Art of The Neverending Story

Warner Bros. 1984 original one sheet movie poster. Illustrated by Richard Hescox.

Every time it comes for me to sit down and reflect on movies and movie poster art I hesitate before glancing overwhelmingly within my mind over so many movies and memories. But, I quickly think of movie poster art and find my hasty browse slow to a reflective gradual halt. In this instance, my focus soon stopped and reflected on the image of Falkor, a mythical Luck Dragon from The Neverending Story.

Based on the novel by Michael Ende, The Neverending Story (1984) promised a tale of fantasy. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the German production was mainly filmed in Munich, and, at the time, was the most expensive film outside of US production. The cast included Noah Hathaway (Atreyu), Barret Oliver (Bastian), Tami Stronach (Empress), Patricia Hayes (Urgl), Sydney Bromley (Engywook), Gerald McRaney (Mr. Bux), Moses Gunn (Cairon), Alan Oppenheimer (Falkor), Deep Roy and many others.

Artist and illustrator Richard Hescox created The Neverending Story’s illustrated one sheet movie poster that would grace the cinemas and frame many childhoods. The flying Falkor and Atreyu are painting soaring amongst the clouds with fellow cast members lining the bottom suggesting an epic and fantasy driven adventure. A traditional artist, Richard Hescox has worked on other entertainment campaigns such as E.T., The Dark Crystal and illustrations for a series of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. He continues to make original art pieces of imaginative themes and landscapes of fantasy.

In an October 13, 2013 interview with TheOriginalVanGoghsEarAnthology, Richard Hescox spoke about his art, inspiration and philosophies of illustrating where he reflects on the question of art as a powerful force:

“I like to think of art (all branches: literature, poetry, song, drama, music, sculpture, painting, etc…) as Hyper communication. Talking is basic communication. But make those words a poem and the concept embeds itself far more effectively in the listener. Graphic arts do the same. A talented artist can communicate a concept more subtly, and at the same time more powerfully to the viewer. The mark of good art is the amount and quality of communication that it effects (a test that too much modern art fails at).” -Richard Hescox (Interview 2013, TheOriginalVanGoghsEarAnthology)

Though the author of the original novel The Neverending Story felt that the movie did not reflect his book in its entirety, it has, nonetheless, made an impact over the many decades since its release 35 years ago. In 1990 my 2nd grade teacher scheduled a movie day at school where we could bring a sleeping bag and watch a movie, and on this occasion it was The Neverending Story. This one moment was instantly enmeshed with the events around me that year, friends, moving, changing schools twice and the magic of Falkor. The art of film and movie posters are powerful forces. The importance of the illustrated movie poster is the imaginative power of the artist and relaying this to a receptive audience, a freedom to create an image of fantasy and showcase the film in one image. However, it is the impact of their art that can remain impressionable and is often our reference point in memory.

“I feel the most pleasure when I find that a painting I have done, and which I feel a huge aesthetic charge from, has also touched others in unexpected ways. The communication I strive for has to be felt by viewers of my paintings on a deeper than literal level. Therefore I am most excited about creating the next painting that achieves that.” -Richard Hescox (Interview 2013, TheOriginalVanGoghsEarAnthology)

Movies & Memories: Going behind the scenes with the ‘art’ of illustration blog

The former Paul Shipper Art blog has returned! As a features blog, it will take a behind the scenes look at the entertainment industry through the art of illustration. We aim to bring you a unique perspective from the art world, and to keep you informed about entertainment news, appearances and events surrounding the artists of film poster illustration and their work. Leading on from this mission, my first task as the features writer is to introduce you to the face behind the words, and it is here that I will attempt it through my experiences of the entertainment industry and a couple of movies that stood out in my childhood highlighting the work of Bob Peak (Excalibur) and Carl Ramsey (Poltergeist).

Excalibur (1981) Illustration by Bob Peak

Growing up in the US in the 80s and 90s, I was inspired by the characters from adventurous plots and mysterious storylines swathed in the enchanting sets of cinema. These films, though not always historically accurate, were full of mystery, adventure, the supernatural and a dash of horror. They made an indelible mark on my inquisitive mind and led me on a sure path to examine ancient mythology. The allure that cinema had encouraged me to examine history on a much deeper level and forgave the historical tangles and (mis)representations that it portrayed. Movies for me, as a child, went hand in hand with their visual and iconic artwork that appeared on their VHS cassette boxes and posters in the local video stores. I rarely went to the cinema growing up, so I understood the long duration of wait time between the big screen release in the cinemas to its arrival at the local video rental store. A high box office earner at a video store would claim an entire wall display and I can recall on many visits there would be ‘no rental copy available’ disappointment. In the event of this, I would examine the shelf video box scanning over its front cover art and (re)reading the movie synopsis on its reverse. Sometimes a video store clerk would just happen to return a top title back on the shelf and I would be there at the right time!

My family are comic-book fans which encouraged my imagination to paint a world around me where anything was possible. I was often outside playing superheroes and ‘fake fighting’ either as Storm, Kitty Pryde or as my own created comic-book character Deadly Princess Kelee to defeat those invisible bad guys. Whether I was performing family comedy skits, or digging for creepy crawlies and catching lightening bugs, it was rare that a weekend would go past that I wasn’t sitting in front of the television enjoying a daytime episode of Star Trek, I Love Lucy, The Munsters or one of the many classic television reruns.

Some of my fondest memories were of my mom rushing to make a massive bowl of popcorn before Doctor Who began, an entertainment family tradition. Like many, the tradition of television and movies wove itself into my family’s everyday life. Two movies stand out instantly in my recollection when I think of family tradition and the 1980s, Excalibur and Poltergeist.

“Behold Excalibur! The sword of power! Forged when birds and beasts and flower were One with Man, and death was but a dream!” - Merlin (Excalibur, 1981)

The 1981 film Excalibur was a tale of King Arthur that combined an element of grit with enchantment, exemplifying how betrayal and drama surrounds any tale of epic proportions. My first striking memory of this movie was Bob Peak’s movie art on our VHS box. It was in the late 80s/early 90s when I remember looking at the fairytale-like enchantment of the light and colours. The arm of the Lady of the Lake and the glinting light reflecting off of the sword in Bob Peak’s art is just as enchanting as the scene in movie. Comparatively, the film was a less misty-eyed version of King Arthur to what you might have read or watched as a child. O Fortuna, the theme of King Arthur’s ride will always be synonymous with this moment. I remember watching Nicol Williamson’s performance as Merlin, each word would rise and fall in every scene, you could not help but share in the sense of being scolded alongside the characters that he spoke to. Helen Mirren was that day forward known as Morgana in my mind and Nicol Williamson as Merlin. This movie swirled a fantastical vision of mythology with a realistic tone. The film made the mystical seem less dreamlike and more a possibility by exhibiting the natural human flaws in personal choice and consequences.

From historical mythology to modern phenomena, the 1982 movie Poltergeist depicted paranormal experiences coming to life where a family draws on their own bond and strength to overcome the unusual events that befall around them. There was a slight documentary feel, not too unlike Close Encounters, which saw the development of paranormal activity through the family’s day to day routine. The name Carol Anne was often uttered in my household followed by warnings of not to go into the light. A snowy television screen often prompted a quote or two from the movie, an iconic image captured by the movie poster by Carl Ramsey. I was both scared and in awe of Poltergeist.

“There is no death. It is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness.” - Tangina (Poltergeist, 1982)

Poltergeist is a family classic which only added to our shared tales about phenomena and ghost stories. This movie gave me a sense of how a strong bond can guide you through the most complex of situations, it is just a matter of knowing when to stay away from and when to walk towards the light.

Television, movies and its accompanied artwork has made such a strong impression on me as an individual. It is our experiences through the arts that help us identify our interests and even our prospective career path. I welcome you to this new blog series and I look forward to sharing more Movies & Memories with you in the coming weeks.

-Kelee Siat

All Things To All Men

Designing and Illustrating a Film Poster.

The project first came about by way of a very nice recommendation from an illustrator friend of mine, Mark Raats to the films Director, George Isaac. Mark was originally connected to the project early on. Having difficulty fitting it in with his workload, he asked me if I could carry on from where he left off.

“After working through a number of poster concepts together we ultimately ran out of time. Not wanting to leave the ATTAM team in the lurch, I looked around at artists I know and tried to identify someone who would be able to take my place, work within a team environment and also an individual who was an exceptional artist capable of producing work of the highest standard...

I decided Paul Shipper was perfect for the job. I have admired Paul’s work for a number of years and what he puts forward in his work was precisely the kind of edgy illustration I thought would be perfect for the ATTAM poster. I introduced Paul to George and I was delighted when I heard that they felt comfortable with each other and I was even more thrilled to see Paul’s final poster when it came out - I think its fantastic!”

— Mark Raats

I jumped at the chance to work on the project, and so it began.

Working directly with George, the Director of the film was a truly great experience and we were able to work out ideas via email and over the phone from his office in London with ease. We spoke almost daily during the project, discussing ideas, ironing out the details, talking films, the industry itself, posters and art... It got to the point where the days we didn't speak, I really missed our chats. George was a great guy to work with and honoured to call him a friend...

Mark had already created some great concepts for the poster design that everybody loved. Coming to the party a little late, George explained to me he really wanted the poster creating within a pretty tight time frame in order to get the marketing the film started. After working on some updates and revisions to Marks concepts, it was soon obvious that there wasn't going to be enough time to really give this illustrated poster the justice it deserved. I suggested to George that we could create a cool looking teaser poster for the film, get it out there and then concentrate on the main poster after that. George quite liked the idea but was not completely convinced and wanted to see my ideas. So we talked about the essence of the film in depth and the feel he wanted. London was a big part of the film and one of the early tag lines was "Who Lit The Fuse", I had a production photo of Rufus Sewell running in the streets of London that looked particularly strong, it's also one that Mark used in his early concepts. So, I started sketching out ideas and once they were drafted out I emailed them out to George.

I have always loved the intricacy of the London Underground map and for me it fit perfectly with the twists, turns and complexity of the film. Turning one of the lines into a fuse with a spark and having a silhouetted Rufus running on the fuse line... These 'minimalistic' concepts really resonated with George and there was one in particular that he immediately fell in love with pretty much deciding there and then that this was going to be the MAIN poster for his movie! I was a little taken aback by that! what no fully illustrated poster now!?...

All Things To All Men - British Quad Poster

I redesigned the film's title logo and I created the artwork in various formations needed for the advertising of the film. The One Sheet/Roadside Outdoor Poster, A British Quad for the cinemas, a 96 Sheet backlit billboard and the T Side for the London buses.

After the final artwork was approved and set in motion for the advertising campaign I decided to revisit the original illustrated concepts for the poster and created this fully illustrated version of the poster, primarily as a thank you gift to George and Mark for their sheer awesomeness and to also satisfy my own desire to see the job completed... I think it serves as a nice companion piece to the Red Poster design fleshing out the excitement of the film and it's characters.

Creating artwork (key art) for the advertising of a film in cinemas has always been a high on the personal goals list for me and despite creating a one sheet illustration for Daryl Goldberg's 'Made For Each Other' in 2008 and the film related personal / gallery work I have been producing, this project ticked one of my boxes for sure. With a major advertising push by the Director George Isaac and Producers of the film meant it has made it's way around the UK in a big way over the last couple of weeks. Living in New Zealand, I haven't been able to see the posters first hand but thanks to my friends and fans I have been able to see it in their snaps of ATTAM poster sightings around the UK on Bus Shelters, in the London Underground, sides of double decker buses... I'm just waiting on a photo of the huge 96 sheet backlit billboard that went up last weekend!

Unused Poster Concepts

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Check out the trailer

All Things To All Men was released in cinemas across the UK on April 5th Starring Gabriel Byrne, Rufus Sewell and Toby Stephens.