Jordu Schell
{{short description|American sculptor and concept artist (born 1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{infobox person
|name=Jordu Schell
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1967|6|5}}
|nationality=American
|occupation={{flatlist|
- Sculptor
- concept artist
}}
}}
Jordu Schell (born June 5, 1967) is an American sculptor and concept artist who has been working in the film and television industries for over twenty years.{{cite news | url = http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?p=11334 | title = Jordu Schell | work = Sweet Station | date = April 2, 2010 | accessdate = April 15, 2010}}
Career
Jordu Schell began his career as a sculptor and Halloween mask maker. He primarily sculpts in clay and other physical materials, rather than in CGI or in 2-D drawings, although he works in those forms as well.{{cite news | author = Charley Parker | url = http://www.linesandcolors.com/2010/02/16/jordu-schell/ | title = Jordu Schell | work = lines and colors | date = February 16, 2010 | accessdate = April 15, 2010}}
Schell first started designing FX for Hollywood on Bride of Re-Animator, and went on from there to work with Stan Winston on such movies as Predator 2, Edward Scissorhands, and Batman Returns. In television, he designed aliens for the opening season of Babylon 5.{{cite news | url = http://www.latexmaskcentral.com/Schell4.php | title = A Monster Interview Part 1 | work = Latex Mask Central | accessdate = April 15, 2010}}
From 2005 to 2007, Schell was instrumental in the design of the Na'vi and other creatures in James Cameron's movie Avatar, shaping the designs of the characters with physical sculptures when Cameron felt that the CGI designs were not capturing his vision.{{cite news | url = http://io9.com/5354315/avatar-concept-designer-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-navi | title = Avatar Concept Designer Reveals the Secrets of the Na'vi | work = io9 | accessdate = April 15, 2010 | archive-date = January 22, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210122204641/https://io9.gizmodo.com/avatar-concept-designer-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-navi-5354315 | url-status = dead }} Schell sculpted numerous maquettes to help solidify the look of the Na'vi race, often working in the kitchen of Cameron's Malibu home.{{cite news | author = Neil Kendricks | url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/07/cameron-the-science-geek-who-became-a-movie-titan/ | title = Cameron, the Science Geek Who Became a Movie Titan for the Ages | work = U-T San Diego | date = March 7, 2010 | accessdate = April 16, 2010}}
Films for which Schell has designed creatures and characters subsequent to his work on Avatar include The Mist, AVPR, Prince Caspian, Spike, Creature of Darkness, and Dragonball Evolution, as well as working in various FX capacities on several others.{{cite news | url=http://atthamovies.com/the-most-realistic-grand-moff-tarkin-bust-ever-made/ | title=The Most Realistic Grand Moff Tarkin Bust Ever Made | publisher=At Tha Movies | date=January 27, 2014 | accessdate=January 27, 2014 | archive-date=January 30, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130003719/http://atthamovies.com/the-most-realistic-grand-moff-tarkin-bust-ever-made/ | url-status=dead }}
Schell also teaches classes in sculpting and design at his studio{{cite news | author = Matt McCorkell | url = http://www.cgchannel.com/2010/03/jordu-schell/ | title = Jordu Schell | work = CG Channel | date = March 29, 2010 | accessdate = April 15, 2010 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100409212953/http://www.cgchannel.com/2010/03/jordu-schell/ | archivedate = April 9, 2010 }} and, in addition, sometimes works in the video game industry.{{cite news | author = César A. Berardini | url = http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/18091/Gears-of-War-Work-on-Locust-Drone-Bust-is-Completed/ | title = TriForce Releases Final Version of 1:1 Scale 'Gears of War' Locust Drone Design Maquette | work = TeamXbox | date = November 7, 2008 | accessdate = April 16, 2010 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081226035637/http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/18091/Gears-of-War-Work-on-Locust-Drone-Bust-is-Completed/ | archivedate = December 26, 2008 }}
Filmography
- Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
- Predator 2 (1990)
- Puppet Master II (1991)
- Guyver (1991)
- Nemesis (1992)
- The Silence of the Hams (1994)
- Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
- Sometimes They Come Back... Again (1996)
- Escape from L.A. (1996)
- Face/Off (1997)
- Starship Troopers (1997)
- Alien: Resurrection (1997)
- The X-Files (1998)
- Patch Adams (1998)
- My Favorite Martian (1999)
- Bicentennial Man (1999)
- Galaxy Quest (1999)
- Hollow Man (2000)
- Bedazzled (2000)
- Evolution (2001)
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- Hulk (2003)
- Scary Movie 3 (2003)
- Dawn of the Dead (2004)
- Hellboy (2004)
- Blade: Trinity (2004)
- Reeker (2005)
- Feast (2005)
- 300 (2006)
- The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It (2007)
- The Mist (2007)
- Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
- Cloverfield (2008)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
- Spike (2008)
- Creature of Darkness (2009)
- Dragonball Evolution (2009)
- Avatar (2009)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.schellstudio.com Schell Sculpture Studio]
- {{IMDb name|id=0770725}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schell, Jordu}}
Category:20th-century American sculptors