Like many science fiction fans I am obsessed 
with the future. Sadly, we do not know for sure how the future will look. Since future vistas are sheer speculation film makers need someone with unique vision when they are making a movie set in the future; Syd Mead is one such person. Syd Mead has worked for almost 4 decades as a visual futurist, giving fans a glimpse into tomorrow.
Mead has worked on some of the most influential science fiction of all time including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Tron, Blade Runner and Elysium to name just a few. Now thanks to Titan Publishing you can read about Mead’s work and peek into the design process with the book, The Movie Art of Syd Mead-Visual Futurist.
The Movie Art of Syd Mead-Visual Futurist is 256 glossy pages depicting some of Mead’s most intriguing designs. The book has highlights from 25 films and projects that Mead has worked on during his career, including both Blade Runner and the sequel, Blade Runner 2049. Not all of his designs are over the top futuristic looking, there is also near-future designs such as the work he produced for Mission Impossible III.
Even though I have been a fan of Syd Mead for years I was amazed to find I wasn’t familiar with all of his work. I know that the terms, “must read” and “must have” are thrown around often but if you are a lover of art or a lover of science fiction or just a lover of cinema this book is really a “must have.”
Just looking at the section on Blade Runner you can tell how much Mead’s concepts influenced the look of Los Angeles 2019. You can see similarities between the concept art for Blade Runner and the art for Aliens so years before we knew it was a shared universe the clues were right before our eyes.
The Movie Art of Syd Mead-Visual Futurist is written by Syd Mead and Craig Hodgetts with a forward written by the director of Blade Runner 2049 Denis Villeneuve. This book, published by Titan Books is on shelves now and 49.95. Check out what else Titan Books has to offer by checking their website.
