John Alvin

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QUESTIONS FOR JOHN ALVIN:

When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist, more specifically painting movie  posters?
I’ve been an artist all my life and I think I first wanted to be a movie poster artist in the very early 1960’s when I was about twelve and my family lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was completely fascinated with the movie ad section of the the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle each week and I think that early response to the movie ads echoed for me years later as an adult.

What is your artistic background? At which art school did you study advertising, design and  illustration?
I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t interested in something artistic. Throughout childhood I was always drawing and painting. In the days before we had video tape and DVD, I’d go to the movies and come home and draw pictures from what I had seen for days afterward. The first films I remember doing this from were “The Vikings” and “Moby Dick”. Many years later, after a couple years of college, I attended Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. There I studied advertising design for several semesters and then switched to illustration.

What was your first job out of school -- Hanna-Barbera? What did you do there?
In my first years out of art school, free-lance work was irregular and as my wife Andrea and I were beginning our life together, Hanna-Barbera offered me a chance to bring home a weekly paycheck. Andrea was then a professional animator and for a short while, we both worked there. I designed and drew layouts that set up the scenes for animators.

When did you get your start as a movie poster artist? What was your first poster (Blazing  Saddles)? How did you get the assignment?
After a year in animation, I began getting regular free-lance work and the opportunity to work on “Blazing Saddles” came through an associate who was working for Mel Brooks. It turned out that Mr. Brooks was unhappy with all the advertising materials to date and this proved to provide the outside chance for some one new (me) to give it a try. He loved what I painted and that started a very interesting and rewarding career for me.

When you are initially hired to create a movie poster, do you get to see a rough cut of the  film, or do you primarily work from photo stills and concept art?
Sometimes, I get to see a rough cut of the feature. This is the most ideal because it gives me a very good idea of what the audience will soon experience. On certain occasions, I’ve been given only a script. In almost all instances, I work from still photos from the production and, if they are available, special unit photography. Concept art tends to be exactly that and not necessarily completely accurate as to what’s on the screen.

What proved to be the most difficult movie poster to illustrate and why?
I can’t say with certainty that any one might have been more difficult than others. Sometimes the best and most famous have proved to be the most creatively demanding and challenging. “E.T.” is a good example of a most challenging assignment. I could not show the main character as he was early on a secret. The cast was wonderful but at that time, there were no big names and famous faces to show. The poster had to be symbolic and still true to the story and interesting enough to get people to want to see the film.

What poster was the most rewarding and why? Which film genre do you have the most fun  creating posters for?
I feel that the most rewarding posters are the ones that keep showing up time after time on video and DVD packaging and in ads many years after I created the artwork. I have no control over such displays and it’s very gratifying to see that people still want to relate my image with a particular film. “Blazing Saddles” is like that: they still use the image nearly thirty years later. The same for “E.T.”, “Blade Runner”, “The Lion King”, and “Victor/Victoria”, to name a few. As to film genre, I would have to say that fantasy and sci-fi is the most fun. Here I am on the Star Wars web site with exclusive lithos and giclee prints-what could be more fun than that?

What are your biggest obstacles you face when creating a movie poster? How do you  overcome them?
Time. Coming up with a concept that is appropriate to the film. Resistance from those with a less creative view of the task ahead. Politics. The only way I know to overcome these and any other unforeseen obstacles is to persevere with why I’m there in the first place-to create imagery. In the face of resistance, this is sometimes the most difficult thing to commit to and accomplish. Also, over the years, I have developed an unfailing belief in myself and my skills. If I don’t have this, no one will provide it for me.
 
When you are hired to create a movie poster how much of it is your creative input and how  much is it of the marketing team for that film?
In some cases, I am asked to “do what I do” and in others, all the creative input is finished and I’m asked to make a wonderful piece of art of the marketing team’s idea. Either extreme is agreeable and some of the best work results from the collaborative efforts of some great minds working in sync with each other.

Are there any requests made by clients that you won't agree too? What are some of the  oddest requests you've had from clients?
In recent years, I will resist requests or instructions that I know will weaken the image. Early in my career, I would have to trust the knowledge of others and sometimes this was to the detriment of not only the image but of my professional reputation. Now, with greater experience, I have finally learned to trust my instincts and it is paying off in spades. Truthfully, I can’t remember specific requests that I think were odd. Those are usually taken care of in creative meetings and I’ve been able to talk most people out of elements that I feel would hurt the poster image.

How does your idea process begin when you want to create a poster for something as epic  as the Star Wars saga? What elements do you know have to be in the poster?
When working on any image relative to the Star Wars Saga, all I have to remember is how I felt when I first saw the Rebel Blockade Runner overtaken by the Imperial Star Destroyer in the opening of Episode IV. From that moment on, I was forever a part of the Star Wars universe. Everyone who has experienced the Saga has some anchor point of attachment to the story and they are all as fine and exhilarating to them as that opening sequence is to me. What I must add to that feeling whenever I’m beginning some new Star Wars art is whatever it takes to be absolutely true to the texture of the story and the enduring nature of the characters that George Lucas has created for us to enjoy. I believe the story is character driven and that the mythology inherent in such an epic is the predominant feature that binds the story together and must be considered creatively. The hardware, the aliens, the locations all act in support of the core storyline that introduces us to the Skywalker lineage and the destiny of its members.

How long have you been creating movie posters -- over 28 years?
My first was “Blazing Saddles” in 1974. So, just over thirty years.

Who have been your biggest artistic influences? I read somewhere that you were a big fan  of  both Richard Amsel (Indiana Jones posters) and Bob Peak (Camelot). Could you go into  more detail about why you are drawn to their work?
Richard Amsel, who is sadly deceased, was a young and first-rate talent. His poster art of Harrison Ford for “Raiders of the Lost Ark” has influenced movie poster illustrating from the moment it first showed up. He was an outstanding artist and I still enjoy being inspired by his work and I find myself more influenced by it as I move along in my career. Bob Peak, also sadly not with us anymore was the inarguable godfather of the contemporary movie poster. No one since him has demonstrated the skill and flamboyance he brought to the business. I regret never meeting either of them and I can only hope that my work inspires someone the way theirs has inspired me.

Why do you think so many people collect movie posters?
To hold on to the feeling the movies give them. When you see a good movie poster, it gives you an idea of what you’re going to experience in the theater. If it proves to be then a good movie, the poster serves as a reminder of everything the film means to you. It encapsulates, in a single image, the feelings the film maker wanted the audience to experience. Since everybody loves the movies, what better way to bring that feeling home than to collect any and all favorite posters.

When you design a poster are you thinking of how to get someone into a theater to see the  film, or are you more concerned with making a great piece of art that people would want to  hang in their homes?
I like to think that I can do both at the same time. That is what I try for. Art is art and business is business and they both must coexist comfortably in the movie industry.


STAR WARS RELATED QUESTIONS

What was your first memory of Star Wars? How did it have an impact on your life?
Twenty seven years ago, theater audiences were lining up around the block night after night and Darth Vader appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The impact on my life is reflected in the impact on my art and Star Wars has been a key part of my career since then. It still is and will be for a long time.

What was your first Star Wars poster that you created? Please describe how you became  involved in creating Star Wars collectable art.
My first Star Wars poster was the Star Wars Concert poster, featuring the two famous droids as musicians. That one has become very rare and quite collectable. I think I was destined to find ways to be involved in creating Star Wars collectable art. I was fortunate to be highly visible in the entertainment industry and I found clients who needed me and they found me over the years such that I am very proud of all the Star Wars related artwork I’ve been privileged to produce. In the past couple of years, I’ve taken my love of Star Wars into new personal work. I’ve been developing a series of paintings called “The Force of Influence” wherein each painting depicts a critical relationship between two or more characters. I’ve also done some specialty pieces for the Worldwide Fan Club including the poster art for the Celebration event for Episode I.

Please go into detail regarding your work on the Star Wars Tenth Anniversary poster.
How much was your input as oppose to Lucasfilm's? What did you want to give fans with  that poster?
The design and concept was mine. The idea of saying “The first ten years” was also mine as I felt it more elegant and promising than simply announcing a ten year period had ended and this was the anniversary. It seemed more uplifting and promising to commemorate the first ten as though there would be no future limit and, so far there hasn’t been.

I wanted to reflect the broad expanse of the widescreen cinematic vision we all saw in a theater. As most posters are vertical, I thought the anniversary piece should remind us of the movie experience and hence, the horizontal format. I wanted fans to be carried along again as Luke is compelled by great forces to recognize and embrace his destiny. We “see” what he “sees” as though he is saluting the very Saga we see displayed within the larger-than-life title.

There are seventy-seven elements within the letter forms as the film was released in 1977. I wanted to give the fans an underscore to what they already knew and loved: a banner to herald the recurring power of this magnificent film experience.
  
What was your though process while creating  "A Destiny Unfolds," featuring Obi-Wan  "Ben" Kenobi looming over a young Luke Skywalker? What mood did you want to set?
This art is part of “The Force of Influence”  series I mentioned earlier. Obi-Wan is the means by which Luke is drawn into his own destiny and as the Jedi Knight’s tale comes to a physical end, he must point “the new hope” in the right direction if there is ever to be peace in the galaxy. He profoundly influences Luke by what he says to him and when he says it. I wanted to show respect for the great character of Obi-Wan and at the same time, homage to Sir Alec Guinness who so brilliantly portrayed him.

Kenobi’s presence is grand, full of wisdom and larger than life. He dominates the scene and yet he enfolds and cradles the innocent farm boy Luke-for all intents and purposes, a lost youth with no direction or goal. Yoda’s magnificent and enduring influence on Obi-Wan is gently suggested by the ghosted image of the Jedi Master in the sky. I wanted to set a mood of somber purpose and yet one of great affection and regard. Of all my work, this is one of my favorites.

Also if you could speak a little on the background of "Like Father, Like Son" -- featuring  the Fett family. What emotion did you want this piece to convey? What made you want to  portray one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars saga?
This is also a member of “The Force of Influence” series. I thought that there are few more profound relationships than that of Father and Son in life and this is especially true of the Saga. Like any long time fan, I was captivated by Boba Fett and I thought it interesting to pose him at rest and full of potential violence. I like to think that the fire behind him depicts the gruesome end of yet another bounty. Look at the tip of his flame thrower. It’s very hot as though he was making good use of it and he has now turned to us and we should be fearful.

Promoting our fear is the lethal legacy Boba Fett brings with his considerable skills and this heritage is shown in the pro-active and very dangerous posture of his Father, the legendary Jango Fett. It’s as though Boba wants us to know that he is the logical extension of his Father and everything we fear about him, we do so with good reason. I wanted to portray the Fett lineage to reflect of the powerful hold these characters have had on all of us from the instant George Lucas put them on screen.

What Star Wars character would you like to commemorate in your artistic style but haven't  had the opportunity to do so? Please explain why you chose that character.
There are several characters and/or groupings I would love to do. One is the powerful women that would be shown as the very young Queen Amadala and the daughter to be, the Princess Leia Organa. I think all of the principal Jedi knights are very interesting as are their inter relationships. I would love to portray Jabba the Hutt and Han Solo with Chewbacca. They worked for Jabba, apparently just before we met them in Episode IV. The characters I would love to portray the most, however, are those most familiar to us as they will mature in Episode III: Anakin/Darth Vader and (again) Obi-Wan Kenobi and the conflict between them.

What are some of your upcoming projects?
I’ve just finished new poster/ad art for the spectacular Queen Mary 2 cruise ship. I’m designing an iconic character for the future Hollywood Museum of Motion Pictures and various posters for them. As to movies, that has to be kept secret for now.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions for your profile on the official  Lucasfilm site StarWars.com.