Images: A Collection Of Ghost In The Shell Concept Art That Shows Off The Character Designs And Environments
This is a collection of concept art, design, and illustrations for Ghost in the Shell that shows the various character designs and environments that they created to help visualize for the film. While many were dissatisfied with the film, you can still appreciate the great concept art the was created by these artists. The photos were made available from Weta Workshop and feature art from Adam Middleton, Nick Keller, Jeremy Hanna, Maciej Kuciara, William Bennett, Dane Madgwick, Rebekah Tisch, Christian Pearce, Andrew Baker, and Leri Greer. Check out the images and descriptions below.
"The final look for Kuze plays heavily on how the constant replacing of components, when they lose their bond with his body, affects him. Gradually losing control over his body as his transplanted brain rejects the synthetic shell he's been placed in. This recycling and scavenging of synthetic skin panels and body parts presented some existential questions around how gender and race might play into someone's construction of identity and self, which to us delved into some of the core themes of the original material. As his human likeness falls away, he would preserve and express his humanity through other means; painting, poetry, music... That contrast was always something we tried to come back to. He's broken, ugly, and decrepit; yet somehow also vibrantly beautiful."
"The final look for Kuze plays heavily on how the constant replacing of components, when they lose their bond with his body, affects him. Gradually losing control over his body as his transplanted brain rejects the synthetic shell he's been placed in. This recycling and scavenging of synthetic skin panels and body parts presented some existential questions around how gender and race might play into someone's construction of identity and self, which to us delved into some of the core themes of the original material. As his human likeness falls away, he would preserve and express his humanity through other means; painting, poetry, music... That contrast was always something we tried to come back to. He's broken, ugly, and decrepit; yet somehow also vibrantly beautiful."
"Kuze Early Designs
Kuze was one of the first briefs the Design Studio tackled and one of the last things we finished on. Many variations were explored early around the concept of his failing synthetic shell, a result of his unsuccessful shelling procedure. To stay ‘alive’ he has to constantly replace panels or pants giving him an androgynous patchwork quality."
"Kuze Lair
The concept of translucency was something Rupert Sanders was very keen on from the start of pre production. Covering his victims in plastics wraps further stripped away their humanity and identity. Cabled together they form a human firewall keeping Kuze’s identity and location hidden from Section 9."
"Skinny and Bearded Man’s costume designs were a nod to the garbage men designs from the 1995 anime film, featuring bold coloured clothing that was clearly visible underneath the glossy translucent jackets. We worked alongside Maciej when designing the environment and tried to adhere as closely as we could to the source material."
"The live action Ghost in the Shell anticipates a world where the line between human and machine is blurring by the day. During the design process Rupert tasked the designer's with creating 'vignettes' of the day to day life in Newport City based on location photos he had taken in Hong Kong. The focus became on creating groups, or cliques, of people rather than populating the world with a scattergun of cyber-enhanced people."
"The live action Ghost in the Shell anticipates a world where the line between human and machine is becoming more blurred by the day. During the design process, Rupert tasked the Weta design team with creating 'vignettes' of day to day life in Newport City, using photographs he had taken on location in Hong Kong. The goal was to create groups, or cliques, of people rather than populating the world with a scattergun of cyber-enhanced individuals.
Faceless and intimidating, the droids and cyber-enhanced humans of Section 6 were designed to evoke fear in everyone they encountered."
"Black market cyber augmentations are common place in the underground world of Ghost in the Shell. We dove back through the pages of the manga pulling out ideas and concepts that would fit into this particular take on the universe. Augmentations varied from small attachments and enhancements right through to full synthetic limbs and facial reconstructions."
"Most of the design team’s efforts were focused around character designs for the inhabitants of the mercenary bar. However there was fun to be had with concepting some vignettes of the environment and props to populate it with. Bar patrons can plug into a variety of synthetic high inducing apparatus, or experiment with a range of augmented reality headsets and holographic devices."
"Several of The Major's costume articles were a collaborative effort between the Weta Design Studio, costume designers Kurt and Bart and concept designer, Maciej Kuciara. Knowing that the thermoptic suit was going to be a complex combination of practical and VFX elements, the Costume designers elected to work closely with Weta Artist Rebekah Tisch and Weta specialty costumer, Flo Foxworthy."
"A large component of the design work created for the Major focused on her "Smart-Dermis"; layers of fine, artificial subcutaneous tissue muscle and skin that mimicked the intricacies seen in a real human being. The Dermis was postulated to be easily repairable and able to separate into segments when maintenance or surgery required it. The Major's THERMOPTIC SUIT was also designed to interface directly with the major through the Dermis, making the suit a true "second skin"'
"The Major's skeleton was the starting point for most, if not all of the cyborg technology featured in GHOST IN THE SHELL. It was posited that if the Major was the pinnacle of cybernetic innovation, every other enhanced or augmented human could be reverse engineered to an earlier stage of development, with countless variations on aesthetic form, capability and functionality."
"The original shelling sequence created by Mamoru Oshii and the Studio I.G. team, was a stunning achievement. In developing concept art for the live action counterpart, we created detailed descriptions of the steps within the process and then attempted to echo the tone of the original anime sequence with bold, graphic compositions. Illusions of scale and distance were applied and physical sciences such as fluid dynamics and acoustic resonance were referenced. The lenses and colour palette of Stanley Kubrick's films were also a major influence."
"The Major's skeleton was the starting point for most, if not all of the cyborg technology featured in GHOST IN THE SHELL. It was posited that if the Major was the pinnacle of cybernetic innovation, every other enhanced or augmented human could be reverse engineered to an earlier stage of development, with countless variations on aesthetic form, capability and functionality."
"Skinny and Bearded Man’s costume designs were a nod to the garbage men designs from the 1995 anime film, featuring bold coloured clothing that was clearly visible underneath the glossy translucent jackets. We worked alongside Maciej when designing the environment and tried to adhere as closely as we could to the source material."
"The live action Ghost in the Shell anticipates a world where the line between human and machine is blurring by the day. During the design process Rupert tasked the designer's with creating 'vignettes' of the day to day life in Newport City based on location photos he had taken in Hong Kong. The focus became on creating groups, or cliques, of people rather than populating the world with a scattergun of cyber-enhanced people."
"The live action Ghost in the Shell anticipates a world where the line between human and machine is becoming more blurred by the day. During the design process, Rupert tasked the Weta design team with creating 'vignettes' of day to day life in Newport City, using photographs he had taken on location in Hong Kong. The goal was to create groups, or cliques, of people rather than populating the world with a scattergun of cyber-enhanced individuals.
Faceless and intimidating, the droids and cyber-enhanced humans of Section 6 were designed to evoke fear in everyone they encountered."
"Black market cyber augmentations are common place in the underground world of Ghost in the Shell. We dove back through the pages of the manga pulling out ideas and concepts that would fit into this particular take on the universe. Augmentations varied from small attachments and enhancements right through to full synthetic limbs and facial reconstructions."
"Most of the design team’s efforts were focused around character designs for the inhabitants of the mercenary bar. However there was fun to be had with concepting some vignettes of the environment and props to populate it with. Bar patrons can plug into a variety of synthetic high inducing apparatus, or experiment with a range of augmented reality headsets and holographic devices."
"Several of The Major's costume articles were a collaborative effort between the Weta Design Studio, costume designers Kurt and Bart and concept designer, Maciej Kuciara. Knowing that the thermoptic suit was going to be a complex combination of practical and VFX elements, the Costume designers elected to work closely with Weta Artist Rebekah Tisch and Weta specialty costumer, Flo Foxworthy."
"A large component of the design work created for the Major focused on her "Smart-Dermis"; layers of fine, artificial subcutaneous tissue muscle and skin that mimicked the intricacies seen in a real human being. The Dermis was postulated to be easily repairable and able to separate into segments when maintenance or surgery required it. The Major's THERMOPTIC SUIT was also designed to interface directly with the major through the Dermis, making the suit a true "second skin"'
"The Major's skeleton was the starting point for most, if not all of the cyborg technology featured in GHOST IN THE SHELL. It was posited that if the Major was the pinnacle of cybernetic innovation, every other enhanced or augmented human could be reverse engineered to an earlier stage of development, with countless variations on aesthetic form, capability and functionality."
"The original shelling sequence created by Mamoru Oshii and the Studio I.G. team, was a stunning achievement. In developing concept art for the live action counterpart, we created detailed descriptions of the steps within the process and then attempted to echo the tone of the original anime sequence with bold, graphic compositions. Illusions of scale and distance were applied and physical sciences such as fluid dynamics and acoustic resonance were referenced. The lenses and colour palette of Stanley Kubrick's films were also a major influence."
