BY DAVID SERVER | Recently, David Server conducted an interview with the Conceptual Designer of "Hellboy", TyRuben Ellingson.

CD: So just to start off, youve filled a bunch of different roles in the special effects industry, and on Hellboy, youre the Conceptual Designer. What does this role require you to do throughout the films various stages of production?

TRE: Well, historically, Art Direction and Production Design, those are both widely recognized titles. They really kind of grew out of the Hollywood system of dealing with props and designing and overseeing the creation of props, and its really kind of a set decoration, set designits very much from the old school way of thinking about film design. So the Production Designer is in charge of building, as a contractor is, with the additional emphasis on being creative. So theyre like an architect/contractor. Theyre coming up with the global look of the picture, and then theyre overseeing the construction; thats what a production designer does. An Art Director is really like the hands on guy, on the set, whos moving the books around or putting the vase on the desk and putting the lamps out and all that stuff. But to be a Conceptual Designer is something that grew out of neither of those worlds, its sort of an entity unto itself. Youre working with the director to realize something that isnt necessarily a prop or a set piece or an effect, its actually kind of a loose term for a creative designer thats working almost exclusively without the necessity to understand how it might be done on set. It doesnt require that you design it so that it can be built as a model, and it doesnt mean you have to design it so its built as a computer graphics character or anything. Youre actually doing the purest form of design. So the title of Conceptual Designer is exactly that. Youre creating concepts that then other people will utilize, to conceive of how to do what it is that is required by the picture. So for me, personally, its been a dream of mine and a goal of mine to get to the most pure form of creative undertaking, which is to have to worry only about the vision of the director, and not have to worry about how its going to be executed, or how its going to cost all those kinds of things. So its a very specialized niche, especially with science fiction and horror and those kinds of projects. Often times, the make-up guys for example will take on that responsibility of the Conceptual Designer. Theyll conceptualize in clay or make-up a creature, but they dont have the luxury of just being able to work independently of the actual material. So my role is primarily to be an inventor, if you will, with no rules and no restraints, who works with the director to conceptualize and conceive of whatever chaotic madness he may have in mind. :::laughs::: Now, because of my background at ILM [Industrial Light & Magic, George Lucas SFX House], and my history with effects, I can switch gears. And I have done that role of Art Director many times. And thats much more of a nuts and bolts, like, how do we build this and what kind of material should it be. Ive done a little bit of that on-and-off for Guillermo [del Toro, director of Hellboy] over the years, but primarily the joy that I feel with being involved in this project is that he doesnt ask that of me early on, he wants the craziest most eccentric most blown-out idea he can find without any feathers to how it will be generated or delivered to the screen.

CD: Were you a fan of the Hellboy comics at all before you joined the team?

TRE: Im not a comics guy, Im a film guy. Its not that I have a feeling one way or another about it, but Im of an age that when I was growing up, I was really attracted to Creepy and Eerie or Vampirella, because they seemed a little more broken into bits that I could digest in one sitting. I dont have the kind of patience for sequential things. And additionally, I think a lot of the comic books that I grew up with were from a mold that pre-dated me, so it felt like it was my friends older brothers stuff that I was looking at; it didnt speak to me personally. So my interest in film was really what I focused in on. So when I first heard of Hellboy, I had no knowledge of it at all. Guillermo called me from his home in Texas, and he said Hey, I really love this thing, you should check it out. And I was very shocked to when I then looked at the images. I first logged on (I didnt even go to the comic book store, I found Mike [Mignola, creator of the Hellboy comics]s website) and I was able to see what he was doing. And it was surprisingly different than anything else I had really seen before, and so then I became acquainted with the material at that time and bought the books and was always surprised at the integrity of the work. And then when I met Mike the first time, I actually wasnt able to communicate with him with any kind of knowledge of comics, cause I was a film guy. So when I first met Mike on Blade 2, we shared an office and he actually kind of invented himself, if you will, as an artist who I got the opportunity to meet in his studio. For me it was like I was meeting a guy and I really respected for his work, and I didnt really relate it specifically to the comic book. So I was really only familiar with Hellboy because it was being adapted for a movie.

CD: What kinds of designs did you work on for Hellboy?

TRE: Guillermo and I have this history where he really looks to me to kind of take whats a notion in his mind, like a semblance of an idea, and hell throw me the ball and say, Heres what I need and these are my thoughts. Then what I need to do is to go out on by own and try to create something thats original to my aesthetic, because I know thats why he hires me specifically, and usually then hell say oh thats cool, but can you change this or what do you think about this, and so it bounces back and forth like a ping-pong kind of a creative process. And in this particular picture, I would say that this is going to eclipse, in many ways, a lot of the bigger pictures that Ive worked on, because so many elements had to be conceptualized and fabricated. Obviously, the opening sequence that involves the Nazis and the machine that creates the vortex that then connects to this alternate reality (or to Hell or whatever it is, its not spelled out in really specific terms), but theres a Nazi kind of hybrid technology thats very authentic to the time-frame, in that the machines and mechanisms seem authentic to World War II, but theyre kind of fantastic in the sense of what they do. Now my sensibility is not really a fantastical sensibility. Im not a guy that would be good at the Wizards Quarters for Harry Potter, Im much more of a guy who would design a Robot Garage. I bring kind of that sensibility to that Nazi technology that I wanted it to seem authentic, like if you saw it in a museum, youd go I totally believe that that exists. You wouldnt be shocked. So theres this opening sequence with the various machines that the Nazis use. Then theres some things that Mike had already pre-designed in [the comic series] like the gloves that Rasputin wears

CD: Yea, I was gonna ask, does he still have those crazy metal gauntlet things? I loved those things.

TRE: Well, again, Guillermos attempting in a very sophisticated and I think a very loving ingenious way to retain all the greatness thats in those panels. So I was told, look at this but think about it in terms of your sensibilities and the reality of the time, how would this thing function? What would it be doing? And so, the Mecha-Glove (or the Ragnarok-Glove or whatever its called), it was really trying to keep an authentic connection to Mikes panel, but at the same time, give it an authenticity that would let the audience who didnt know anything about the material, have access to it and go That makes sense to me, it makes sense that the Nazis would have created some kind of connection between humanity and the human body and this machine. So theres a lot of that stuff, and then theres the BPRD [the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, where Hellboy works], which is really kind of being expanded upon. And then of course, Hellboy has his own little accoutrements and technologies and his weaponrytheres actually a lot of interesting takes on how obviously you would need X Y and Z, but if he had X Y and Z, how would it vary from what we actually have today? Keeping it real so that its believable on a street level, so like if you saw it in a store youd be like, I believe that. But then how do you make it the next level where you go, Holy s**t, I never knew they built *that!* :::laughs:::

CD: Can you tell us a little about Hellboys signature gun that you worked on? Guillermo indicated that he was *very* excited about it at the San Diego Comicon presentation, and Mike Mignola called it amazing

TRE: Thats the one thing that I feel really like of all the things that I personally take a lot of ownership of conceptually, I cant talk about it at all. Because I think we actually took the authentic idea of a working mans gunthis is a guy who uses a gun to do the job of getting business done. Mike draws it in the panels like a pipe with just a handle. However, Guillermo wanted to breathe into that something that would make people go, Oh, I never knew that they built a gun that big! :::laughs::: So the approach again was to take what Mike had already created, a working class weapon, and provide it with the persona or the design sensibility of something you could go down to get at the hardware storethey may not have it in your upscale, finer weapons boutique, but if you asked enough people, they would go below the counter and say, well yknow theres this, now this *really* gets the job done, you dont wanna be messing with this! So thats a lot of what I tried to do, I wanted people to go, Holy S**t! Where do I get that?! Yknow, you dont want thatthats not what you wantthats a little to much for what you need. Here, get the Smith and Weston, youll be fine with that :::laughs:::

CD: So when youre designing something like that, do you ever look to actual real-life gun models for inspiration?

TRE: I have a theory, and I get asked similar questions about robots and Star Wars, and I have to say I have the perfect job in a weird sort of way because I live in ignorant bliss. I dont think about machines in objects in real terms. To me, its all about vocabulary of the forms. Cause Ive never fired a gun. Ive only fired a .22 rifle and a shotgun once in my life, and I just designed a bunch of weapons for Van Helsing, and I did the Blade 2 weapons, and Ive done weapons for LucasFilm, Ive done tons of weapons. But for me, I relate them to seductive objects almost like clocks or fishing reels. I dunno if youve ever been to a fishing store, but if you go in and look at the rods and reels, theyre just amazing. They have all these working parts, and things click open, and theres gears and knobs and handles, but on guns you want very little of that stuff cause you dont want it to be complicated. So I somehow try to just think about it in terms of the shapes and what I want the shapes to suggest to the viewer. And one thing that Id underscore about my design sense, and this goes across the board on anything Im involved with, is that at the end of the day, the best designs are always judged by the silhouettes. That is, what you would see if you took all the details away. And often in science fiction, the mistake is made about adding a bunch of details and making all kinds of pipes and little things poking out, and it ends up making a crappy silhouette. And I always refer to the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars. Youve seen the shape, that kind of flat disc with the two extensions and then that side cockpit, and its such a striking shape that your brain for the rest of the movie never has to think twice about whos ship that is. And thats what I strive for, I always try to first look at the shapes, then look at the details, then figure if it all makes sense from a mechanical perspective. So I dont look at guns to figure out, yknow, this is a piece from a Colt .45, I only look at it in terms of what do the mechanical elements do. How come theres a button here on a handgun  oh it releases the chamber. I dont look to try to design like, if I scan 10 guns in from 10 different manufacturers in Photoshop and merge them together, I wouldnt be happy as a designer, and I certainly wouldnt care about it; cause to me thats just like going grocery shopping. What I try to do in an abstract way, is I think Im making a meal, and I know that in a meal of this kind, its good to have a spicy salty main course with a creamy sauce on top. Thats what I think more about, where it all comes from is more from my own creative imagination, more than any specific reference. Though reference is very important.

CD: Of all the different devices/sets you worked on, were there any specific designs that you were particularly proud of?

TRE: I think probably theres gonna be a sense of some of the mechanical, stuff that I cant go into detail on, but the BPRD is really kind of an expanded environment, in that in the book its referred to, and its sort of in shadow, but actually in the movie, theres quite a bit ofnot screen time, but you have to believe in it. The BPRD provides the human world access to the world of the supernatural and the paranormal. So theres a transitional component of going from Hi, Im just walking down the street to Oh my God, theres a giant red guy in a room next to me. So that kind of corridor, if you will, needs to have layers of detail and layers of technology that you go, ok, in the beginning I believed the Nazis, then you go, ok, now Im herethis seems weirdbut it looks real. So a lot of the technology, the look of that environment, I feel was pretty authentic to me. Its not what Mike createdGuillermo definitely gave me some strong bread crumbs in the woods, but he really let me explore pretty broadly and I think at least the BPRD stuff is pretty much authentic to me.

CD: Have you seen any of the sculptures of your work produced so far?

TRE: Ive been in this business for about 12 years, so when I see a finished drawing, Im not just doing a drawing for the purposes of illustrating the concept, I can because as I mentioned earlier Ive done these other roles, but I will sometimes take a drawing and create a schematic for something thats very mechanical looking, and so most of what I designed, I know exactly what it would look like if I were in charge of it. Now it may change because of the requirements of the film. Like, take a weapon for example, you may have to have a firing weapon, and that may mean that youll have to build in certain safety requirements that are not part of my design, but I think that with this particular picture, most of the things that I had the opportunity to design are gonna look like the designs. So, Ive seen, for example, the Mecha-Glove, theyre well along in fabrication of that, and it looks exactly like what I designed. Now the guys at Spectral Motion (the special effects shop), who are all geniuses, theyve added a huge amount to what it does, which you cant capture in a drawing. Then weve done 3D versions of some of the German technology that I mentioned. Its all looking sweet, Im really pleased with everything that Ive had an opportunity to touch on.

CD: Awesome. Its so exciting that Hellboy is finally being made!

TRE: Oh yea, its looking incredibly, incredibly solid. I mean the team Guillermo assembled; [Creature Designer] Wayne Barlowe, Mignola, the groups of people at Spectral Motion, the Sculptors, everybody thats doing it knows the material and everybody is doing exactly that, theyre going this is gonna be kick ass, and its kinda still underground, which is great because the expectations of people dont matter. Its the vision of the director that matters. It has a certain freedom, and its so authentic to itself. And the fact that Mike is involved! To have the guy that created this stuff that much involved is amazing because he and Guillermo really understand one another, and they are a very powerful duo. They work together in a way that I find shockingly impressive. They somehow speak a language thats kind of true unto itself, so I think that what this ends up being is, although it will be del Toros vision, has really allowed Mike to provide him access to that world that he created, and its sort of like a passing of the baton. Its a much more authentic creative process than Ive had the opportunity to be involved with. And Guillermos sense is that his underlying knowledge of his material is gonna create for him a foundation that is gonna be both successful and authentic. This is one of my favorite projects from the whole time Ive been in this business. Im really excited about it and its sort of weird  Im going through withdrawal. This is my third picture with Guillermo, to be down there and be that focused and not have any distractions and really have it be with a guy that I love and a guy that I admire and a project I love, its been really hard to come back here [to my offices outside of San Francisco]. I go through withdrawal from the intensity of the experience. It was totally an awesome undertaking. I told him when I was working on this picture, you dont even have to call me. Just count me in on every picture that you do, and Ill never say no. And Ive never said something like that to anybody! And I will, I will do any picture the guy makes, doesnt matter what the topic is, when it is; he calls, Im there. Ill get on the next plane.

CD: Haha, awesome. Whats up next for you after Hellboy?

TRE: As I mentioned previously, I did some stuff on Van Helsing this past spring, and I know the director, Steve Sommers, and several of those were weapons designs (which is very strange, all of a sudden Im the weapons guy) which I know are being utilized for the film. And Ive got another project at ILM that theyre talking to me about, and Ive got a book project that Im gonna do next year which is science fiction. Its actually a great idea, its like my take on a future weapons trade kind of a thing. So that looks like its gonna happen.

CD: Very cool. Well, that wraps it up for us here. Thanks so much for your time!

TRE: Sure thing  keep in touch.