Intercourse Filmed Inside

ALICE IN WONDERLAND OF TIM BURTON Interview with the illustrator Dawn Brown

Dawn Brown is a designer for film. She was born in a suburb of Kansas City and then moved to Hollywood to make his way in the world of cinema. She is now an artist known for having participated in many blockbusters like AI, Star Trek, Ocean's Eleven, or Transformers.

For Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland, she designed all the furniture in the castle Red Queen ...

How did you become a designer for film?

All my life I always wanted to draw. After my degree, I went to California to pursue my career in animation. Despite hard work, it did not work and after a few years to follow up odd jobs, I finished a production assistant in the art department of the TV series SeaQuest. This was my first experience in this field. Decoration, illustration, model making, storyboarding, I found my place! Through this experience I have become a recognized designer. I concentrated on drawing and I learned from the best artists in the art. That said, over the years, the computer has taken over the design and decoration that does not interest me. I always preferred the traditional design. After years of insistence, I have finally become recognized as an illustrator in 2007 and I am delighted with this new direction.

Can you tell us about your first collaboration with Tim Burton?

I worked with him for the first time on Superman Lives in 1998. It was a story freely adapted from that of the Death of Superman comic book published some years ago. I worked on the tomb of Superman. Then I attended Planet of the Apes two years later. I loved watching the actors become monkeys by the art of makeup ... and try to eat in the cafeteria! They had to eat while looking in a mirror to guide their range through silicone implants!

In 2002, we went to Montgomery, Alabama to run Big Fish. Work on site is a bit like working in a traveling circus. You find yourself in different places every day and every night we packed up for another destination. Under these conditions, the film team becomes like a second family.

In 2008, Tim returned to Los Angeles for Alice in Wonderland after several films shot in London. It was great to find the faces of the teams Big Fish and Planet of the Apes . Of course, I really hope very soon to rework a draft Tim, whatever!

How did you joined the team of Alice in Wonderland?

Supervisor Artistic Director, Stefan Dechant invited me to join his team. I had worked with him in the past and we've been friends for quite some years. I worked on Alice from July to December 2008. I have extensive experience in furniture design for movies and it appealed to me specifically to work with the decorator Karen O'Hara.

How did you work with it?

It is fantastic to work with her. She knows exactly what she wants and left me enough freedom to incorporate my own ideas. I drew my concepts based on their suggestions and then she presented them to Tim and Production Designer Rob Stromberg. It was then up to me to make corrections. Once the concepts were approved, they then went to the shop to be manufactured.

Some furniture Castle Red Queen integrate animal figures.

This comes from the story, everything was in the script. There were animals for all furniture. Much, much more than what remains in the film. The idea was that Red Queen accumulates all these exotic creatures and made his slaves. To illustrate his obsession with control and power. And that these creatures are really afraid of her and are really unhappy. This is the kind of minute detail which proves essential in a story like this. One can watch the movie again and again and always find new details like that. I wanted really make this point clear through the body language of animals. Imagine two wild crocodiles reduced to support a table. What does this tell us about the queen? Is that it is more terrible than a crocodile! Put this world full of wild animals under his control not only illustrates how bad it is but also how strong is to get Alice to conquer! Unfortunately, much of what I created was deleted from the film and they have focused on monkeys, which does not really have the same effect! Finally, it's showbiz!

You also created versions of "Wonderland" genuine old master paintings.

was fun! Karen wanted there many works of art in the castle Red Queen. They gave me some original images to adapt. I do not know on what basis these tables have been chosen, but I have them all covered with the idea that these portraits represented members of the royal family, some with a large head, other hair heart shape and other details that would be weird sort of family brand. For landscapes background, I added the castle Red Queen. Always keeping in line with the original style tables. made me realize more than 25 tables.

How have you adapted to the personality of the Queen Red ?

I read the script, and I have worked with Helena Bonham Carter in Tim's other films. I really wanted to do something funny and weird in accordance with its interpretation of this character.

Have you original artwork inspired works of Lewis Carol?

Clearly, the wonderful illustrations by John Tenniel were part of our references and we have drawn our inspiration.

What are your memories of this production ?

I remember working very soon! Six months is very short to develop a world like that! We worked at full speed for that post production can have enough time to do its job. Personally, I do not think we had enough time, but you have to do with. I also remember having worked with top artists and designers in the art, and they inspired me every day.

Does the fact that Tim Burton was the head of project has influenced your approach to film?

Alice in Wonderland was my 4 th project with Tim. Each project has its own vibration, its own art direction. Sometimes it seems to me that people think that because he is a Tim Burton movie, we'll see spirals and stripes of black and white, it will be dark and gothic. I think they are unjustified expectations. It is the work of Production Designer that determine the appearance of the film, and it is a further challenge that incorporate the trademarks visual director.

Have you inspired by the classic Walt Disney?

Not at all.

You also worked in the field of comics, and you met Bob Kane, creator of Batman. Can you tell me about this meeting?

I worked as a decorator about Batman & Robin for Warner Bros.. The Prop Master, Brad Einhorn, told me that Bob Kane was coming on the tray and asked me to introduce myself. Brad knew that I was also in comic books and I loved Batman. I kept a copy of Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller on my desk and I asked Bob Kane for me to sign. It was very nice. He seemed really impressed by the breadth of our platform. What might have been said about the movie, these scenes were really amazing! So far, I've never reworked a film that has so many decorations on this scale and magnitude. It gives me inspiration to see how one person can create something which can grow into something so huge. That motivated me to continue on this path and develop a story that kept running through my head for a while, about a bounty hunter who gets married with the devil. This idea came a series of comics called Little Red Hot, published by Image Comics in 1999 and 2001.

All artwork by Dawn Brown (c) Walt Disney Pictures