INCEPTION THE SHOOTING SCRIPT Is a Dream Come True

Inception: The Shooting script is a book by director Christopher Nolan about his mind-bending dream film Inception. It's not a copy of the script. Its not a book of concept art and storyboards. Its not a making of the fim book. Its all three. He's cleverly managed to work in all three parts seemlessly into one book.

 

It starts with his brother interviewing him about the making of how he conceived the film ten years before. The interview is fascinating as he explains how he wrestled with how to present his concept about dreaming. "My interest in dreams comes from this notion that when you dream you ceate the worls that you are perceiving, and I thought that feedback loop is pretty amazing."

 

The screenplay begins and is fairly standard. What makes it special are the 15 pages of storyboards by Gabriel Hardman that are inserted into strategic places in the script.

 

Full color concept art by Nathaniel West takes up a section after the script and is beautiful. West has a real skill at making his digital art look like paintings. The detail and choice of color schemes makes them stunning to look at.

 

A hand-written map of the layers of Inception begins the book and an assembly guide for the briefcase sleep device PASIV follows the screenplay.

 

The book, like the movie, ends with credits. They don't list the art department though. The storyboard artist is named, but, none of the concept artists or illustrators are. Not even Nathaniel West is in there and he has a major part in the book.

Here's the list according to imdb:

• Gabriel Hardman (storyboard artist) http://www.heathencomics.com/
• Nathaniel West (concept artist) http://www.nathanielwest.net/
• Paul Christopher (concept artist) http://paulchristopherart.blogspot.com/
• Robert McKinnon (concept artist) http://robertmckinnon.blogspot.com/

 I was hoping for more concept art and storyboards, but, that's all they could fit into a paperback-sized book. It would have been better as a hardcover coffee-table book.

 

Overall, its worth reading if you're a fan of the film. If you're a real fan, you bought the $147 Inception Briefcase Edition North American Blu-Ray anyway.

 

Three and a half out of five stars.

 

Here are some scans from the very cool blogs book-crazed.blogspot.com and io9.

 

The Paris Cafe explosion by Nathaniel West

 

The Japanese Castle, Japanese Dining Room and Paris Workshop by Nathaniel West

 

A train hits Cobb's car in a storyboard by Gabriel Hardman.