Film

Filmography

1955

Graduated from
Burbank High School

1956
WALT DISNEY
STUDIOS

(also in Burbank, California)
Worked as an inbetweener
and breakdown artist
on the animated feature

"SLEEPING BEAUTY"

1974

Concept Artist
Feature film

"Dark Star"

Designed Space Ship exterior

1975

Conceptual Designer
Unfinished feature film

"Jodorowsky's Dune"

In 1975 Dan O'Bannon (the Co-creator of "Dark Star") was in Paris supervising special effects for Alexandro Jodorowsky's very early
attempt to produce and direct a motion picture of Frank Herbert's "Dune". Dan hired H.R.Giger and me for designs.
This is my submission for an Ornithoptor. Alexandro, I am told, did not care for my designs. He thought they were too American, too "NASA"

1977

Feature film
Uncredited

"Star Wars"

Designed some of the more elaborate aliens in the cantina scene

1978

Concept Artist
Feature film

"Alien"

Contributed to the exterior (miniature) look of the earthship, Nostromo, while designing many of the spacecraft's interior sets

1981

Production Artist
Feature film

"RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK"

Designed the Nazi Flying Wing

1981

Production artist
Feature film

"CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND" The Special Edition

Designed Stranded Tanker sequence and Mother Ship interior

1982

Conceptual Artist
Proposed feature film

"HALF THE SKY"

1982

Production Designer
Feature film

"CONAN THE BARBARIAN"

Designed Conan's world, armour, architecture and weapons. Also, uncredited director of additional second unit photography

1982

Story, slated Director
Proposed feature film

"NIGHT SKIES"

Steven Spielberg proposed a sequel to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". And offered me the oppotunity to direct. I originated the story, my choice for screenplay writer was John Sayles. Projections of the effects budget proved problematic. (Spielberg was producing.)
After a rewrite NIGHT SKIES was shelved. The project became Spielberg's

"E.T."

1982

Art Director
Television Mini-series

"HITCH HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY"

Designer for a U.S. ABC miniseries based on the original BBC radio and television versions. The network cancelled the project. The pilot was too expensive. Best of all, I met and became a good, long time friend of Douglas Adams

1982

Artist

"NASA"

One of ten artists invited by NASA to document the 4th launch and landing of the Space Shuttle, Columbia.
Two paintings were completed for the Smithsonian Aerospace museum

1982

Art Director
Advanced computer simulation

"DIGITAL PRODUCTIONS"

With the help of a ‘Cray' super computer and a lot of geeks, succeeded in creating the first photoreal simulations for motion pictures.
See The Last Star Fighter

1984

Production Designer
Feature film

"THE LAST STARFIGHTER"

(Directed by Nick Castle)
Designed the planet Rylos, the Starfighter, the Starcar, aliens, costumes and enemy spacecraft. Worked extensively with Digital Productions in order to perfect and advance photoreal computer simulation as a replacement for traditional special effects (especially the use of miniatures)

1985

Concept artist
Feature film

"REAL GENIUS"

Designed laser technology and laser weapon system

1985

Feature film
Uncredited

"MY SCIENCE PROJECT"

Design submitted for the alien spaceship pilots

1985

DeLorean time travel consultant
Feature film

"BACK TO THE FUTURE"

Created the initial design (interior & exterior) of the
De Lorean time machine

1986

One of two Title designers
TV series

Steven Spielbergs's
"AMAZING STORIES"

Designed the title logo
Co-designed the computer-simulated opening sequence
(with James Bissell)
Directed the live action segments

1986

Art Director
Rock video

"ROUGH BOYS", Z Z TOP

Designed space station/carwash set and some props
Won the 1986, MTV award for best art direction in a music video

1986

Concept artist
Feature film

"ROBOT JOXS"

(Directed by Stewart Gordon)
(Creator of "Re-Animator")
Designed the 180 ft. high, multi-mode robots (inside and out) along with their support systems and the world they battle in, plus automobiles, training devices and costumes

1987

Concept artist
Feature film

"ALIENS"

(Directed by Jim Cameron)
Designs for interior/exterior sets and vehicles of the earth colony complex on the alien planet. Designs for the "Drop ship", the armored personnel carrier and some of the weapons

1987

Concept artist
Proposed feature film

"China Marines"

Early designs

1987

Writer
TV Series New
Twilight Zone

"SHELTER SKELTER"

Created the original story and co-wrote the teleplay (with Robin Love) for a half hour dramatic segment staring Joe Montegna

1987

Concept Designer
Feature film
uncredited

"THE RUNNING MAN"

A near future survival game show

1988

Writer, Designer
Unfinished Feature film

“MARS-1”

A project mounted by Apple computer,
Jet Propulsion Lab and MCA. Meant to
create public support for a manned, joint
US/Soviet mission to Mars
Co-wrote the script (with Mike Backes)
Designed the Mars expedition spacecraft,
(approved by JPL).
Cancelled upon the collapse of
the Soviet Union

1989

Production Designer
Feature film

“LEVIATHAN”

A science fiction, underwater epic.
(Directed by George (RAMBO) Cosmatos)
Worked closely with Steve Berg.
Designed all of the underwater technology including the “shack” and
the hard suits for the “Silt Hogs”.

1989

Concept Designer
Feature film

“THE ABYSS”

(Directed by Jim Cameron)
Submitted Interior/exterior designs for the huge,
underwater oil drilling platform, “Deep Core02”.
Designed two full sized, operable research-style submersibles.
Designed the scuba gear and helmets used by Deep Core’s crew,
as well as the liquid breathing suit

1989

Conceptual Design
Feature film

"TOTAL RECALL"

(Directed by Paul Verhoeven)
Created the overall look for the Mars colony and mine complex,
including, operable taxi cabs,
full sized "mole" mining machines,
the Marsliner spaceship, a squad car and a robotic taxi, for the earth sequence.
Also designed the "RECALL" machine

1990

Concept Design
Feature film

“TRUE LIES”

(Directed by Jim Cameron)
Designed the OMEGA SECTOR crest,
some corporate logos and four
Russian hydrogen bombs
(30 kiloton, MIRV type re-entry cones),
used by terrorists to threaten Miami.
Also designed the bomb carrying frames,
cases and detonation console.

1991

Director
Feature film

“GARBO”

An all Australian comedy about garbage collectors
and a garbage truck named “Greta”.
(shot entirely in and around Melbourne, Australia)

1991

Feature film
Uncredited

“ROCKETEER”

(Directed by Joe Johnson)
Contributed an early design for
the rocket powered backpack.

1991

Designer
Short film

“ENERTOPIA”

A short film on the history of energy for
the Korean world's fair.
Designed an entire Korean city of the future,
complete with transportation
(air, land and water), architecture and
agricultural technology.
Filmed as a computer simulation for a
two minute fly over

1992

Designer
Short film

“THE DAY THE WORLD CHANGED”

A spoof of the fifties Sci-Fi movie,
"Invasion From Mars"
Created costumes, weapons and transportation
for the clumsy alien invaders
A short, dramatized film for INTEL in the
IMAX format

1996

Concept artist
Feature film

“SPACE TRUCKERS”

(Directed by Stewart Gordon)
(Creator of “Re-Animator”)
Contributed spacecraft designs

1997

Conceptual Artist
Animated Feature film

“TITAN A.E.”

Contributed alien character and creature designs
as well as concepts
for planetary landscapes and spacecraft designs

1998

Conceptual Artist
Game
Michael Crichton’s

“TIMELINE”

Designed the medieval world, villages, castles, (exteriors and interiors).
Plus a mill complex, characters and costumes for an interactive computer game,
developed by the VIRTUS Corporation.
Based on Crichton’s time travel novel of the same name

1999

Assistant Art Director
Feature film

“THE 6th DAY”

Designed Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Convertacopter”
or Whispercraft and much of the cloning technology.

2000

Conceptual Artist
Uncredited
Feature film

“CATS AND DOGS”

Designed cat and dog technologies

2002

Concept artist
Television mini-series

“FIREFLY”

Designed two alien spacecraft

2005

Conceptual Artist
Feature film

“SOUTHLAND TALES”

Designed a near future Dirigible
and the Hummer-like SUV for Richard (Donnie Darko) Kelly’s, social satire

2009

Conceptual Artist
Feature film
Uncredited

“DISTRICT 9”

Early designs for the extraterrestrial race

2012

Conceptual Artist
Feature film
Uncredited

“JOHN CARTER ON MARS”

Designs for Martian life and technology

2015

Conceptual Artist

Scott Foster’s Affable Entertainment.
Working on various projects

©2015 Ron Cobb All Rights Reserved.

Unauthorised copying and distribution is forbidden.