By coincidence, this year’s FilmCon is celebrating the end of two eras.

One is the conclusion of “Star Wars” as a film franchise with the release of “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” on DVD earlier this month. Although the series will likely live on in books, video games and a couple of new television series, creator George Lucas seems to be done with the films that inspired generations of fans.

The other ending is the conclusion of FilmCon itself, at least as a large three-day science fiction and fantasy festival at the Radisson Inn West, devoted to aspiring filmmakers and fans interested in the craft of moviemaking. While creator Eric Larson says the convention will continue in future years, it will be much smaller and intensely focused on filmmaking.

“Our objective is to teach how things are done,” Larson says. “We use science fiction as a springboard, because that’s where all the money and research is pumped into special effects, and eventually the other films get it.”

In addition to the usual costume contests, merchandise tables, fan panels and other staples of such events, the convention will feature many seminars in filmmaking, everything from computer visual effects to scriptwriting to costume design. Among the special guests are two filmmakers instrumental in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy who will not only talk about their work, but also demonstrate it.

Erik Tiemens is a senior art director at the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, and served as a concept design supervisor on the last two “Star Wars” films, and will likely have some role in the proposed new “Star Wars” television series, although information on that is being kept top secret. C. Andrew Nelson is a visual effects artist who worked on the first two prequel films, as well as numerous other films and video games.

As a concept design supervisor, Tiemens and his team were responsible for dreaming up many of the otherworldly environments of the film, from a lush planet full of gargantuan flowers to the fiery lava planet that serves as the setting for the third film’s climax. Often these designs would begin as thumbnail sketches, and then have to be expanded and developed into paintings, animated storyboards and finally the finished product on screen.

“It was a unique experience in the sense of being there from the very beginning, brainstorming and suggesting different ideas, and being able to hold those conceptual thoughts and making sure they stayed on target to the end,” he says.

Seven planets had to be created for “Revenge of the Sith,” some only appearing on screen for a couple of scenes. Tiemens says the visual effects teams draw from all sorts of real-world sources for inventing these environments, from the natural world to past architecture to industrial design. For both the creators and the audience, such real-world reference points help make the new designs feel tangible, rooted in memory as well as imagination.

“On Episode II, there’s this factory sequence where these droids are being produced, and we had a chance to visit a car factory and get underneath the stamping press,” Tiemens says. “All that kind of stuff is amazing and inspiring. We sent a photographer to Sicily, where there was an eruption, and he brought back amazing footage that we incorporated into the film.”

Tiemens’ own background is in landscape painting, and he has painted on location around the world. He says the tradition of epic landscapes in American art fits in nicely with what he does in the film world, and he often draws from his real-life painting experiences in his job.

“Say I’m up on a cliff edge painting, and a see a storm coming my way — it’s windy, stuff flying, all those challenges,” he says. “That’s good because you can draw on those experiences when you’re in a comfy art department working at a computer.”

At FilmCon, Tiemens will demonstrate how he works by brainstorming with the audience, taking a thumbnail design sketch and turning it into a full-color concept painting. He likes showing the work-in-progress because it helps demystify the process.

“You can really see how loose and abstract a painting can start out to be, and how you can modify, and if the director asks for changes you can keep the flow going.”

To aspiring filmmakers who might ask him for advice about getting to work on something as big as “Star Wars,” Tiemens says there’s no single path to the front door of Lucasfilm. Rather, as visual effects companies draw from a wide range of talent with a wide range of backgrounds, those aspirants should follow and maintain their areas of passion and commitment.

“My whole life wasn’t like I’m born just to do these last two series,” he said. “I look at it as a happy gathering of good fortune and timing to work on a film like that. But also I’m so grateful that I still have enthusiasm to go outside and paint, that I love traveling and going to art museums. Find those areas that you can contribute with high craft and a level of commitment and passion, and things sort of form their own path.”

Larson says it’s getting insight and advice from industry professionals such as Tiemens that makes his convention different.

“It’s gratifying to me to have someone in their early 20s come back and say, ‘I just directed my first film,’ ” he says. “Some of them say if they hadn’t come to a convention, they wouldn’t have learned how to do it. I feel good about that.”

Source: The Capital Times, Written By: Rob Thomas