A Completed Journey

2 Years of Exhaustive Research
7 Very Different Attractions
Over 30 Years of History
50 Footnotes
20 Pages
And
21,199 Words

Have led to this moment.

GATHER, STORE

RE-COMBINE

The Journey Concludes

6 . 13 . 11

E82 U

Wow, this maybe the longest stretch without any new material to date! But, most assuredly it hasn’t been because I have haven’t been working. For the past month, I’ve been gearing-up for a return to school. Apparently, there are several people out there that believe that I just might be artistically inclined. As such, I’ve chosen (what I believe to be) the best college in the field. Full Sail University has an amazing Online Education program and an even better track record in creating multi-award winning creative professionals. I’m currently pursuing a Bachelors of Science Degree in Graphic Design. And (if all goes well) I should be done in 29 months.

But what does all this mean for E82?

Well, I believe that this (very young) website has the potential to become something truly special and maybe, just maybe, influence a change in the way we not only treat Epcot, the park but also help eliminate the Retro in Retro Futurism. There is still a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow… YES even in Today’s technology inundated era. Among other things, I believe the challenge of Tomorrow is no longer technological, if the last 30 years have proved anything it’s that “We Can Do It.” But now that we’re super-connected with mini-computers in palm of hand what do we do now? Well I think the biggest frontier of this century will be moving from Information and Data to one of Wisdom, Maturity, and Responsibility. These are all lesions I have learned from EPCOT Center, and insights I hope to continue to share with you for a long, long time. In short, E82 is also My Legacy.

After completing my first week’s assignments in two days and with an extra day off for classes each week, I feel quite positive that E82 will continue at a fair pace. So it is my hope that as I continue my intellectual evolution, E82 will continue its evolution as well.

Coming Next Week

The completion of GATHER, STORE, RE-COMBINE with our Epic Length Final Chapter: “Returns, Tributes, and Beyond”!                  

VISTA SERIES – Growing Light

Rising from the earth, the futuristic greenhouse of The Land is encircled by growing light beams glowing in grass green and sun yellow signifying the symbiosis created by photosynthesis.
 

Designer’s Note: Creating these backgrounds is sometimes done in silence but more often is accompanied by music. In almost every case, the music played has nothing to do with the subject matter, but in this case I realized just how much The Land looks like the Devil’s Tower featured in Close Encounters while listening to its score. The film came out 1977 and The Land was designed shortly after its release so one can help but wonder if the film’s climatic location served as the direct inspiration for the pavilion. What Do You Think?

Designing DNA

In the past several weeks I’ve been focused on creating new Line Art for each pavilion of Future World, the inspiration of which came from the original 1983 line-art for distinctive Horizons building Logo. By now you’ve seen Imagination, and Energy, but as of late I’ve been working on the mostly dormant Wonders of Life pavilion and its now extinct icon: the DNA Tower.

Although first used for the Vista Series, the Line Art for each pavilion has a multitude of uses in future projects. That’s why great care and attention has been given to the creation of each successive pavilion. In all cases, I’m looking to create not just a single cool design, but one that fits in the overall picture.

Below is an “Evolution of Design” for the DNA Tower. I design the way most writers write and I write the way most artists paint. (I self edit as I’m writing and I often pull out all the stops on a particular art piece then distil it down to its best elements.) Because of its perfect symmetry, I thought the best way to create the line art for the tower was to recreate the entire thing first and then determine what would make it into the final design.

What you see below is the progression from conception to final design. Because, it will be featured in large and small sizes its must “read” well as both.  The First (Left) is much too busy. The Center a little too flat, and the last one with is spiraling lines is able to create a 3D effect on a flat object through the use of negative space.  And just wait until you see it with the dome!             

Wider, Clearer, Better

Although it certainly doesn’t show, there has been a massive amount of working going on behind the scenes for the E82 Project. Whether it be fixing audio, creating new concepts, or developing new art work, a lot of foundational work has been occurring for both E82 as well as my growth into a professional designer. (More on that Later)

After seeing it for myself (just yesterday), I am quite pleased with the recent conversion of Epcot’s Oldest (Unchanged) Attraction. As I am sure most of you are aware, “Impressions de France” was quietly converted to digital projection. The color is amazing, the image stabilization is extremely well done, and the sharpness is astounding. The French Alps scene alone is literally breath-taking! In short “Impressions” is quite Impressive!

It is a testament to the filmmakers that this is the one presentation in all of Epcot that has endured in its original form. From Norman “Buddy” Baker’s lush arrangement of France’s greatest classical music to the artful cinematography the film sets the standard for which all travelogues should be judged. Based on previous reports it was thought that the film was set to be re-shot soon after Canada’s replacement, I am quite relieved that WDI decided to simply update its technology and not it’s content. If it’s not Baroque do not fix it! Canada, China, and yes even Mexico needed their changes (badly), but France’s Fantasia has stood the test of time. No improvements necessary, a simply perfect attraction.

That being said I would change the last 30 seconds of film, to cross-dissolve from the pre-millennial Eiffel Tower to the sparking strobes of the last ten years. (Maybe with some LED’s behind the screen just to make it really pop) But in those two sentences, I probably cost the company at least $50,000 so let’s just save that for next year’s budget!

Speaking of Wide Screen presentations, you may notice that E82 has become a little wider today with additional graphics flanking the sides of the site. (It took for forever to come-up with a repeatable pattern that would fit the site and, as silly as its sounds, its final color design was actually inspired by one of my neckties!)

Stay-tuned later this week as I can clearly see a new Vista “growing” in the distance!