JMS: Series Artistic Design?

[b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu]

Subject: JMS: Series Artistic Design?
 No.   DATE           FROM
-----+-------------+--------------------------------------------------
+  1: Apr  3, 1996: galtham at universe.digex.net (Lloyd Eldred)
+  3: Apr  4, 1996: denebeim at deepthot.cary.nc.us (Jay Denebeim)
*  4: Apr  4, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
*  5: Apr  4, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: galtham at universe.digex.net (Lloyd Eldred)
Lines: 26

Joe,

     I was wondering about the amount of initial instruction you
provide to your artistic types prior to new design. The shear
quantity (and quality) of ships, aliens, costumes, props, and
sets to be overseen is amazing.

     And, obviously, some design elements have a major impact on
the story you can tell. The design of the B-5 station itself
is the most obvious of these. The docking bays, the cobra bays,
the large open space in the center (BTW, how the heck is that lit?),
etc. contain just a wealth of detail.

     As an amateur film maker, I have some small fraction of a clue
as to the job, in general, that you've done. I'm amazed.

     (Looking forward to Marcon)

Lloyd Eldred
Dayton, OH

Lloyd B. Eldred, Ph.D.       <*>        Galtham Films, Est. 1989
Producer, Lightwave 3D       ---     "Dedicated to film excellence
Space Rogues T.S.E.          ---      for two or three weeks now."
galtham at universe.digex.net   --- http://www.universe.digex.net/~galtham
     --= Yes, as a matter of fact, I _am_ a rocket scientist. =--

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From: denebeim at deepthot.cary.nc.us (Jay Denebeim)
Lines: 18

In article <4jv0rd$os3 at usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>,
Echo <srati at ucs.indiana.edu> wrote:

>	In fact, I think I'm advanced registering for Chicago ComiCon, 
>which sounds incredible.

jms will be attending worldcon this year.  I'm planning on throwing a
big party for B5 fans at it.  We're doing a bid party for B5 in 2258
(Talia once made a comment that she had just finished working a
convention and was dead tired in a first season episode)

So LA in September sounds good to me!

Jay
-- 
Jay Denebeim			denebeim at deepthot.cary.nc.us
				duke.edu!wolves!deepthot!denebeim
Fuck censorship!  Oh *shit* there goes another 100, er $200,000

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 11

"In fact, I think I'm advanced registering for Chicago ComiCon, which
sounds incredible."

Yes, it's great.  The Chicago and San Diego comic cons are both terrific;
if you've never been, go.



 jms



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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 30

The way it usually works is this: when I write something new into the
show, a new alien race, a new costume, or a ship, the person who handles
that department comes to see me when the script is published.  They ask
what I had in mind.  I describe what I need it to do, or if I saw it
clearly in my head what it looked like. 

The person then goes away and comes back with sketches.  Sometimes it's
just one, sometimes a number.  If the latter, I go through the sketches
and pick the one that matches most with what I envisioned.  In either
case, I'll make whatever suggestions seems appropriate and not too stupid.
 Sometimes I'll modify the drawing myself, even though I can't draw for
sour owl poop.

When our original prosthetic designers on the pilot couldn't figure out
what to do with the Minbari crest, I went down to the place and literally
helped sculpt the original bone piece; I gave John Iacovelli a rough
sketch of the layout of the White Star; modified costume designs and other
stuff on Kosh and other characters.  That sort of thing.

Having said that, however, I have to emphasize that in the long haul, I
have to do very little in the way of course correction or revision.  Once
we discuss it, the folks around here know their craft, and the show, well
enough to hit it virtually every time.  And I try to leave plenty of room
creatively for them to play and have fun with it.  Usually the approval
process amounts to little more than "Yup, looks good to me."


 jms


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