Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Collora.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved here in 1985 from NY to pursue a career in the film industry and enjoy the Pacific. I’m an avid surfer, freediver and fisherman, so I wound up at the beach. I’ve been fortunate enough to work in the industry as a creature designer, concept artist and sculptor on “Jurassic Park”, “The Abyss”, “MIB” and “Guyver Dark Hero”, before signing with commercial production company Level 7 and getting into the DGA in 2001. My directing exploits started there with several award-winning commercials, music videos and short films, eventually directing “Batman Dead End” and the feature film “Hunter Prey” in 2009. In 2017, I wrote and directed the short horror film “Shallow Water” and have also published a series of books on the art of character and creature design. I’m currently working on my first graphic novel called “The Circle”, which will drop early next year. I also do the occasional private commission in between dive trips and surf sessions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No. It has not. This industry is a very tough row to hoe and I’ve always been an outlier, an outside the box thinker and consistently have marched to the beat of my own drum. This has cost me opportunities but has also given me the satisfaction of driving my own ship and doing my own projects my way. This is what I feel art is… an unencumbered thing, directly from the mind of the artist– to the world. It’s never easy but then again, if something is easy, it’s never really worth much. Lots of projects have too many hands in the pie or cooks in the kitchen, so I avoid those. I mostly do my own thing… it’s very rewarding and I’ve been one of the fortunate, rare artists in this industry to build a large body of my own work. My own projects that I’ve developed, written, designed and directed. Good, bad or indifferent, they’re mine and that’s what’s important to me. Always has been. Always will be. I don’t mind failing or making something that doesn’t quite hit the mark, but I want that to be on me, not someone else’s idea or decision. My projects succeed or fail on my shoulders and mine alone. I’m good with that. I’ve always been good with that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve designed everything from creatures to spaceships for major motion pictures. Created and sculpted toys and action figures, statues and other collectibles… and worked on theme parks all over the world. I’ve also in the last 20 or so years, directed a lot of commercials, short films, and PSA spots. I’ve done a feature film and had a documentary made about one of them in particular called “Behind the Mask: The Batman Dead End Story.” The project I’m most proud of is a little short film I directed back in 2002 called “Archangel”. If you look hard enough, you can find it on YouTube. LOL! What sets me apart is my belief in myself and never being afraid to fail.
What makes you happy?
The ocean. It’s where I get inspired, recharge my batteries and decompress. For me, it’s the source of everything in my life… it teaches me every day and makes me appreciate being a waterman, able to explore the oceans of the world from above and below.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreatureArtStudio
- Instagram: @sandycollorastudios
Image Credits:
Montauk Films, Sandy Collora Studios
