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3DTotal: Are you a big fan of these superhero-type films and if so, which one would you like to have worked on?
Jelmer: I am by no means the biggest fan of superhero films, but I did very much enjoy the recent Batman films. I guess if you’d let me make Hugo Weaving’s character “V” from V for Vendetta a superhero, then those are the superhero films I liked best. If I had to pick a superhero project that I would liked to have worked on, it would be one of Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy films. Spectral Motion’s practical and DNeg’s digital creature work were nothing short of amazing.
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3DTotal: So what are your plans for the future?
Jelmer: I recently started doing presentations and lectures at design colleges and conventions. I’d like to keep giving these presentations as I very much enjoy doing them. It gives me back a little of the energy I put into the work I do, which is great! Something else that will keep me busy for a while is my short film, which I am currently writing and designing. I needed to get my feet back on creative ground, something that I miss a lot within production. I am still freelancing, and plan to keep doing that for a while. I am just more selective with the work I take on. The only criteria I have is that I want to be genuinely excited about a project. Besides being able to deliver better and more personal work that way, it’s also easier to avoid the unnecessary stress and annoyances that come with doing work, you don’t really enjoy doing. Life is way too short for that. |
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3DTotal: Which artists inspire you?
Jelmer: My inspiration comes to me from all sorts of places. A recent trip to London’s Victoria & Albert Museum’s hall of sculpture proved to be a great source of inspiration for instance. Because of that great experience I have planned a trip to European sculpture capitals Florence and Rome next month. Besides classical sculpture, I tend to get my inspiration out of films, fairytales, theatre, nature and music. Once you open up to the fact a new fresh idea can be literally found around the corner, you’ll start seeing this in a different perspective. A flower or a crumbled piece of cloth can transform itself to a cool little creature if you let it. There’s also a bunch of current-day working artists that inspire me. Crash McCreery, Carlos Huante, Aaron Sims, Steve Wang, Christian Alzmann, Rick Baker, Neville Page, and Miles Teves. They are my heroes when it comes to creature design. All of these artists share one thing and that’s a great eye for great form. |
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3DTotal: How do you normal spend your time away from the computer screen?
Jelmer: When I am not at a computer screen I am sketching, writing, playing my piano, or hanging out with friends and family. Even then I tend to go out and get them to watch movies with me! [Laughs] Most of my friends can be ‘overly’ critical when it comes to watching films. I found myself on numerous occasions, defending films like Peter Jackson’s King Kong against the general opinion that it was an improbable story filled with unlikely creatures. Trying to convince people how brilliant the film really is....But I digress… I’ll praise the day when I will be able to work on something my friends will truly like! [Laughs]
3DTotal: It has been a really cool talking with you, but one last question before we wrap things up. What has been the most influential piece of advice that you have been given and who or where did it come from?
Jelmer: I see you’ve saved your hardest question for last. I don’t think I can call up one particular word of advice that has influenced me the most. It’s a combination of thoughts, images and advice which are influential for me. It can range from eye-opening conversations with fellow students at school, to studying the work and workflow of some of the artists I named earlier. It’s hard for me to forget something if I find it useful or interesting. On the other hand I’ve got a terrible memory for almost everything else! [Laughs].
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