The Lightsabre Interview

Iain McCaig

Welcome to Lightsabre.  He’s storyboarded many classic films, from Hook to Star Trek VI, Terminator 2 and The Phantom Menace.  He’s an internationally acclaimed director and the designer of the iconic Darth Maul.  Please will you welcome Iain McCaig.

Q - Iain, welcome to Lightsabre.

A - Thanks, Mark.  Pleasure to be here. 

Q – You were already a noted artist before you had any involvement with Lucasfilm, working on animated pieces for Sesame Street at Korty Films.  Once at ILM you dove straight into work on Terminator 2, one of the most anticipated sequels ever.  How big an experience was that for you?

A – Actually, I'd just come out of a ten year career as an illustrator of fantasy and the macabre in London.  I'd had a taste of fame as the cover artist on Jethro Tull's 'Broadsword and the Beast', and as one of the first illustrators of Ian Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy adventures.  After the intense night and day hours of a freelance illustrator, I was pleased to find that ILM was only a fifty hour job, with weekends and evenings off.  It gave me time to write, which is still one of my biggest passions in life. Of course I was spoiled with T2 as a first film feature film--working with Doug Chiang and the other brilliant artists at ILM after ten years alone in my home studio was pure bliss.  I just assumed that every project was this wonderful.

Q – Tell us something of your career.  How did you begin your life as an artist and what path led you to where you are today?

A - I lived on my own at the age of fourteen.  My parents left me in a big house with a Remington typewriter, a Bolex camera, and a Reel to Reel tape recorder.  As a result, I shot movies, recorded radio plays, and typed pulp fiction by the ton. 

As for drawing, I've been doing that since I was about four.  I drew dinosaurs at first, then a long series of things that seemed perfectly related: Frankenstein's monster, otters, Jaguar XKEs, Sean Connery...

I always wanted to be an artist, or an author, or an animator.  Again, they seemed perfectly related.  These days, I realize its all just storytelling.

My first job as an artist was in London.  It was for Games Workshop.  I illustrated a carrier bag for them--an image of a spaceman cheating a barbarian at a game of chess.  It makes me smile to see that they still use my logo. 

Q – You do storyboards, design characters, direct.  Which of these skills do you most enjoy doing?

A – As I said, it’s all storytelling to me.  Whatever keeps me at the heart of a story is what I love best.

Q – What has it been like to be a part of the Star Wars phenomenon?

A- An honor and a pretty big responsibility.  You owe your predecessors, and your audience, your very best.  Of course, you try to give that on every project, but on Star Wars, as Yoda said, you do, or do not.  There is no 'try'. 

Q – On The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones you worked closely with your good friend Doug Chiang, the man who brought you back to ILM for Episode I.  How much of what we see in the prequels is a collaboration, and how much is unique to the vision of the artist?.

A – Just for the record, Doug and I worked for JAK Films on the Star Wars prequels, not ILM.  JAK films is George Lucas' personal production company, where he has his own conceptual art and pre-viz departments.  Industrial Light and Magic is George's special effects company, and they typically come aboard after the JAK art department has designed the film, though the collaboration is a little more entwined than that.

One of Doug's strengths is that he empowers you to do your thing.  One of mine happens to be characters and costumes, so he pretty much left me alone on Ep 1 to handle those things.  On Ep 2 we brought in another great designer, Dermot Power, as well as asking costume designer Trisha Biggar to collaborate a little earlier in the process.  On other things, like creatures and storyboards, we tended to meld minds and work on them together.

the mccaig designed padme amidala as she appeared in attack of the clones

Q – You are widely known as the man who designed Darth Maul.  Given his iconic status how proud are you of Maul and his standing in the minds of Star Wars fans?

A – There has never been a prouder moment in my life than Halloween the year that the Phantom Menace came out.  I walked the streets that night, surrounded by all these little Darth Mauls and Queen Amidala’s, my children...someone told me later they were the number one Halloween costumes that year.

Q – What were your feelings on Revenge of the Sith?  Now the saga is complete, how do you feel about the design evolution from Menace to Jedi?

A – There is something very satisfying in following a character through from first appearance to last breath--or in Anakin’s case, to last human breath.

Q – What would your ultimate Star Wars project be?

A – You’re kidding.  More ultimate than Episodes 1, 2, and 3?   Hmmm...perhaps the only thing more ultimate than that would be writing and directing a final trilogy, set in a future far, far way...

Q – Your directorial debut The Face won the Gold Medal for Best Family Film in the Houston International Film Festival.  How proud are you of that film, and are there more to follow?

A – I'm very proud of 'The Face', though it’s clearly a 'first film'.  I'm hard at work right now on the features I hope to direct in the near future.

Q – While attending conventions and shows do you enjoy the interaction with Star Wars fans?

A – Immensely.  To get out from behind the drawing board and meet the people you are drawing for is a rare privilege.  Their feedback has helped  enormously.

Q – Given your job you have a deep respect for the design process as well as the `story’ behind certain characters traits.  When designing a character, how deeply do you delve into their background, and do you feel this helps with their ultimate look?

A - Let's put it this way.  Next time you're in public, take a look around you.  You'll see all sorts of other people, all human, and all responding to the same planetary conditions. So why is everyone different?  Because you ARE the visual sum of your background and your character traits.  Your 'ultimate look' is just a visual subtitle for who you really are. 

Q - What lies ahead for you in the future?

A –I formed a visual design and story group called Ninth Ray Studios. We are currently working on a select group of outside films ('Outlander' 'John Carter of Mars', among others) as well as developing a slate of our own.  You can find out more about us and any upcoming projects at www.ninthray.com.

Q – A quick question about our site, Lightsabre.  Any comments?

A – I have not had the opportunity to check it out yet!  Mea culpa.

Q - It's been a great interview, and thanks for being our guest on Lightsabre.  Just one final question.  Darth Maul, the Terminator and Captain Kirk are trapped in a sinking boat.  Maul doesn’t want to get his lightsabre wet, the Terminator isn’t meant to get wet and Kirk has the age old `rug’ problem.  Who manages to escape intact?

A – I'd like to say Maul, and I hate to see Arnold rust, but I suspect it  would be Kirk, who pulls the old Kobiyashi manoeuvre, reprograms your question,  and manages to avoid the entire dilemma.