End of the year update and thanks 2007

Hi! Time for the annual summary/review. This one will be short and sweet and I'm running around on a project.

It's definitely been a year of changes, and very busy work year again and filled with new and exciting projects with new clients and continuing projects with past clients. Notables include Jennings & Co., Fox Searchlight, Boulevard Films, Dripping Dead Films, Ubisoft Ent. , Merscom Ent. and a whole slew of others. My sincerest thanks to all of my clients who worked with me over the past year and called me for illustration. I really enjoyed all the projects and I hope to further nurture those relationships in 2008.

I'm currently on a feature film called "The secret life of bees" in Wilmington, NC. I'm going back and forth from the production and working on location and also remotely. It's a great production based on a bestselling novel and on which I'm pleased to be a part of. The whole crew is great and I'm looking forward to working with them all. Thanks for the opportunity!

Thanks to I.A.T.S.E. Local 491 for all of their help with both my membership, representation and also continuing to help in the marketing of my work on the union side of productions. I really appreciate all you do, and I'm glad to be a part of 491. You do a great job.

Thanks also to my agents at 411 Creatives as well as Pigment Creative and US Animation sales. Thanks for helping get my work in front of people who can hire me :-) I look forward to working with you on the coming year! My next project in LA!

Thanks to our families for all of their support in what was a juggling act of a year. Your encouragement is very much appreciated and cherished. Finally, Thanks to my wife for all of her support with my crazy job. She is always behind me and helps keep me going like the Energizer bunny even when I don't have the energy :-) I love you.

I'll be posting again soon but I hope that everyone has a very safe and happy holiday season filled with family, love, and fun! Be safe!

Craig

Artwork, update and link

Hi all,

Things are busy as usual for me right now, and I thought I'd publish a couple of new pieces of art for the lookin'. This is an environmental concept and a character concept for Ubisoft. I will try to do better posting more images but with all my projects, I don't update the blog as much as I should. Hope you enjoy the images!

Also, on a buisness note I am now a member of I.A.T.S.E. Union Local 491. Local 491's jurisdication represents film crew in North and South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. For those unfamiliar with I.A.T.S.E., that stands for (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage employees, moving picture technicians, Artists, and allied crafts of the United States). Their link - http://www.iatse-intl.org/. This union does fantastic work representing film professionals applying their craft in making sure we all get our checks on time, our benefits are contributed to, we are treated fairly on the job and in general just keeping us working. I am also hoping to work with Local 790 in Los Angeles as well as the New York city local in the future and I'll keep you posted on that. As a union member, my film projects should all be covered by union contracts from here on out, either ASA, Commercial, Music Video, or Low Budget. Please keep this in mind as you contact me for rates/availability for film projects.

Thanks for check in on my blog! I'll be posting information on some new projects coming up :-)

Later!

Craig

Official "The Strangers" trailer is up over at Rogue.

This it the film I boarded last year. Look spretty sweet! Check it out when you have a chance.

http://www.roguepictures.com/home.html

Craig

Mike Wieringo remembered.......

*I Call this the "Romeo and Juliet" shot haha! Mike and Jeff Parker posing for a shot. I think Morbius was supposed to be flying away? Or flying to the ground....I can't remember but it makes for a funny picture.....Actually lots of the came out bad because they were Polaroids. I must have spent a fortune on film back then...*


*Jeff Parker and Mike posing for a scene in "Morbius" for Marvel* I think it was a pre-requisite that you had to be willing and able to pose for reference shots if you joined the studio and we all did all the time*

*This pic was in my studio at Artamus Studios circa '94 I would say. I 'used' be pretty messy and not sure if Mike was posing for a reference picture or if he was actually trying to find a place to put something in my studio.....good luck Mike......*

*There is no telling what this was from or why Mike looked like he wanted to kick my ass :-) Actually he was posing again for some other illustration I was working on*

* Mike posing for me for some sort of illustration. Probably for White Wolf or Wizards of the coast or one of those jobs. He always came up with killer poses and was often the model for us Artamus Studios boys.*

*Not sure what this was for but I beleive he was posing for a Morbius page I was drawing at the time. This turned out to be a pretty cool shot in and of itself. Its a good pic of Mike in action.*

It pains me to no end to sit down and gather my thoughts and sum up the positive influence Mike Wieringo had on me as both a person and as a career artist. I had posted a quick response to the news of his passing a couple of days ago, but after it really started to sink in and I had time to collect my thoughts, I needed to say something more about Mike and what his friendship meant to me. Cully Hamner seemed to sum it up when saying “The simplest statement I can possibly make is that Mike Wieringo was just a great guy—which, upon writing those words, doesn’t seem quite enough. It doesn’t seem to fully contain him, this fact of the matter. But he was great in every way you’d want your friends to be great: Kind, caring, sensitive, hilarious, intelligent, talented, skilled, responsible, and a million other things.” I really can’t do much better than that but thought I might be able to give an additional perspective to the man who was both a top notch storyteller in every since and also a close personal friend to me from another very personal view.

Starting out as a young and hungry artist myself with much to learn (even as I do now), I was both amazed and thankful for the time that I spent in Artamus Studios and also as a roommate to Mike for a couple of years. I was astounded at the determination and talent that I saw evolving before my eyes and thankful for the once in a lifetime opportunity to see his legend grow. And that is what Mike became for the sequential art industry. A modern master of the visual form of comics and as influential as those that came before him and influenced him alike. As his studio/apartment mate I saw this every day. I also saw the internal termoil in which he put himself through in order to better his craft. That consistently hard work ethic was extremely inspirational to myself as well as all of the other guys in Artamus Studios. Mike was never truly satisfied with his art and never rested on the praise of the fans to which he felt “undeserved and unjustified”. If truth be known, compliments were an extremely uneasy and foreign thing for Mike to take however justified or deserving they were. He never felt worthy. He never got lazy with his art and his hunger to reach his top potential was in tact to the very last page he drew and he was always very aware of any flaws that he saw in his own art. Of course we all loved seeing it flow out of his pencil on a day to day basis and it inspired us to work harder to be better artists in our own right. Things seemed to flow out of his hands and on to the paper with a grace that likened him to a poet. It always seemed effortless for Mike. And it was that way consistently for him even as hard headed as he could be at times. He made it all look effortless day in and day out. That’s what the great artists in history do. They inspire and lift us up in awe of the apparent ease in which they accomplish their art. Mike loved what he did and enjoyed being a part of it. He loved comics and loved creating them. His laughter filled the halls of Artamus Studios every day and it was contagious for us all. For me, Mike was just next door if I needed an honest opinion on something I had drawn. Not only would he tell me it was bad and push me harder, but he would tell me why it was bad and he knew I could do better. If something was good he would be the first to say ‘that looks great!” and that he knew I could do better! Like I said, he was a true friend and like a brother to me and always believed in me even when I didn’t always believe in myself. I keep this work ethic close to my heart to this day and I will never forget Mike for his guidance.

Millions of fans and friends and family have poured out their heart to Mike and his family since his passing and I cannot attempt to say all the good things that need to be said about Mike Wieringo in this simple post. Read the posts from fans all over the world. They tell his story. Read his comics. They tell his story as well. I’m sure he would be both amazed and humbled at the response the comics industry has sent forth. He was just that type of every day guy.

Lastly, and knowing Mike as well as I did, I think there would be one thing I think that he would want to say and to be remembered by even above his art….

Mike would say “Find what it is in life that you love to do with all your heart. Whatever that may be, work persistantly to persue those dreams and never let them fade away even through hard times or self doubt. Through following your dreams you will find yourself and in that, find peace and happiness.” His life was a testament to this philosophy.

Rest in peace Mike. Thank you for being a ‘real’ hero and true friend. You are fondly remembered and the world is an emptier place without you in it.

Craig Gilmore
Film Shot Studio
Hillsborough, NC

An old friend and studio mate Mike Wieringo passes away.

I'm sorry to pass the news along this morning that my good friend and Artamus Studios studiomate Mike Wieringo has passed away from what apparently was a heart attack. Details are still coming in but this is certainly tragic news and all I know right now. Mike and I were apartment mates and studio mates in the early/mid 90's and the news of his passing is both tragic and eye opening as to how fragile life is and our time spent here. Mike was a fantastic illustrator and one of the best comic book artists in the industry. It was indeed a pleasure to watch him work and gain popularity with the fans. Even more than being a superior artist he was a fantastic human being who always went out out of his way for people and had a positive influence on everyone that had the pleasure to know him. I consider myself very lucky to have called Mike my friend. I am a better person and a better artist from his influence. His talent and friendship will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all.

My sincere condolenses to the Wieringo family. You are in my prayers and my thoughts in this difficult time.

Thank you Mike for all the good times, good laughs, and great comics. I'll miss you buddy. Rest in peace.

Craig Gilmore

Please visit http://mikewieringo.com/ to see what a great talent Mike was. A endless source of creativity.

"Surface" clarification...

The art I recently posted from "Surface" has been getting a lot of attention. That's awesome and I am glad the art viewing public likes the illustrations as I posted them for viewing enjoyment. :-) However, I do need to clarify one thing that has come to light through fans of the show. Although I did like the show and was more than happy to contribute creatively, these illustrations were from the *original season* and in no way shape or form are to be considered *new* concept art for a return of the series. I have no connections with the higher-ups as NBC and have heard absolutely nothing in the way of continuing the series. I am a hired gun to illustrate what the client needs for a particular project and I don't have any sort of pull or influence on bringing the show back. Please don't contact me for this. If "Surface" returns it would be solely by the choice of NBC. I hope this doesn't dishearten fans of the series and members the site http://www.savesurface.com. I know there are a lot of people out there that want the series to return. The people involved with that website are doing the right thing by continuing to speak out and hopefully will have some influence with NBC. I personally have no influence on the show other than it would be cool to see it come back on someday.....

I hope this clears the air about my influence with NBC which is *none* :-).

Craig

Production update 8/2/07

Hi everyone,

Time for an update on projects going on at the moment, as well as a new piece of art. This particular concept piece was for the tv show "Surface" for NBC.

Unfortunately all of the work I'm currently doing is under confidentiality contracts so I can't name names or specifics at this point. I CAN say the art flow has been steady lately and I've been busy. Storyboards for another major motion picture are on the horizon as well as a new video game. I've also been producing some personal commission work for some fans in my spare time (is there such a thing as spare time?). I know this update is kind of mysterious and non specific. When you work under confidentiality contracts this is unfortunately the case. Wish I could be more descriptive and I will be as I can release more info.

Things are very exciting around here and I'll post more soon! Here's a little quote I really like and thought I'd share -

" The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer." - Nolan Bushnell

Great Screens from "The Strangers" Rogue Pictures/Universal Pictures

Hi everybody!

Just a couple of links of interest for those of you who may be interested in the upcoming "The Strangers" motion picture. I worked on the storyboards for this film last year. The forum in the link is from www.lovelylivtyler.com and contains some really sweet images of Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman and Gemma Ward from the movie that were recently released. Go check it out and make sure to go see the movie when it comes out! It's creepy and we all worked extremely hard to make a really great film! http://www.lovelylivtyler.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8438&st=60&#entry597313

Craig

Creature concept

Good Monday morning! It's been a while since I actually posted some real art on the site. Most of the time I'm too busy updating with news and projects. Anyhow, sorry 'bout that! Here's a creature concept piece. This one wasn't for tv or movies, but the video game industry and Ubisoft. I'll be doing more posts like this so keep checking in and keep me in mind for your art outsourcing needs :-)

Craig

Re-post

Hi everybody,

I wanted to repost (re-air :-)) one of my original posts that I think deserves some additional attention and is food for thought. 'DAM newsletter'. Digital Artists Management - http://www.digitalartistmanagement.com/ and Digital Artist Management Consultants - http://www.damconsultants.com/… and contact them should you need the very best in artists placement. Great guys and great jobs for a changing marketplace. Please read on especially if you are and artist that works/has worked in games or if you are in a position to hire an artist for your video game project.

*originally published in the Digital Artists Newsletter*THE CONVERGENCE OF FILMS & GAMES: A Staffing DilemmaOver the last several years, there have been numerous discussions, debates, and panels dedicated to the convergence of the film and game industries. Much of the dialogue has been centered on plot development, photorealistic graphics, licenses crossing platform lines, and whether or not a game will ever be able to make the player cry.While all these points are certainly valid topics of discussion and the lines are coming ever-closer to merging, a topic that is seldom discussed is “What is the best staffing methodology for facilitating this convergence?” Although it may not be a flashy subject for a panel at GDC or E3, the benefits associated with Hollywood ’s practice of hiring product development specialists into temporary, on-site, full-time contract positions is gaining considerable traction within the videogame industry.Up until now, the game development community has focused almost exclusively on hiring artists, animators, designers, and engineers into full-time positions. This methodology has prevailed because of the desire to secure and retain top development talent, protect intellectual properties, and keep innovations and proprietary technologies confidential until products ship. But in order to meet the development scope for next-generation content team sizes and budgets will likely double or even triple. While there will always be a need to hire and maintain a core team of key players on staff, it is becoming increasingly difficult and, in some cases, unnecessary, to have the entire development team employed in permanent positions. Film and effects houses have long seen the value in contract employment because of the project-oriented nature of their work. Similarly, the project-oriented nature of games development could likewise benefit from utilizing temporary or contract resources on a broader scale.For employers, hiring contractors immediately eliminates many of the HR, benefits, and insurance costs inherent with hiring each new employee, especially when the staffing agency assumes the liability issues associated with co-employment. Under this scenario, the staffing agency is responsible for the contract employee, including all HR-related issues, payroll, state and federal taxes, workman’s compensation, unemployment, and liability insurance, while the employer gets much-needed resources to alleviate workload and bandwidth pressures on the typically heavily burdened permanent staff. Contract staffing also provides a lot of flexibility for employers to test-run candidates before making a permanent hiring decision based on an interview, a demo reel, or a gut feeling. When the contract is done, there are no false or misconceived expectations, and the employer has the options to move on, renew the contract, or convert the contractor into a permanent employee. Moreover, utilizing contract employees can help companies avoid much of the awkwardness and negative publicity that often results from layoffs and downsizing at the end of a project because most companies cannot financially sustain the entire development team once the product has shipped.For individual developers, there are some equally compelling benefits to the contract employment model. From a creative perspective, contracting affords the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects over the course of one’s career while broadening one’s network of contacts. Contracting can also provide a stop-gap between permanent employment stints since it’s always nice to receive a paycheck while you’re looking for a permanent job. Most notably, working on contract often allows an individual to get the proverbial “foot in the door” with a studio that may have otherwise been reluctant to make a permanent commitment upfront.So while the debate over the impending union of film and games content marches on, the benefits of a convergence in hiring practices are becoming increasingly clear."

Assistant

Thanks to all that responded (and there were a bunch)! There are a lot of really great artists out there :-). I have some really great portfolios from qualified artists to go through so please don't send any more replies to the post. Thanks again!

Craig

Update 5/4/07

A quick update on the goings on around here. Pretty much the same as last blog, although if things go like I hope I'll be working on 3 films over the summer and into fall! I'm talking to some directors and already doing boards for one of the 3. Things are really moving on the movie and tv end of my work.

Big things are brewing.....................

Craig

What's goin' 'round the studio

Hello everybody!

Spring (and pollen) is in the air so I wanted to update on the projects I'm working on right now and in the coming months. Lots of cool stuff going on for sure. As usual with my work, non disclosures and confidentialities keep me from a) posting some really sweet art and b) keep me from announcing the names/companies of the projects until after they are released in theaters or on shelves. Needless to say, the past year has been a crazy one and I have a ton of new work to show *eventually* :-) I'll be redesigning my website once I can get around to it. It needs a facelift and what I have in mind should blow the current one away! Stay tuned. I'll be announcing it once it's live.

As far as particulars:
1- I'm tying up a couple of illustration projects that have been ongoing for the last few weeks and will be done next week.

2 - This week I accepted a new film offer to do storyboards and also a movie poster. I'm really jazzed and excited to get rolling on this project! It's a horror film and of course I love horror films.

3 - I'm in negotiations with a new entertainment company to do storyboards and conceptual artwork for their films/properties. As it looks now, I'll be starting this around the end of May and will be working on it into the summer.

4 - I still continue to produce storyboards, animatics, and conceptual artwork for video games and this is a great outlet and opportunity for creative endeavors as well.

5 - My own film....Well as mentioned, it's on the backburner. I just can't seem to get a chance to do it right now because of all the illustration but it's still on the table. Hopefully I'll get to it this year. As it's a lobor of love, I'm in no hurry and have no particular schedule set. I just want to do it right when I do it.

6 - My agents continue to get me some good projects and opportunities, and I never know what's going to come down the pipe with them :-).

7 - I just wrapped up some storyboards for a couple of tv commercial spots for Boulevard Films up in Charlotte. They are great people to work with and I look forward to do so again in the future.

*Having said all of this, I'm always in the market for new projects so don't be turned away because of my schedule. If you have a storyboarding or illustration need, give me a call or email! I love speaking with you about your projects and always try to be accomodating and competative in the marketplace :-).

Well, that's about it for now. I'll write more later.......

Craig

Yet another interview link

Here's a new intervew hot off the presses from Carolina Flicks. Thought you might enjoy it! http://www.carolinaflicks.com/.

Craig

New interviews and where to see 'em!

Hi all!

I wanted to update my blog with a couple of new interviews I just completed.

The first is for www.cinemATL.com. I will be featured in the "Insider's Scoop" section of their site soon. They asked me to write an article on storyboarding and the role storyboards play in film development. The link is - http://www.cinematl.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=297&Itemid=26.

Also, I recently completed a television interview for a show here in North Carolina called "Second Cinema". The show covers NC filmmaking and is hosted by Hilary Russo and produced by Josh Johnson and Matthew Hayhurst. It's a fantastic show and 2006 Telly Award Winner. My interview will air in the month of Feb. with first air on Feb. 2nd. We covered lots of cool information my studio and on producing storyboarding, concept art, animation, video games, advertising, etc. for a livin'. Please check your local cable listings for times and channels in your area. Check it out if you can!

Second Cinema's site is - http://secondcinemadirectory.blogspot.com/

Things are busy as usual and I have a number of exciting new projects being discussed and scheduled out. I'll let 'ya know what they are as I can release information. Confidentiality and Non Disclosure Contracts ya' know....

More later!

Craig