Alex McDowell

Infobox Actor


caption = Alex Mcdowell at the Berlinale Talent Campus 2008 (Adagio, Berlinale Palast).
birthdate = birth date and age|1955|4|1
birthplace = Borneo
spouse = Kirsten Everberg 2 children

Alex McDowell, RDI was born in Borneo to parents of English origin, and he is a production designer.

McDowell wanted to become a painter and studied at the Central School of Art in London. He founded Rocking Russian Design in 1978 and started his career designing album covers for punk rock groups. During the 1980s, he designed the sets for various commercials and music videos.

Alex McDowell has worked, among others, with directors Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, Alex Proyas, David Fincher and Zack Snyder. In 2002 he won the San Diego Film Critics Society award in the "Best Production Design" category for his work on " Minority Report" and, in 2004, the Art Director Guild award for "Excellence in Production Design" for "The Terminal". In 2006, McDowell was named Royal Designer for Industry by the RSA, the UK’s most prestigious design society, and was appointed Visiting Artist at the MIT Media Lab.

McDowell is an advocate of immersive design and integrates digital technology and traditional design technique in his productions, creating a production design process that allows for the highest level of control over the look of the final film.

Filmography

*"The Lawnmower Man" (1992)
*"The Crow" (1994)
*"" (1996)
*"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998)
*"Fight Club" (1999)
*"Minority Report" (2002)
*"The Cat in the Hat" (2003)
*"The Terminal" (2004)
*"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005)
*"Corpse Bride" (2005)
*"Bee Movie" (2006)
*"Watchmen" (2008)

External links

*imdb name|id=0568273|name=Alex McDowell
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=167717 NY Times entry]
* [http://vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=319b255d&atype=articles&id=2134 The Terminal Diary]
* [http://www.cinefex.com/weeklyupdate/artwork/images/week_23/index.html Cinefex, visual effects journal] - The Terminal