CreatingSFF podcast

Game of Thrones actor – Ian Beattie interview

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Actor Ian Beattie has been on stage, film and television for over 20 years. He’s best known for his roles on Game of Thrones as Meryn Trant and on the movie Alexander as Antigonus. I spoke to him at the Great Philadelphia Comic Con.

1:51 – Ian Beattie started performing as a child in a Northern Ireland circus. He kept at that for a while and then went to law school to be a barrister. But then he went to acting school in 1989. He spent a few years in LA doing theater but then went to Belfast and did stage and tv work here and there.

3:03 – His big break was getting on the movie Alexander but his biggest success was getting the role of Ser Meryn Tranth in Game of Thrones. That was a game changer.

3:34 – Experience was what changed his way of acting. He learned a lot with Alexander. He’s always been an intense actor and has always researched his roles including the accents. He’s done a few real characters and that’s helped him with doing research. He really likes doing historical characters. He really enjoyed his work on Alexander as Antigonus.

6:45 – He loves film and television and he loves being on set. He considers himself a good director’s actor and loves to be on the same page. Gabriel Burnham said that when you’re playing a role it’s vital to find the truth and make it your truth.

8:03 – He’s loved wearing the costumes in Vikings and in the Tudors. He’s inspired by fellow directors and actors. But he doesn’t have favorite actors or actresses that he loves watching.

9:22 – He’s most moved by strong scripts and stories. He likes the to find the realism of the time he’s in. he also likes to take in what others around him teach him.

11:24 – He’s always wanted to fly but then he figured out he was afraid of heights. He’s most inspired by people who have changed the world for the better.

12:03 – As a kid he loved Batman. As a teenager he loved Judge Dredd. He loved seeing Karl Urban and would have loved that role. But there are a million roles he’d love to play. He was down to the last two in a role and didn’t make it but anytime things could change. He was down to final selection in a Justice League role but they decided to go younger.

13:50 – If the audience spots you acting then you’re in trouble.

14:16 – On the last day of Alexander they were praying to a statue. He was on a two hundred foot ledge without railing and it freaked him out since he had only vision out of one eye.

15:03 – Everyone should always maintain their belief and stay hungry. Persistence pays and always practice while you’re waiting for a role.

For more “Creating Sci-Fi and Fantasy – An Inside Look” please follow me on Facebook at crisalvarezwlc, on youtube at Cris Alvarez and on Instagram @crisalvarezscifi

 

Guests: Ian Beattie

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: Alexander the great, Antigonus, Meryn Trant, Game of Thrones, fantasy, movies, television, doctor who, Belfast, Los Angeles, acting, Judge Dredd, Batman

Astronomy education – Dr. Inge Heyer interview

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Dr. Inge Heyer has been involved with astronomy for over 30 years as a researcher and educator. She spoke to me at Far Point 2018 about what it takes to teach astronomy. (Photo provided by Dr. Heyer)

1:24 – Dr. Heyer highlights the importance of imagination in explaining concepts to students.

3:04 – Her favorite part of teaching astronomy is when people get their hands on models or something they can really see to learn better. There are always new tools to teach with.

7:09 – She has a rule of no tech in her class. Students put their phones in a class box for extra credit. It means they’re interacting more with students when they do it. Participation in class has increased using this method.

8:24 – Star Trek was her big science fiction inspiration. She also read German sci-fi. Hans Dominik is one. Karl May was another inspiration but he wrote about traveling around the world.

12:53 – She felt like she was certainly an astronomer in college when she started collecting actual data in an observatory.

13:54- Astronomy can teach us about life on Earth. People are made from the stuff that stars are made from.

15:54 – She also likes Babylon 5, Stargate, NCIS and other non science fiction type entertainment.

17:54 – She’s worked on Hubble and also with the British Observatory.

20:16 – Dr. Hyer discusses what astronomy is like in various countries around the world. Countries get together to build observations together and establish consortiums.

22:09 – There are also science fiction fans everywhere.

23:59 – She appreciates that science fiction isn’t supposed to teach people. However, she doesn’t like when they get current science wrong.

27:31 – Science fiction fans are natural communicators. They all talk to each other about the information they learn.

29:24 – She ran an experiment to see the connection between science fiction interest and science interest. She found a third factor between them. Both groups are early literates. Everyone in the group she talked to was reading by age six and many were writing stories by age eight.

31:43 – People can go to www.ingeheyer.com for more information. People should also attend Shore Leave in July 6-8. The convention site is http://www.shore-leave.com/

 

Links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Dominik_(writer)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_May

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope

http://www.ingeheyer.com/

https://www.shore-leave.com/

 

For more “Creating Sci-Fi and Fantasy – An Inside Look” please follow me on Facebook at crisalvarezwlc, on youtube at Cris Alvarez and on Instagram @crisalvarezscifi

 

Guests: Dr. Inge Heyer

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: science fiction, sci-fi, star trek, shore leave, travel, astronomy, telescopes, education, science

Sci-fi graphics specialist – Anthony Ur interview – Far Point 2018 – youtube

Anthony Ur is a graphics designer supporting the military but spends his free time helping design graphics and special effects for an independent science fiction show, Dark Operations: Terminus. I interviewed Anthony at Far Point 2018.

1:16 – The graphics designer for Dark Operations Terminus tells me how he works on the project. He’s been an art director for the US Army in using graphics for training.

3:01 – Anthony is an avid gamer which inspires his work. He played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons and watched a lot of Star Trek.

3:41 – His most important tools are Autodesk studio suite and the Unreal Game Engine for rendering. His Transformers toys around his office gets him into the right state of mind for his work.

5:21 – Anthony’s favorite element of graphic design is figuring out how to turn his 3D models into actual physical reproductions. Small items like laser pistols are printed in segments.

6:44 – He got into graphic design when he was working in Visual basic in high school. He saw another student working on computer animation and he went in that direction. He started in 3D and then got into art. He continues because it’s a passion. He thinks of his designs in an engineering way.

8:31 – Over time he’s learned to adjust to what a client wants rather than trying to push his vision of a design.

9:55 – Graphic design touches everything. Products and independent films all have elements of graphic design. Designers think about how an item will interact with people ergonomically.

11:01 – Cartoony sci-fi does not need to look realistic. But other sci-fi might need more believable looking technology.

11:52 – Animation inspires Anthony. Cartoon network has stuff that inspires him. Early stop motion films inspire him. Disney animation quality inspires him. Pen and paper work can provide very good animation compared to digital.

13:06 – He likes to read quantum theory and quantum mechanics. He also loves LOTR and wanted to do Hollywood videos. Music from sci-fi shows and movies inspire him. Howard Shore for example.

15:01 – Some older games can grab him more than newer games. People focus a lot on multi-player but he likes more of the single player. Puzzle Quest is one game he loves.

16:09 – He was fascinated with the Nightcrawler power to teleport. Techie-wise he’d be interested in having a bionic part.   He’d also like to create a game where someone terminally ill could go into this game and forget about their problems while they’re inside. He’d also like create a game where people might not even know they’re in a game.

18:51 Dark Operation Terminus is on facebook. His work is also on Nextgenimaging.com

Links

https://www.facebook.com/DarkOperations/

http://www.nextgenimaging.com/

 

For more “Creating Sci-Fi and Fantasy – An Inside Look” please follow me on Facebook at crisalvarezwlc, on youtube at Cris Alvarez and on Instagram @crisalvarezscifi

 

Guests: Anthony Ur

Host: Cris Alvarez