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300: Rise of an Empire: The Art of the Film Limited Edition
This is the Limited Signed Collector’s Edition of the trade version of 300: Rise of an Empire: The Art of the Film – signed by Noam Murro and Zack Snyder
The action adventure 300: Rise of an Empire is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2007 international blockbuster 300.
Based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel Xerxes, 300: Rise of an Empire is produced by Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Bernie Goldmann, and directed by Noam Murro from a screenplay by Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad. Told in the breathtaking visual style of 300 this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. 300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemisia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
300: Rise of an Empire also stars Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, and David Wenham, and will be released in theaters on 7 March, 2014.
This lavish, oversized hardback companion book to the new movie features stunning production art, photography from the acclaimed Clay Enos (Watchmen Portraits) and input from Zack Snyder and Noam Murro.
© Cruel & Unusual Films
The action adventure 300: Rise of an Empire is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2007 international blockbuster 300.
Based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel Xerxes, 300: Rise of an Empire is produced by Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Bernie Goldmann, and directed by Noam Murro from a screenplay by Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad. Told in the breathtaking visual style of 300 this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. 300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemisia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
300: Rise of an Empire also stars Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, and David Wenham, and will be released in theaters on 7 March, 2014.
This lavish, oversized hardback companion book to the new movie features stunning production art, photography from the acclaimed Clay Enos (Watchmen Portraits) and input from Zack Snyder and Noam Murro.
© Cruel & Unusual Films
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Hardcover
First published July 2, 2013
2 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Peter Aperlo
13 books8 followersA former naval officer, Peter was already a published author in the rather disparate realms of Scandinavian archaeology and pen-and-paper role-playing games when he was tapped to pen the books Watchmen: The Art of the Film, Watchmen: The Official Film Companion, and 300: Rise of an Empire: The Art of the Film. His most recent movie book is Chappie: The Art of the Movie, based on the film by District 9 director Neill Blomkamp.
His extensive background in Viking culture and history served him well when writing The Unofficial Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Companion, due out from Ulysses Press in September, 2015.
He also scripted the narration for the PSP game 300: March to Glory, and was responsible for the stories and screenplays for the games Watchmen: The End is Nigh and The Guardians of Ga’Hoole. His horror/thriller feature film (co-written with and directed by Clay Staub, produced by Scott Mednick), Devil’s Gate, is in post-production.
His extensive background in Viking culture and history served him well when writing The Unofficial Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Companion, due out from Ulysses Press in September, 2015.
He also scripted the narration for the PSP game 300: March to Glory, and was responsible for the stories and screenplays for the games Watchmen: The End is Nigh and The Guardians of Ga’Hoole. His horror/thriller feature film (co-written with and directed by Clay Staub, produced by Scott Mednick), Devil’s Gate, is in post-production.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 6, 2015
This was a surprising book, I picked it up at an excess stock clearance and I wasnt sure what I was letting myself in for. Ok I am familiar with the films,and the graphic novel that is was taken from (this story too will be released I see in that format too) but I wasnt sure what this book would hold.
That said its a weighty book with a solid heaving binding and large colour pages. I am impressed by the clarity and detail of the images.
It contains film stills, production shots, designs and concepts. It give snippets of the story along with production notes and thoughts and comments from the director and writer of the book. It is a fascinating read which to be honest makes me want to go out and see if there is a similar book for the first film.
That said its a weighty book with a solid heaving binding and large colour pages. I am impressed by the clarity and detail of the images.
It contains film stills, production shots, designs and concepts. It give snippets of the story along with production notes and thoughts and comments from the director and writer of the book. It is a fascinating read which to be honest makes me want to go out and see if there is a similar book for the first film.
February 25, 2020
The truth is, I still didn't watch this sequel. So feel quite frustrated because now I know the ending 😅
A beautiful book by the way. A must have for all the 300 nerds.
A beautiful book by the way. A must have for all the 300 nerds.
February 24, 2014
I was – and still am – one of those viewers who was totally captivated by the cinematic marvel that was director Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300, the tale of a contingent of Spartan soldiers making one, last, futile stand against a horde of invading Persians. In fact, I was a bit surprised how struck by the film I was considering I only thought its graphic inspiration to be mildly interesting. I appreciated what Miller did sans dialogue, weaving a tale plucked from history of warriors doing what they do best; but Snyder’s film added so much more plot, depth, and complexity to a story Miller essentially reduced to a black-and-white (albeit in color) moment in time. That’s what great films do.
Naturally, I’m excited as are many to see that there’s further story coming to such a seminal period in the history of human civilization, so I’m equally jazzed to provide a few humble words on a book celebrating the film’s unique visual style.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
I’m a stickler for trying to avoid any big spoilers, so even though I’ve given you a heads-up with my above statement you can rest assured I won’t be revealing anything about the film’s plot or action sequences. I will say that, if you thrilled at the first, it certainly would appear that the sequel intends to up the ante by venturing much more closely into the world as created and even envisioned by Xerxes, the mortal-turned-god who presided over the Persians. Also, I’m divulge that the book was prepared with the same limited chromatic style common to the film it obviously represents; while there are plenty of photographs that represent specific moments from the motion picture, there’s also a wide variety of sketches and drawings detailing conception to presentation.
To my delight, I also found a nice sprinkling of either lines of dialogue that might be spoken in the film appearing as quotes, but – more likely – these sentences harken back to other Greek works that explore the characters and events detailed in the film. I’ve no doubt these lines – if they’re not dialogue – were certainly ones consulted by Frank Miller in the act of researching which real-life figures he intended to include in his story; as a lover of quality quotes, there are some terrific ones here. The book furthermore details the greater ‘who, what, where, when, why’ in various sections – i.e. the Corinth Council, Athens, the Battle of Artemisium, etc. – peppering each chapter with plot points that correspond (no doubt) to what’ll be some big action up on the silver screen.
There’s a nice forward from the director Noam Murro, wherein he basically talks about what a daunting challenge he undertook at Snyder’s request … but I’d imagine the obstacles he faced were nothing like what the Spartans did in legitimate history. You’ll pardon my wry reflection, but isn’t it a bit ironic what we find challenging today is staging big moments from history instead of the actual history itself? I know I see things that way. Snyder’s afterward, by comparison, is actually a bit disappointing, reading and sounding more like the Academy Awards speech he probably wants to give. I don’t mean for that to sound as insulting as it probably will, but – as they say – it is what it is, and I’m not inclined to change it now.
Seriously though, this is one very nice book.
300 – RISE OF AN EMPIRE: THE ART OF THE FILM (2013) is published by Titan Books. The book is written by Peter Aperlo with a forward by (director) Noam Murro and an afterward by (producer) Zack Snyder. This coffee-table style edition is available with a cover price of $34.95 (U.S.).
HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION POSSIBLE. At this point, there’s no way for any of us to know whether or not the film, 300 – RISE OF AN EMPIRE, will approach the sheer awesomeness of its inspiration, but, if the book is any indication, it certainly appears as if it’ll bring the same kind of epic-scope to storytelling for viewers. Readers of the book won’t be entirely spoiled on the plot, I suspect, but – if it’s spoilers you’re looking for – then, naturally, they’re in here. What the volume does best is capture this latest chapter of cinematic big-budget effects particularly well. It’s a grand companion to those wanting to know more about the behind-the-scenes efforts required to bring it all to big, glorious, blood life.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Titan Books provided me with a reading copy of 300 – RISE OF AN EMPIRE: THE ART OF THE FILM by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.
Naturally, I’m excited as are many to see that there’s further story coming to such a seminal period in the history of human civilization, so I’m equally jazzed to provide a few humble words on a book celebrating the film’s unique visual style.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
I’m a stickler for trying to avoid any big spoilers, so even though I’ve given you a heads-up with my above statement you can rest assured I won’t be revealing anything about the film’s plot or action sequences. I will say that, if you thrilled at the first, it certainly would appear that the sequel intends to up the ante by venturing much more closely into the world as created and even envisioned by Xerxes, the mortal-turned-god who presided over the Persians. Also, I’m divulge that the book was prepared with the same limited chromatic style common to the film it obviously represents; while there are plenty of photographs that represent specific moments from the motion picture, there’s also a wide variety of sketches and drawings detailing conception to presentation.
To my delight, I also found a nice sprinkling of either lines of dialogue that might be spoken in the film appearing as quotes, but – more likely – these sentences harken back to other Greek works that explore the characters and events detailed in the film. I’ve no doubt these lines – if they’re not dialogue – were certainly ones consulted by Frank Miller in the act of researching which real-life figures he intended to include in his story; as a lover of quality quotes, there are some terrific ones here. The book furthermore details the greater ‘who, what, where, when, why’ in various sections – i.e. the Corinth Council, Athens, the Battle of Artemisium, etc. – peppering each chapter with plot points that correspond (no doubt) to what’ll be some big action up on the silver screen.
There’s a nice forward from the director Noam Murro, wherein he basically talks about what a daunting challenge he undertook at Snyder’s request … but I’d imagine the obstacles he faced were nothing like what the Spartans did in legitimate history. You’ll pardon my wry reflection, but isn’t it a bit ironic what we find challenging today is staging big moments from history instead of the actual history itself? I know I see things that way. Snyder’s afterward, by comparison, is actually a bit disappointing, reading and sounding more like the Academy Awards speech he probably wants to give. I don’t mean for that to sound as insulting as it probably will, but – as they say – it is what it is, and I’m not inclined to change it now.
Seriously though, this is one very nice book.
300 – RISE OF AN EMPIRE: THE ART OF THE FILM (2013) is published by Titan Books. The book is written by Peter Aperlo with a forward by (director) Noam Murro and an afterward by (producer) Zack Snyder. This coffee-table style edition is available with a cover price of $34.95 (U.S.).
HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION POSSIBLE. At this point, there’s no way for any of us to know whether or not the film, 300 – RISE OF AN EMPIRE, will approach the sheer awesomeness of its inspiration, but, if the book is any indication, it certainly appears as if it’ll bring the same kind of epic-scope to storytelling for viewers. Readers of the book won’t be entirely spoiled on the plot, I suspect, but – if it’s spoilers you’re looking for – then, naturally, they’re in here. What the volume does best is capture this latest chapter of cinematic big-budget effects particularly well. It’s a grand companion to those wanting to know more about the behind-the-scenes efforts required to bring it all to big, glorious, blood life.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Titan Books provided me with a reading copy of 300 – RISE OF AN EMPIRE: THE ART OF THE FILM by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.
August 13, 2014
Typically, unless I am buying a textbook, I don’t want to spend a whole lot; however, the sequential art titles offered by Titan Books are worth every penny they are priced at. Larger than most laptop screens, this book is a stunning piece of visually history. Peter Aperlo has brought together the entire process from design concept to final movie rendering. While this book strays away from historical accuracy, unlike the first 300, the attention to detail, CGI, and acting more than makes up for it. This book leads readers through the often-daunting process of playing the part with grueling hours in the gym and non-stop fight training to lead viewers to believe they truly are Spartan and Persian warriors. As you dive deeper into the book, you are given a rare glimpse of the fine-tuned detail from the iconography to the massive detail of the CGI environments that had to be created for so many different points in the movie.
“What had captured Miller’s imagination during his research on the initial graphic novel was the fact that the Battle of Artemisium had taken place during the same three days as the Spartans’ stand at Thermopylae, and not very far away at that. ‘That’s a little too fun to ignore,’ says Snyder.”
Read the full review at http://www.musingwithcrayolakym.com/b...
“What had captured Miller’s imagination during his research on the initial graphic novel was the fact that the Battle of Artemisium had taken place during the same three days as the Spartans’ stand at Thermopylae, and not very far away at that. ‘That’s a little too fun to ignore,’ says Snyder.”
Read the full review at http://www.musingwithcrayolakym.com/b...
April 10, 2015
For photos/video of this book, please visit my blog: http://www.movieartbook.com/2015/04/r...
"300: Rise of an Empire: The Art of the Film" is a fun art book to look though - these films are very interesting visually, and it's worth it to take a closer look at the design elements of the movie. This art book is definitely an improvement over the original "300" art book, although it is still a bit too short on actual conceptual artwork.
I would describe this product as more of a visual companion than a traditional art book. If you liked the film, the book does have value - it essentially goes through each character, location, and battle (devoting several pages to each), and includes text and imagery related to that subject. But if you like conceptual paintings/sketches, you might be disappointed in this book.
Included in this book:
- Costumes and Character Portraits
- Storyboards of major sequences
- Close-ups of weapons used in the film
- Design/construction of the boats
- On-Set vs. Final Film comparison shots (a lot of green screen work)
- Visual Effects progression frames
"300: Rise of an Empire: The Art of the Film" is a fun art book to look though - these films are very interesting visually, and it's worth it to take a closer look at the design elements of the movie. This art book is definitely an improvement over the original "300" art book, although it is still a bit too short on actual conceptual artwork.
I would describe this product as more of a visual companion than a traditional art book. If you liked the film, the book does have value - it essentially goes through each character, location, and battle (devoting several pages to each), and includes text and imagery related to that subject. But if you like conceptual paintings/sketches, you might be disappointed in this book.
Included in this book:
- Costumes and Character Portraits
- Storyboards of major sequences
- Close-ups of weapons used in the film
- Design/construction of the boats
- On-Set vs. Final Film comparison shots (a lot of green screen work)
- Visual Effects progression frames
March 31, 2014
The concept paintings alone are worth the cost of the book. Gorgeous.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews