Tim Palen: Photographs from The Hunger Games - Assouline Coffee Table Book

I love the book so much so that I bought 3 copies. I didn't pay the $75, I waited until they were on sale. The price has dropped down to a little over $13.00 as of 4/14/17.Even if you aren't a fan of the films, Tim Palens photos are true works of art that are amazing.The photographs feature the actors in various costumes they wore in the film including the amazing wedding dress Katniss wore in "Catching Fire". The book also includes photos from the website capitolcouture.pn (which can still be accessed via Tumbler) which shows costumes you only caught glimpses of in the film.The book also features the 12 Districts propaganda photos. District 10 (Livestock) features a coat made fur, District 6 (Transportation) features pants made from tire rubber, District 4 (Fishing) has a dress made from fishing nets and District 3 (Technology) well, it needs to be seen because I can't explain it.Perhaps the most famous and popular photo features real life war veteran Alex Minsky as a resident from District 7 (Lumber). Mr. Minsky is a former Marine who lost the lower part of his right leg in Afghanistan when the truck he was in ran over an explosive. The 25-year-old amputee spent 58 days in a coma and was honorably discharged sometime later. His photo in the book features him sitting on a bench and holding a wooden prosthetic leg.Perhaps the best photos are the over the top fashions worn by Elizabeth Banks who portrayed Effie Trinket.It's a great book to add to your collection if you're a fan of "The Hunger Games" or if your a fan of photographs that give Herb Ritts, David LaChapelle and other top artists a run for their money.There is also a deluxe limited-edition hand-bound Ultimate Collection volume, signed by the photographer, Tim Palen, and includes a limited-edition art print and is presented in a soft-touch clamshell case. The book retails for $845.00 but as of 4/14/17, it is marked down 70% and costs $257.63 and can be found on Amazon (amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1614284849/ref=pd_aw_sbs_14_3/138-3373105-1300927?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X5NHW7FVCY8XYXK7F03B)

I could no longer resist making this purchase when I was able to pay a mere 6% of the list price. It's huge and heavy. The cover is coated with fabric, and the Katniss image is glossy. (Alas, the fabric means that fuzz adheres to it, as I discovered when I placed it on my rug.) Most of these photographs have likely been seen by fans before, but particularly at the price I scored, it's totally worth owning your own super-high-quality, sharp, blown-up copies on paper in this book. There are a number of fold-out sections throughout that spread left and right. I found myself turning the pages with extreme care, especially the black ones--so as not to leave prints!Personally, I would have appreciated pics of some of the random Capitolites from the first movie's Illustrated Movie Companion and those gorgeous pink Borzoi (got post-Mockingjay headcanons related to them), but all of the significant characters are featured, and then some.It isn't quite perfect. The bits of apparent 'stage direction' from the scripts could've used some grammatical editing (but I suppose that's the way they were?) And I noticed at least one inaccurate quote. To be really nitpicky, the directory at the end has three credits for an image of four people. Also unrelated to the photos, I could not disagree more strongly or completely with Elizabeth Banks' included quote about Effie Trinket having "a true change of heart"; I do not believe that she ever actually liked or supported the Games. (Further, Peeta's speech quote about lives being measured by how they touch the lives of those around us should properly be attributed to her as well, since Effie's the "good friend and good writer" who drafted their speeches--parts of which are sincere.) Love the book overall, though. You can appreciate the little details (including, hopefully, the symbolism inherent in some...particularly when it comes to Effie.)It's certainly delightful to me to see photos of the actors wearing costume pieces I purchased from the second Hunger Games auction--a Haymitch one and an Effie one, consisting of D13 shirts, pants, boots, & the beanie and sweater. ;)Most of the photos are rather serious and dramatic or emotional, yet in a few shots you can really see actors just having fun playing about in their costumes.There also happens to be a strong "Gressida" (Gale/Cressida) vibe in the book that I can dig, since I do like to imagine he might have hooked up with either her or Johanna after the war.

The photography in this book is absolutely fantastic. I bought this specifically for Cosplay purposes because I knew it would have a lot more detail than say a movie poster. There were so many things detailed in this book that I never noticed in the movies (Effie Trinkets eyelashes, for example.) On top of that the emotion that is portrayed in the photos really caught me off guard and I felt tears form in my own eyes as well (especially the one of Liam Helmsworth (Gale) with the tear on his cheek.) TIm Palen makes Panem feel like a place that really exists, not a fictional world. There are also additional fold out sections that were a nice addition to the general page sizes. Would recommend for any Hunger Games fan and Hunger Games cosplay enthusiasts.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  I was so hesitant to purchase because of the price tag but I’m so glad I went for it. It is stunning! Each chapter is broken down by films, so it’s easy to look for your favorite characters. If you’re a Hunger Games fan, just buy it. You won’t regret it.

My sister is a pretty big Hunger Games fan so I purchased this for her and she was really excited when I surprised her with it. I am not usually one to spend so much on a book however, the book is absolutely worth what it costs. It has so many pages and the size of the book itself is large. We were fascinated with every single page and the book is of excellent quality. Also makes time fly by on long road trips. It did come with the corners kind of worn from shipping I assume and I really wish it included pictures from the last film to the trilogy (Mockingjay Part 2) but this book is enjoyable and filled with great quotes from the films. Very satisfied with my purchase!

At over 250 pages, this book is packed full of photographs from the films. However, they are not the normal stills or promotional shots, they are beautifully shot portraits and visualisations from the series. Describing the beauty of this book is like trying to explain the colour pink to someone who has only black and white to compare. Tim Palen has managed to create a breath taking collection in this coffee table sized tome. At almost 13 x 10 x 1 1/2 inches this is a must for any true fan of the 'Hunger Games'. See 'Kattniss', 'Rue', 'Hamitch' etc. in a new light or just lose yourself in the marvelous photography.

An absolutely beautiful book. As a Hunger Games fan and a concept/ pre-production art fan I got a lot out of this item. The images are crisp and the whole collection has a very rich feeling, easily have a flick through at any time and pick out some gorgeous details.

I wanted this book for ages and I finally got it. It was a Christmas present from my parents. The photos are superb. I haven't looked at all of them yet, but from what I've seen so far, I am very happy.

stunning pictures glad to have bought it

Fantastic book, rich and beautiful highly recommend. A must for Hunger Games fans