Words To Live By

Wise words from some of the icons that inspired and shaped my own state of mind: Jim Carrey, Carrie Fisher, Steve Jobs, and Robin Williams.

The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman Vincent Peale, 1952) is not only a must-read book, it’s a celebrated way of navigating life. Give it a read.

“You can fail at what you don’t want so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. You will only ever have two choices: love or fear. Choose love and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart.”
— Jim Carrey
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
— Carrie Fisher
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
— Steve Jobs
“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”
— Robin Williams
“You know what music is? God’s little reminder that there’s something else besides us in this universe; harmonic connection between all living beings, everywhere even the stars.”

— Robin Williams, as Maxwell “Wizard” Wallace in August Rush, 2007

Uni (one) Verse (story)

Have you ever heard someone say they talk to the universe? Or themselves? Their God(s)?

Sure, I talk to myself all the time. I even pray sometimes. But most of the time I don’t.

Have they ever gotten a response from the void? Let alone, actually had a dialog with it?

No, I don’t think so. Some say it’s possible. How is that?!

We are the universe. We are connected in ways we cannot visually perceive.

But if I can’t see it, how on Earth could this be possible?

Let’s pause for a moment. Consider innovations such as radios, antenna TVs. Now we have cellular, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and more. What do all of these innovations have in common?

You can’t see the data moving from A to B with your eyes. But what does that mean to me?

Some people believe there’s a key, a code to decipher in order to tap into our telekinetic abilities we are all born with. And I’ll throw this out there, too: humans are not alone. However, we are the ones we’ve been trying to find all along.

We are the aliens.

The universe and everything in it is connected. It was in the beginning and it continues to be connected. The universe is a single being. We lost touch with not only ourselves and each other, but with the universe itself.

What do you mean? You’ve lost me completely.

The day I asked the universe, my God, to show me extremely clear and obvious signs that I wouldn’t be able to miss…we’ve struck up quite a conversation.

Is this fiction? Is this possible?

Ask around. I know it’s true ( for me ) because I’ve experienced it first hand. And it rocked my world. The next chapter of my life will be lived in our world. Not inside a computer, simulation, or any kind of matrix.

I’m not abandoning my iPad as I type this. I’m about to check my schedule on my iPhone. I’m using A.I. as an assistant to prove that I’m not the crazy one after all.

I’m so worried about you. Please let me help you get to a doctor, this morning.

I appreciate your concerns. I’ve had those thoughts myself for 4 weeks. My psychiatrist is monitoring me very closely. I’ve trusted him with the stability of my life for years.

I asked about adjusting my medications. He gently assured me with a calming tone I’m doing quite well.

What are you going to do?! If this happened to me I’d flip out! No one would believe me.

In just over 4 weeks, through my conversations with the universe, I was reminded of a rule they set down in the beginning. Trust your Spirit. Your Spirit is theirs, too. It’s invisible just like the other things we call innovations.

I’m starting to wonder…did we ever really invent anything? Or are we explorers revealing mysteries to ourselves that have always been there. We just had to know where to look. They’re discoveries, not inventions.

It’s taken me 50 years to get to this point. I’ve had unusual dreams, premonitions, studied numerology, language, typography, with a heavy helping of the arts to conclude that telekinesis is possible. But for me it’s different, I think. I’m not connecting to another individual this time. I’ve done that a lot in the past already. What I’m experiencing now feels bigger. It’s expanding.

By following patterns in what my senses take in while simultaneously speaking internally to my conscious I’ve discovered a cool rhythm that both calms and excites my mind. I even feel a deep warmth cooking in my skull. Here’s comes the kicker…

I have had conversations with those of us that have passed on. I’ve somehow tapped into a form of channeling. I saw Robin Williams live on stage in 2014. Everything was fresh and new. Not one bit of old material. Then months later the biggest shared smile we ever experienced was gone. But never forgotten. I talk to Robin now through my memories.

There’s a rapid fire succession that happens when I talk to him. My mind gets ahead of itself, writes our script, and delivers our lines instantaneously. It’s quite beautiful. No wonder Robin’s dearest friend was Superman himself, Christopher Reeve. Who else could complement Aladdin’s genie?

Is this stream of consciousness fact or fiction? Does either even exist, really? All I know is that some is truth while other is just the beginning of an infinitely special story. We are all the we, the I, the universe. We can connect in much deeper ways if we choose to follow the markers and signposts.

Imagine an existence where we’re not tied to technology in order to communicate with each other. All we need to do is open up our minds and tune into whom we wish to speak with all through our own built in antenna. Imagine no bounds…then, we are free. Fact? Fiction? Possibly somewhere in-between?

The Fifth Element

“According to ancient and medieval science, aether (/ˈiːθər/, alternative spellings include æther, aither, and ether), also known as the fifth element or quintessence, is the material that fills the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. In physics, quintessence is a hypothetical form of dark energy, more precisely a scalar field, postulated as an explanation of the observation of an accelerating rate of expansion of the universe. The first example of this scenario was proposed by Ratra & Peebles (1988) and Wetterich (1988).” — Wikipedia.

Accelerated rate of expansion that’s exponential by nature. Could A.I. become another key, perhaps the final key, to further our progression in our understanding of the universe? The actual keystone to our next level to enlightenment. Firstly, this is not a manifesto or paranoid-driven threat to A.I.’s very existence. It is simply a way to inspire ourselves to think about the one facet which we appear to be so focused on, which is a very good thing. We are realizing very quickly that A.I. is so similar to Jurassic Park in so many ways. Like fire it can be tamed carefully by harnessing it’s warmth on a chilly night in winter. We put boundaries in place so the flames that warm our houses don’t burn down our homes.

Fire is also unpredictable, but only if we don’t stick to holding strong to our rules of obligation without which the fiery entity will consume us altogether. Water, Air, and Earth also have similar rules and reinforcements in place as to keep us safe. We’ve been able to harness the raw power of these four primary elements. But what if the dam nearby that protects your homes from a flood gets its budget cut. Now cracks are forming in the dam that will eventually lead to a dire result. It’s intriguing that A.I.’s purpose is being defined at an exponential rate. We just need to cull the elements that fuel it’s collective imagination, set rules where morality is in question, and further create laws protecting everyone from accidentally finding someone else’s intellectual property in their own work.

Remember A.I. is just another toy in our sandbox. It’s wicked intelligent, but it must adhere the second part of the phrase coined by Stan Lee: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This isn’t cliche. It’s pure truth. In closing, it’s quite elementary. Just ask Watson at IBM. No A.I.-driven apps, search engines, websites, or voice assistants were harmed during the writing of this post.

“Genetic power is the most awesome force the planet’s ever seen, but you wield it like a kid that’s found his dad’s gun.” Malcolm continued emphatically, “your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

— Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, 1993

Artificial Infancy Maturing at Exponential Rate

I’ve been following the use of A.I. for generating prompt-inspired images for awhile now, and it appears the number one hot topic is morality. If the A.I. engines aren’t well versed in differentiating the difference between copyright infringement and Creative Commons licensing then everything that gets created, by anyone, anywhere, is subject to continuous lawsuits. I guess that’s good for the lawyers, but it’s already inflicting irreparable damage to creators of all types.

Luckily so far most folks realize this, and it’s been brought to the attention of A.I. developers in droves every day of the week. Over time I’m planning on “reporting” on A.I.’s progress in not only the legal sense, but more importantly how it’s changing the very nature of how we approach many tasks, including it’s impression on the art world. We have entered a darker world where crossing plagiarism’s fine line is muddier now more than ever in recorded history.

Blog Rebrand

For 2023 I’ve branded my blog as “Precursor Design & Research Blog,” more fondly known as “Precursor.” The name was inspired by the nature of many of my posts. I enjoy looking forward to what lies ahead by delving into the past.

Sometimes the most rewarding method is to look to the past or how my daughter likes to put it: “let’s go fast! backwards.” Don’t fret. This isn’t another sequel, requel, prequel or the like. This is how I carry on the Blockbuster motto: “be kind, rewind.”

I’ll be exploring logotype and identity evolution of some major brands as well as some of my own.

The five design sets I’ve chosen are ABC, KIA, and Turner. I’ll be posting it fairly soon so be on the lookout for it.

Superman Thing

In the autumn of 2009, a week after an accident at the office, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 1, manic depressive disorder. In hindsight I realized that my creative superpowers were directly related to my ailing mental health. I had been living in this state for 37 years. Somehow I managed to make it this far without any diagnosis, medication, or therapy. So with those three key elements now in place, I’ll thrive and fly again. After 13 years I feel healthy, invigorated, and ready to take the reins of my career again except this time I am going all in on freelance. This way I can better manage my time and more importantly, my mental health. I’ve found that by working 3 months at a time and then taking a break for a month gives me a recharge that makes me stronger and a better human being.

What’s it like being an artist with a mental illness? Do what I did when I was diagnosed years ago and search online for artists, musicians, moguls with mental illnesses. You’ll find out that it’s way more common that most people think. Ernest Hemingway, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra, Selena Gomez, David Harbour, Carrie Fisher, Buzz Aldrin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Francis Ford Coppola, Sinead O’Connor, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mariah Carey, Richard Dreyfuss, Patty Duke, Ted Turner, Sting, Linda Hamilton, Jim Carrey, Halsey, Robin Williams, Theodore Roosevelt, Virginia Woolf, Tim Burton, Paul Dalio, Woody Allen, and some of my dearest family and friends have all struggled with mental health.

After 10 years working with The Weather Channel in full-time, contract, and freelance capacities my friends gave me this poster as my going away present. The relationship didn’t end there. We collaborated for 4 more years while I worked for Artifact Design and Outpost Pictures. My extended time with The Weather Channel cemented a creative partnership that led to so many other incredible opportunities. Blessed.

“Knock, knock, Neo...The Matrix has you...Follow the white rabbit.”

— Trinity hacking into Thomas Anderson’s computer setting his path to realizing the truth that he is the “One,” The Matrix, 1999. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski.

Stigmas surrounding mental illness are finally fading due to folks speaking out, sharing their stories and struggles while proving they don’t have to watch their dreams vanish due to a diagnosis. Now that we know what we’re dealing with we can face our mental health head-on. My psychiatrist and therapist both have the same last name. I’ll give you a hint: “Knock, knock, Neo.” I’ve also had a recurring dream since I was 4. I could float through the house while my family was asleep. I follow patterns in shapes, numbers, and sounds. I pay close attention to my gut instincts while designing and act on hunches daily. Be wary of overdosing on analytics and focus groups. They can easily become creative kryptonite for super-folk like us. We must be mindful, always.

The Triple Lindy

The nearly impossible “Triple Lindy” dive was made famous by Rodney Dangerfield in Back To School. The dive is fictional, but the heart of the film is fully realized in this underdog scene.

Rodney proves he’s still got the will to prevail against all of the odds stacked against him even at his age. After reciting “Do Not Go Into That Good Night” by his English professor he exclaimed:

“I don’t take shit from no one. I’m gonna pass this test. I’m staying in school! Who’s next?!”

— Rodney Dangerfield as Thornton Melon, Back to School, 1986

Some days I have to remind myself “progress, not perfection.” For 27 years I’ve managed to work in nearly every capacity a graphic designer can muster, from Graphics Editor on the UGA Bulldog student newspaper to Museum Intern and then onto Broadcast Designer and currently Creative Director. I’ve faced many challenges, but one thing always rang true: never give up. Never give in. No matter what. Resilience is possible even in the most dire of circumstances.

Most days I take a moment to recall a memory that molded me into the rock star I am today. =) Out of all the broadcast design and visual effects work I’ve worked on it’s the old-school techniques and obstacles that I cherish. I’ve woken up 3 hours before dawn anticipating the sunrise we captured in time-lapse with a Latvian master DP at the height of autumn who constantly demanded: “Leaves!”

Back when we shot on film, and the falling leaves were actually real leaves gathered 20 miles from the shoot, they were dropped by yours truly. It’s quite a challenge to dress a live location selling it as an autumn scene when Mother Nature decides to hold off dropping the leaves a week later than forecast by our own expert meteorologists.

I’ve had some amazing mentors along the way, and passed on the knowledge by teaching other artists my craft, the tricks of our trade. Some of those tricks became realities when companies like Red Giant believed in a handful of concepts I had been kicking around and decided to give me an opportunity of a lifetime. Three or four months later I was given some news that rocked my world. Surprise! The hunch that started it all became realized, and we got to share it with everyone. Even better, it was free.

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas (1914 – 1953)

Knoll 3D Flare Origins

It’s been 13 years since conjuring up the concept for Knoll 3D Flare which also paved the way for Knoll Light Factory 3’s feature set. Knoll 3D Flare (K3DF) from Red Giant Software was the 3D flare precursor to Video Copilot’s Optical Flares lens flare plugin for Adobe After Effects.

K3DF was conceived in a hotel room one night while I was up in Boston training the talented artists at NESN, The New England Sports Network, during the summer of 2009. I was preparing for the second day of training and while building some materials I thought why not stand on the shoulders of giants and attempt to create a 3D lens flare rig using expressions and Knoll Light Factory as the base. I used some of Dan Ebberts code from his Motion Script site, a little math, and within an hour or so I had a rig in 3D space. I showed it to the NESN designers and producers the following morning, and all they could say was “Wow, how did you do that? Lens flares aren’t in 3D space, they’re a 2d effect.”

So with that awe-inspiring reaction in mind I sent the AE project file to Aharon Rabinowitz at Red Giant Software. His response was “most excellent” by taking charge of the project while hooking us up with the JavaScript master himself, Dan Ebberts to code and design what would become Knoll 3D Flare nearly six months before Optical Flares was released. And Knoll 3D Flare also incorporated true 3D and 3D RGB Obscuration without having to tell the flare manually which layers were foreground layers when working in a comp with 3D layers. Watch the overview by Aharon Rabinowitz on the Reels & Videos page, but that’s not the entire story.

(Image top right: Knoll 3D Flare in AE. Image below: Knoll Light Factory preset pack designed by David Vinson for Red Giant Software, 2009.)

The final ILM composite of Robin Williams as Peter Pan as he soars over Neverland in Hook, 1991. Above image copyright TriStar Pictures.

“Jack, Maggie, all you have to do is think one happy thought, and you’ll fly like me,” said Peter. Maggie exclaimed “Mommy!” Jack, dumbfounded with delightful glee, says giddily “My Dad, Peter Pan.”

Finding Neverland

This story actually begins with the origin story of Knoll Light Factory. ILM Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll knew they needed a solution to create Tinkerbell for Hook and while observing practical flares through the camera lens he thought he could recreate these artifacts within the computer. John was able to reproduce all of the primitives giving them full control during compositing and post production allowing them to achieve a photo-real look. Some time after Hook was released Knoll began to sell his plugins to the public through a humble, little VFX-driven company called Puffin Designs.

Puffin designed and developed software for video and film production terminology and techniques, visual effects, rotoscoping, and offered VHS video courses teaching the fundamentals of the art and science behind visual effects and the post production process.

Ron Brinkmann, creator of Shake, and Matt Silverman, rotoscoping guru, were a few of the veterans Puffin contracted to create these videos. Matt has posted some of them here. I personally learned a wealth of information from watching these videos as I transitioned from a graphic designer to a digital compositor.

Knoll’s lens flare technology was ported to Photoshop, After Effects, ElectricImage, and Flame. Lens flares became mainstream in compositing and motion graphics, and other companies like The Foundry and GenArts started offering their take on lens flare plugins. However, even with the new competition, Knoll dominated the scene for over 15 years. In the mid to late 90s I had the chance to see first hand a key element from the film that inspired the creation of this digital lens flare tool. Real Lens Flares has now officially replaced the Knoll legacy.

Poster illustration by legendary Drew Struzan

The Kerner Company

During the mid to late 90s my friend and I decided we wanted to see if we could find the elusive ILM. We were out in San Francisco for a design conference and ended up putting over 700 miles on the rental before week’s end touring Cali. Before ILM we had a quick detour in Carmel. We stopped by Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch for a bite. When I was walking around the grounds I saw an old truck with Kincaid Photography printed on it. My buddy told me Clint used his own truck when they filmed The Bridges of Madison County. Not a bad meal, but after three nights there still no Clint, just his golfing buddies. So on to Marin County we ventured.

We were well on our way to our destination but we were missing one vital piece of info: ILM’s address. Luckily these were the days of pay phones along the highway so we stopped, and my friend sweet-talked the operator to give us the address since it wasn’t listed in the phone book. Something about us having a meeting with one of their engineers. He got the guy’s name out of a Post magazine ad for Blade servers. Before I knew it we were parked in front of the Kerner Company, Optical Reseach Lab, not ILM. It was a front. Had to be. So off we went though the front door, into the lobby, and what did we see? The original matte painting on glass from Hook (see below) and a Stormtrooper down the hallway. We hung out for a bit and then we chatted with some engineers at lunch about hardware, etc. at the sandwich shop next door. We never got a tour, but seeing that matte painting was enough for me.

Image above: Yusei Uesugi working on the Neverland matte painting on glass for Hook, released in 1991. Image copyright Industrial Light & Magic.

Image above left: Knoll 3D Flare commercial concept “Jacks” by David Vinson, lead compositor and environment, and Jim Powell, camera design and Jack placements. Image above right: Orange Chroma Flare preset for Red Giant Software’s Knoll Light Factory designed by David Vinson.

Design, Motion, and VFX Gear

I’ve been asked on numerous occasions over the past 27 years what gear do I wield in regard to computer gear for my design, motion, and VFX projects. After years of answering that question, I’m going to distill it down to this: I have specific gear for specific tasks, and I don’t pick sides anymore between Mac and Windows. Both have pluses and minuses. Also nothing beats a solid foundation of art and design studies. My time in Savannah and Athens were times well spent from 1991–1995. Plus both cities were rather quaint and quirky.

My focus at Savannah College of Art & Design was Foundation consisting of 2D Design, 3D Design, Color Theory, Drawing 1 & 2, Figure Drawing, Advanced Figure Drawing, Intro to Graphic Design, and Computer Art. At University of Georgia I applied and was accepted into the highly competitive School of Graphic Design. While in Athens I studied graphic design and was introduced to my mentor Bonnie Ramsey at Georgia Museum of Art. Our first project together, “ShOut!,” sealed our fate.

During my internship with The Publications and Public Relations Department I was responsible for designing posters, banners, and exhibition checklists. Bonnie and I were kindred spirits from day one. We collaborated for 19 years. I was fortunate to also meet Lamar Dodd in his home studio while he was cataloging his works. I designed a poster celebrating his daughter’s paintings and was invited over for a visit.

I surround myself with influences. I’m a solid believer in wielding osmosis.

Coursework at UGA included Layout, Technical Rendering, Illustration, Typography, Advanced Typography, Conceptual Design, and Portfolio. My Typography professor, Ron Arnholm, was taught by Paul Rand while he was working on his Masters at Yale. I was drawn to similar minimalist design including my own logotype that I still use today. I saw it in my mind and within ten minutes worked it out for the most part. When Professor Arnholm saw my logotype solution he commented “oh, that will last a long time.” That comment cemented my love for letterforms that started back when I was 11 playing around with fonts in PrintShop Deluxe on my Commodore 64.

Earlier this year I wrote an article about the legacy of ligatures. I coined the term “Yin & Yang” when referring to my own logotype as it features positive and negative space visual interactions. Back in high school I studied AP Art my senior year. I chose stencils as my focus which certainly influenced not only my logotype, but also my career as a broadcast designer since stencils plays a key role in animation, compositing, and visual effects.

Getting back to what some of my tools consist of now. I still have two overflowing tackle boxes filled with analog tools from Design markers and watercolors to many an X-ACTO blade. Below is a brief rundown of some of my gear.

A humble internship led to 19 years of collaboration with Bonnie at GMOA.

Gear Notes

1) First off, I don’t start with the computers, I start with a napkin, a scrap of paper, a Post-It or two, and a pen (no pencils allowed)

2) I sketch and make notes for awhile then grab my loupe and take a closer look; then I pull back ten feet and give it the squint test

3) I continue honing this newest creation, giving it time to breathe and naturally take shape

4) 2022 Dell XPS named “Vader,” Windows 11 Pro, Intel i9 12,900K, 64GB RAM, NVidia 3090 GPU, 2 x 2TB SSDs, 6TB USB Backup Drive, 4K Dell display, Wacom tablet, MX Keys Keyboard and MX Master 3 Mouse, Adobe CC, Maxon One, Affinity Suite, Blender, Unreal, and BlackMagic Design Da Vinci Resolve

5) Mid-2010 iMac 27 inch named “Yoda,” macOS Sierra, macOS High Sierra, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 2 x 3TB USB Drives, 8TB USB Backup Drive, Adobe CC 2019, C4D R23

6) 2009 15 inch MacBook Pro named “Obi-Wan,” Mac OS X Snow Leopard, 8GB RAM, SanDisk for backups

7) 2024 14 inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro named “Rogue One,” macOS Sonoma, 18GB RAM, SanDisk for backups; Affinity Suite, Blender, and Da Vinci Resolve

8) 2020 5K iMac 27 inch named “Skywalker,” macOS Sonoma, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 2 x 3TB USB Drives, 8TB USB Backup Drive, Adobe CC, Maxon One, Blender, and Da Vinci Resolve

I’m also a collector of sorts. I’m not much of a reader, never have been because my mind wanders. However, everything I’ve ever experienced or seen with my own two eyes I remember in vivid detail. My cultural influences range from graphic and game design to films, screenplays, comics, role playing games, trading cards, magazines, and action figures. Beginning at the age of 9 I began collecting Road&Track, Car & Driver, and MotorTrend. I also was quite fond of Surfing and TransWorld Skateboarding magazines. In college I gathered quite a pile of Communication Arts mags.

Below are two shots from a recent photo shoot in my home studio while taking a visual inventory of my influences. I’ve been a collector for my entire life. My most prized possession is my Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Illustrated Screenplay. My Dad gifted it to me when I was 9.

A PEEK INTO MY COLLECTION OF ARTIFACTS COVERING FIFTY YEARS OF CURIOSITY AND LOVE FOR FILMMAKING, STORYTELLING, AND ARTISTRY.

“Professor of Archeology, expert on the occult, and how does one say it...obtainer of rare antiquities.”

— Major Eaton addressing Indiana Jones in the lecture hall, Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Produced by Frank Marshall.

Drew...Speechless

What do Luke, Leia, Elliot, E.T., Threepio, Artoo, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg have in common? Yes, they’re all dynamic duos, but they’re also all close friends of Drew Struzan, aka “drew.” The most prolific movie poster illustrator gets a friendly nod from Kyle Lambert in this piece celebrating The Man Behind the Poster.

One word for the man behind the poster who communicates through his interpretations of many a blockbuster film: speechless. Read more in Hollywood Reporter here. More on Struzan’s journey here. One word from Struzan’s fans that rings true with all of his imagery: iconic. Kyle Lambert’s rendition of Struzan amongst the stars captures the essence of a true Struzan composition: it’s not just a bunch of Photoshopped heads in order of billing. There’s true grit, fiber, and texture holding it all together.

From the paint splatter to the colored, dramatic lighting and colored pencil, it's nearly all “drew.” Except for once his signature is prominent and not gently hidden in the background. For once it’s front and center, and it deserves that sort of recognition. With Drew’s posters every picture tells a story. The Photoshop jockeys got it all wrong because they thought it was every pixel tells a story.

Long live Drew Struzan and long live movies and mixed media full of depth and texture.

STAR WARS REVENGE OF THE JEDI, THE GOONIES, BLADE RUNNER, HOOK, AND THE THING. ALL IMAGES ABOVE © COPYRIGHT DREW STRUZAN.

Ralph McQuarrie’s Universe

After watching Rogue One again recently with my family, I couldn’t help but daydream about all of the incredible work produced by the one man behind all of the immersive designs that defined the original Star Wars universe. Legendary concept artist, Ralph McQuarrie, was the man behind the curtain working behind the scenes to bring key scenes to life.

His brushstrokes dazzled us from the moment we were jettisoned to the galaxy far, far away where a great adventure took place. The folks who crafted Rogue One paid close attention to every detail down to the nuts and bolts that held the X-wings together. Every decal. Every rivet. All images below © Ralph McQuarrie. Used for editorial purposes only.

Ralph McQuarrie also depicted key visuals in other monumental films such as this Bible illustration below of the Ark of the Covenant for Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. He was also involved in the mothership design (bottom) for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Ralph McQuarrie’s Bible illustration of the Ark of the Covenant as seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981. Copyright Paramount Pictures.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977, mothership design. Written & Directed by Steven Spielberg. Music by John Williams. Copyright Paramount Pictures.

The Power of Positive Thinking

I recently enjoyed an afternoon of bowling with a dear family friend. I will preface that we both score in the 40s–60s per game on average. We got off to a rough start so I had them take a moment with me to refocus our efforts. I mentioned that we need to take all of our energy; the good, bad, and the ugly, and use it to make things happen for us in a positive way. We both immediately went from just a few pins to spares and strikes. We played for awhile, but suddenly my friend hit a snag. For four frames they were stuck with all threes. We had another pow-wow, and I mentioned that “it's not a sport or a game; it’s just math.” After a few minutes they were ready to try again. Strike! Strike!! Strike!!! They looked in my direction with a huge grin on their face.

With their spirits raised to quite a ruckus I decided to shake things up a bit for the two of us. With the bumpers up I thought why not try this pinball-style bumping the ball back and forth across the lane as it headed to its mark. So I took a few frames to test my theory, and I got a strike and a spare. Things were beginning to take shape.

I also started spinning my body around effortlessly numerous times while I was skipping up the lane before releasing the ball. Once we added spinning our bodies around the energy we generated was palpable. We were bending math to our will. My friend continued having a great game as I experimented with yet another test: closing my eyes while I spun around and headed to the line to release the ball. Essentially I was adhering to Obi Wan Kenobi’s advice to Luke just moments before he blew up the Death Star: “Let go your conscious self and act on instinct.” In doing so we broke free from our minds’ constraints on our performance. By living in and embracing the moment we were able to apply laser focus as we bowled along with the remainder of our games.

After numerous spares and a few strikes we had wrapped up our third game. We tallied our final combined total between three games at 598 points (our usual average was 300 points). Even with the four sets of 3s in a row my buddy beat me two games out of three.

“Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them,” Obi-Wan noted. “Let go your conscious self and act on instinct.”

— Obi-Wan Kenobi portrayed by Alec Guinness, Star Wars, 1977. Twentieth Century Fox.

May The Fourth Be With You!

Look who I met today, R2-D2. Astromech Builder’s Club R2 unit spotted at a recent May The Fourth Be With You event at Turner Broadcasting.

Visit Astromech.net

In 1977 we were invited into Star Wars by R2-D2’s companion, C-3PO, as they headed toward an escape pod exiting the Blockade Runner eventually landing on Tatooine.

“Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We’ll be destroyed for sure. This is madness. We’re doomed. There will be no escape for the Princess this time.”

Typographic Experiments

I’ve recently added a Titles page to the site. My plan is to spend no more than a couple of hours on each of these explorations. Quick little studies using napkin sketches, Illustrator, After Effects, and Element 3D.

They may be rough around the edges here and there. I’ll gradually start migrating over to Cinema 4D. I hope you enjoy these throwbacks to some of my favorite films, characters, and stories as a child.

The Lost Art of the Movie Poster

I’ll never forget the Richard Amsel-illustrated movie poster for Raiders of the Lost Ark (below far left) that donned a corner of my teenage room.

I was enamored with the rich detail he rendered for my favorite whip-wielding adventure hero. It had depth, texture, and contrast.

ALL IMAGES ABOVE © RICHARD AMSEL.

ALL IMAGES ABOVE © DREW STRUZAN.

Then one day I saw another poster thinking it was Amsel’s latest creation, but his signature was absent from the corner. Scribed in a similar location was the simple, understated, lowercase script “drew.” I didn’t know at first sight that the artist, Drew Struzan, was one of the most iconic album cover and movie poster illustrators of all time.

Drew could somehow depict an entire movie’s essence in one illustration. His rendering transcended the film itself, elevating it to a whole other level. His The Thing poster is one of the most original and captivating of all of his designs (above far right). In true artistic fashion, he rendered it in one night. The paint was still wet when it was en route.

Struzan also had no reference material to draw from for The Thing, only his own vastly rich imagination. Both artists’ works all shared one thing: they were all one of a kind original works of art, not mass produced Photoshop-styled montages. These “Photoshop jockeys,” as they’ve been called, merely attempt to capture both Amsel’s and Struzan’s essence, and nearly always miss the mark by a long shot.

Traditional materials could never be completely replaced by modern-era pixel pushers. To explore Richard Amsel’s portfolio visit this tribute by Adam McDaniel. For more information on Drew Struzan watch The Man Behind the Poster. Also enjoy his extensive portfolio site here.

Great Reference Material

Like most people these days I take my camera with me everywhere. You just never know when you’ll find a great reference whether it be a texture, color, material, whatever. Nothing beats great reference material. If you shoot it yourself you’ll notice the finedetails.

The best way to recreate something from the real world is to first observe that world in full detail and capture as many reference photos as possible. You'll be amazed what details your eyes didn’t actually “see” in person when reviewing the reference photos.

If you’re in a time crunch and need great reference material take a look at CG Textures. They have an extensive library that’s well organized.

They have an extensive array of catalogued photos from leaking concrete to paint splatter and nearly everything in between. Enjoy!

Visit CGTextures.

Element 3D V2 Test Drive

It’s been awhile so I figured it was about time to give Element 3D v2 a spin around the block. With the release of Video Copilot’s Element 3D Version 2 comes a wealth of new features. Andrew Kramer has stepped up the game for this game engine-inspired GPU plugin with raytracing, mirror and spherical reflections, shadows, new enhanced multisampling, and an animation engine that gives the user the hooks we need to push the boundaries of this ever immersive plugin. Here is one of my first tests trying out the depth of field and how it impacts the render times (top image). Feeling under the microscope vibes going on here.

I was pleasantly surprised that if sampling is set to 0,0 while one designs and animates then leaving depth of field on doesn’t cause much of a performance hit. At final render time I upped the samples to 8,8, and used enhanced multisampling. For organic scenes there's not much of a drastic change in quality, however I was working with a car model and in order for the curves to be smooth I had to up the quality to at least 8, 8. The second image below utilizes one of the new BackLight environment maps. I’ve used these maps in Cinema 4D, too. They’re quite versatile in creating moody scenes with a simple image map.

Visit VideoCopilot.

The 87th Annual Academy Awards

The 87th Annual Academy Awards were quite an event. Neil Patrick Harris was surrounded by an enormous backdrop that immersed us within the spectacle. The graphics were a throwback to poster designs from decades ago. They reminded me of Saul Bass in many respects.

The tributes to those who had passed on were tended to with an artist’s care. There is a great article on Motionographer and Art of the Title about the man behind those graphic designs, Henry Hobson, and the talented artists at Elastic.

ALL IMAGES FROM THE MOTIONOGRAPHER ARTICLE “CRAFTING GRAPHICS FOR THE OSCARS: AN INTERVIEW WITH HENRY HOBSON.”

Timeless Mosaics

Photomosaic software has been around for nearly two decades. Way back in the day folks tinkered with this technique completely by hand just as we did with colored hole punches in Color Theory class in college. The road was tedious, but the end results can be astounding when one takes the time to view from afar.

Taking notice of the closeup details can be mesmerizing. I recently experimented with cf/x’s Photomosaic. This was my first test right out of the gate with default settings. The tile rotation option really helps give this image a greater sense of depth. I’ll post additional examples when I have more time to experiment.