Tag Archives: J.J. Abrams

As seen in Star Wars Rebels, the Force is still strong with alumnus Ralph McQuarrie

Star Wars Rebels crew from L to R: Sabine, Chopper, Kanan, Ezra, Zeb, Hera

The Star Wars Rebels crew from L to R: Sabine, Chopper, Kanan, Ezra, Zeb and Hera (Disney XD)

As the concept artist for the original Star Wars trilogy, Illustration alumnus Ralph McQuarrie (BFA 56) was instrumental in the creation of those films’ fantastical characters and settings. In fact, the late McQuarrie’s pre-production paintings he created in 1975—including depictions of the villainous Darth Vader, the Millennium Falcon starship and the Death Star space station—were instrumental in convincing 20th Century Fox to fund the first film.

“He was one of the main godfathers of concept design,” says Tim Flattery, chair of Art Center’s Entertainment Design Department of McQuarrie. “His groundbreaking work on Star Wars catapulted visual storytelling to a new level and will continue to inspire concept artists for generations to come.” Continue reading →

Inside the making of a new teaser for J.J. Abrams’ mystery project

When J.J. Abrams‘ production company, Bad Robot, tossed out a teaser trailer for a tantalizingly mysterious new project, it didn’t take long for pop culture vultures to peck away as if it were a juicy porterhouse left by the side of the highway. Since Hollywood feels the same way about secrets as nature does about vacuums, speculation about what exactly this spot is teasing has turned into a digital cage match in comments sections across the web. And while we can’t confirm or deny any of the out-there theories circulating about the nature of the project. Is it a “Lost” spin-off? Or a tease for NBC’s “Believe“?

As the teaser says, Soon we will know. In the meantime, we have gotten ahold of one meaty tidbit worth sharing: The teaser’s cinematographer is Chris Saul, a 2010 alum of Art Center’s Graduate Film department. Below, Saul re-traces the path that lead him to find this creepy stiched-mouth character on an abandoned beach at night. 

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