Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Rest in Peace, Irvin Kershner

[Livio]

The world lost a great director last week with the passing of Irvin Kershner, the man who gave us "The Empire Strikes Back." If you ever get a chance to read an interview with him, you'll rarely find a more intelligent, thoughtful and caring person. Not to mention, a guy who really knew how to create atmospheric locations and stage amazing shots.

I missed out on a chance to meet Mr. Kershner at a recent comic-con when his illness tragically forced his cancellation of attending the show. I had a feeling at the time that it would be my last chance to meet him, and this turned out to be true.

Though I did get to see Lando Calrissian himself, Mr. Billy Dee Williams, at the same convention. And this was a pretty great experience in its own right. I did this Lando piece in an attempt to portray one of the human characters of Star Wars. The likeness is based on some photo reference of the main man himself.

"Empire" is a constant source of inspiration for me, and I thank Irvin Kershner for making such a great film.

-Livio

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