Jaws was released 36 years ago today and I still won’t get back in the water.
For this design, I initially tried animating the classic Jaws poster with the swimmer and shark. Unfortunately it looked like the girl was swimming on the spot and the shark was chewing gum - not very menacing!
Instead, I’ve gone for a pair of shapely female legs treading water - it evokes a sleazy strip-club neon sign but with added danger. Also, the ripples are a neat link to the previous Spielberg neon poster, Jurassic Park.
A neon poster for Jurassic Park - you’ll have to provide your own sound effects.
It would’ve been fun to animate a neon T-rex for this poster, but Spielberg does such a great job of building up the tension before he’s revealed - the classic cup scene seemed like a more appropriate image.
Besides, for The Lost World poster I get to animate 2 T-rexes pulling a man apart. Cool!
A neon poster for the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film.
I loved this film when it was first released but I remember lots of critics complaining that Jack Nicholson’s Joker stole the show and overshadowed the title character. They may have had a point!
I’ve tried to reflect that in this design with the Joker hi-jacking Batman’s symbol.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman in neon.
I was very sad to hear about the death of Roy Skelton this week. Anyone growing up in the UK in the 1970s and 80s would be familiar with Roy’s work - he was the voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who and also Zippy and George from the classic childrens’ show Rainbow.
I drew this picture of Zippy-Dalek as a tribute to Mr Skelton - click on the image to watch Zippy at his bossy best.
EXTERMINATE GEOFFREY!!!!
A neon poster for Return of the Jedi.
As a kid, I assumed the returning Jedi was Luke, but it eventually dawned on me that the title could also refer to Darth Vader - turning against the dark side and destroying the Emperor. In this scene, he has to make the choice between good and evil.
C’mon Vader, make your mind up!
Also in this series of Star Wars neon posters:
There are so many classic scenes in The Empire Strikes Back - which one to choose when designing a neon poster?
The Luke/Vader fight seems like an obvious choice, but I was always impressed by the AT-AT Walkers - great stop-motion animation and an ideal cyclic motion for neon. Also, it’s a suitable image to illustrate the Empire ‘striking back’.
Also in this series of Star Wars neon posters:
“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”
An animated neon poster for the original Star Wars film - Episode IV: A New Hope. This is the key moment when Luke discovers his call to adventure and the hero’s journey begins.
Also in this series of Star Wars neon posters:
Will Ferrell
A portrait combining props and costumes from -
- Austin Powers (Mustafa)
- Zoolander (Jacobim Mugatu)
- Elf (Buddy)
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Ron Burgundy)
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Ricky Bobby)
- Blades of Glory (Chazz Michael Michaels)
- Semi-Pro (Jackie Moon)
