I didn't mind so many stills from the film, because it was great to see concept versus finish. And the behind the scenes information, and exposition from producers and director added a lot to the book. One area where the book is weak, and why I deducted a star, is source material. There is very little call back/comparison to the comics. I found this disappointing considering the iconic status of WW; I would have liked more on why/how they adapted characters like Trevor, or Doctor Poison. Still, this was an excellent book and I highly recommend it to any WW fan.

[Edward Wendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a reading book, more of one based on small bits of text relating to the pictures of the stills and sketches from the movie. The text is interspersed throughout as it is about two or three paragraphs every couple of pages. At the same time it would read through better than just picking this up here and there as it does generally follow the story in the movie.

I read this in one day where I was fairly busy with childcare, and I was reading it between some other books fairly heavy on physics and philosophy, so this was a quick and welcome aside from them.

[Michela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book! It made me fall in love with the film all over again. It was interesting to read about how everything was done and how much hard work went into creating this world of Wonder Woman. I loved seeing the concept art because it was so stunning and I honestly would want to hang a couple of the pieces up on my wall if they ever became prints. It was interesting to learn about the props, costumes, and set pieces as well. I would recommend this book to everyone if you love the film.

[Shanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a huge Wonder Woman fan. I was cautiously optimistic about the film and then really liked it! This book was a gift I bought my husband but found myself turning page after page, enjoying every new detail of the decisions that went into making the film. I gained even more appreciation for it than I already had. Patty Jenkins held true to the character and back story of Wonder Woman so well I think the entire DC universe would be better off in her hands.

[Brenno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para quem é fã do filme e gosta muito de saber detalhes da produção é uma ótima leitura. Tem imagens lindas de alta qualidade e informações maravilhosas sobre figurino, design de produção e personagens.

A Patty Jenkins, diretora do filme, comenta vários aspectos do que ela queria passar enquanto mensagem em vários elementos. É um livro muito necessário para quem quer saber mais como e porquê algumas escolhas foram tomadas sobre o filme.

Eu não poderia gostar mais. Perfeito.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book for anyone who loves the wonder woman comics, character or movie. This book was great for explaining the detail of the movie and the decisions for what was done in the movie and why. I LOVED the movie and this book is a keeper.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great coffee table book for fans of the new Wonder Woman film. Lots of explanations on set and costume choices and how to set the film apart; only disappointment was that there wasn't more to satisfy my fan demands. But I'll be putting this book on my Christmas list because it is pretty sweet.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool read with the "background" to the Wonder Woman movie. It was fascinating to see everything from set design, casting and wardrobe that went into that movie. Laid out with gorgeous photos, it drew me in right away even though I have not seen the movie yet.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked the movie, this is an excellent coffee table book that not only covers the art and concept work, but goes quite in depth into how the props, sets, and movie as a whole was made. It's careful to avoid plot spoilers for people who haven't seen the movie, and just a great book.

[Ita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skimmed this really, not actually reading most of it. I got it for the pictures of the fabulous costumes. It's got lots of pictures of the drawings for the design of both the sets and costumes as well as the final gorgeous sets. This book is a visual treat.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't nearly as impressive as some similar books that I've read, but it shares concept art, behind-the-scenes details, and some insight into story development. I enjoyed it, even though I think that it could have been a lot deeper and more broad-ranging.

[kleinerpanda_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Bilder sind wirklich wunderschön. Besonders gefallen hat mir das herausnehmbare Item am Ende des Buches, super Idee.

Es sind jedoch sehr viele Bilder einfach "nur"abgedruckt. Da hätte ich mir mehr Hintergrundinfos, Interviews und Anekdoten gewünscht.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect visual companion to the film.

[Jennifer Baratta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for Wonder Woman fans. You will greatly appreciate the movie more.

[Wendie Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great images and explanation of the costumes, sets, and CGI images. Love the BTS information about the movie.

[Homewrecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous coffee table book. They did seem to run out of steam near the end. Also I was annoyed at the lack of photo caps to credit the talented comic book artists included like Alex Ross.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning! A must for any fans of the movie, full of behind the scenes information, sketches and costume designs.

[Sarah S. Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and provides a lot of small details you might have missed in the film.

[H.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Lauren Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful look at the making of a great film!