Scott Essman

Jurassic World Dominion Director Colin Trevorrow on Working With Animatronics, Reuniting the Original Cast, and the Genius of Spielberg

June 10, 2022 Scott Essman Comments Off

Back in 2015, when Universal Pictures rebooted the Jurassic Park franchise with an entirely new concept, few insiders predicted that Jurassic World would wind up the top-grossing film of the year in terms of domestic box office — topping both a Star Wars movie and an Avengers sequel. What was certainly more predictable was the fact that there would be more Jurassic World films, culminating in Friday’s release of Jurassic World Dominion. Director Colin Trevorrow was behind […]

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OTT.X to Hold Free Diversity Summit Spotlighting Streaming Services on June 9

June 7, 2022 Scott Essman Comments Off

On Thursday, June 9, the organization OTT.X will hold its inaugural diversity summit at the Skirball Cultural Center in the Santa Monica Mountains. Focused on the entertainment industry and free to attend, the specific purpose of the all-day conference is to spotlight nascent streaming services with regard to opportunities for minority groups and underrepresented communities at all levels of the business. “What’s wonderful about OTT.X is this is a community […]

Pam & Tommy‘s Makeup and Hairstyling Artists Reveal How They Recreated the Celebrity Couple for Hulu

May 13, 2022 Scott Essman Comments Off

In the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, the makeup and hairstyling team recreated ’90s icons Pamela Anderson, a model and actress, and Tommy Lee, drummer for the Los Angeles rock band Motley Crue. During that decade, the two performers met, shacked up, got married, and created an infamous sex tape, around which the miniseries is centered. To effectively recreate the notable characters, a prestigious team of makeup and prosthetics artists, hairstylists, […]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: How Todd Tucker’s Illusion Industries Created the New Leatherface

February 23, 2022 Scott Essman Comments Off

For 10 years, Illusion Industries has serviced Hollywood films, television shows, music videos, and commercials with all manner of unique props, special makeup effects, full-blown creatures, and articulated puppets. Todd Tucker, the Founder of Illusion Industries, has 30 years of experience in the industry, having originally traveled from NorCal down to SoCal to chase his Hollywood dreams. Tucker’s latest showbiz challenge at Illusion Industries was to design and realize a new take […]

West Side Story Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski on Making a Musical With Steven Spielberg

February 7, 2022 Scott Essman Comments Off

Having made 18 previous films together in their 30-year cinematic collaboration, director Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski undertook perhaps their biggest challenge yet in updating the 1957 stage musical West Side Story, which had already been adapted into a film—to great acclaim—in 1961. Foremost among myriad obstacles in the 2021 telling of West Side Story was how to achieve the look and feel of Manhattan, New York City’s west […]

Visual Effects Society Bestows Honors Upon Cinema’s Legendary Craftspeople

November 22, 2021 Scott Essman Comments Off

In a lavish November 2 ceremony and after-party at the Skirball Cultural Center in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Los Angeles-based Visual Effects Society (VES) offered top recognitions to a group of heralded craftspeople who have been responsible for unprecedented success in the overall cinematic field. While the VES—established in 1997—offered honorary memberships to progenitors of the craft, including director and inventor James Cameron, and fellowships to others, among them […]

Designing Dune with Patrice Vermette

November 12, 2021 Scott Essman Comments Off

When Production Designer Patrice Vermette of Montreal, Canada undertook the task of bringing the world of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune to life in three dimensions, he knew the challenge was monumental. Not only were there legions of fans of the original book, there had also been a 1984 film adaptation which was, in some manners, a modern classic. Alas, the foremost hurdle in Vermette’s list of obstacles to overcome […]

Crafts Spotlight: Cinematographer Felix Cramer on Netflix Series Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood

October 30, 2020 Scott Essman Comments Off

For the historical six-episode Netflix miniseries Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood, Cinematographer Felix Cramer was tasked with recreating early-20th century Munich, Germany. A native of that country himself, Cramer first inundated himself with 100 photos and graphics from the period. “I think, for us, it was really interesting to see how the Oktoberfest—especially because that is our main character in the show—has changed in these years,” said Cramer. To infuse Oktoberfest: […]

Crafts Spotlight: Art Direction on the New Series The Right Stuff

October 19, 2020 Scott Essman Comments Off

For Appian Way’s producer Jennifer Davisson, among the many properties offered to the company she and overall proprietor Leonardo DiCaprio were analyzing for production potential was pilot Chuck Yeager’s autobiography, with regards to adapting it into a feature film. While that project did not move forward into the development phase, another Appian Way executive suggested turning Tom Wolfe’s historical novel The Right Stuff into a series. Having already been adapted […]

The Production Design on Raised by Wolves

October 14, 2020 Scott Essman Comments Off

In the spring of 2019, Production Designer Chris Seagers and Director Ridley Scott were embroiled in a film project when Scott asked Seagers to initiate the design on the futuristic science-fiction project Raised by Wolves, which Scott was executive producing through his Scott Free production company. “We segued straight onto that,” Seagers said of the new series, which is available on HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s streaming service. “Ridley is busy with […]