Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152740
5 8 P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 The Vehicles of Godzilla A dark wedge of a silhouette bursts through the clouds over an erupting volcano. Emerging from the crater is Rodan, best supporting actor, and a gigantic flying dinosaur Kaiju (based on the Pteranodon technically), who quickly lays waste to the surrounding city, while pursuing the Argo and its coterie of fighter jets and V-22 Osprey's, the ubiquitous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft of Transformers fame. This action sequence typifies the theme of the film, which includes many exotic locations, gigantic monsters, flattened cities and of course, vehicles. I was contacted by Production Designer Scott Chambliss in September of 2016, as I was wrapping up a stint with Volvo's Advanced Design Studio in Camarillo, several months before the show was green-lit, and was fortunate to have a unique opportunity for in-depth design development for the films many vehicles over the next seven months. The preliminary list included a flying fortress, a nuclear submarine, several fighter jets, a one- man submersible, as well as the giant wing's interior bridge, crew living quarters and the interior design of the aforementioned V-22 Osprey The vehicle design crew was later rounded out by the inimitable George Hull and Tim Flattery, whose contributions to cinema are extensive, and without whose experience, certain concepts would not have been fully realized or designed at all. Ultimately, a great team effort. A. ARGO COMMAND SHIP. PROFILE STUDIES. ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM. B. ARGO COMMAND SHIP. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM. A B