Check out Elysium concept art by Aaron Beck!

Aaron Beck is a professional concept illustrator at Weta Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand who's worked on Hollywood films like Avatar (2009), District 9 (2009) and the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road (2014)

Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump (click to enlarge).

Great to talk to you Aaron. Which designs for Elysium did you work on?
The primary elements that made it into the film were the exo-frames for Max and Kruger, some weapons (the chemrail, the AK47 mod), tattoos (including all of Max's), and a bunch of armour designs for other characters. But since Weta Workshop was involved from day one, I also worked on earlier design stages for pretty much everything, including the vehicles, robots, and many other elements that didn't make it into the final script.

Director Neill Blomkamp said that he was creating a future that is "not entirely realistic", but represents his attempt to turn theme into visuals. What was the vision of the future the artists were tasked with?
Neill gave us a brief introduction into the 'haves and have-nots' world at the start of the project, which included a different concept for the realm of the super wealthy, and told us right from the start to not get too bogged down with rationalising some of the larger sci-fi ideas, which were there to inform the story and create a world ripe with opportunities for unique action and drama. It was a lot of fun as a designer to have the two worlds of the film to develop, the gritty slums of 'third world earth' and the clean futurism of Elysium.

Production designer Philip Ivey has cited Syd Mead as a "substantial influence for the film." How did Mead's designs influence the vision of the film?
While we never worked directly with Syd on the film, his influence was certainly there the whole time in that Neill really pushed us to refer to his iconic work as the basis for the wealthy and futuristic world of the Elysium space station. Mead's direct involvement later in the project was I believe a dream come true for many!

What was the most challenging design that you faced and how did you overcome it?
Of the designs that made it into the film the most challenging for me personally were the exo-frames for Max and Kruger. I really wanted to show how dynamic and powerful such a device could be, and decided on the use of pistons to help facilitate that. With pistons you get a lot of easily readable visual cues as you see them extend and contract, showing power and articulation in a way that conventional servo motor driven mechanics can not.

But the real challenges for these two designs were in the construction and realisation of the actual physical prop. Because the exo-frames were bolted into the bones of the characters in the film we couldn't use any straps or other traditional methods of securing the prop to the actor. Instead a lightweight mesh top was worn that had silicone skin attached so that where Max's t-shirt was cut to bolt the exo through to his bones you saw it appear to attach directly to the 'skin'. These sorts of issues and also the difficult challenge of getting the exo to be rugged, lightweight, and not impair the actors movements, were solved by the incredible team here at Weta Workshop.

The job they did was amazing, and it was a privilege to be a part of it.

See more of Aaron Beck's work at http://skul4aface.blogspot.com .

Click on the links if you want to see more of Aaron Beck work and Elysiumon my blog.

And make sure you get a copy of Elysium: The Art of the Film* to see more great concept art from the film. I'll have a review of the book up tomorrow.

What do you think of the storyboards? Have you seen Elysium?

Official Elysium Summary
In the year 2159 two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster), a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max (Matt Damon) is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Cinematography by Trent Opaloch
Production Designer by Philip Ivey
Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, Wagner Moura, William Fichtner

Release date: August 9, 2013 (US), August 21, 2013 (UK)

Official Site:  http://www.elysium2013-movie.com/

© Copyright 2013 Sony Pictures, Alphacore, Media Rights Capital, QED International, TriStar Pictures. All rights reserved

*A small commission from the sale of items from the links goes towards getting concept art books and Blu-Ray discs for me to review.

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Check out exclusive Pacific Rimstoryboards by Rob McCallum!

Pacific Rim has grossed $344,684,273 worldwide and is a certified hit. It was a slow start, but Guillermo del Toro's "Robots vs. Monsters" film is finally being recognized for it's brilliance.

I interviewed storyboard artist Rob McCallum a little after the film came out, but it took Rob a while to get the studio to allow him to share his work on the movie. He said he'd keep trying though and was willing to go so far as email Guillermo del Toro himself!

His persistence paid off and we can finally share these exclusive storyboards from Pacific Rim with you. Also, you can find out why he had to sit down with concept designer Wayne Barlowe and the "first rule" of working with del Toro.

Rob McCallum is a professional concept and storyboard artist who's worked on Hollywood films like The Thing (2011), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Total Recall (2012).

Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump (click to enlarge).

Thanks for joining me Rob! What storyboards did you work on for the film?
I did storyboards for the opening of the film, the first battle, and a good chunk of the end. I drew a few other sequences scattered throughout the film in various forms and I also did a few little bits of concept stuff.

Guillermo knows what he wants so he would sit and sketch out the panels into a yellow legal pad and send me off to draw them. He was open to ideas and suggestions but the rule was "give him what he wants first" and anything else would come after.

Knowing del Toro's style that was probably a safe route to take. Was there a particular scene that was tricky to board?
I remember having a rather tricky time trying to work out the anatomy of the Knifehead Kaiju's head. It took some working out and I ended up sitting Wayne Barlowe down beside me to make sure I had the design right because the boards had to be as accurate as possible.

I've got a toy of it now which would have been handy at the time!

Did del Toro's famous sketchbooks help?
The yellow legal pads became the only sketchbooks that I needed to see. I'd see him drawing in the famous sketchbooks and he gave me a look on more than one occasion but I don't read Spanish and suspect that the stuff in there was all for ideas down the line. The man's always working!

Where can we see your work next?

I did work on Robocop (2014) and a few other things I probably can't talk about. I'm currently on Frankenstein being directed by fellow "Scot" Paul McGuigan.

You can see a full slideshow of all the storyboards below.

See more of Rob McCallum's work at http://www.mccallumart.com/

Click on the links if you want to see more of Rob McCallum's designs and Pacific Rim artwork on my blog.

What do you think of the storyboards and the interview?

Official PACIFIC RIM Synopsis
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes-a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)-who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Brad William Henke, Diego Klattenhoff 
Cinematography by Guillermo Navarro
Production Design by Andrew Neskoromny, Carol Spier

Official Site: pacificrimmovie.warnerbros.com/

Release date: July 11, 2013

© 2013 Copyright Legendary Pictures

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"The Epiphyte"

Check out my interview with Pacific Rim concept artist Keith Thompson!

There are many artists and designers that worked together to create the look of Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim.  One of the talented artists working on the film is Keith Thompson and he agreed to a short interview about his time on the film.

Keith Thompson is a professional concept artist who's worked on major motion pictures like Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump (click to enlarge).

"Kaiju Onibaba" by Keith Thompson designed by Wayne Barlowe

Maurice Mitchell: Thanks for joining me Keith, tell me what you worked on for the film?
KT: I was lucky enough to jump around a fair bit and explore a few different things.  The official art book is actually a really great cross section of the type of work that went into everything, both in the movie and in the extended universe.  Some of the bigger things I spent a lot of time on were the Shatterdome, the Wall, the cockpit screens and the beings and places revealed at the end of the movie.

MM: Those are some great set pieces. What was the trickiest part of designing ?
KT: Probably the Shatterdome took the most finessing and repeated visits.  It had a whole host of complicated concerns.  It had to be believable in its setting but also have a dynamic and engaging form and silhouette.  It had to be completely unique and an iconic feat of architecture in the world of Pacific Rim, but it also was built into an area of real world topology. 

If I made it too believable and technically thought out it started looking dull and somewhat unengaging (a massive bunker mostly hidden in a mountainside isn't much to look at no matter how well structured and conceivable I tried to make it!)  Working at those scales has a whole host of fun and challenging concerns.

MM: You have a very unique steampunk style. How did your particular art style affect your design on the film?
KT: It changed which things I'd gravitate to.  Sometimes I would work on some parts of the movie and del Toro would realise the aesthetic wasn't quite right for that part of the world and he'd have me take new shots at other things.  Worlds this big almost grow organically. 

Pacific Rim Russian futurist style propaganda poster (one on the right). via http://psycho-ming.blogspot.com

MM: It must have been great working with him. Where can we see your work next?
KT: A few unannounced next-gen games, some upcoming books, a new feature film, and Guillermo del Toro's upcoming TV series The Strain on FX.

See more of Keith Thompson's work at http://www.keiththompsonart.com

Click on the links if you want to see more of Keith Thompson's work and Pacific Rim on my blog.

What do you think of the illustrations?

Official PACIFIC RIM Synopsis
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes-a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)-who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Brad William Henke, Diego Klattenhoff 
Cinematography by Guillermo Navarro
Production Design by Andrew Neskoromny, Carol Spier

Official Site: http://www.pacificrimmovie.com

Release date: July 11, 2013

© 2013 Copyright Legendary Pictures

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Check out early Man of Steel concept art by Ben Mauro!

Nailbiter111 from Comic Book Movie found early concept art of Kryptonian weapons on Ben Mauro's blog back when the film had the working title "Autumn Frost."

I contacted the artist Ben Mauro and asked him what it was like working on the film. Mauro is a professional concept illustrator who's worked on Hollywood films like The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey(2012) and the TV show Dr0ne(2012)

Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump (click to enlarge).




Maurice Mitchell: These designs are great Ben. What did you work on for the film?
Ben Mauro: Mainly early weapon design that got cut at the last minute. I was also involved in VFX design on the guns and worked a little on the final guns seen in the film which were designed by Andrew Moyes.

MM: Was there a particular design you found the most challenging? How did you overcome it?
BM: Alex Mcdowell asked for some really interesting mix of organic/mechanical, something that felt ancient yet advanced, a lot of contrasting ideas which were probably the hardest thing to try to visualize. I overcame it by just digging in and exploring a lot of options and directions until something felt like it was starting to work.

MM: What was your favorite part of working on the project?
BM: Working directly with Alex McDowell, I really admire the Production Design work he has done over the years and it was incredible to get to work with him closely for a little while.

MM: Where can we see your work next?
BM: Neill Blomkamp's Elysium.

See more of Ben Mauro's work at http://www.artofben.com/

What do you think of the designs?

Official Man of Steel Synopsis
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes "Man of Steel," starring Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, under the direction of Zack Snyder ("300,""Watchmen"). The film also stars three-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams as Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane, and Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne as her editor-in-chief, Perry White. Starring as Clark Kent's adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, are Oscar® nominee Diane Lane and Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner. Squaring off against the superhero are two other surviving Kryptonians, the villainous General Zod, played by Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon, and Faora, Zod's evil partner, played by Antje Traue. Also from Superman's native Krypton are Lara Lor-Van, Superman's mother, played by Ayelet Zurer, and Superman's father, Jor-El, portrayed by Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe.

Official Site: manofsteel.warnerbros.com

Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Russell Crowe
Cinematography by Amir Mokri

Release Date: June 14, 2013

What do you think of the illustrations?

© Copyright 2013 Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Syncopy. All rights reserved

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Check out exclusive concept art from Pacific Rim by Henry Fong!

Pacific Rim is a visual feast and I got an exclusive interview with one of the concept artist's Henry Fong, who told me about working on the film and the key to designing a disaster scene. Plus, you'll see gorgeous concept art of Hong Kong, Hannibal Chau's secret lair and the Jeager airlock.

Henry Fong is a professional concept artist and art director who's worked on Hollywood films like Immortals (2011), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) and Mirror Mirror (2012).

Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump (click to enlarge).


Maurice Mitchell: Thanks for joining me Henry. What was your main job designing for Pacific Rim?
Henry Fong: I worked at the Pacific Rim art department in Toronto as a concept artist. My job was to create environments and set concept art for the Production Designer, Andrew Neskoromny. My work served as visual reference to communicate with across different departments (set decor, construction, Props..etc).

The sets I was involved with were:  Hong Kong streets, Hannibal Chau's secret lair, the Hong Kong underground evacuation bunker, The Alaska Shatter dome/"Suiting Up" airlock, The Hong Kong disaster zone and mood development on Shatter dome launch bay/repair mmezzanine, as well as some on-set prop design.

MM: A wide variety of sets and designs, Man. What was the most challenging design on Pacific Rim for you?
HF: One of the most challenging designs we faced on Pacific Rimwould be the Hong Kong disaster zone, the aftermath from the battle between the Jaeger and Kaiju.

The challenge was, how can we make a disaster area filled with building debris look convincingly dangerous enough, but also interesting for the viewer to look at while at the same time convince viewers this takes place in the middle of the city of Hong Kong.

So we studied thousands of aerial photos of Hong Kong City from Guillermo and the location scouting team, disaster videos and iconic photographs of war and earthquake zones from different cities around the world. It was a painstaking process to look through all the disaster imagery...it got really depressing. 

But at the end we overcame this problem by creating a "center piece" around tons of building debris. A 75 foot long and one story high, half destroyed rooftop helipad that resembled one of the iconic buildings in the Hong Kong skyline… although we had to go through many revisions to get it perfect.

Ultimately, it's all worth it when I walk on to the set. It really gave me a feeling of standing in the middle of an destroyed Hong Kong financial district.

 
MM: It's all onscreen Henry and it looks great! HF: What are a couple of upcoming movies you worked on?
You will see more of my work on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) next summer.

Thanks for your time Henry! See more of Henry Fong's portfolio at henryfong.ca

Click on the links if you want to see more of Henry Fong's work and Pacific Rim on my blog.

What do you think of the designs?

Official Pacific Rim Synopsis
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes-a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)-who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Brad William Henke, Diego Klattenhoff 
Cinematography by Guillermo Navarro
Production Design by Andrew Neskoromny, Carol Spier

Official Site: http://www.pacificrimmovie.com

Release date: July 11, 2013

© 2013 Copyright Legendary Pictures

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Check out concept art for Pacific Rim by Stephen Schirle!

Pacific Rim got pummeled at the box office by Grown Ups 2 (ugh), taking in a respectable $38.3 million. It's not bad, but far below the $190 million budget. Still, who doesn't love giant robots and monsters?

So let's all revel in the beauty of this Pacific Rim concept art by one of the artists: Stephen Schirle.

Stephen is a professional concept artist and matte painter who's worked on Oz the Great and Powerful (2013).

Check out the rest of the images after the jump, including a fetal baby Knifehead, and click to enlarge.


Maurice Mitchell: How did you start working on Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim?
Stephen Schirle: I was brought on to visualize some of the concepts Francisco Ruiz Velasco, and Wayne Barlowe had sketched out. My first assignments were the Jaeger pilot suit, and a creature called "Knifehead".

Later I did everything from environment paintings, to Kaiju guts and organs.

MM: All very talented artists and it must have been fun to work with them. What else did you spend your time on?
SS: I was assigned to illustrate an entire trailer sequence they had storyboarded out to use as a presentation to show the producers and actors to get them to buy off on the film. I had one month, 70+ images to do.

MM: That is insane. Did you get a peek inside Guillermo del Toro's sketchbook?

Guillermo

SS: I only saw one or two sketches from GDT, one included the very first thumbnail of the knifehead kaiju.

MM: Sweet! I'd love to see that one. What's next for Stephen Schirle?
SS: I will have work in a new movie coming out this weekend called R.I.P.D. in which I did creature concepts, visual effects concepts, modelling, and matte painting.

See more of Stephen Schirle's work, including some gorgeous personal work, at http://www.stephenschirle.com and http://portfolio.seriks.com.

What do you think of the illustrations? 

Official PACIFIC RIM Synopsis
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes-a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)-who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Brad William Henke, Diego Klattenhoff 
Cinematography by Guillermo Navarro
Production Design by Andrew Neskoromny, Carol Spier

Official Site: http://www.pacificrimmovie.com

Release date: July 11, 2013

© 2013 Copyright Legendary Pictures

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