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Concept artwork of disposable video newspapers hand-drawn by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) visual effects art director John Bell during early pre-production on Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future Part II. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) traveled to 2015 Hill Valley, where residents used a variety of high-tech devices, such as hoverboards, robot journalists, and food hydrators.
This artwork depicting a newsstand selling portable electronic newspaper-sharing devices originates from the collection of renowned effects maestro Bell, who designed the 2015 hoverboards for the film in addition to several other key effects elements. In 1986, Bell was hired to produce concept artwork depicting a futuristic Hill Valley - including this piece - years before the film went into full pre-production. Bell ultimately received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Visual Effects for his work.
The artwork is rendered, dated "6.86," signed, and annotated with notes regarding how the newspapers were intended to work onscreen in mixed media by Bell on paper. It exhibits folding to its corners. Dimensions: 35.75 cm x 21.75 cm (14" x 8.5")
Sold without copyright; see notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £1,200 - 2,400 Ω
Effects maestro John Bell's first major credit was as a storyboard artist for Industrial Light and Magic on Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986. Within two years, Bell had become ILM's effects art director, a role for which he designed and illustrated props, sets, and sequences for an outsized number of classic films. For Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future Part II, he designed the 2015 hoverboards flown by Marty McFly and Biff Tannen, earning him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Effects in 1990. He would follow that achievement with a string of acclaimed projects, including as art director for Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park franchise, production illustrator for A.I. Artificial Intelligence, storyboard artist for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Best Picture nominee The Revenant, and visual development consultant for George Lucas' Strange Magic, among several dozen other credits. In honor of John Bell's continued work on behalf of global cinema, Propstore is proud to offer select memorabilia from this legendary craftsman's personal collection to the public for the first time.
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