Kerry Conran
Encyclopedia
Kerry Scott Conran is an American
filmmaker, educated at the California Institute of Arts. He created and directed the 2004 pulp
science fiction film
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
.
, Lost Horizon, Metropolis
, and Flash Gordon
on a local
television channel
.
He was impressed by the whimsy and innocence of these films. He explained in an interview with John Joseph Adams
that the adventure films of the 1930s era were not limited by what was practical, but only by the imaginations of the creators. He stated that he found this element lacking in modern adventure films, which he described as "almost too well informed... and more cynical". As a result, he had aspired ever since his childhood to create an adventure film or serial in the same vein as the aforementioned escapist adventures of the 1930s. He spent much of his childhood making short super-8 movies. Upon becoming an adult, he entered the California Institute of Arts. Although he was enrolled in a live-action course
, he became enamored with the abilities of those in animation
courses to create whatever was in their imagination
. He realized that they were not bound by such things as practicality or the rules of physics
, but only by their imaginations. As a result, he devised the idea of making a film with live actors, but computer-animated backgrounds.
instead, as it would take him several decades to create the backgrounds for a full-length feature. He set up a blue-screen in his apartment
, and some of his friends
acted in the roles. He created the backgrounds for the black and white short over the course of four years with his Mac
computer
. He could not afford a good computer or equipment, so he used equipment given him in payment for projects, such as desktop publishing of articles, that he worked on. His computer (including the equipment he earned) was outdated and slow. He dropped out of society, and spent all of his free time creating the short, working only enough to support himself and his project. He later remarked that he "had no life", and would sometimes hide under his desk in a fetal position, feeling tempted to give up on his project.
He modeled the tone
and visuals of the short on the cinematography
in The Third Man
, and based the look of the robots featured in the short on those if the Superman cartoon The Mechanical Monsters
. The short took four years to complete. When finished, it was entitled Sky Captain and the Flying Legion In: The World of Tomorrow - Chapter One: The Mechanical Monsters, but it is usually referred to merely as The World of Tomorrow.
Kevin Conran invited Marsha Oglesby, a movie producer
and friend of his wife, to look at the short. She was impressed by the scope and ambition of the short, especially as it was made entirely in Kerry Conran's apartment. She referred the Conran brothers to producer Jon Avnet
, who agreed to help the Conran brothers make a feature-length film, and found funding
for the project. Kerry Conran wrote and directed the feature-length film, entitled Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
, Kevin Conran served as the concept artist
, production designer
, and costume designer
, and his younger sister Kirsten served as art director. At first, Kerry Conran intended for the film to be a seven-part black and white serial, but Jon Avnet convinced him to make it without chapters, and in color. As a result, Kerry Conran and visual effects supervisor
Darin Hollings developed a color style based on two-strip and three-strip Technicolor
. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was filmed, for the most part, entirely on blue-screen, with backgrounds, lighting, and other effects added in post-production. However, due to budget constraints, one set was partially built, and another was fully built. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was released in 2004, by Paramount Pictures
. It was given fairly favorable reviews by critics, but did not do well at the box-office.
Afterwards, Conran was slated to direct John Carter of Mars
, an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs
novel A Princess of Mars
, but left the project to work on an original project with friend and former schoolmate Robert Gordon
. One of the contributing factors to his leaving the project was his reluctance to make a book adaption, as he prefers to adapt original material.
Conran was replaced by Jon Favreau
. When the project was transferred from Paramount to Disney, Favreau was in turn replaced by Andrew Stanton
.
Kerry Conran also directed a Christmas-themed Coca-Cola commercial entitled The Greatest Gift, on which Kevin Conran served as production designer.
, 300
, and The Spirit
are all influenced by Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in this respect. However, Kerry Conran has stated that he did not intend to create a new genre or medium, nor did he use his method of shooting on blue-screen as a gimmick. In his interview with John Joseph Adams, he stated: "I have always come at this from the perspective of filmmaking and developed the techniques used in this film out of necessity and never really sought to interest other computer aficionados". However, he did acknowledge that his film had indeed become influential, albeit unintentionally: "That wasn't really the intention. Whether or not that what evolved from this maybe... which is a possibility. The intention was to tell that particular story with those particular visuals that we used.... and if history says it’s something else....".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker, educated at the California Institute of Arts. He created and directed the 2004 pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
science fiction film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American pulp adventure science-fiction film written and directed by Kerry Conran in his directorial debut. The film is set in an alternative 1939 and follows the adventures of Polly Perkins , a newspaper reporter, and Harry Joseph "Joe" Sullivan ,...
.
Early Life and Influences
Conran grew up watching such classic adventure movies and serials as King KongKing Kong (1933 film)
King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 fantasy monster adventure film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling apeman creature called Kong who dies in...
, Lost Horizon, Metropolis
Metropolis (film)
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
, and Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon (serial)
Flash Gordon is a 1936 science fiction film serial. Told in 13 installments, it was the first screen adventure for the comic-strip character Flash Gordon, and tells the story of his first visit to the planet Mongo and his encounter with the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Buster Crabbe, Jean...
on a local
Local
Local usually refers to something nearby, or in the immediate area.It may be used in many ways, some of which are related to this general meaning, others which are not:* Local, local anesthesia* Local, a.k.a. union local or local union* Local, a.k.a...
television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
.
He was impressed by the whimsy and innocence of these films. He explained in an interview with John Joseph Adams
John Joseph Adams
John Joseph Adams is an American science fiction and fantasy editor and critic. He is the editor of the anthologies Federations , The Living Dead , The Living Dead 2 , Seeds of Change , Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse John Joseph Adams (born 1976) is an American science fiction and fantasy...
that the adventure films of the 1930s era were not limited by what was practical, but only by the imaginations of the creators. He stated that he found this element lacking in modern adventure films, which he described as "almost too well informed... and more cynical". As a result, he had aspired ever since his childhood to create an adventure film or serial in the same vein as the aforementioned escapist adventures of the 1930s. He spent much of his childhood making short super-8 movies. Upon becoming an adult, he entered the California Institute of Arts. Although he was enrolled in a live-action course
Course (education)
The very broad dictionary meaning of the word course is the act or action of moving in a path from point to point . There are multiple meanings for this word, some of which include: general line of orientation, a mode of action, part of a meal, a mode of action, and many more. This article focuses...
, he became enamored with the abilities of those in animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
courses to create whatever was in their imagination
Imagination
Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses...
. He realized that they were not bound by such things as practicality or the rules of physics
Physical law
A physical law or scientific law is "a theoretical principle deduced from particular facts, applicable to a defined group or class of phenomena, and expressible by the statement that a particular phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions be present." Physical laws are typically conclusions...
, but only by their imaginations. As a result, he devised the idea of making a film with live actors, but computer-animated backgrounds.
Career
When he had fully figured out how he was going to go about making the movie, he enlisted the help of his brother Kevin and a few friends. At first, he planned to make a feature-length seven-chapter serial, which he would release independently. He eventually decided to make only a six-minute teaserTeaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
instead, as it would take him several decades to create the backgrounds for a full-length feature. He set up a blue-screen in his apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
, and some of his friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
acted in the roles. He created the backgrounds for the black and white short over the course of four years with his Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
. He could not afford a good computer or equipment, so he used equipment given him in payment for projects, such as desktop publishing of articles, that he worked on. His computer (including the equipment he earned) was outdated and slow. He dropped out of society, and spent all of his free time creating the short, working only enough to support himself and his project. He later remarked that he "had no life", and would sometimes hide under his desk in a fetal position, feeling tempted to give up on his project.
He modeled the tone
Tone (literature)
Tone is a literary technique that is a part of composition, which encompasses the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work. Tone may be formal, informal, intimate, solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic, guilty, condescending, or many other possible attitudes...
and visuals of the short on the cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
in The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...
, and based the look of the robots featured in the short on those if the Superman cartoon The Mechanical Monsters
The Mechanical Monsters
The Mechanical Monsters is the second of the seventeen animated Technicolor short films based upon the DC Comics character Superman. Produced by Fleischer Studios, the story features Superman battling a mad scientist with a small army of robots at his command...
. The short took four years to complete. When finished, it was entitled Sky Captain and the Flying Legion In: The World of Tomorrow - Chapter One: The Mechanical Monsters, but it is usually referred to merely as The World of Tomorrow.
Kevin Conran invited Marsha Oglesby, a movie producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and friend of his wife, to look at the short. She was impressed by the scope and ambition of the short, especially as it was made entirely in Kerry Conran's apartment. She referred the Conran brothers to producer Jon Avnet
Jon Avnet
Jonathan Michael "Jon" Avnet is an American director, writer and producer.-Early life:Avnet was born in Brooklyn, the son of Joan Bertha and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive and electronics distributor. He attended Great Neck North High School in Great Neck, New York...
, who agreed to help the Conran brothers make a feature-length film, and found funding
Funding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
for the project. Kerry Conran wrote and directed the feature-length film, entitled Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American pulp adventure science-fiction film written and directed by Kerry Conran in his directorial debut. The film is set in an alternative 1939 and follows the adventures of Polly Perkins , a newspaper reporter, and Harry Joseph "Joe" Sullivan ,...
, Kevin Conran served as the concept artist
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
, production designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
, and costume designer
Costume Designer
A costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered an important part of the "production team", working alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers as well as the sound designer. The...
, and his younger sister Kirsten served as art director. At first, Kerry Conran intended for the film to be a seven-part black and white serial, but Jon Avnet convinced him to make it without chapters, and in color. As a result, Kerry Conran and visual effects supervisor
Visual effects supervisor
In the context of film and television production, a visual effects supervisor is responsible for achieving the creative aims of the director and/or producers through the use of visual effects...
Darin Hollings developed a color style based on two-strip and three-strip Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was filmed, for the most part, entirely on blue-screen, with backgrounds, lighting, and other effects added in post-production. However, due to budget constraints, one set was partially built, and another was fully built. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was released in 2004, by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. It was given fairly favorable reviews by critics, but did not do well at the box-office.
Afterwards, Conran was slated to direct John Carter of Mars
John Carter of Mars (film)
John Carter is a 2012 American epic science fiction film featuring John Carter, the heroic protagonist of Edgar Rice Burroughs' 11-volume Barsoom series. In the film, former Confederate captain John Carter is transported to Mars...
, an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
novel A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, but left the project to work on an original project with friend and former schoolmate Robert Gordon
Robert Gordon (screenwriter)
Robert Gordon is an American screenwriter. His credits include Addicted to Love , Galaxy Quest , Men in Black II and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events...
. One of the contributing factors to his leaving the project was his reluctance to make a book adaption, as he prefers to adapt original material.
Conran was replaced by Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
. When the project was transferred from Paramount to Disney, Favreau was in turn replaced by Andrew Stanton
Andrew Stanton
Andrew Stanton is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional voice actor based at Pixar Animation Studios. His film work includes writing and directing Finding Nemo and WALL-E; both films earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.-Life and career:Stanton was...
.
Kerry Conran also directed a Christmas-themed Coca-Cola commercial entitled The Greatest Gift, on which Kevin Conran served as production designer.
Legacy
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow has come to be considered a landmark in special effects, as it is the first major motion picture to be shot completely on blue-screen with computer-generated backgrounds (with the exception of the two sets built due to time and budget constraints), and is the film that brought this medium into vogue. Such films as Sin CitySin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
, 300
300 (film)
300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...
, and The Spirit
The Spirit (film)
The Spirit is a 2008 American superhero noir film, written and directed by Frank Miller and starring Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is based on the newspaper comic strip The Spirit by Will Eisner...
are all influenced by Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in this respect. However, Kerry Conran has stated that he did not intend to create a new genre or medium, nor did he use his method of shooting on blue-screen as a gimmick. In his interview with John Joseph Adams, he stated: "I have always come at this from the perspective of filmmaking and developed the techniques used in this film out of necessity and never really sought to interest other computer aficionados". However, he did acknowledge that his film had indeed become influential, albeit unintentionally: "That wasn't really the intention. Whether or not that what evolved from this maybe... which is a possibility. The intention was to tell that particular story with those particular visuals that we used.... and if history says it’s something else....".