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Entropian Reverie
Final Fantasy. The Matrix. Spore. Concept artist Christian Lorenz Scheurer on these epics and his first book, Entropia.---------------
By Blair Cooper
Oct 15, 2006 | Neo, Korben Dallas, and Jack Dawson lived in perilous times. But in The Matrix, The Fifth Element, and Titanic, danger lurks in beautiful places. That’s because Christian Lorenz Scheurer had a hand in the creation of each of these environments, not to mention Final Fantasy IX and the upcoming game Spore. His artwork is just as out-of-this-world as his resume.
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Born in Switzerland, Scheurer moved to Belgium to study art. It was there
that his roommate came home one day to find the power out, a missing brick
in the wall, an exploded alarm clock, and Scheurer rocking in the corner.
He was rushed to the emergency room. “My roommate,” he recalls,
“came to the conclusion that a lightning bolt must have hit the building
and passed over me in my sleep.” The doctors didn’t take him seriously
until they saw the “entry and exit marks from the lightning bolt that
had just barely missed the heart.” Ten days later, the artist’s
chest was repaired and full of resolve. He promptly concluded that it’s
best not to wait when pursuing dreams, so he picked up his portfolio and flew
to Hollywood.
Knocking on the door of Digital Domain landed Scheurer his first job in movies. After joining Square One for the production of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, it wasn’t long until he made the leap to game design. Today, his feet are firmly planted in both industries. But he’s also been working on his book Entropia, a resplendent collection of travel-inspired, fantastical art in rare stamp form.
I first saw your work in print in The Art of Final Fantasy IX. And we’re all itching to know -- what was it like contributing to an opus of one of the most acclaimed franchises in gaming?
Final Fantasy IX is on one of my all-time favorite work experiences. After two years in Hawaii working on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, director Sakaguchi-san asked me if I’d like to help on the visual development of the game. Shortly after my switch the US design team was sent home. I spent one year on FF IX and then returned as a matte painter for the movie.
Today these matte paintings are created digitally and often combined with additional 3D elements. Matte painting used to apply to paintings on glass that were mounted in front of the camera to extend a small live set to a much bigger looking venue. They were used in many movies, from The Wizard of Oz to the original Star Wars trilogy.
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How much direction were you given when creating, say, the look of
Conde Petie? I’m partial to the wedding ship piece from that locale.
The idea was to have a replica of the temple on two roots. I came up with the wedding ship and the Japanese loved it. By the way, that painting was also my wedding gift to my wife. The female character was clearly inspired by her. We were just starting to date when I was working on Final Fantasy IX. And the male was designed after Zidane. It hangs in our bedroom.
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