M. Night Shyamalan posted some concept art for his upcoming film After Earth. Actually, he just posted some images that had concept art in the background. I guess, if you're starved for concept art, this works.

His concept artist is Dean Sheriff, who also worked on three of the X-Men films (X2, X-Men United and X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Watchmen.

Shyamalan captioned both of these via his website and Twitter to explain.

This is Dean [Sheriff], an amazing illustrator. He’s illustrating an early scene from the film. (I’ve picked tantalizingly vague pictures haven’t I?)

These are paintings and photos I’ve collected over the year. They are up on the inspiration wall in the art department of After Earth.

Details about the plot are few, but one description gives some details:

M. Night Shyamalan is directing the pic, which had previously been titled 1000 A.E. The story is set in a future in which humans no longer live on Earth after it becomes inhospitable. The elder Smith is playing a hero, while Jaden is his son, considered a failure as a warrior. When the two crash-land on Earth, it's up to the son to save the dad. - Hollywood Reporter

Check out Dean Sheriff's site at http://www.deansherriff.com

Via: /Film

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Update: I've gotten many kind words and emails about this project, but I'm not affiliated with the Aaron Sims Company in any way. Go to http://www.aaron-sims.com/ to learn more.

You may not know the name, but you've seen the work of Aaron Sims and his concept design work a lot.

He's worked on some of the biggest films like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers and The Thing. He started out as a make-up artists working with Academy Award winning make-up artists like Stan Winston and Rick Baker. It was in 2007 that he founded his own concept design studio called the Aaron Sims Company which bings together the work of some of the most visionary arstists in the industry.

Since, his new short film Archetype is coming out today I sat down with him to find out more about the creative mind of Aaron Sims.

Q: How did you get started working in make-up and special effects?
[Image: From Beyond (1985)]

I started working in make-up effects 1985, on a film called From Beyond. I was hired to design the creatures and I loved it so much that I made a career out of it.

Q: What was it about concept design that drew you from make-up and how did you make the transition?
[Image: A.I. (2001) concept art]

I was a designer way before I was a makeup artist. When I was a kid, all I did was draw monsters all day. After years of doing makeup effects I taught myself VFX . I started working at Stan Winston's as his Art Director, and headed his Digital Department. After five years I decided to take all the knowledge that I acquired of both makeup and VFX and use it for designing.

Q: Tell us about your new film Archetype.
[Image: Archetype (2012) concept art]
Archetype is a short film that I've been working on for a bit. I wanted to stretch my wings to show my directing ability. I had so much fun with the process of it that I'm of focusing on a feature version now. It'll be based roughly on the short film but the feature script is bringing a lot of fun surprises and depth with it.

Q: What was the most surprising thing you learned directing Archetype?
I would say the greatest thing I learned was developing a mindset for working with actors. Actors have there own language and I realized I needed to understand how to communicate my vision in a way they would understand. This was a process, but I definitely learned a lot.

Q: Did the experience change your view of concept design?
For me it only justified the importance of concept design, and committing to them early on. It became an exceptionally powerful way communicate all my ideas to everyone - the Set Designer, DP, Actors, etc...

Q: Can you tell us the most challenging project you've worked on?
To be honest, the most challenging project for me so far is Archetype. The most challenging thing was completing the short on almost no money. It was definitely a labor of love for me and the entire crew. That's what helped make it real.

Q: What's next for you and you company?
My company recently added previs as a tool [to] help directors and filmmakers tell their story early on. This especially helps projects that are heavy in design, and effects.

Thank you for your time.

You can learn more about Aaron Sims and his production company at http://www.aaron-sims.com/
Also, check out the short film at http://www.archetype-movie.com/.

Check out more of my interviews with amazing artists on my List of Interviews page.

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A few weeks back the Internet was abuzz about newly found concept art for the unproduced Tim Burton movie Superman Lives.

Pete Von Sholly's designs got into the mix on TimBurton.jp and people went off on them saying how ridiculous they were.

Of course Dudes. They were a joke!

Here's what the artist says on his blog:

Did this for fun while working briefly on the not-produced Tim Burton Superman movie. Somehow somebody got hold of it and posted it as part of some concept art and people went [apes**t] hating it! Most amusing that they took it so seriously!

Anyway here it is and here's the story as I explained to the poster of the pic: "

Just FYI the superman "robo-suit" drawing I made was a JOKE! I only worked on the movie for about 2 weeks and mainly drew monsters for Brainiac's intergalactic zoo.

I just made a couple superman pix for fun and to relieve the monotony- no idea how or why anybody has begun to take it seriously. A lot of stuff gets generated in the concept art stage, some of it just for fun among the artists.

Anyway, everybody relax about that drawing, puh-leeeze!" 

A little research shows he wasn't trying to fool anyone. Back in 2009, he posted on his blog about it.

Anyway, even though they're not for the movie, they're still cool. So, here they are.

Pete Von Sholly's blog is fantastic, so I highly recommend it. Lot's aof great insights to the industry. Check it out at http://vonshollywood.blogspot.com

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The most iconic spaceship ever created is the "USS Enterprise" NCC-1703. The man who designed it is the famous illustrator Matt Jeffries. But, he faced an interesting challenge. Creator Gene Roddenberry didn't really know what he wanted, but he knew what didn't want: A 1960s rocket ship. That meant no fins or cigar shape. How do you go from a list of no's to a practical design?

Here, in his own words, he explains his design process.

"In my approach to Star Trek I wanted to be as practical as possible," Jefferies says. "I could tell Gene was serious enough, but I really didn't know where to start. I knew the Enterprise was going to be on the cutting edge of the future, but essentially he gave me the job of finding a shape, and I didn't know what the shape looked like."

"Gene described the 100-150 man crew, outer space, fantastic, unheard-of speed, and that we didn't have to worry about gravity. He had emphasized that there were to be no fins, no wings, no smoke trails, no flames, no rocket.

"To show fantastic speed he was talking about on air, I knew we were just going to have flash cuts; you cannot sell speed by holding a vehicle, automobile, airplane, or whatever and moving the background. It just doesn't work; it's going to have to come from infinity to you or the other way. So I wanted to keep it very simple, but immediately identifiable - a shape that you could instantly pick out. 

"There was a lot of floundering going on because I didn't know where the hell we were going, and I had to start coming up with an envelope to work outside of. I did hundreds of sketches. Gene liked a piece of this and a piece of that and a piece of something else, so I tried to see what I could do with the pieces. I did have a lot of material from NASA on work that they were doing, and I was a member of the Aviation Space Writers' Association and active as a consultant with the Air Force Museum in Dayton, so I did have a source for a lot of what was being thought about.

"Over a period of about three weeks I was getting more frustrated all the time, but finally I came up with something I thought had possibilities.

"My thinking was, because of the ship's speed there had to be terrifically powerful engines. They might be dangerous to be around, so maybe we'd better put them out of the way somewhere, which would also make them what in aviation circles we call the QCU - quick change units - where you could easily take one off and put another on.

"Then for the hull, I didn't really want a saucer because of the term 'flying saucer,' and the best pressure vessel of course is a ball, so I started playing with that. But the bulk got in the way and the ball just didn't work. I flattened it out and I guess we wound up with a saucer! I did it in color on a black matt board, and by the time I finished I thought we really had something. I rushed down to the mill, and the boys did the dish and the lower hull out of balsa wood, and they said that as soon as the lathes were open they would do the engine pods. I said, 'No, just grab some birch dowel,' so we put it together and put a hook in the top with a string."

"When Gene and the NBC people came in - I think there were about eight of them - they did navigate to the color piece, and I said, 'Well, if you like that, how about the model,' and held it up. Gene took it by the string and immediately it flopped over, because the birch dowels were heavier! I had an awful time trying to unsell that.

"And, of course, when our first show hit the air and TV Guide came out, they ran a picture of the ship on the cover, upside down."

"I constantly had to fight anyone who wanted to put surface details on the thing,"

"I thought the atmosphere or lack of it out there in space might produce different colors, and this gave us a chance to be able to play light and to throw color on it."

"I wanted a very simple number that could be spotted quickly. You'd have to eliminate 3, 6, 8, and 9, so I just went for 1701, which incidentally and coincidentally, happens to be very close to the license number on my airplane - NC-17740. But I have never really stepped out and squashed the rumor that the number on the Enterprise came off my airplane."

More of Walter Matt Jefferies' work can be found at http://www.mattjefferies.com/

What do you think of the designs? Which is your favorite rejected design?

All images from "Designing The Starship Enterprise" - February 2000 Issue 10 Star Trek: The Magazine Copyright Of Paramount Pictures. " Archived from lcars.com

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There were many, many attempts to bring the "John Carter of Mars" series to screen. We've already seen concept art for the Disney movie John Carter coming out this year. Plus, we've seen concept art from the film when Robert Rodriguez was supposed to direct.

Looking Glass Films has a video by Kerry Conrad, the creator of the visually stunning Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It was found by the massive John Carter fan site Barsoomia.com. The production predates the 2012 version by several years.

The promo reel is gorgeous and expertly put together. The concept art really captures the feel of a moving and emotional action film while the voice-overs help to explain the images without being obvious.

Update: A YouTube commenter identified the artists as Ian McCaig and Ryan Church. I see one more style in there, but don't know who.
Some (unfortunately low-resolution) screencaps are below. I have no idea who the concept artist is, but the colors and style is exceptionally well-done. There are shades of Avatar with the six-legged horses and other designs, but Cameron stole the ideas from John Carter first. Check it out after the jump...

The video also has test reels including CGI battle scenes and an awesome fight between Carter and a six-armed Barsoomian.



With all the budget trouble their having with the new film we have to wonder what the budget of this film would have been.

See some of McCaig's work at http://iainmccaig.blogspot.com/ and Ryan Church's at  http://www.ryanchurch.com/

What do you think of the concept art?

Via /Film

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