Stunning STAR TREK 2009 Concept Art by James Clyne

Check out Star Trek (2009) concept art by James Clyne!

When the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie began pre-production in early 2007 production designer Scott Chambliss started with two veteran concept illustrators: James Clyne and Ryan Church.

Clyne shared his illustrations in his portfolio and spoke with TrekMovie.com about the process.

James Clyne is a professional concept artist and art director who's worked on blockbuster movies like Avatar (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Transformers (2007).

Check out the rest of the pictures after the jump (click to enlarge) and read why there were so many arguments about the design of the Narada.



Clyne said, "It was a lot of fun. JJ was fantastic to work with and very approachable. Throwing ideas was really collaborative…JJ wanted us to explore new visuals because he wanted to create a whole new world and reinvigorate Star Trek, which he did."

Narada
He "mostly had a blank page and that there was no detailed description for the ship in the script beyond calling it the ‘Battleship Narada’ and that it was from the future and not a traditional looking Romulan ship. JJ Abrams directed Clyne to create something ‘never seen before’ and said he wanted something ‘threatening looking’ which is what he got.

"According to Clyne, he envisioned that because the ship was traveling through time (what he thought was back and forth through time), and that it had ‘contracted some kind of  virus, so the ship became like an organism.’ As for the size of the ship, Clyne notes "there was a lot of debate about that, it is massive, but not as big as V’ger.

"Clyne tells TrekMovie that some involved with the film, including some designers at ILM, had thought that the ship moved like a squid with the points moving forward, so on some sketches he had to note which end was the rear and even draw arrows on it some times. Clyne says 'I thought it was more menacing to have the spikes forward.'"

Kelvin Interiors
"The exterior of the USS Kelvin was designed by Clyne’s collaborator Ryan Church (who also designed the Jellyfish and the USS Enterprise), however Clyne was responsible for the interiors, including the bridge, corridors, the turbolift and the shuttlebay. Regarding the look, Clyne said Abrams and production designer Scott Chambliss wanted the Kelvin (originally called ‘Iowa’) to be more like traditional Star Trek designs, but also to be more ‘functional’ and have 'more of a battleship aesthetic.' Clyne said he drew inspiration from the TOS bridge, the bridge of the USS Reliant from Wrath of Khan and current military ships and submarines. Clyne admits that even though he was familiar and liked the Star Trek TV series and films, he didn’t consider himself an expert. However, he says that Paramount actually had a ‘Star Trek expert’ on staff who would 'pore over the designs to keep us in check.'"

Vulcan Architecture and Vistas
"Clyne was also tasked with designing the vistas of planet Vulcan. Clyne used Vasquez Rocks and SkyRose Chapel as the basis for his designs, as both locations had already been selected to be used for the Vulcan scenes. Clyne came up with the idea for the ‘hanging buildings’ which were used in the final film. Clyne tells TrekMovie that it was originally planned for Vulcan to have a heavier atmosphere and red sky, but as we know Vulcan ended up with a blue sky (although Bob Orci contends Vulcan’s sky is ‘seasonal’)."

See more of James Clyne's work at http://www.jamesclyne.com and read the rest of the interview at TrekMovie)

Click on the links if you want to see more of James Clyne's concept art and Star Trek on my blog.

What do you think of the designs?

Official Synopsis
The future begins in J.J. Abrams' smash hit Star Trek. When Romulan Nero comes from the future to take revenge on the Federation, rivals Kirk and Spock must work together to stop him from destroying everything they know. On a thrilling journey filled with incredible action, the U.S.S. Enterprise will voyage through unimaginable danger in one of the biggest and best reviewed movies of the year.

Official Site: StarTrekMovie.com

Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast:  Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Eric Bana, John Chu, Anton Yelchin, Winona Ryder

What do you think of the illustrations?

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