Monkee Interviews - James Clyne - Conceptual Illustrator

James Clyne ,  is currently a conceptual illustrator for the film industry, having worked on top level films such as; Avatar, Transformers, Star Trek (XI), X-Men 3: The Last Stand, Minority Report, War of the Worlds and many, many more amazing motion flicks. We were lucky enough to throw a couple questions at him and he was kind enough to answer them. Check out what James has to say about breaking into the film design industry, his favourite flicks to work on and most importantly....what was his favourite Transformer was...

How long have you been a designer and what is your schooling background? 

I’ve been a Conceptual Designer for the film industry for 12 years now, but once in a while I tend to deviate into industrial design and fine art. After studying Fine Art and painting at the University of California at Santa Barbara, I went on to study Industrial Design at Art Center College of Design, where I focused on transportation design, product design and entertainment design.

 

How do you start a concept piece for a film? and what are the stages of the concept development?

One of the most important first steps as a designer on a film is to dig into as much research as you have time for.  Whether I’m designing the silver surfer, or the Romulan ship in Star Trek, I always find my inspiration in photography, current cultural movements, historical art, or just from looking around in my own backyard.  I always try to keep a camera on me just in case an interesting cloud formation might appear or I happen upon new architecture in a city I’m walking around in.  Inspiration is everywhere you look.  You just have to look around.

After the initial research phase, I jump on the computer and sketch out as many ideas as possible in photoshop.  Recently I’ve been dabbling in 3D to carve out some of my initial thoughts as well.

 

Can you explain how the concept art is used in the process of making the film?

Typically when I start on a project it always begins with a brief discussion from three possible people, the Production Designer, the Director, or a Producer.  More often than not it’s with the Production Designer.  Once we have a chat about the story and the worlds that need to be created, I go off and spend sometime looking through books and online imagery to find a look for the film.  Often the Production Designer and the Director will have their own reference to share as well.  Sometimes though, there is no idea of what the crew wants for a design, then I have to really sit down and think about it.

For example, working on Star Trek, there was no visual description for what the “bad guy” ship and the surrounding aesthetic looked like.  Through brief discussion with the Production Designer, I was able to sit down and develop those designs.  Once I had several different ideas down for the space ship let’s say, those ideas would go to the director for approval.  If all goes well, the director picks an idea and then it’s your job to go back and develop that idea further.  Sometimes that means developing it all the way to visual effects and post production.  It often starts with a ruff sketch, once that sketch is approved, you hopefully have time to develop it further into a final rendering.  Time is always money, so you have to be fast, and you never have enough time to finish something when a new task is handed down.

 Whats the main difference between designing something for actual distribution compared to designing something for a film?

The difference between designing something for actual distribution compared to film is the fact that film is mostly smoke and mirrors.  Unless your designing a prop that an actor has to hold in his/her hand, it’s all an illusion.  Sets typically don’t have a backside for example.  Your always designing for the camera, only what needs to be seen through the lens.  Although, the more we get into CG as a design tool, like designing for a product or toy, we are spending more time designing the ins and outs of the prop, set, or environment. 

What was your favorite film to design for and why?

That’s a tough question, fortunately there are several favorites.  A recent favorite was Jim Cameron’s Avatar coming out this December. Unfortunately I can’t really get into any much detail regarding Avatar until the movie is released to the public, but what I can say is that I was lucky enough to be involved on the project for almost a year and was able to get my hands on a lot of different things.  All very fun to work on, variety is the spice of life.  I think the biggest inspiration for me working on Avatar was to have someone like Jim Cameron running the show.  He’s a true artist himself and can draw as well as the best.  Sometimes better.

 

Any advice for young designers trying to break into the film industry?

The best advice I can give to aspiring artists is one to get a good education.  You don’t have to go to the best institutions and certainly not the most expensive, but go to an art school and work every hour of the day to excel.  The second thing I’d say is to just draw, draw, draw.  The more you do it, the better you’ll become.  Like anything in life, practice makes perfect.

Which is your favourite transformer? Lol

Ha!  That’s a good question.  Honestly I’m not he biggest Transformers fan, but I do remember a transformer toy from the 80’s that was a little cassette tape.  I always thought it would be cool if it actually played in a boom box.  Played some Quiet Riot or Twisted Sister.   God, that statement just dated me a bit.   

 

 

 

A big thanks to James Clyne for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions, and dont forget to check out "Avatar" when it drops the 18th of December, 2009 (USA)!