Walking with Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs have always been a big part of my life. From cheap Chinese toys and old books of sluggish semi-aquatic brontosaurs, to ridiculous creationist tracts and the marvel of Dinotopia, to dinosaur mummies and the incredible work of pterodactyl specialist Mark Witton, I can not think of a time that I haven't been crazy about the prehistoric.

I've helped dig up bones, have been up and personal with fossils, and been entranced by mounted specimens.

But to get up and close with a real dinosaur is the true dream.

Well, a few weeks ago I got as close as I ever will without the use of a blue police box, when I went to see "Walking with Dinosaurs." Based on the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs series, this show has been in development for years. From the first moment I saw the behind the scenes feature, I've longed to see this show.

There were hundreds of kids in the audience, who from the first moment the first dinosaurs came out, were on the edge of their seats, or hiding in fear. The kids loved this show, and were more than willing to see these terrible lizards again.

And all these multi-tonne creatures were being operated by a highly coordinated and skilled team of puppeteers.

I spoke with head puppeteer Raymond Carr during the intermission to find out what it's like to be the brains behind a dinosaur puppet.



That was Raymond Carr talking about dinosaurs.

After the interview, I had a backstage tour.

Standing in front of a herd of giants was like living out a scene from Burroughs or Gurney.

And having a raptors head on my shoulder was pure Jurassic Park.

Interview with Iain McCaig

Iain McCaig is one of the most influential concept designers in the world. Maybe best known for his design of Darth Maul in the new Star Wars I, Iain is always in demand for his work. From the Harry Potter films to work on the new Princess of Mars, to his most recent cinematic offering of Outlander, Iain's work is everywhere.
To me, Iain is comparable to Moebius, Syd Mead, Ralph McQuarrie and James Bama.

And, just my luck, Iain lives only a kilometre away from me.

In a small cramped corner in Legends Comics, Iain and I had this conversation. Iain was signing copies of his book Shadowline.



Iain's energy is infectious. Before you could ask a question of him, he would spend five minutes wanting to know what you were doing. And he'd get you excited about your own projects, especially when you were just making something up to keep up with his barrage of infectious smiling and interested questioning.

If this film thing doesn't pay off, Iain can always become a motivational speaker.

Shadowline is a big, beautiful book that was worth everyone of the eighty dollars I spent on it.



Video from Parka Blog.

When Iain's site finally goes live, check it out.

If you find this post to be fan-boyish, well, it is. I've been a fan of Iain's for years, and with an off hand remark in my local comic shop that Iain lived in Victoria, I started a long process of trying to set up a meeting. The interview you heard was the product of 11 months of trying to match a very busy movie guys schedule to my relaxed Mother Corp time frame. Now, I see him all the time.