Robots and artificial intelligence have been a part of science fic
tion since there has been science fiction. There are your friendly robots such as C-3PO and R2-D2 and your homicidal ones like Hal-9000 or Skynet. I actually look forward to the day when personal robots are a thing but until then we have science fiction to keep us hopeful. The ideas of robots being a part of everyday life and artificial intelligence are the main themes in Neill Blomkamp’s newest movie, Chappie.
Neill Blomkamp knows a thing or two about science fiction. When his first feature, District 9 hit the big screen it was visually stunning. The designs and concepts for that film were very realistic. You could believe that aliens had really landed here on Earth. His next feature was Elysium and again the tech in the movie was believable and looked completely functional. Now with his 3rd feature, Chappie, Blomkamp has outdone himself. The designs this time around look like they could really exist in our world. Nothing looked too farfetched. There was a level of realism that went into what you saw on the screen.
Personally I really loved the look of “The Scouts” as they were called in the movie; the robotic police force that assisted the human police tackling crime in the not too distant future. As a person who enjoys the technical side of movies I wanted to know more. Fortunately for those like me who are into the design process, Titan Books has published The Art of Chappie.
This oversized behind the scenes look measures 11.1 x 0.7 x 12.1 inches and gives the reader a look into not just the evolution of the droids in the movie but the overall look of the film. The book is broken down into 4 parts: The Meat, The Metal, Locations, Vehicles and Gear. Each one of these sections gives insight to everything that went into the look of the film.
The sections deal with exactly what the title would suggest. The Meat for example deals with the humans in the film. Each section has several subsections devoted to, in this case, background on the major players. This book gives fans of the film a plethora of information for their favorite aspects. Personally my favorite section the one on The Metal which shows not just the mechs but the actors in motion capture suits.
The book, Chappie: The Art of the Movie is written by Peter E. Aperlo and also contains quotes from the actors and the crew. These include quotes from Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver, to name a few. The 160 glossy pages are filled with tons of behind the scenes shots and production art. It is really interesting to see the difference between pre-production and the final product.
Chappie: The Art of the Movie is published by Titan books and is an excellent companion to the movie. This book is available now and retails for $34.95. Look for it on line or at your favorite book sellers.
