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interview with james clyne by Paul Fuhr |
James Clyne was born in San Francisco, but his work is not grounded in terra firma. From A.I. to Minority Report, The Fountain to The Polar Express, Clyne has conceptualized our future as well as the futures of worlds and environments not our own. His work as a concept artist and a storyboard illustrator are renowned in the film industry. His art reminds us what all true art should: imagination is the belief that anything is possible. Clyne's work is wondrous, inspiring, and bracingly unique. |
As a concept illustrator and designer, you have the daunting task of immediately communicating a specific mood, atmosphere, and aesthetic. How difficult is it to accomplish this? Sometimes, it's quite difficult to accomplish all the variances I'm asked to explore as a concept designer. Not only is there such a wide spectrum of design involved from film project to film project (for example, the ancient walls of the city Troy to the future architecture of Minority Report), but there is also a wide variety of work accomplished within the project itself. Each scene to be visualized requires a problem to be solved. Each scene requires an understanding of light, scale, depth, atmosphere, and design. The best tool you can have is a bundle of great research and, of course, your own imagination. How involved are you in the genesis of a film's "look"? How closely do you work with directors, writers, or production teams? My involvement as a concept designer on a feature film project can vary from project to project. There are times where I am called in to be a sounding board for the director to push some initial concepts through to the studio well before anyone else is hired. There are also times were the project has a few more crew members, like the Production Designer, to work with in developing the broad stroke look of the film. Concept illustrations are oftentimes much more artistic than the finished product. Do you realize you're creating a piece of art as you work, or is it simply a day-to-day job for you? Oh, I've given up the idea of being a "real" artist long ago! I think the industry has done its fair share of beating that out of me. (Laughs) I think as any good commercial artist could tell you: always put enough of your personal soul into everything you do, but never forget that at the end of the long day, your designs are going to be put through the production machine. You learn quickly to let go of your "darlings" and just hope that they make it through to the end. Are you given specific scenes or ideas to render, or do you choose scenes on your own? Most always, you are given a grocery list of things to do. Sometimes if you're lucky, you get to choose what you do first. What filmmaker or film has best captured or articulated your work? Even though a lot of the work I did on [Steven Spielberg's] Minority Report was left on the editing room floor, so to speak, the work that did actually make it into the final film was pretty true to my designs. What sort of work do you do with Walt Disney Imagineering? Most of the work I do for Imagineering deals with the visual development of their various new theme park proposals around the world. Any more information I'd devulge beyond that, I'd have to kill you … or the Mouse may get you first. What tools could you not work without? My hands and Adobe Photoshop, and not in that order. You are constantly required to switch styles and cater to many different filmmakers. From where do you draw inspiration? Do you immerse yourself in architectural or industrial design research? I would say architecture and industrial design would be the top two fields I do research in, but they are only two amongst many, many things I try to immerse myself in. Photography, live music, film, literature, and staring at a blank wall all give me inspiration, all give me an opportunity to see things differently. Was it difficult to reillustrate/update Chris Van Allsburg's book The Polar Express? Is it hard to reinvision someone else's art? I actually had a great time on that project attempting to assimilate to someone else's style. Being a large fan of his work, I was a little nervous in thinking I could capture a bit of Mr. Allsburg's magic … but, after a while, I had a lot of fun learning his approach and at the same time adding my own two cents into the mix. You've worked/are working on James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar. How long did you spend on this project? What was involved? Close to a year was spent on that one. A great experience working with Mr. Cameron again, and working with one of the most talented groups of artists and craftsmen I've worked with to date. How long do you spend on any given painting, sketch, or design? The duration I work on a painting/sketch/design can vary from only a few minutes to an entire week on one rendering. Are you naturally drawn to science fiction? If so, why? Science fiction allows you, more than any other genre in my opinion, a blank canvas to paint on. Because those worlds have yet to be invented, as the artist and somewhat egotistically the Creator of these worlds, you are given freedom to explore more ideas and illustrate more personal landscapes. However, I always keep in mind to consider the current trends in science, world politics, and art as a foundation for whatever wild ideas I put to paper or computer. What creative areas would you like to grow into? Are there other genres you would like to do concept work for? Recently, probably due the fact I just can't sit still, I've been trying my hand at creative writing. Writing with both writing partners, and individual projects as the sole writer. Anything to keep my mind out of the gutter! Thanks for talking with us, James. Thank you, Paul. view the gallery |