30: WGE MAG
“When I joined the production, a week in, Ed had already fleshed out the overall architecture of the Tardis interior. So similarly to the Tumbler, the hard points were more or less in place. Along with the Sonic Screwdriver, my main role was to design the central console, and integrate it with his pre-established structure. The budget and lead time on Who, whilst being quite generous for a television show, was miniscule in comparison to Begins, so we had to apply some smarts to our design thinking.
“I love working on both movies and games, but if I had to choose, it’d have to be the former. Emotionally, because of my long standing passion for film...”
With that in mind, the console was imagined as a chassis, which could later dressed by Set Dec. Given the time and budget constraints, I think the results were pretty exceptional.”
It’s not just Hollywood blockbusters that Walker is the gadgetman for, his background in automotive design lends itself heavily to the demands of video game design and it comes as no surpise to learn that he has had a hand in video game design on Burnout Revenge and Crytek’s Crysis 2
“My involvement in Burnout Revenge was actually relatively short compared to my usual film contracts,” Walker says of his switch from silver screen to video screen.
“The game cars were loosely based on existing models, so it was closer to tweaking rather than redesigning. “I was invited to contribute to Crysis 2 by their senior Art Director, Frank Kitson.
“The Aliens had been in development for some time and they had conceptualised some very cool stuff, but they needed somebody with an industrial bent to give them that additional, functional edge. That and I think they were looking for a fresh pair of eyes.
I worked alongside their in-house design team for about six months in the end, focusing on all the principle aliens; the Grunt, Stalker, Heavy, etc. It was pretty much all sketch work, with very few rendered visuals, and certainly no 3D. I was on- board to churn out ideas…my kind of job!
“I love working on both movies and games, but if I had to choose, it’d have to be the former. Emotionally, because of my long standing passion for film. Practically, because the lead times are far shorter on film, less so in television. Contracts are usually between 2-8 months. It’s also very important for me to keep my hand in the real world. Short contracts in film and television allow me to frequently dip into both.”
For a man who has worked on more than 25, film, TV and video game titles it comes as no surprise to learn that he has worked with some of the biggest names in the design industry and been influenced by plenty of them along the way. With Expendables 2 and several other big-budget blockbusters on the horizon, plus some low-budget fun, Dan’s certain to gadget master for a few more years to come.
“The real old school film Designers/Art Directors would have to be the likes Joe Johnston and Ron Cobb and their drawing style has influenced me above all others. As for the specific work I have been influenced by? All of it…all the cliches; Alien, Outland, Empire, formative stuff for me - I still draw like them! As for my UK contemporaries, with each new job I find myself working alongside some serious talent; Adam Brockbank, Paul Catling, Rob Bliss… I could go on. I believe it’s never a good thing to be the best in the room…so it must be tough for them!
“My last job was the Expendables 2, which is due out later this year. John Carter and Wrath of the Titans are released in March, Prometheus in July.
“I’m currently working on a low budget sci-fi slasher, and yes, I’m designing kit!”
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