Jan Nickman

Last updated

Jan Nickman (born October 17, 1950) is an American film and television director, producer, cinematographer and writer. As the co-founder of Miramar Images, Inc. [1] and Sacred Earth Pictures, Nickman's career in film and television spans three decades.

Contents

Career

Nickman's career in film and television began as a studio camera person and editor with the ABC in Sydney, Australia. Upon returning to the United States. and graduating with a degree in communications from Washington State University, Nickman then produced and created stage and lighting designs for leading-edge, live multi-media concerts combining rock bands with symphony orchestras along with his filmed images projected onto large screens above the performers. Most notably, "Leviticus" [2] and "Trinity" [3] performed by the Seattle Symphonye orchestra. After directing and producing live productions, Nickman returned to television as a news photographer with NBC affiliate KING T.V. in Seattle, Washington [1] He also produced and reported news stories, particularly regarding environmental issues. Nickman eventually became a senior producer and director in the production department where he created, produced and directed the Emmy Award-winning television program REV, an innovative rock and roll series featuring live music performances, music reviews and comedy sketches. [4] The program was responsible for debuting many musical groups including Queensrÿche and [5] is commonly credited for catalyzing the Seattle music scene in the 1990s. [4]

Nickman went on to co-found Miramar Images with the release of Natural States (1985) [6] featuring the music of David Lanz and Paul Speer. The film was one of the largest selling, non-theatrical releases of its time and recognized as one of the top 10 videos by People magazine. [7] Natural States went double platinum and launched the success of Miramar Images. [8] Miramar then released two more of Nickman's films, Desert Vision, [9] and Canyon Dreams [10] and earned Tangerine Dream a Grammy nomination for their music score. [11]

In 1990, Nickman directed and co-produced The Mind's Eye: A Computer Animation Odyssey, the first of the Mind's Eye series, a collection of animated computer-generated imagery (CGI). [12] His body of work, which also includes Planetary Traveler [13] and Infinity's Child [14] has firmly established him as a computer-generated imagery (CGI) pioneer [15] and a master of long-form films that use music as the primary narrative.

Nickman's film, The Mind's Eye, was a double platinum-selling film considered to be a milestone in the field of computer animation and reached number 12 on Billboard′s video hits chart. It was the first full length film ever created entirely with CGI (computer animation). Combining the artistry of numerous computer animators from around the world with a score by James Reynolds, The Mind's Eye is credited with giving rise to such films as Toy Story . [16] Animation Magazine reviewer Karl Rathcke wrote the film was "... the type of audio-visual 'head trip' for the 90's that Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was for the 60's." [17]

In 1995 Nickman's feature film "Third Stone from the Sun" [18] was released. The film received the Gold Special Jury Award (top honors) at the Houston International Film Festival [19] and also screened at the first International Environmental Film Festival in Boulder, Colorado, and the Seattle International Film Festival [20] among others.

Donald Liebenson of the Chicago Tribune described Nickman's next release, Planetary Traveler, as "boldly [going] where no computer animation video has gone before." [21] At a time when computer animation was created solely on dedicated computer graphics work stations, Planetary Traveler became the first original, full-length program ever created entirely on standard desk-top computers. [21] The seminal work was the result of a two-year collaboration by Nickman with seven artists from five different states via the internet. Former Tangerine Dream member Paul Haslinger composed the music score. As a result, Nickman was invited to give the keynote address at the MacWorld Conference in Düsseldorf, Germany, in November 1997. The sequel to Planetary Traveler is titled Infinity's Child and was released in 1999.

Two of Nickman's most recent films, Echoes of Creation and Sacred Earth began airing on Public Television nationwide in 2015. [22] Both films are true to his signature fusing of motion picture to music and were specifically designed as a way for viewers to connect emotionally with the beauty of our planet, rather than intellectualize it through a discussion about it. Using music as the narrative, Echoes of Creation is a 40-minute journey through Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and as far south as California, featuring a soundtrack by Grammy nominated composer David Arkenstone and spoken word by Karen Hutton. Its prequel Sacred Earth also follows Nickman's unique fusion of picture to music throughout the American Southwest, featuring music by Grammy-nominated composer David Lanz and spoken word by Academy Award-winning actor Linda Hunt and in the finale features a dance performance by Caroline Richardson, former First Soloist with the National Ballet of Canada. [23]

Awards

Filmography

See also

Official site

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Arkenstone</span> American composer and performer

David Arkenstone is an American composer and performer. His music is primarily instrumental, with occasional vocalizations. Most of Arkenstone's music falls into new age category; however, he also worked in other genres, including even a heavy metal soundtrack for Emperor: Battle for Dune video game. His music has been described as 'soundtracks for the imagination'. Throughout his career, Arkenstone released over 50 albums and composed music for video games, including World of Warcraft, and for television, including NBC's Kentucky Derby. Arkenstone has been nominated for Grammy Awards five times.

Convergence may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dame Darcy</span> Cartoonist

Darcy Megan Stanger, better known by the pen name Dame Darcy, is an alternative cartoonist, fine artist, musician, cabaret performer, and animator/filmmaker. Her "Neo-Victorian" comic book series Meat Cake was published by Fantagraphics Books from 1993–2008. The Meat Cake Bible compilation was released in June 2016 and nominated for The Eisner Award July 2017. Vegan Love: Dating and Partnering for the Cruelty-Free Gal, with Fashion, Makeup & Wedding Tips, written by Maya Gottfried and illustrated by Dame Darcy, was the Silver Medalist winners of the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Plympton</span> American illustrator, animator, and film director

Bill Plympton is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Awards-nominated animated short Your Face and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting with 2004's Guard Dog.

The Mind's Eye series consists of several art films rendered using computer-generated imagery of varying levels of sophistication, with original music scored note-to-frame. The series was conceived by Steven Churchill of Odyssey Productions in 1989. The initial video was directed, conceptualized, edited and co-produced by Jan Nickman of Miramar Productions and produced by Churchill. The first three products in the series were released on VHS and LaserDisc and also released on DVD. The fourth program in the series was released and distributed by Sony Music on DVD.

<i>Mind Game</i> (film) 2004 film by Masaaki Yuasa

Mind Game is a 2004 Japanese adult-animated experimental comedy-drama film based on Robin Nishi's manga of the same name. It was planned, produced and primarily animated by Studio 4°C, and adapted and directed by Masaaki Yuasa in his directorial debut, with chief animation direction and model sheets by Yūichirō Sueyoshi, art direction by Tōru Hishiyama and groundwork and further animation direction by Masahiko Kubo.

Shynola are a London-based directing team who have worked across live-action and animation for over twenty years. Gideon Baws (deceased), Chris Harding, Richard Kenworthy and Jason Groves formed Shynola while at art college and immediately earned recognition for their inventive work.

Brummbaer was a German digital artist who has done work as an art director, designer, graphic artist, and 3D modeler. As an actor, he has appeared in various German TV movies, and also produced and directed. In the latter part of his career he became focused on computer graphics, created several short computer-generated animations and made visual effects for movies.

<i>Shy People</i> 1987 film by Andrei Konchalovsky

Shy People is a 1987 American drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, from a script by Konchalovsky, Marjorie David and Gérard Brach. It stars Barbara Hershey, Jill Clayburgh, and Martha Plimpton, and features music by the German electronic music group Tangerine Dream. The film is about the culture clash that takes place between Diana, a Manhattan writer, her wayward teenage daughter Grace, and their long-distant relatives in the bayous of Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Haslinger</span> Austrian musician and composer (born 1962)

Paul Haslinger is an Austrian musician and composer. He lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Dinosaur</i> (1980 film) 1980 short film

Dinosaur is an animated short film directed and produced by Will Vinton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Priestley</span> American film director

Joanna Priestley is an American contemporary film director, producer, animator and teacher. Her films are in the collections of the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Priestley has had retrospectives at the British Film Institute, Museum of Modern Art and Hiroshima International Animation Festival in Japan. Bill Plympton calls her the "Queen of independent animation". Priestley lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

City of Gold is a 1957 Canadian documentary film by Colin Low and Wolf Koenig, chronicling Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush. It made innovative use of archival photos and camera movements to animate still images, while also combining narration and music to bring drama to the whole. Its innovative use of still photography in this manner has been cited by Ken Burns as the source of inspiration for his so-called Ken Burns effect, a type of panning and zooming effect used in video production to animate still images.

Odyssey Productions is the former name of a California-based photography and 3-D computer animation company founded in 1983 by Steven Churchill. It was the first San Diego company to produce 3D computer animation and its clients have included Coca-Cola, General Dynamics, Union Oil, Southwestern Cable, Metrocast, Honda, and a number of TV stations across the country.

BENT IMAGE LAB is a production company and animation studio specializing in story development, television, commercials, visual effects, music videos, short films, experimental techniques and tech development in augmented reality (AR). Located in Portland, Oregon, the company was founded in 2002 by partners David Daniels, Ray Di Carlo, and Chel White.

<i>Canyon Dreams</i> 1991 soundtrack album by Tangerine Dream

Canyon Dreams is the fortieth major release and it was released as the fourteenth soundtrack album by German band Tangerine Dream. It was recorded in 1986 and released in 1991 on compact disc and compact cassette formats. The music was written as a sound accompaniment for an eponymous scenic video film about the Grand Canyon by Jan Nickman, released by the record label Miramar in 1987 on VHS, Betamax and LaserDisc. The album's tracks are divided into various episodes and related to the titles of the cuts.

Happy Trails Animation LLC, is an American animation studio specializing in feature films, commercials, music videos, broadcast graphics and short films. It is owned by Andy and Amy Collen and is located in Portland, Oregon. The company has two divisions, one for digital content and the other for commercial work such as advertisements and music or corporate videos. Happy Trails Animation has received 11 Telly Awards, 1 Crystal Heart Award, 3 Davey Awards, and numerous international film festival acknowledgments from its short films over the past 18 years.

Paul Speer is a Grammy nominated guitarist, composer, and record producer. He has released several solo albums, music video albums, and collaborations with other artists such as pianist David Lanz, drummer Scott Rockenfield of Queensrÿche, Paul Lawler, and vocalist Satine Orient.

Spiderwood Studios is a motion picture, television, music and animation studio that opened in 2009 by producer Tommy G. Warren. Located east of downtown Austin, Texas, it is situated on 164 acres of back lot alongside the Colorado River, and is the state’s largest privately owned studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farah X</span> American director, film editor

Farah Zeb Khalid also known as Farah X, is a Pakistani American director and editor. She is known for her work on the documentary film The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion.

References

  1. 1 2 Warner, Fara (1990-08-27). "Business | Miramar Productions — Company Brings Environment Home With 'Video Album' | Seattle Times Newspaper". Community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  2. ↑ Washington State University with Inner City Symphony Orchestra and rock group Winship
  3. ↑ Seattle Symphony Orchestra with rock group Alpha Centauri and the Daryl Hansen Dance Troupe, 1973
  4. 1 2 "REV It Up", Seattle Times Arts & Entertainment, January 8, 1984.
  5. ↑ "Rock Rolls to New Frontiers with TV's Music Video Shows", Seattle Times TV Columnist John Voorhees, July 29, 1983.
  6. ↑ "Natural States (1985)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  7. ↑ Picks & Pans, People Weekly, December 26-January 2, 1989.
  8. ↑ "Miramar — A Crystal Clear Picture of Success", Business Wise, Nov/Dec 1989.
  9. ↑ "Desert Vision (1987)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  10. ↑ "Canyon Dreams (1987 Video) : Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  11. ↑ Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Desk, January 10, 1992.
  12. ↑ "The Mind's Eye (1990)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  13. ↑ "Planetary Traveler (1997)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  14. ↑ Nickman, Jan. "Home — Infinity's Child". Infinity's Child. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  15. ↑ "Animation World : August 1997" (PDF). Awn.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  16. ↑ "The Mind's Eye (1990)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  17. ↑ Animation Magazine, Video Reviews, September/October 1991.
  18. ↑ Nickman, Jan. "Third Stone from the Sun". IMDB.
  19. ↑ Nickman, Jan. "Third Stone from the Sun". Worldfest Houston.
  20. ↑ Nickman, Jan. "Third Stone". SIFF.
  21. 1 2 Chicago Tribune, October 16, 1997.
  22. ↑ "Echoes of Creation (2010)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  23. ↑ Nickman, Jan. "Homepage — The National Ballet of Canada". The National Ballet of Canada.
  24. ↑ "Jan Nickman". IMDb .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.