The Making of "Where the Wild Things are": Heads on and We Shoot ~ Hardback ~ Editors of McSweeney's

How do you turn one of the world′s favorite children′s books into a movie?  The Where the Wild Things Are film incorporates the most dynamic elements of voice performance, live-action puppetry, and computer animation into a live-action adventure story that captures the magic of the book-and takes it to a new dimension. In order to preserve the realistic nature of the film, the Wild Things are not created digitally. Instead, Spike Jonze brings these characters to life in the form of physical suits built by the Jim Henson Company. These creatures, operated by a suit performer, interact with the live actor playing Max on set in front of the camera. After principal photography is finished, CGI is being used to make the creatures completely lifelike and convincing. HEADS ON AND WE SHOOT unveils the unique collaboration behind this combined work of Maurice Sendak, Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, and all the cast and crew. A mix of early sketches, storyboards, character designs, and extensive behind-the-scenes photographs that show both incredible live-action puppetry and computer animation. The text includes forewords by Jonze and Eggers, interviews with the cast and crew, storiesfrom on and off the set, and early drafts of the screenplay. The resulting book will be simultaneously a beautiful object for collectors, an insider′s guide for devotees, and an intimate window into the creative process. Author Biography Spike Jonze has directed music videos, commercials, and short films, and is an accomplished photographer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his feature debut, Being John Malkovich, and he reunited with its screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman, to produce Human Nature, which Michel Gondry directed. Jonze went on to direct Adaptation, co-written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. He cowrote and is currently directing Where the Wild Things Are, which is in postproduction and scheduled to release in October 2008. Dave Eggers recently co-wrote, with Spike Jonze, the film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. Eggers is the author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), You Shall Know Our Velocity!, How We Are Hungry, and What Is the What (a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award). In 1998, he founded McSweeney's, an independent publishing house. In 2002, Eggers opened 826 Valencia, a writing and tutoring lab for young people in San Francisco.