FEATURE
“The world of ‘what if’ always interested me” An interview with award-winning visual effects supervisor Dan Curry by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer
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nshaffer@timespublications.com
an Curry has had a long and illustrious career in Hollywood, VFX rigger Dennis Hierter (left) working as a visual effects supervisor for film and television — and Dan Curry setting up a liquid nitrogen including four of the Star Trek series (The Next Generation, Deep rig to depict a rift in the time/space continuum, ca. 1989. Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise). But his Emmy-award winning All photos courtesy of Dan Curry work is just the tip of the iceberg when considering the life and experience of this Renaissance man. Peace Corps volunteer, art teacher, matte painter, fine artist, director, author, martial arts enthusiast . . . Curry’s interests are wide and varied, and he has brought a wealth of knowledge from his numerous pursuits to his film and television projects. As he gets ready to give a May 27 talk on innovation and out-of-the-box thinking for the Ventura County Chapter of the Aerospace and Defense Forum, Curry took time to touch base with the Ventura County Reporter about making science fiction a visual reality — and what it takes to get there. Were you interested in film as a child? Yes. When I played with toys I always imagined I was making a movie with the toys as actors or props. After seeing The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and reading an article about how Ray Harryhausen did the stop action puppet animation, I built a crude rear projection system with a broken 8mm projector and tracing paper taped inside a cardboard box so toy dinosaurs could chase my brother. Years later I had the opportunity to have dinner with Ray and thank him for the inspiration. When I saw Forbidden Planet (1956), I realized it was possible to create new cinematic realities by combining paintings, models, animation and actors. I didn’t know what they were at the time, but I started drawing storyboards for imaginary movies. When I saw Spartacus (1960), I was impressed by Saul Bass’ brilliant title sequence and understood how a powerful sequence can introduce a movie, prepare the audience for the tone of what was to follow and, with the music, function like the overture of an opera and really set the stage for the story. I couldn’t have imagined doing over 100 title sequences later in life. You studied art at Middlebury College. What role did that play in developing your skills for and interest in film work? Studying art history and studio arts gave me a perspective on the great artists throughout history and how human perception evolved. It also improved my technical skills in drawing and painting. I was a theatre minor and working on various productions taught me how all the various skills come together to create a production. I was fortunate to have the late Chandler A. Potter as a production design professor who taught me how to understand perspective and relate the design of sets to the themes of a script — skills I used everyday in film and TV. A course in film history enlightened me as to how the art form evolved and exposed me to films I would have never seen elsewhere. Studying the history of dramatic literature helped me analyze scripts. Studying architectural history was a great foundation for production and conceptual design. It showed the importance of an in-depth liberal arts education. What inspired you to join the Peace Corps after college? I graduated college in 1968 and the Vietnam War was raging. I wanted to serve, but in a peaceful way that did not involve the taking of life. So, inspred by John F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps was the perfect option. After training in Hawaii I was assigned to Northeast Thailand. 10 —
In Thailand you helped with public architectural projects, like building dams and bridges. Did you have a background in architecture as well as art, or did you develop those skills while in the Peace Corps? Studying production design required drafting and set construction. Peace Corps training was excellent for both language and technical skills and I could apply what I learned in school to the community development projects I worked on. A village would apply to the Thai government for a project. When approved, the government would provide materials, the villagers labor, and I would provide the design and construction supervision. The designs had to be approved by Thai government engineers. It was a wonderful experience and I learned so much from the villagers, their wisdom, craftsmanship and approach to life. I even got to work with elephants. It is interesting how those Peace Corps experiences influenced my career in the entertainment industry, especially Star Trek in creating alien cultures, architecture and martial arts. In Thailand you worked on the television series Maitri and the Magic Chopsticks. How did you get involved in that project? It was a Thai language series sponsored by the Ministry of Education and was intended for young audiences. The show featured a kindly character, Maitri, who would help children with their learning. With his magic chopsticks he could pull letters out of books and demonstrate all sorts of things. I got to build and operate hand puppets, built an animation stand and did paper animation, and got to direct short documentaries about subjects of interest. Curry with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, ca. 1988.
Your time in Thailand was productive — you taught university-level architecture, did production design for the Bangkok Opera, worked on the Royal Ball . . . how did you manage to establish such a prolific career overseas, and how long were you there? I was in Asia for five years, mostly in Thailand, but also spent time in Laos, and did some trekking in Nepal, India and Afghanistan. I was fortunate that after the Peace Corps, jobs just came up when I needed them and supported my study of martial arts. One of my favorite projects was designing the An An Nightclub in Bangkok’s International Montien Hotel. The client gave me freedom to design what I wanted and included a series of large fanciful black and white murals. What inspired you to return to the U.S. — and why Humboldt? My father became very ill and I wanted to be home near him. I first took a job doing bio-medical illustration in New York. I learned a lot there from the old pros. When my dad improved, I accepted a position teaching art at Cape Cod Community College, drawing, painting and studio arts. Teaching taught me to think and communicate about art in new ways. A fellow faculty member had a friend who was the chair of the Film and Theatre Department at Humboldt State University (HSU) in Arcata, California. Unbeknownst to me, they corresponded about me and HSU offered me a full scholarship, part-time teaching position, and the opportunity to design my own MFA program. I got to work in live theatre and film in a variety of capacities and do a thesis project in film and theatre. For my theatre thesis project I wrote, designed and directed a science fiction play set in an alien prison inhabited by a variety of sentient species — some of which became part of Star Trek. I will always be grateful for the opportunities given me at HSU. They also invited me to be their commencement speaker twice. You met film editor Marcia Lucas, who helped you get your start as a matte painter for Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Battlestar Galactica — which brought you to Hollywood. Was your work in science fiction more a result of chance and opportunity, or did you have a passion for the genre? I have always had a passion for science fiction, in both
— May 20, 2021
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