TIGAER-DESIGN.COM_.v5 – Digital Art by Christian Hecker

Now between Pt5 and Pt6 i took myself a longer break. Other things had higher priorities. However! Now it’s time to continue the series of Scifi movies that will forever inspire me when doing Scifi art. Again it’s a mix of classics and newer movies. As always i can recommend seeing all of the movies. But if i would have to pick absolute favs then ‘Fire In The Sky’ and ‘Quiet Earth’ have a special place in my heart.

*Not listed by favourites.

Forbidden Planet (1956)

It’s always fascinating seeing that young Leslie Nielsen in that film. This is one of the movies the words ‘Sci-Fi Classic’ were invented for. Again it’s a movie that took new visual directions. You never get to see the old alien race that once lived on that planet… but the environment they left behind suggests on so many levels how they could have looked. I, particularly, love the Matte Painting work in the underground alien factory/generator thing. They really took some stuck concepts and got a bit further with them. Who said aliens had to look humanoid? They really managed to make the aliens take shape in our heads. Instead of showing us and taking away our own imagination. A really nice movie to watch with some tea and cake on a rainy afternoon.

The Forbidden Planet on IMDb

Fire In The Sky

This is one of the most scary movies i ever saw. It actually is a movie about a guy who got abducted by aliens. The movie shows it all from the perspective of his buddies who had no other chance than to run away. To leave behind their friend. While everyone is thinking these guys murdered him. No one is believing their story. No one can find their friend for days. When he suddenly shows up again he is completely changed. Shocked. Can’t even start to explain what happened. You may ask what’s so scary about it. Well… they show the inside of the UFO. Where our guy got captured. What he lived through on that ship. They have some really cool design going on in that part of the movie. That alone makes it worth watching. But it also has that amazing atmosphere. I really like this one. And it’s after a true story.

Fire In The Sky on IMDb

Soilent Green

Another classic in my list. Somehow i love the old Charlton Heston scifi movies. I bet everyone has seen this one at least once. I really like the concept and the technical execution. Back when it was released i can imagine that the whole breakup, of what soilent green actually is, was quite an eye opener. The picture of the future we see there nowadays doens’t look too far away and could sooner or later become our actual reality. So the movie was quite ahead of its time and gets my highest recommendations.

Soilent Green on IMDb

The 5th Element

When i first went out of the theater after seeing this movie i wasn’t sure what to think of it. And i still get the same feeling when i watch the movie today. While i really really like the feeling of the movie, i also really really don’t like the french influences that found its ways into the movie. That certain kind of humour. Visually the movie is a fantastic example of how detailed you can portrait a futuristic world. So many things going on in it. And Bruce Willis kicks ass. This certainly is one of his best works. Even if he’s playing only a darker version of John McClane again. And you can never go wrong with McClane. Oh and Gary Oldman… love his evil characters.

The 5th Element on IMDb

The Black Hole (1979)

Now this one has a special place in my heart. I remember when i was young i got a cassette tape as a gift from my mom. I don’t know anymore what the occasion was. And that tape was this movie. It was weird getting that story told without the actual pictures to it. A while later i saw the movie and it really looked how i imagined it when i was listening to the tape. What really stands out is Maximilian Schell as the crazy scientist. He is so awesome in it. Of course the movie is pretty outdated now but some of the visuals are still very inspiring to me. So it definitely belongs into this list.

The Black Hole on IMDb

Quiet Earth

This is also a movie that i saw when i was very young. Probably too young to understand the movie as a whole. A few years ago i dug it out and rewatched it. Then i knew again what fascinated me so much. There are many movies like this one but there’s only a few that can capture the atmosphere that good. The story is basically that a failed experiment made all people disappear from the face of the earth. Except for one man. This man belongs to the crew of scientists who worked on that experiment. Now this man is trying to find out what went wrong. The fact that there is no one left makes him slowly go crazy. There is also something happening to the environment. Something that points to a radical change. This is a movie that you can watch for the last two minutes of the movie. Like movies you only watch for that one awesome moment that you love. The end is one of the most amazing eye openers i have ever seen. Have to watch it again soon.

Quiet Earth on IMDb

End of part 6. Like i said earlier i can easily recommend all of them. Every single one of these has visual qualities or special ideas that immediately send my imagination on a trip. Especially ‘Forbidden Planet’ does that very nicely in never showing the actual aliens. That gives your imagination a lot of room and challenges the viewer. Anyway… seek them out if you have some time! It’s worth it!

Regards

This time we have some movies that, from my point of view, are quite underrated. First of all ‘Mission To Mars’. It doesn’t get good reviews and overall it doesn’t seem to have a lot of fans. I, for my part, really really like it. The visuals are amazing and show a Planet Mars that looks real to me. some really beautiful matte work in it. The other one is Disney’s Treasureplanet. This movie is visually so inspiring and unique that i wished it would have a higher ranking within all these movies Disney made over the years. There is this one scene when they leave the spaceport and these flying whale like creatures fly along with the ship. I truly love that scene. But enough intro talk for now…

*Not listed by favourites.

Mission To Mars

A lot of folks don’t consider this movie to be a rather good one. I loved it from the first moment on. We get to see some amazing Mars vistas! The ideas in the movie are quite cool too. There are some really good moments. Especially the one where they try to rescue Tim Robbins character in space. Or when they discover the survivor on Mars. I like these movies that try to make you understand that we have absolutely no idea what’s possible out there. It inspires imaginaton.

Mission to Mars on IMDb

The Fly (1986)

Holy crap. When i was younger, and saw this movie the first time, i had nightmares! David Cronenberg is well known for his sort of weird movies. His ‘Naked Lunch’ for example… so many weird visual ideas! But the design of the ‘Brundle Fly’ at the end of the movie is so amazingly disgusting and yet fascinating. It makes you want to close your eyes but you can’t because you cannot beleive how ugly that thing looks! The movie as a whole is pretty fascinating. The whole picture of how our main character begins to change/transform. Fantastic!

The Fly on IMDb

Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow

This one is almost an art movie. Pretty much everything is CG and very high quality. The actors really master the fact that there is almost no reference to see except the green screen. That’s quite an accomplishment. On the other hand it’s good to see a fantastic Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and a (even if she’s normally not my case) quite sexy Angelina Jolie. Great camera work… amazing things going on… great design… a must watch!

Sky Captain And The world Of Tomorrow on IMDb

Disney’s Treasureplanet

Probably one of the most underrated movies ever! The richness of ideas and beauty in this classic book adaptation is unbelievable! All characters are lovely and even our hero kid is not the usual jerk they try to make us feel sympathy for. Visually it’s quite a feast, full of creative energy and a recommendation for some good inspiration!

Treasureplanet on IMDb

Fahrenheit 451

One of the movies the words ‘scifi classic’ were invented for. Now this movie, after a story from ray bradbury, really manages to picture a very desperate future. I just recently watched it again and must say that the topics covered in the movie are still very very prominent. The government basically tries to control the population by literally making them dumb mindless androids though controlling the media. I also had the opportunity to watch a lot of tv lately… and dear god… no wonder people become more and more stupid these days. Amazing.

Fahrenheit 451 on IMDb

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

I couldn’t even describe how much i love this movie. Yes there are many versions of that story but this movie tells it best from my point of view. From minute one i love the atmosphere it creates. The acting is so good and believable. Really love Donald Sutherland in this one. The visual style they use to show the transformation of the people into these hive controlled zombies is just crazy. I would so freak out if i would see stuff like that. The movie never goes too far though. A balance act that so many movies fail to manage. This one gets it perfectly right.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers on IMDb

End of part 5. This part again contains some of my all al alltime favourites. Especially the Body Snatchers. I’m so in love with the atmosphere it creates. Never had a similar experience in another movie. More stuff to come… stay tuned! =)

Regards

A little while ago i got asked from Eric Shafer to do a short interview. Again i thought ‘why not’! Eric has just posted the article on his site. Basically talking about how i came to all this arty stuff. Surely an interesting read.

Check Here – Awesome Interview!

Thanks Eric!

Regards

Christmas over, hopefully happy and cheerful for everyone, there is one last thing left to round this year 2010 up. Eversince we crossed the line to year 2000 all new years numbers sound like from a SciFi movie. Now it’s 2011 and the two thousand still sounds odd in my ears. However! 2010 is over and i guess we all take our share of experiences from that year into the next one. I hope mine will come handy and i hope yours will come handy to you too. Nothing shall be without a reason. Even if that’s a dream sometimes. The year 2010 for me has had its uppers and downers. I think i can be happy about how a few things turned out for me and the people i like. So my hope is that the happiness will continue to grow. Therefor lets face this new year with enthusiasm and an iron will to make it all even better than last year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Regards

After a short break i’m back to continue this little series of posts. Again we have a few classics as well as a very low budget production with ‘Primer’. This movie is amazing and deserves a high recommendation if you have the chance to catch it somewhere. We also have some classics like ‘The Abyss’ and ‘Planet Of The Apes’. These movies shouldn’t be touched ever. ‘Planet…’ already got a remake from Tim Burton and it’s not a very good result in my opinion. Nothing can replace that fabulous Charlton Heston in the original.

*Not listed by favourites.

District 9

This movie, VFX wise, ranks right up there with Avatar for me. The whole integration of the aliens into the real life footage looks so amazingly good. It blew my mind! I also find the whole scenario pretty realistic. Maybe not the action parts. But definitely the concentration camp like institutions and how mankind would handle such a delicate situation. Of course the design is amazing and makes this movie a must watch for every scifi fan.

District 9 on IMDb

Children Of Men

This movie is quite a love affair too. Clive Owen should have gotten an oscar nomination for his part. There are so many amazing scenes where my jaw constantly drops to the ground. Especially the scenes with no cuts in them. Alfonso Cuarón really manages to create such a realistic futuristic atmosphere that really reminds you on the Half-Life 2 game/universe. To me the look of that future is a very sad picture with only a few shiny spots. But also a future that could be very true some day.

Children Of Men on IMDb

A.I.

Now that’s a movie that can make me cry everytime i see it. Yeah i’m a whiner. :D The delivered picture of mankind is a very sad one. But, like in so many other pictures, too true. It’s certainly not the most amazing movie but as you follow our main character on his search for the blue fairy… and when he finally finds her… dear lord. Time for tears. Some might argue that the last 15mins of the movie are too much and i can understand the concerns from a storytelling standpoint. Nonetheless from a scifi fan standpoint the final minutes make the movie really interesting. Again the design is outstanding and the VFX surely are an eyecatcher. I’m still wondering how the movie would have looked and felt when Stanley Kubrick had finished it and not Spielberg. I think it would have been a bit more distanced and less hearty.

A.I. on IMDb

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

The good old planet of the apes. Well these days i often think they should place a camera in a mcdonalds restaurant and just film 70mins in there. Viola… planet of the apes. But seriously. This movie is amazing. How weird must it have been for Charlton Heston when he read the script. The good thing is… he did the movie. He made it feel believable. He sold the idea. A classic!

Planet Of The Apes on IMDb

The Abyss

It’s weird how i don’t have a connection to the director James Cameron like i have to Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott. It’s hard to describe. But when i watch the Spielberg movies i somehow have the feeling that it’s all familiar. And Ridley Scott is the visual style that gets to me. That’s not the case with Cameron’s movies. From my point of view he doesn’t have a particular good camera work in his movies. Or the stories themselfes aren’t very surprising. I don’t feel home in these movies and nonetheless his movies rank very high in my list. The Abyss is a great example for that. I really really love the idea of that movie. And with the recent oil platform problems… i wished our aliens would come up and kick some ass.

The Abyss on IMDb

Primer

A low low low low budget movie about time travel. The ideas in the movie are quite cool and make this movie definitely worth a look. No amazing CG, not the most amazing actors and not the best camera work. But the idea works! It’s amazing.

Primer on IMDb

End of part 4. This part contains some of my all al alltime favourites. Some movies will influence me in every project. More stuff in a few days. =)

Regards

DeviantPrints has a limited time free worldwide economy shipping action until the 15th of december. Head over to my store and find some real hq prints of my work. May it be for yourself or a present for christmas! Digital Art, Photography, Abstract and Fractals… i’m sure there’s something for everyone’s taste. The free shipping is valid as soon as you spend $10 or more on a product. Quite a cool offer i wouldn’t miss! From my experience the shipping and print quality is pretty exceptional. Worth a look.

Regards

Alright. Just for fun i sat down a while ago and compiled a list of Sci-Fi movies that are a great inspiration for me as an artist. This time we have quite some of my very favourites among them. On top surely is Event Horizon. Back then it blew me away. Especially its ideas and the gritty realistic look of it. The movie also has some very scary scenes in it. However… the inspiration is everywhere in this one. The Alien movies are amazing too. Again its the gritty design that really creates the love. Modern movies like Sunshine round things up nicely. A nice story, solid design and some really amazing visuals and scenes in the movie. Big love.

*Not listed by favourites.

Alien (1-3)

Not much to say about Ridley Scotts Alien. The Alien ship and the interior design… Classic. James Camerons ‘Aliens’ delivers less horror but some great action and more stunning visuals. Again concept work from Syd Mead. Again a big love! David Finchers Alien 3 sets itself apart from the other two. It’s much more quiet but goes down the horror tracks again. Love the design and feel again. Great acting work. Less is more in part 3. Part 4… well… it’s entertainment… but nothing original from my point of view.

Alien – 1979 on IMDb

Aliens – 1986 on IMDb

Alien3 – 1992 on IMDb

War Of The Worlds (Original & Spielberg)

I have always had problems to compare these two movies. I couldn’t say which one is the better movie. Both of them have their shining moments. Of course the VFX of the Spielberg movie are just amazing. But that also works for the old movie. There are quite some cool scenes in the old movie that could have never worked in the modernized version.

War Of The Worlds – 2005 on IMDb

War Of The Worlds – 1953 on IMDb

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

This is one of the movies i could watch over and over again. I really love the characters and, of course, the whole premise. Spielberg said he couldn’t do such a movie in that particular way today anymore… and i believe him. Good he did it back then. It got some really amazing moments. Just to mention the UFO chase sequence at the beginning. Or when the little boy gets kidnapped by the aliens. That’s a very scary scene. Or when the UFOs and aliens make contact with us at the Devils Tower. Just plain epicness! Everything works so well. Richard Dreyfuss makes it all even better. I love how he plays the character. Another all time classic.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind on IMDb

Event Horizon

Now this here is a love affair. I couldn’t even begin to explain why i love this movie so much. But yea well… certainly the whole design plays a very big role. Also the whole idea behind the story. That the ship went somewhere and came back with some sort of soul. The scientific background sounds very appealing to me. It still works scientifically! We never traveled in a way like described in the movie. Who knows what happens when we do? Where do we land? Of course it’s fiction… but still… a big love.

Event Horizon on IMDb

Worlds Collide (1951)

Another old time classic. For its release time definitely something really special! If you are into old school Sci-Fi style illustration… then this i, s a must see.

IMDB:
Worlds Collide on IMDb

Sunshine

This movie doesn’t have a lot of fans somehow and i don’t know really why. The VFX are great… the story really exciting… and the whole presentation is just eyecatching. Besides, the acting of all the cast is very believable, solid and good. And dear god… the finale… with that music part… goose bumps all over me every time i see it. I saw it in the theater and i’m glad i did. I love this movie.

Sunshine on IMDb

End of part 3. This part contains some of my all al alltime favourites. Some movies will influence me in every project. More stuff in a few days. =)

Regards

Alright. Just for fun i sat down a while ago and compiled a list of Sci-Fi movies that are a great inspiration for me as an artist. By inspiration i don’t always mean the whole visual style of a movie but also the atmosphere and the ideas behind the story. ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ is a good example. It may be an old movie but still widens the horizon with its ideas. This is part two of the list.

*Not listed by favourites.

Moon 44

One of Roland Emmerich’s early big budget films. At least back then. And certainly not a very good one. Except for the look and design. That’s what i like that movie for. Its dark gritty and industrial look. It also has some nice characters. Some real bad asses. I like to watch it every once in a while.

Moon 44 on IMDb

Total Recall

One of THE Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. And certainly one of THE Mars movies you should have seen. A very clever story, inspired by a short story from Philip K. Dick. Even though the original short story reads quite differently than the movie. The movie of course scores with some very great action pieces and great design. Even if the marsian landscapes were mostly miniatures i still love the camera flights right above and through the canyons. Like i read there is a new ‘Total Recall’ in the makes. This time closer to the original short story. It will be a very different movie. Surely as cool and interesting as the Schwarzenegger one. But less action.

Total Recall on IMDb

Startrek (All Movies)

If i would have to pick favourites then i would say the very first Startrek movie is a must watch. Again there were visual concepts from Syd Mead. ‘The Wrath Of Khan’ is probably the best Statrek movie of all times. Startrek 6 ranks pretty high too. I really love its cold war references and its very clever story. The newest addition and reboot of the series offers some amazing visuals too. All of them can deliver some nice inspiration. Of course the series had some weak movies too. Especially Startrek 5. But the painting work at the beginning looks nice in this one. Later when the digital age kicked in we got to see some nice battles. Startrek 8 starts with one nice fight against the Borg. So yes, visually i would suggest to have seen all of them.

Avatar

You’ve probably seen it. Inspiration wise it’s a must watch. The industry’s best concept guys worked on it. Visually it can’t get any better than this. At least not any time soon.

Avatar on IMDb

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

I admit it’s quite an oldie but its message is still relevant. It’s also funny because of the ideas they had back then. The VFX redefined quite a few things back then and did set new standards. The message basically is that we should keep an eye on what we as mankind do. How dangerous we as a species can be to not only ourselfes.

The Day The Earth Stood Still on IMDb

End of part 2. I think when you have seen and studied these movie you have all the basics you need. More stuff in a few days. The list is still filled. =)

Regards

Alright. Just for fun i sat down a while ago and compiled a list of Sci-Fi movies that are a great inspiration for me as an artist. By inspiration i don’t always mean the whole visual style of a movie but also the atmosphere and the ideas behind the story. ‘Children Of Men’ is a good example for a very amazing atmosphere and story. The visuals there are amazing too but aren’t the main drive in the movie. This list is not listed by first = best and last = worst movie. It’s just a list of movies that you should have seen if you want to do Sci-Fi based art nowadays. I’m a big big movies fan and a very visual person. So it’s a natural thing for me catching up ideas and influences, more or less intentional, from movies. So yeah…if you’re on the search for movies for a nice evening… then i hope this list will help you pick a few candidates that you haven’t seen so far. Feel free to post your thoughts on the movies!

*Not listed by favourites.

Blade Runner

What can i say about this one. It ranks in the definite top ten of my all time fav movies. The whole design and visual quality still works amazing and will still be working in 100 years. Ridley Scott is a true master to me. I even read the books that bring the story to an end The visuals from the movie made the scenes described in the books so dense. I really enjoy that universe. Even if i wouldn’t want to live in that world.

Blade Runner on IMDb

Outlander

Oh what can i say about this one. Most of you probably don’t know it. To me it’s a pretty unique one. Generally it’s quite a cool mix of fantasy and scifi elements. It got quite a cool style going in it. The VFX aren’t always top but the ideas in it are kind of cool. And i like Jim Caviezel as an actor. I should watch it again some time soon.

Outlander on IMDb

2001 & 2010

Granted… 2001 is a pretty boring movie. Nonetheless i decided to put it into the list since its visuals and camera work are still high end and a good guide for anyone who is attempting such movie projects. 2010 on the other hand has more action and a particular cool design. Syd Mead hits my taste with pretty much everything he does when it comes to concept work for movies.

2001 on IMDb

2010 on IMDb

TRON

I said it so often in the past and i will say it again now… i want an honor VFX oscar for this movie! Back then they denied the VFX nomination with the argument that they did it all with computers and that’s ‘cheating!’. Now today you cannot even fathom how important TRON was back then. And beside that there aren’t that many scenes in the movie where computers were involved. A lot of things were done by hand in very very tedious procedures. Of course the overall design, again with the help of Syd Mead, helped to make it look so crazy unique. And it got Jeff Bridges in top shape and Bruce Boxleitner. I love both of them in there.

TRON on IMDb

Starwars (All 6)

Of course parts 4-6 are the better ones. Nonetheless i would always recommend to watch the new episodes too. You ask why? Well… the design and look. These movies are so good sources of inspiration. If you want the heart then go for the parts 4-6. If you want some hi-end scifi/fantasy inspiration… go for parts 1-3. To me personally the city of Coruscant is a big source of inspiration and ideas. As some of you know i’m a big megacities fan and love to create these too. And i can tell you that it’s a massive piece of work to get something like that together. The Coruscant from episode 2 and 3 looks just amazing and always serves as a fantastic reference whenever i try to create something sci-fi city like.

Alright… end of part 1. I think when you have seen and studied these movie you have all the basics you need. More stuff in a few days. I have quite some movies left. =)

Regards

It’s time for a new release of Ballistic Publishing’s Exposé series. Now it’s book number 8 and i was one of the lucky guys to become featured in it. Again i personally are very happy and honoured to be a part of this exclusive group of people who made it into the book. I know the work from some of these people a long time. Some of their stuff is always inspirational and i hope that my work can be that too.

Now every artist who makes it into the book gets a free copy of the book. A very generous gesture since the quality we’re talking about is really really good. Superb print quality and you really know you have something worthful in your hands when you grab it. All the different categories in the book feature artists from around the world. With work that surely belongs to the best digital art you can get these days.

Hades – Valiant
‘Futurescapes’

Regards