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#conceptualdesign
Syd Mead Tells All About the "Erotic Machine" that Got Cut from Bladerunner
Today on BoingBoing TV, you can see the final part of Joel Johnson's epic interview with conceptual designer Syd Mead, the man who made the citiscapes of Bladerunner into some of the most memorable futuristic settings ever committed to film. Mead talks about the many alternate openings he created for the movie (one of which was deemed "too Holocaust" by the studio), as well as the "erotic machine" he crafted for replicant Zhora, a kind of breast-shaped dreampod that got cut when director Ridley Scott hit the outer limits of his budget. Watch the video below. More » -
#conceptart
Tron's Light Cycles Could Have Looked Much Stranger
As sleek and cyber-looking as the light cycles were in VR-game epic Tron, some of the original light-cycle concept art looks even more arresting. Some of the light cycles look almost industrial, like machines made out of pixels, while others look abstract and chaotic, just squiggly lines moving around. Even though the light-cycle concept art includes work by masters Syd Mead and Peter Lloyd, my favorites are the comic-booky drawings by Andy Probert, above. Some more favorites, below the fold. More » -
#conceptart
Spaceship Vs. Pirate Galleons, For The Ultimate Booty
Here's a knock-down dogfight between a high-tech spaceship and a whole swarm of pirate galleons, from the mind of artist Nicholas Ferrand aka V.I.A.G. Or maybe the spaceship is teaming up with the more low-fi pirates? My new favorite blog is Concept Ships, which posts nothing but concept art of spaceships, including famous people like Syd Mead and Ralph McQuarrie as well as rising stars. A gallery of some of the coolest images, below the fold. More » -
#conceptart
The Jazz Album Cover That Became Blade Runner
Syd Mead's concept artwork for Blade Runner has always looked a bit like a jazz painting. It's meant to portray a saturnine view of downtown Los Angeles in the future, but the only things in it that are even slightly futuristic are the armored-looking dumptruck on the street, and the hulking mega-skyscraper in the background which is probably meant to be the Tyrell corporation. Besides that, the image is a wash of signage, mostly featuring Asian text. All it needs is an accompanying saxophone track and this could serve as the cover image to an album, circa 1963. More »
