Lex Cassar is senior concept designer on The Orville, joining the show at the start of Season 2 production.
The Orville[]
Art director Robert Strohmaier and production designer Stephen J. Lineweaver had seen Lex Cassar's portfolio from Prometheus, 12 Monkeys, and several undisclosed projects. The pair gave Cassar a task to design a nightclub with full sketch-up views and modeling as a test whether to hire him.[1]
Cassar works for many departments, though most often in the art department.[1] After Cassar arrived on set, his first task was to design a "trendy" bar for Chief Engineer John LaMarr's dating simulation in the episode Ja'loja.[2] This task was probably rooted in Cassar's test nightclub for Strohmaier and Lineweaver.
Once aboard The Orville, Cassar turned to Star Trek, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and the video game series Mass Effect for design inspiration: "We have some looks that we enjoy from series, mediums. There are some design cues that are very Syd Mead [a corporate and science-fiction illustrator]."[3] He states that the standard to design on the show is first to appeal to creator Seth MacFarlane, then to look to common science-fiction progenitors, and finally to add the artist's personal touch.[3]
Season 3[]
Because all other departments depend on concept designs for work, Cassar's primary concern in Season 3 was not to become a "bottleneck," where the production crew simply waits on Cassar to finish his designs.[3]
Trivia[]
- He stated that he left several easter eggs in his Orville designs that remain undiscovered.[4]
- Lex's concept designs were featured in the museum exhibition The Orville Experience.
- He is the son of director Jon Cassar.
Interviews[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Orville Season 3 Is HUGE! Moving To Hulu, Art Of The Orville, Reboots & More | LEX CASSAR pt. 1. Egotastic Funtime. Aug. 14, 2019.
- ↑ @GDNaturedVLLN. "@TheOrville Season 2 Episode 2 "Ja' loja" was my first episode on The Orville crew. First task, design a trendy bar set in The Orville universe where John @jleefilm can give Gordon @ScottGrimes dating tips.". Twitter. March 19, 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Lex Cassar, Senior Concept Designer". Quantum Drive. Aug. 27, 2019.
- ↑ @gdnaturevlln. Senior concept artist on The Orville. Inktober pieces for Subscriber E-Book. Listening to chill tune w/ rain in the BG. Twitch. Oct. 17, 2019.