A Conversation with Artist David Colman (Tron: Ares; Gabby's Dollhouse; Mufasa)

 

Conversation With David Colman

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    It is no secret that I am a huge fan of the Tron series. Going to see Tron: Legacy at a young age when it first came out is a core memory for me as a lover of film, and helped shape me into wanting to work in the film industry. Therefore, when Tron: Ares came out, I was more than excited to go see the next installment in the franchise, which I absolutely loved from beginning to end. There were multiple times throughout the movie that made me get full-body chills and brought tears to my eyes; the film felt like ultimate fan-service for those who have waited over a decade for the sequel. 

    

    I released my review for the film, which was then reposted by David Colman, who I came to find out was one of the major storyboard artists on the film. After being introduced to him through this fantastic film, I came to find out not only did he craft some of the best moments in the film, such as the Akira slide and the entire light cycle chase sequence (taking over from another artist), but he also boarded the incredible third-act fight sequence between Ares (Jared Leto and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith). Having the opportunity to talk to this incredibly talented artist who helped craft a major part of one of my favorite movies of the year was such an honor, and I truly enjoyed hearing the stories of how he came to be on this film. 

    There is no doubt David is an incredibly successful artist, in both the film and art world. He is pushing almost twenty-five years in the industry, and has won a Primetime Emmy for his work on the television show, Class of 3000. However, believe it or not, he did not go to art school. In fact, he wanted to double-major in both communications and liberal arts; however, the liberal arts program wasn't geared for the art he wanted to make. In our conversation, which you can also hear on the latest episode of the FilmGeek Podcast, he shared how he once painted a picture of Bruce Lee for his class, which they then questioned on what he was trying to say about the piece. He just wanted to paint a picture of the badass martial arts legend. He dropped out of the liberal arts program, only majoring in communications and the liberal arts program he was in simply didn't line up with the art David wanted to make. 

    While David always had a passion for art and was told that he was a great character designer, he actually went to work at his father's law firm right out of college. While he self-admittedly wasn't driven to become an attorney, his dad, who he mentioned was one of his biggest supporters, got him a connection with well-known character designer, Kenny Tompkins, who then connected David with a recruiter from Disney. From there, his journey into the art world started to form, and he began taking classes at different academies before landing his first job in a film studio - in the mailroom. 

    

    While it may not be the ideal location where an aspiring artist would end up at a film studio, it worked perfectly in David's favor. David mentioned that he took a lot of lessons at the studio while working in the mailroom, such as strong draftmanship skills. During his spare time, he would continue drawing, and even got noticed by Paul Felix, which then led for David to get a job as PA on Pooh's Heffalump Movie. While working on that film, he would put his drawings and art all over his little cubicle and around the workplace, garnering positive attention from those around him who were also working on the film. 

    Despite working in-house at Disney, David was unable to get an art job on a production, so he submitted elsewhere. However, he was rejected countless times for having no experience and not being in the animator's union. He gave it one last shot, submitting to the newly formed Sony Pictures Animation and they were immediately impressed with his work. It was so good that they asked to see his originals because they didn't believe it was his own work. They even questioned him on if he was stealing from other artists working for them. They couldn't understand how someone with little to no classical training was able to create such great artwork. When they found out that he really is just that good, they immediately hired him and put him on Polar Express. The rest is history, and David has gone on to work on numerous films and television shows, such as Mufasa, Gabby's Dollhouse, Renfield, and the movie that brought us to this interview, Tron: Ares. 

     Working on Mufasa helped him get into working on the newest film about the Grid and the Programs. Not only that, but he also says Mufasa holds a very special place in his heart. Him and Barry Jenkins, who is the director of Mufasa and the Oscar-winning Moonlight, really collaborated together so well to bring the vision to life for this sequel to the iconic The Lion King. He also shared a story with me about how he nailed a pivotal scene in the movie in three days, something no artist who tried to work on the film was able to do. It was his love for capturing animals that really helped him storyboard and craft these scenes and characters for the film. He was also told by Pete Toby that his first pitch on the film was one of the best he's ever seen, which led for him to get recommended for Tron by numerous people inside and outside Disney. 

    

    He said that Tron: Ares was definitely a crazy process, with them even starting the storyboards without a script really in place. They were following what Joseph Kosinski had crafted more than ten years earlier in Tron: Legacy, and they had to figure out how to bring this story of Ares and the Grid coming to the real world on the big screen. David was given the opportunity to craft the light cycle sequences, while also storyboarding various big moments throughout the film, such as the Flynn Museum scene, Ares' introduction at Dillinger, and the entire third act, such as the amazing climatic fight sequence between Ares and Athena. 

  

    When approaching working on the third film in this series, he is self-admittedly not as big of a fan of the Tron series, like others are, including myself. He had seen them growing up and loved the various designs of the world-building, but wasn't very up-to-date with the cannon or what was going on in the series before Ares. However, when he started to work on the film and really dive into this world with director Joachim Rønning, he started to fall in love this project and what they were creating. 

    

    As David and I talked, I started to realize that many of my favorite moments from Ares came from his storyboards that he drew up. Moments like the Akira slide, when Ares is transported back into the original grid, and the entire climatic fight came from David's storyboards, and they are simply as beautiful as what they were able to achieve in the film. Some of his storyboards will be present here for you to see, but it is genuinely amazing to see these beautiful shots and moments he crafted. Not only that, but he added in so many moments of fan-service that simply gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. The only complaint I really have with the film now is not being able to see some of the aspects David storyboarded as they were cut from the film. Moments such as having the entire world appear digitalized when Ares went back into the Grid would have been amazing visuals in the final product of the film. David also boarded an entire segment that was incredible fan service - having an entire game segment on the Grid. However, for various reasons, this segment didn't make the final cut of the film, even though it would have been incredibly cool to see this play out. 

    I also really enjoyed another idea of his that unfortunately didn't make it into the theatrical release. He boarded a moment where Ares is riding by a stroller, and in slo-mo, the baby reaches out and touches Ares helmet, signifying the first moment that Ares becomes interested in humanity and permanence. How David described it to me would have become a brilliant moment in the film, and one I really wish they were able to keep in the picture. 

   

He said he appreciates the never-ending dedication and trust that Rønning showed him throughout the making of this movie. He said that was the most rewarding aspect because you have this big-time director trusting him with the vision he had for this movie, and besides the scenes that were cut, it translated beautifully onto the screen. A sentiment both David and I shared was the confusion around the hate for this film. We both believe the movie has so much heart and soul, and the story here about A.I. in today's world and permanence beautifully showcase the ideology and worries about A.I. We both believe this movie needs more love and appreciation, and hopefully it gets it over time to become a cult classic. 

    David is incredibly busy the next few years, getting art jobs on films such as Minecraft 2, a new R-rated, Homeward Bound-esque film starring Ryan Reynolds titled Animal Friends, Shrek 5, and the new live-action Tangled, to name a few. He is also working on creating a book about storyboarding, which I think would be brilliant and I can't wait to check that out when it releases in the future!

  There is no doubt in my mind that David is going to have a very long and fruitful career ahead of him. Not only is he an incredibly talented artist, but he has this wonderful drive that pushes him to do so much more in the art and film world. Sitting and talking with him about his work and how he approaches his art was incredibly inspiring to me, and I am truly appreciative of getting the opportunity to sit down and chat with this incredible visionary. When you go see the next big movie coming out in theaters, there is a huge possibility that David worked on it in terms of storyboarding and design, and I can't wait to see more of his visions on the big screen.