Hello from MOntreal!
Just wondering if anyone here has a long career in the movie business?
Blaak
Ya know, I think this is an interesting topic to hit on.
JUST HOW many industrial designers go over to concept design for movies inluding characters, sets, and the like…
Finally, someone answered! I also thought it would be a good topic. I have been in this business for five years as a concept illustrator and I have not yet cross any other industrial designers here in Montreal that worked in this field. 
I believe Sid Mead is an industrial designer that worked as a conceptual illustrator for Blade Runner.
Movies… hmm…
Besides props, vehicles, etc…
Different takes on this would be licensing. How many people design toys for Star Wars? Toy Story?
i design the hardware which gets used in the post production for a film
Which film is that? Feature film?
Check this guy out www.drawthru.com or www.drawthrough.com?
Yeah feature films.
not quite as cool as designing the props but nice highend stuff all bespoke design for a low volume market.
Here’s another: http://www.queuebert.com
Don’t know if he posts here, but he’s on productdesignforums.
I did it the other way around. i worked in film for 7 years (as a camera person) and then switched over to ID. After a while I could tell the period of all the clothes sets and props of each movie I worked on (within a year or two), and I realized I was more interested in something other than building cameras and moving lights.
That’s cool. How did you make the transition?
i just bit the bullet and went back to school. I’ll be finishing my undergrad in ID next december. I also think it helped that I was an exchange student to Denmark when I was younger. I sort of imbibed all the arne jacobsen, louis poulesen, alvar aalto, etc as everyday objects at an imperssionable age.
questions for you:
what do you do? why do you even answer that ufo guy? (first time reading tonight so I don’t know the history). Could you do me a favor and answer the questions I posted about Intelligent Design? I’m trying to gather info for a research paper in my Design Concepts class.
thanks in advance,
toolgirl
I suppose “he started it” is not really a good answer?
how do you get into concept illustration fresh out of ID school?
what kind of portfolio has to be put together to be able to apply to a studio to do concept illustration?
i went into ID in the hope of wanting to be able to get the skills to build and design props. but the film/commercial industry back home where i am now is so non-existent that i went into ID.
right now i am learning how to use Alias and its giving me a total beating.
learnt solidworks in school and its such a jump.
lol.
check out places like conceptart.org andd cgtalk.com…basically if you do concept illustration, i believe many freeleance or link up with game studios, there sre a couiple of concept illustration “consultancies” but i do not know if there are many…
ways to get in? be really, reallly, REALLY, an extremely, ridiculously, good artsit, barring that put the time in to be a really good illustrator, or get someone to give you a chance to learn…
question why alias?
junglebrodda:
man…illustration sounds MAAAD.
are you in the concept illustration industry yourself?
I’m learning how to use alias because its what is available at work.
hahahah.
I my case, it was good timing! The movie industrie was booming here in Montreal, Canada (2000-2001). Battlefield Earth and Pluto Nash were the big $$$$ films. I had work for Bombardier and for Gad Shannan before working in the film industry. What is important is you must know how to draw good (free hand for concept illustartions) and have one hell of a portefolio. Photoshop illustrations etc. are also good. Anyways, it depends what you like to draw: sets or props.
Basically, go were movie are being filmed like Vancouver (for sci-fi films) and Toronto. Montreal is dead right now. As for the USA, not sure where to go. Try to contact art directors, Props Masters and production designers.
Only problem is that it is not a stable career! You can work 1 month or 1 year. But you can also be out of work for 1 month or 1 year! The film industry pays well for Concept illustrations that’s the good part 
nope. i just really admire and appreciate the quality of work put out in that industry…and there is no shortage of people wanting to find their way in but there also seem to be many opportunities to get put on as well
This is actually the reason I went into ID.
Half the concept team for the new Star Wars Episodes were ID. Doug Chang, Ryan Church and Feng Zhu being the most familiar names.
Most of these guys went to Art Center or CCS.
I graduate from ASU May 12th and plan to refine my skills, in software and areas that school did not teach me, to break into this industry. I look at an Undergraduate Degree in ID as an understanding of fundamentals. My theory is, if I want to get into entertainment I have alot I must learn on my own.
One problem I am finding is, schools that are not near the big movie studio sectors never really get looked at for talent. So only the local schools get support or recognition. The internet is making this easier each day though.
Is there a convergence between animation and product design ?
Isn’t the similar software and similar skills being used for both. Animation design seem to be going through a fantastic growth phase attracting great talent . It seems that’s where the action is going to be for creative designers. . ID seem to pale into insignificance. Animators create new world’s new characters and new objects which are ever increasing in creative quality.