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SHAWN: Have you worked on the costumes for any other movies?
SYD: No, but I do love costuming. Years ago I did a radio interview in Kansas City, and the interviewer asked me, \"Mr. Mead, if you had an unlimited budget, what movie would you make?\" I said, \"Well, my father was a Baptist minister, so I would make a nude science fiction version of The Book of Revelation.\" He had to turn off his microphone because he was laughing so hard. I imagine it would be a combination of Oh, Calcutta and Hair.
SHAWN: Several of your film designs have proved prophetic ・the melting-pot architecture in Blade Runner is increasingly evident in modern LA. How do you visualize something that you\'ve never seen before?
SYD: You use pictorial logic. Everything looks a certain way because of the history of its use. The key to designing a technical object is to imagine the optimum solution to the problem without any restrictions on manufacturing techniques or materials. But, to do that, you have to know how things are made. Even if it\'s fantasy, there must be a logic to why it looks the way it does. Otherwise, you\'ll create odd things that will have no particular impact on the viewer. People are more visually sophisticated than you\'d think.
SHAWN: Manufacturing techniques are advancing so quickly that what used to be fantasy is fast becoming reality. SYD: The problem for science fiction designers now is that you don\'t want to design some wild futuristic thing and then find it for sale in the latest Sharper Image catalog. That\'s why so many recent science fiction films have focused more on personal relationships. The Lord of the Rings series is a perfect example.
SHAWN: I was surprised by the level of violence in those films. The director Peter Jackson seemed to relish the battle scenes. SYD: Many films are a response to a public desire for excitement. People enjoy the catharsis of, \"Yes, we\'re seeing something really horrible, but it hasn\'t happened to us, yet.\" Poor Los Angeles and New York City get trounced in almost every single disaster movie. Hollywood films are meant to entertain, rather than educate, the average fifteen-year-old moviegoer. It\'s like Samuel Goldwyn said ・if you want to send a message, call Western Union. Movies are a business, not a missionary effort. GREETINGS DECEMBER 2007 (please excuse me if you receive more than one copy) As this year draws to a close and we settle in at our Pasadena studio, we look back at 2OO7 and recount highlights of this year\\\'s events. We hope you enjoy this personal message as our way of keeping in touch with all those we consider our friends and fans. 2OO7 was a year of extensive travel, triumphs and the unfortunate loss of Sydｹs only brother, Jerry Mead, after a year-long courageous battle with cancer. VISIONS: THE WORLD OF FANTASY ART We would like to remind everyone that if you havenｹt taken the opportunity to visit the museum at Forest Lawn in Glendale, you still have time to do so. The exhibition, which opened August 16th, includes four of Syd\\\'s original paintings along with examples from five other contemporary scenic and production artists as well as an extensive display of archival Disney production items. The museum is open seven days a week but this exhibit will close January 6, 2OO8. Details are listed on the APPEARANCES page, www.sydmead.com. Time is running out on these EBAY SURPRISES, including an Original, signed, Syd Mead sketch. http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=syd+MEAD MILESTONES VISUAL FUTURIST April 2007, saw the release of this Syd Mead documentary by director Joaquin Montalvan which won the award as BEST DOCUMENTARY at the DANCES WITH FILM festival in Hollywood last summer.
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INTERVIEWs
