Man of Steelhas been out for a while, and the art book Man of Steel: Inside the Legendary World of Superman
was released back in June. But these are the first time high-resolution images have been seen and the artist identified.Keith Christensen is a professional costume concept artist on films like Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), The Avengers (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).
He told me what it was like working on such an intimidating project, and how a famous architect influenced the costume design. Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump and click to enlarge.
Maurice Mitchell: It's great to finally talk to you Keith. What did you spend most of your time designing for this movie?
Keith Christensen: The bulk of my work was generating concept art for Kryptonian costumes, and in particular Kryptonian armor. Jor-El's costume changes as well as Zod, Faora,, Carvex, Toran, Jaxer,the Sapphire Guards, and a handful of Kyptonian soldiers kept me employed for about 7 months.
MM: The costume designs are amazing and I know you had a big part in it. What was the hardest part for you in illustrating the costumes by Michael Wilkinson?
KC: The hardest part was working out the Kryptonian 'look'? The costume designer [Michael Wilkinson] kept pushing for something strange and different, while referencing 16th century armor. He wanted a future/past blend that felt both alien and historical. You needed to feel like there was a culture behind the decadence… a real sense of history.
After hearing that Art Nouveau was influencing the art dept., I introduced the costume designer to the decorative motifs of Louis Sullivan, an early twentieth century architect that was a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Sullivan's work always looked alien to me, and it seemed like the perfect inspiration for Kryptonian design. After illustrating a large swatch of Sullivanesque shapes and lines, I started incorporating those elements into costume and armor designs that were already in process.
When I saw the film, it was pretty exciting to see how faithfully the designs were translated into both practical and digital costumes.
MM: Over time I really have been amazing by how closely the film matches the art. Where can we see your work next?
KC: Recent projects include Star Trek: Into Darkness, Oblivion, After Earth, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Thor: The Dark World, The Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014), David Fincher's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and Tomorrowland (2014). Currently I'm working on Man of Steel 2, and Star Wars 7.
MM: It sounds like you've been kept busy! What do you remember from working on the project?
When I got the call to interview for the job, I was nervous. I grew up loving the Christopher Reeve/ Richard Donner Superman, and to be part of the reinvisioning of such an American icon was exiting and overwhelming.
At the end of the day, we all realized that we weren't saving lives, but the emotional baggage from childhood, combined with with the ego issues of a creative group effort, can create some uniquely frustrating situations.
Arguments over which aspect of Faora's costume took priority, sexiness or Kryptonian-ness. Should Superman wear red panties? No straight lines on Krypton? Really? And the ultimate bone of contention… who has departmental jurisdiction over the 'S'?
In hindsight, it all seems rather trivial, but if we weren't passionate in the moment, the motivation would've been lost.
I also have some very dramatic photos of me wearing Superman's cape.
See more of Keith Christensen's portfolio at http://www.artofkc.com.
Click on the links if you want to see more of Keith Christensen's work and Man of Steel on my blog.
What do you think of the illustrations?
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
© Copyright 2013 Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Syncopy. All rights reserved
