Harald Belker acquired a degree in Engineering and quickly began designing automobiles for some of the premiere car companies in the world, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. But his career path would take an unexpected turn, when Hollywood took an interest in him. It would be Warner Bros. who would first lure the talented designer to Tinseltown, as he made a splash with his bold designs of the Batmobile used in 1997's
Batman and Robin. From that point on Belker has become one of the most sought after designers of movie vehicles. Perhaps his most significant achievement was his jaw-dropping futuristic vehicle designs for Steven Spielberg's
Minority Report.
I recently contacted
Harald Belker and requested an interview. He graciously agreed and was kind enough to send over
exclusive images that he created for Brett Ratner's ill-fated,
Superman: Flyby, Sam Raimi's
Spider-Man and Jon Favreau's
Iron Man.
I'll assume many of you are curious about the
Superman: Flyby designs, which include: a Kryptonian Battle Pod known as a "Rouser," a Zorian Pod, and specially designed Superman "S" Shields. To learn more about that project head on over to
Ain't It Cool News for a meticulous breakdown of its script, which was written by JJ Abrams ("Star Trek Into Darkness").
How did you go from designing vehicles for Porsche and Mercedes-Benz to designing vehicles for films?
It's the same process, you sketch you model you develop your design, there is no difference there.
You've worked on many comic book movies in the past, do you ever look at the source material (comic books) for inspiration?
I read comic books as a kid, but to be honest I have not opened one since.
Do you like working for directors that give you a lot of freedom with the designs or a director that has a very clear vision of what they want?
Freedom of course, what do they know about car design, some think they do and it becomes painful. Most visions of a director reflect his love with a certain time in the history of cars and they can't get past it. In the end it's never a good thing. They should focus on telling a compelling story, that is their job.
You designed all the alien crafts for Brett Ratner's Superman: Flyby, what did you use as reference?
I think the production designer made me look at some shells he found, other then that I just tried to do things different. Especially for the pod that he flies in, not crystals here.
One of the more intriguing designs that you sent over, is the negative space from the “S” symbol. This would've been used in the film to show that Jor-El handpicked the Kent's as Kal-El's adoptive parents, right?
That sounds reasonable to me, lets go with that :-)
What requirements were you given when designing the Green Goblin's glider?
When I worked on it it was all base on military technology, later it reverted back to the original comic version.
When designing a new vehicle, what are the steps involved from the moment the project lands in your hands?
Sketching and making sure the vehicle is what the director envisioned. He is the one that has to like it.
I would imagine one of the challenges that you face as a vehicle designer for movies, is making a vehicle that is believable, while still making them cool. Would that be correct?
That is correct, sometimes they like to take short cuts, especially with gravity. What are you gonna do?
I would imagine your engineering background came in very handy when working on Iron Man?
Not really, everything is so designed to look good for the effect, they talk engineering but it really doesn't apply.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Is there a vehicle you haven't gotten to do that you would like to do?
Not really, I would like to see my PULSE racers come to life. That's about it.
PULSE features Harald Belker's vision of the future of racing. There was a time when the fastest means of travel was a jet, but in 2035, private conglomerates have harnessed magnetic levitation (Mag-Lev) to create trains that get people from place to place to place in a fraction of the time.
To advertise the cutting-edge technology and sheer speed of Mag-Lev, events were held with a handful of machines and fearless racers. Within a few years, PULSE Racing Grand Prix were hosted in major metropolitan areas with the funding of the cities.
The world of Pulse racing is introduced and illustrated via elaborate drawings and digitally rendered futuristic vehicles while telling the story of an adventurous young man thrown into the whirlpool of an all encompassing and physically grueling sport. Through captivatingly sleek and futuristic images, the audience follows the racers to the limits of speed and power while they are barely on the ground. The sleds force their drivers to the edge of human endurance while keeping the racing fans on their feet in excitement and enthusiam. Tactics and rules make the outcome of the race a nail bitter until the end as you never know who will emerge victorious in this incredible world of futuristic racing. Click here to pickup a copy at Amazon
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