“The Nightmare Before Christmas” Art Director Deane Taylor Returns for Oogie’s Revenge

by Louis Bedigian

“The biggest challenge is to hold back. Because you do have the ability to do anything...the tendency is to do it.”

As we approach the holiday gaming season, it’s beginning to look a lot like … Halloween. Before Christmas can come we must face our fears, our greatest nightmares. And watch an animated classic about those eerie things.

In October gamers will get the chance to experience the nightmare all over again, only this time they’ll be in complete control of their actions. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge is coming to PlayStation 2. Starring your favorite characters and featuring replicated environments from the film, Oogie’s Revenge is the next best thing to getting a sequel to the film. It could turn out to be even better.

To ensure the look of the game was true to the look of Tim Burton’s motion picture, Deane Taylor, the art director who worked on the film, was hired to work on the game as well. It had been years since he had been a part of the Nightmare, but one look at the game and it’s clear he hasn’t lost his touch. 

Can you give a basic introduction of yourself and the roles you played in the movie and the game?

Deane Taylor: In the beginning there was a small gaseous puddle of primordial slime from which I crawled...I call it Adelaide, South Australia and it's a pretty fine little puddle. Here I was working as a host on a children's television show where I got the opportunity to interview the late, great Mr. Bill Hanna from Hanna Barbera productions in Los Angeles. He offered me a job in his Sydney studios where I took the position of Layout Artist working on Popeye, Flintstones and a rake of other  popular titles from that time. That was in 1978 and I've been working in animation ever since – a variety of roles ranging from art direction through production design and direction on features, television series and commercials throughout Australia, Asia, Europe and the U.S.

During that time, because of the wide network of animation gangsters that I had come to know, we would fax cartoons and sketches to each other of whatever was funny on the day. The film's director, Henry Selick, spotted some of these pinned up in a number of studios in the U.S. and  decided I might be a choice for the Art Director he was looking for. I was flown to San Francisco to work a trial period with Henry. I was contracted as the film's Art Director shortly after that. Apart from the obvious duties of an Art Director, I guess what I brought to the project was a way of fleshing out a 2-D approach into a 3-D environment which gave it a bit of a stamp. That, and having an amazingly talented crew to help bring this from performing a role, to achieving a commitment. In this way, all of the art department's roles were dictated by the need to have an understanding of set construction and lighting as importantly as design and conceptualizing. You had to appreciate the physical constraints of a set, a prop or the ability to get a light in there, in order to twist and deform these worlds in a believable way.

The role in the game production was inherently different. To begin with...you had to assimilate reality to make it match the flavor of the film, then you had to twist it back out again. Like re-heating a steak. The challenge was different, the responsibility to the end product, the same. Even though the mould was created in the film, it was not a simple task of popping out another one. This was a difficult sensibility to achieve, and with all credit to the crew in Japan I believe they filled this role exceptionally well.

What made you want to take part in the game? Was it an offer from the development team, or something you opted for when you heard the game was being made?

DT: Because I live in a small, smeary odd shaped bubble for most of the time I had no prior knowledge of the game's production. I was contacted by Chris Takami from Buena Vista Games who had met up with an Australian games company called Ratbag, at a games convention in L.A. I had done a little work with them, and when their conversations revolved around the Nightmare project, my name came up. In what context I wouldn't be 100% sure, but it did come up.   

Most certainly is. 

Was there anything that the game allowed you to do that just wasn't possible in the movie (beyond the fact that it was a stop-motion production and everything had to be storyboarded out to the last detail, of course)?

DT: It allowed me to go to Japan, which was pretty much out of the question on the movie. I guess the biggest difference was freedom of scale and atmospheric elements. If you need the graveyard to be ten miles wide, you can do it without having the set extend out the back door and into the alley. If you need slowly moving cloud shapes you can do it without sticking cotton wool onto bridal veil stretched over a frame. As far as the planning goes...I don't believe any pre-production shortcuts were really made. In fact, from what I've learnt about the virtual world is that in many ways, you're planning needs to be much greater. 

How much freedom were you given to create new environments and characters? Or did you feel a certain loyalty to the source material and Burton's inspiration? 

DT: Both. Tim's source material contains the absolute essence of this place and these people. We did have total freedom, given that you would have to capture this essence. The hardest thing to do is improve on that first sketch, so creative freedom is very relative.

How is art direction different or difficult in the game as compared to the movie? Any particular challenges that couldn't be tackled in the game?

DT: The biggest challenge is to hold back. Because you do have the ability to do anything...the tendency is to do it. There is a danger here of making everything dessert, instead of creating a three course meal. Good ideas, strong visuals, I believe should be enjoyed, and not diluted by an over saturation of FX and multi layered production value. Less is more. This seems to me to be the big difference between games and movies. It's the difference between sixteen heavy metal leads on stage...or Keith Richards.

Have you worked on games in the past, or was this your first experience? Any plans to do it again in the future?

DT: I've done about a gnat's whisker amount of games work...and yes I have very big plans for future game development. For me it can be a new form of storytelling, and a way to execute extremely adventurous design that might otherwise not be possible.

What was the biggest technical challenge you faced in art-directing the game, and how did you overcome that?

DT: The biggest challenge to me was understanding that a pixel is a unit of measurement and occupies a real space. It's no different to an animator getting their head around the fact that 1/24th of a second is a unit of time. I had to stop myself looking for "real" things. Actually I don't think I'm quite over that.  

The nightmare before...creepy. 

What was the biggest creative challenge, and how did you overcome that?

DT: I had full and total confidence in everything we did. I knew what felt right because at every step of the design phase I would stand back and look at the way the elements connected, as if through Tim's eyes.  The challenge was to show the result to Tim and have him share this confidence. There was no issue of having to justify it, the work spoke for itself.

How did you "update" the look for today's audience?

DT: The look, I don't think was necessarily updated as much as expanded upon. I've heard arguments about more sophistication, more exposure to cool things and so on, but fundamentally I don't think "today's" audience is any different to any other, though they would probably like to think so.

How would you describe the style of art for the property, and how is it different from other styles in CG films and games?

DT: Gothic Noir would be the look. Somewhere between The Grimm brothers, Frankenstein, Gaudi and Dr. Seuss. All things Tim Burton. How it differs to other games is not something I feel qualified to say since my knowledge in this area is so limited. What I would say is that there was a very conscious effort to bring a cinematic feel to the game. Not in the sense of an action blockbuster, but more in the sense of its aesthetics, and its charm. The difference between watching an interesting book unfold before you, compared to a rock clip.

What 3D software was used in actually generating the images from your designs?

DT: I think it was a grey box thing, with wires coming out...and little plastic toys stuck on top...Sorry.

What is your favorite new environment in that world? What went into creating it?

DT: You know, I couldn't really say. Since it's so new to me, I still enjoy all of it on equal par right now...With the movie, I think it took me about six years to decide that I liked Lock Shock and Barrel's tree-house interiors the best., and then recently I decided I liked Town Hall more...It's like opening up a Far Side book, you find a new favorite every time. One thing that is important about the new locations is that they all have an actual history, or back-story behind their creation. You won't see this, but you will feel it. In order to design what it is, you need to design why it is. (art talk)

Can you describe the working dynamic between yourself and the Capcom team?

DT: To begin with, we were mostly the same height, which is a rare thing for me. I've only ever experienced that once before, when I worked on a Smurf series. More importantly though, was the creative synergy. Here was a crew of highly talented professionals who, for the most part might have been in their early teens when the movie was released. When I met with them, I got an immediate sense that they were honored and privileged to have the opportunity to work on this. It was a classic to them. I could see it in their sketches, and in the things we discussed. I felt completely at home with this group of artists and held them in the highest respect. We had extensive meetings, and more often than not, we were communicating freely without the need for a translator. I was very impressed.  

What do you mean no trick-or-treating? The kids will be devastated. Especially that kid with a third eye, he was really looking forward to showing it off. 

Over ten years have past since the release of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Are you surprised that the film had such an impact on people and that it still seems to be finding new audiences?

DT: This is a constant source of surprise to me, but at the same time I can understand it. The film is unique in its feel, and seamlessly directed. In a sea of animated films that differ from each other by such minute increments,  it has to stand out.

How long did you work on the games project? Please tell us a little about the timelines and  schedules. Are you sitting with the development group the whole way, or are you reviewing things as they get done? How does that work?   

DT: My involvement was over about 12-18 months. A lot of the work was generated which I made a pass over before it hit the build stage. This was done from South Australia, mostly in my favorite coffee lounge, All work was coordinated through Buena Vista Games in Los Angeles to Capcom in Japan, passing in front of Tim in London at the appropriate times. We then got into a ping-pong match of sketches, plans, color and lighting that continued at distance until we felt we had the framework for completion. At that time, I went to Japan and worked directly with the crew for a brief period. Throughout this, we conducted regular reviews, approvals and development. Despite the enormity of the task, and the production demands on Capcom, the big advantage was that everybody was on the same page. This was a well-oiled machine who knew not only what they had to do, but how to help each other achieve the result. That is the only way long distance production can work. And it did.

In The Nightmare  Before Christmas, is there any one particular character that you identify  with? I guess what we're asking is there a Deane Taylor character in the movie or the new games?

DT: In the movie, in one of the Halloweentown wide shots there is a small Dr. Death character off to one side in the shadows. Basically, we had a hole to fill to imply more crowd, and no puppets to do it with. He's a bit of old sack draped over a plastic coffee cup holding a sad looking scythe. This is the guy I identify with the most. I don't know why...I do appear as a doodle on the Police officers pad, when things go to bits at the end of the film, but this is thanks to an art department in-joke. As far as the game goes...not that I know of.

Anything else you'd like to add about your experience as an artist, your experience working on The Nightmare Before Christmas (film/game), or about anything else?

DT: The most important thing about your growth as an artist is to respect the talents of those you work with, and to have the confidence in your own work, to allow yourself the ability to stretch creatively. This is what is most important when it comes to being able to get right under an idea and push it to a new height. Without this process of inspiration and challenge your work can only ever be ordinary. These are the things my association with Nightmare has given me, and continues to give me on a daily basis. I would urge any artist to look for the ways to be fresh and inspired, and to take full advantage of this incredible medium we have available to us.

Good advice.

Thanks Deane for a great interview.