Digital Dream Machine

Did you know that Heroes‘ Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) used to be a digital effects artist at Industrial Light and Magic?

StarWars.com has the full story.

Photo: NBC Universal, Inc.

Hiro Nakamura. Art: Tim Sale. Colors: Dave Stewart.

Some of you are already enjoying the NBC show Heroes. If you’re already watching it, then it doesn’t require further explanation. However, if you’re not familiar with the show, you can think of it as a weekly version of M. Night Shyamalan’s feature film Unbreakable or Marvel’s X-Men. It’s also been described as being a lot like ABC’s Lost since there are diverse characters in mysterious circumstances. The show’s creator, Tim Kring, is friends with Damon Lindelof, the co-creator of ABC’s Lost and theories suggest that these two universes interact. However, as the hit shows are on different networks, the creators have dismissed the idea, perhaps only to satisfy the legal deparments. Most likely they’re not linked, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we notice a few nods to each other as both shows progress.

The show does have that ‘clean, well-lit’ NBC look to it, which can sometimes take away from the character of the show, but for the most part the production has used this effectively. This is demonstrated in colorful scenes with the Japanese character, Hiro Nakamura, and the vivid neon backdrops of Tokyo and Las Vegas. Perhaps more atmospheric lighting (similar to the The X-Files) would give the show a less polished and equally stylized look, but it works as it is. The show’s characters are generally great choices, but some (including the stereotypical suit and tie bad guy) could be reworked. I’d also like a more memorable musical score, but the constraints of weekly production can limit the scoring choices. Overall, the story and heroes - though somewhat predictable at times - are proving to be compelling enough to keep me watching.

One of my favorite parts of the show is seeing the work of comic book artist, Tim Sale. His work is featured as the paintings of the character, Isaac Mendez. I like his stuff because it’s a seems like a combination of Frank Miller and Bruce Timm’s art, yet distinctive enough to be his own. Tim’s done some amazing work, and his many collaborations with writer Jeph Loeb are some of the most widely acclaimed graphic novels and comic book series to date. His work is used very effectively throughout the show and you can see more of it on the official website and at 9thWonders.com, the official/unoffical fan site for Heroes. He’s one of the few artists that have the ability to tell a story with the art alone if need be.

There’s some real potential in the show, and I would enjoy seeing a few different styles from other storytellers. Despite its current high ratings, anything can happen in TV production. Let’s hope it doesn’t get cancelled before it really gets interesting.

I recommend the following books as example’s of some of Tim’s (and Jeph’s) best work. If you don’t want to order them through my Amazon links, at least do yourself a favor and head to your local comic shop, bookstore, library, or other online retailer and read these fantastically illustrated stories of other popular comic book heroes.

Canadian residents can also purchase the books through my aStore link in the upper right corner of this blog.

Here’s Part 2 of the interview I conducted with author/illustrator extraordinaire Mark Schultz regarding his career, influences, and future projects. Once again, thanks to both Mark and Palaeoblog creator, Dr. Michael Ryan for making this possible.

Enjoy!

–

Mark, thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions. We discussed your early career in Part 1 (at this link) and moved on to past/current projects, so let’s continue there.

Q: Are there any projects that you’d change if you could or do you consider past experiences as learning and move on?

Schultz: I look at everything I’ve done as a learning experience. There are some projects I’ve done that I’m not particularly proud of, but I learned, and I think improved, from all of them.

Q: Because we can’t be working all the time, what do you do to unwind when you’re not creating heroes and monsters?

Schultz: Hike—for exercise as well as to refocus my mind and eyes. Read. Watch movies—preferably B&W classics that are generally ignored today.

Howard Hawks’ 1951 sci-fi masterpiece. A fave of both Mark and myself. © Turner Home Entertainment.

Q: Is there something you do to refresh your creative spirit and get back into drawing or writing mode again?

Schultz: Hike. Travel. Visit the ocean.

Q: You recently took a trip to Spain where some of your work was exhibited. How was your trip and did you find European’s reactions to your work to be different from North Americans?

Schultz: Generally speaking, Europeans don’t seem to draw as definitive a line between the fine arts and the commercial arts as we do in North America. They are much more open to the notion that comics can be a legitimate form of expression. The Spanish people, at least, seemed to me to be much more knowledgeable about art in general—they consider an appreciation of the arts to be part of their every day existence.

Let’s move on to future projects.

Q: Do you plan on returning to Xenozoic Tales? Are there any plans for another animated series or feature film? How about a DVD box set of the animated series?

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. © 1993 Mark Schultz and Nelvana Limited. Images from here.

Schultz: There is nothing I want more then to get back to producing new issues of Xenozoic Tales. It is just a matter of finding a way of financing the process of getting it started again. My glacial slowness makes things difficult. I’m hoping to build a savings reservoir that could give me the time to devote to getting the series up and running again. Specifically, I have a four issue arc in mind that would complete the storyline I left hanging, but would also stand on its own, and would be collected as a trade paperback. At this time there are no current plans for XT projects in other media.

Q: In addition to Xenozoic Tales, what property that you’ve been involved with in the past, would you like to return to and in what capacity?

Cover art for SubHuman Issue #1 © Mark Schultz.

Schultz: I’d love to see SubHuman up and running. We really didn’t get a chance to get our sea legs under us with the initial Dark Horse mini-series. Both Michael and I have lots of stories Krill Stromer Family stories we’d like to tell, and hopefully someday we’ll have the chance. Beyond that, I have tons of other projects percolating away that are just waiting for the right opportunity to come to a boil.

Q: Who would you most like to work with that you haven’t yet had a chance to and who would you like to work with again?

Schultz: I’m pretty happy working mostly by myself, or with my already established cohorts.

Mark Schultz’s studio. Note the otherworldly visitors! Photos courtesy of Dr. Michael Ryan.

Q: What properties would you like to work on that you haven’t yet?

Schultz: I’d love a chance to illustrate Edgar Rice Burroughs, and more Robert E. Howard. Right now, a couple of years after I stopped writing Superman, I’m finally getting a chance to illustrate a Superman cover! I’m psyched!

Action Comics #836. Artwork by Mark Schultz. © DC Comics.

Q: What are you working on now and what projects have you got in the pipeline?

Schultz: I continue to write the Sunday comic strip Prince Valiant, which is beautifully illustrated by Gary Gianni. I’m working on Vol. 2 of my Various Drawings art book series, doing lots of commissions in connection with generating work for that, and picking up comic cover and illustration work here and there. It all continues to go well, I will be generating a series of books for Flesk Publications, the publisher of Various Drawings.

Mark Schultz: Various Drawings Volumes 1 and 2. © Mark Schultz and Flesk Publications.

Q: Since Xenozoic Tales features dinosaurs, I can’t forget to ask if you have a favorite one?

Schultz: Of course, Tyrannosaurus rex is an icon that would probably be my all-time number one, but the coelacanth, with its great survivor’s story, is a sentimental favorite. I love drawing both of them.

Thanks again Mark for your time and letting all of us take a peak inside your creative mind. Please keep us up to date on your new projects and we wish you the best of luck with all of them!

Schultz: My pleasure. And thanks to all the readers for the support!

Stay tuned for a possible update from Mark on even more recent projects and topics we might have forgot in our first 2 parts!

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund art for sky*dog comics. © Mark Schultz and the CBLDF.

Ray Harryhausen tribute painting © Jim Dallmeier.

Stop-motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen will be helping to develop a series of new features, TV movies, video games, and merchandising under the Ray Harryhausen Presents banner for Mindfire Entertainment according to Reuters and the Hollywood Reporter via Yahoo! News. From the article:

Producer Mindfire Entertainment, which joined forces on the projects with the 85-year-old director, said several scripts are in development — one set in Greek mythology and another with an alien invasion theme. Production on the first film is set to begin in the fall.

The plan is to release one movie in the $15 million range and three TV projects in the $4 million range every year, Mindfire CEO Mark Altman said. Harryhausen will oversee all visual effects, which will be done in CGI (computer-generated imagery) but will be in the spirit of his stop-motion effects, Altman said.

Harryhausen said “utilizing the incredible advances in visual effects technology” would enable him to reach an entire new generation of audiences. “These stories are universal, and I could not be more thrilled than to revisit some of my favorite worlds — past, present and future — in these new films,” he said.

As a great admirer of Harryhausen’s work, I’m thrilled to hear that he’s bringing out some fresh ideas from old worlds for all of us to enjoy. Take a look at many reecent feature films (Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers, Peter Jackson’s King Kong) or video games (Killer Instinct, Age of Mythology, God of War) and I guarantee you’ll see the Harryhausen influence.

Even if Ray does nothing more than provide the initial concepts and inspiration, you can bet the projects will be both epic and fantastic.

A Muppet classic found over on YouTube…

“Mahna Mahna:”

More Muppet goodies at YouTube.

I finished watching Miami Vice Season 2 on DVD (one of my all-time favorite shows) a few days ago and was reminded of the episode “Trust Fund Pirates” by this CNN story.

Fans of Vice will recall Richard Belzer’s (Law & Order) character was a pirate radio station operator who conducted his illegal broadcasts from out in the ocean near Miami.

My wife and I spent Christmas being entertained by Ewan McGregor. Sort of.

Photo © Chad Kerychuk.

Within days we watched:

This weekend, I was fortunate to attend the HD Production Conference here in Edmonton. I understand nearly 300 attended the 2-day conference in Calgary and around 200 packed the sessions in Edmonton. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces, meet some new ones, and learn about all the new HD productions from Albertans. And the two fantastic lunches were a bonus!

It was a little daunting to see some of the financial figures people were dealing with but since HD is a relatively new media, a higher production cost can be expected. The quality available through HD is outstanding and for those productions that want that clarity, detail, rich colors, and an immersive experience, HD is definitely the way to go.

Hopefully I will also have a production to add to the growing list.

Read more at my posting on The Alberta Movie Guide.

Thanks to Cartoon Brew for bringing animation fans this news: the original puppets of Santa Claus and Rudolph (from the treasured Rankin/Bass holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) have been found.

Long thought lost, the puppets were found among the holiday decor of a former Rankin/Bass employee. The puppets have been purchased by TimeandSpaceToys.com and will be restored for public display.

Check out the TimeandSpaceToys.com article for more information.

Also, be sure to read last year’s lengthy but informative post on the animated holiday classic.

RUDOLPH animated program © & TM Classic Media.

Hellboy Animated concept art by Sean “Cheeks” Galloway.

Like the recent motion picture, ‘Hellboy‘, created by author/illustrator Mike Mignola, will be coming to life in animated form. IDT Entertainment and Revolution Studios will bring ‘Big Red’ to life in direct-to-DVD productions, and possibly an animated series, online content and video games. Ron Perlman, who acted as Hellboy in the feature film will also be providing voicework for the animated versions. Guillermo del Toro, director of the film, will serve as a creative producer along with Mignola.

Read the Variety article at this link.

I was pleased to hear that a fellow member of The Drawing Board, Sean “Cheeks” Galloway, was chosen as the lead designer and fellow Hellboy.com forum member and animation veteran, Tad Stones, is the supervising director. With all of this talent, Hellboy is certainly in good hands.

Follow the production of Hellboy Animated at the new Production Diary.

Check out more of Sean’s outstanding artwork at his online gallery, where I’m sure you’ll see how his dynamic style is a natural fit for animation.

There’s also a great interview with Tad regarding animated television series development at Digital Media FX.

While we’re talking about Hellboy, here’s two great lithographs I recently received. The first comes courtesy of ‘…’ at the Hellboy fourm, and the second arrived thanks to Jun at The Comic Bug.

Hellboy mini-lithograph produced by Dark Horse Comics.

Hellboy Hurricane Katrina Red Cross Relief lithograph by Mike Mignola.

Hellboy and all related characters © Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

I love Halloween. Always have. Cool costumes, dark decorations, mysterious movies, and creepy activities make this one of the most fun times of year! So, in keeping with the Halloween ’spirit,’ here’s some spook-tacular treatsll!

Images © Lucasfilm 2005.

HALLOWEEN IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…

In addition to the Star Wars paper masks I blogged about last Halloween, StarWarsKids.com has posted a new set of masks for you to print, cut out, and wear. This year’s masks feature characters from ‘Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith‘ including Kit Fisto, Yoda, Aayla Secura, Tion Medon, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, R2-D2, General Greivous, C-3PO, 3 clone troopers, Padme Amidala, The Emperor, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Boga.

The site also features a tutorial for home-made Star Wars treat bags at this link.

For Jack O’Lantern patterns, Star Wars Kids also features fun intergalactic designs ranging from a simple Rebel Insignia to a complex Tusken Raider. Paste them on your pumpkins and start carving your galactic affiliation!

SPOOKY SONGS SURFACE AND VILE VIDEOS EVOLVE!!!

Michael Fleming has been posting an insane amount of links to obscure but fantastic Halloween-themed MP3 music files on his blog. Unfortunately, the process is slightly complex but it’s definitely worth it to hear some great music! Especially noteworthy are Bing Crosby’s ‘The Headless Horseman,’ Vaughn Monroe’s ‘(Ghost) Riders in the Sky,’ Ronnie Dawson’s ‘Rockin’ Bones,’ ‘Watusi Zombie‘ by Jan Davis, and ‘King Kong‘ by Tarantula Ghoul and the Cryptkickers.

A few more obscure songs that fit the Halloween mood can be found at this link on WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. ‘Parade of the Damned‘ features the cool ‘Bo Meets the Monster‘ by Bo Diddley and Messer Chups’ ‘Intro Monstro Crescendo‘ among other hip tunes.

Image courtesy of The Scooby Doo Case Files.

Halloween without everybody’s favorite canine sleuth and his gang, Mysteries, Inc.? No way! ‘Scooby Doo, Where Are You!‘ is still considered one of the finest animated series. From spooky storylines to eerie locations with evocative background art, the show still outshines some of today’s top cartoons.

The Scooby Doo Case Files website has posted links to the hip ‘Scooby Doo themes,’ including unreleased symphonic score tracks from the show. A real treasure, Ted Nichol’s compositions are not to be missed! Delve into the site to discover episode summaries, imcompetent sheriffs, avatars for the Internet, and an index of monsters with roll-over images revealing their true identities! Be sure not to miss a section I savored, Wallpapers, which features a ton of outstanding animation background designs from the show!

Images courtesy of Ben Kane.

Some readers will probably remember ‘The Hilarious House of Frightenstein,‘ a 1970’s Canadian TV variety show featuring some of our favorite monsters. Wth the legendary Vincent Price and Billy Van, the show had some truly enjoyable moments featuring Count Frightenstein, Igor, Grizelda, the Librarian, Wolfman, the Oracle, and others. I remember being particularly fascinated by the set design, cinematography, effects, and music. ‘March of the Martians,’ the memorable theme from the show, (created with the famous Moog Synthesizer) can be found among the other goodies on the Frightenstein Downloads page. Be sure to snoop around the incredible tribute website for show info, music, video clips, and even a ‘Return to Transylvania‘ documentary!

Of course, no Halloween should go without a visit from Jack Skellington or a giant robot!

EERIE IMAGES AND TERRIFYING TEXT!!

Keith Milford’s blog, Old Haunts, collects “Halloween photos of long past,” marketing material, greeting and trading card art, and even music and audio stories from old vinyl LPs. The bonus audio downloads ‘Alfred Hitchcock presents Ghost Stories for Young People,’ ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost Haunted House Tales,’ ‘Sounds of Terror!‘ and others let your ears enjoy a Halloween chill! I have no doubt that you’ll recognize some of the costumes and relive childhood ‘trick or treat’ memories.

Check out Jay Stephen’s blog, Monsterama for some amazing illustrations and creative monster lore. Described as a place to see ‘cute creeps from popular culture,’ the new blog is already loaded with great images by Jay. Along with artwork, you’ll discover brief histories of characters like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Gossamer, Fangface, and others.

Jay, a Canadian with a great sense of design, is the creator of ‘Jetcat,’ ‘The Land of Nod,’ and ‘Tutenstein,’ all of which I highly recommend. He’s also a regular contributor to Drawn!, a blog that provides insight and links about illustrators around the globe. Some of the links in this post were found at the blog.

Project Gutenberg has online text versions of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow‘ by Washington Irving. Available in both HTML and Plain Text formats, this is the original tale that has spawned numerous film versions. No Halloween celebration is complete without a reading or viewing of this great story! Download ‘Dracula‘ by Bram Stoker or ‘Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley as well!

RavensBlight features a fun collection of Haunted Paper Toys including The Mechanical Bat, Coffin Gift Boxes, the Splatterbot, and more; all courtesy of artist Ray O’Bannon. With paper (preferably heavy cardstock), scissors, an X-Acto knife, glue, and tape, you’ll be able put together these morbid masterpieces. To download and print the files, you’ll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

retroCRUSH, “the world’s greatest Halloween website,” is a must-see for any pop culture and Halloween fan. The vast archive of images, audio, and text will devour hours of your time. Check out “the world’s greatest Halloween costumes” with photos of many vinyl and plastic costumes from yesterday and today. I know I’ve certainly worn a few! Marvel at the Top 100 Monsters of All Time! Note: Not all portions of the website are safe for younger children or work viewing.

Open your goody bag to find the MonsterParty font by Michael Gaines (use the caps lock key with it) or the many other horror fonts that await your experiments!

How about some great icon sets such as Vintage Halloween, Creeps, Boo Buddies, Macabre, Snappy Hour Halloween, and Cute Dead Icons. You may also enjoy Haunted Hard Drives, Ravenswood Revisted, World of Aqua - After Dark, and Jack Skellington.

Oh yeah…if you can’t find a real pumpkin to carve…how about a digital one? Thanks Tad!

Well, that’s a bowl full of treats from me! How do you like them apples?!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Amazon.com links:

A Jurassic Park scientist extracts dinosaur DNA from a fossilized insect trapped in amber.
Image © 1993 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment.

I’m currently writing a proposal for a creative summit similar to the Boarding: Stories & Snow event that I was part of in Banff recently.

I’m interested to know if any of my blog readers have recommendations for scientists or filmmakers, video game designers, concept artists, illustrators, writers, directors, producers, or animators, that have a strong interest in the sciences and would be responsive to participating in a creative summit in the beautiful province of Alberta. Honored Guests will have the chance to come share their wisdom with attendees, mingle with other science/creative types, and see some of the best natural scenery in North America. I have a lot of great contacts already, but it’s always nice to have more.

In addition to films like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, The Lord of the Rings, Titanic, and Apollo 13, documentaries and television shows such as Walking with Dinosaurs, CSI, and Star Trek all have strong bases in the sciences. Without the brilliant and inspiring research behind these shows, the believability factor would be greatly diminished.

Coming full circle, these types of films and shows have inspired bright young minds to choose professions in science, filmmaking, video games, writing, illustration, or computing. It’s a continuous cycle that shows the symbiotic relationship between scientific research, discovery, and creativity.

The goal of the Science in Film, TV, and Interactive Media Summit is to provide innovative film makers, writers, video game developers, animators, and documentary producers the opportunity to interact with not only Canada’s leading scientists, but also other world-renowned specialists, helping them to create new, cutting-edge fictional projects based on tomorrow’s scientific breakthroughs.

Though this concept has been in development for a while, there is something similar in the works through the American Film Institute. However there is enough to make them both unique including taking place in two different geographic regions.

My interest in this is as a creative producer, putting my appreciation for science and entertainment and writing skills to good use, bringing like-minded people together in a fantastic setting. Being a self-employed film and video writer/director, I’m not expecting to make money from this concept, but rather to continue to meet some great people, refresh our creative souls, and enrich our minds. I had the chance to help out some great people on the Boarding Summit, and I hope to do the same here.

Tom Cruise manipulates an advanced visual display system in Minority Report.
Image © 2002 DreamWorks LLC and Twentieth Century Fox.

I don’t know the specifics, but trip expenses are usually covered and speakers/instructors have an incredible opportunity to interact with receptive, creative attendees. It would be beneficial if the speakers or workshop presenters are engaging, have experience speaking in front of groups, and/or have collaborated in the Entertainment or Edutainment fields. Exact dates are unknown at this point, but it could take place anywhere within a few months from now to possibly sometime next year.

Some of the areas of interests I’m looking at are:

The United States Postal Service is celebrating creative genius Jim Henson and his beloved Muppet characters with a series of stamps. It has been 50 years since Kermit the Frog made his television debut.

It’s a well-deserved acknowledgment of his work and it will be fun to see the cartoons-come-to-life busting out of envelopes across the US.

Hit the link above and scroll down to read more about it.

The gang at Long Sausage Productions have brought us another great Dr. Tran collectible: a Magic Talking Card complete with virtual bubble gum! Collect all 1500!

Design: Breehn Burns, Dr. Tran: Jason Johnson, Animation: Keith Holven, Hickory Smoked: Horse Buttholes, Hot Stone Massages: Rick Cortes (Producer)

If you haven’t picked up the Dr. Tran DVD, better get your butt on over there and pick up a copy!