Among Shuster's many interests, airplanes presently loom large. "Recently, aeronautical engineering has caught my eye," says Shuster. "It is some of the most stringently intricate and purposeful design on the planet, and yet it commands an aesthetic that, to me, is beautiful beyond all modern definitions." This passion for aircraft design has led Shuster to include new elements into the constant redefinition of his living space. "I discovered a vintage airplane scrap yard in Oakland," Shuster says, "and I have since used these amazing parts as structure for furniture around the house. I built a dining room table out of wing-tips from an airplane, the chairs around it out of other parts...I even built a bed!"
Shuster didn't develop his construction skills overnight. "I grew up an avid model- builder," he says. "LEGOs, plastic kits and Estes model rockets, all of those left an indelible impression on me, and defined the way I like to design: hands-on." His work on Episode I gave Shuster plenty of opportunities to physically interact with his concepts, as opposed to keeping them confined to paper until the design is completely finished. "I love working with an actual model," says Shuster. "My designs continue to evolve after they leave the page: I add a part here, cut out another there, and keep shaping the model until I'm satisfied."
This model-building activity was, for Shuster, one of the most satisfying aspects of working on Episode I. "Almost all of my previous jobs kept me in the digital realm," he says. "When you do designs for projects like computer games, you rarely see any of your creations take physical form." Although there are numerous digital effects in the new Star Wars movie, real models are still used, sometimes even built as full-size replicas. One of these full-size models was Anakin's Podracer, as conceived by Shuster. "It was a blast to see my design become real," says Shuster with a twinkle in his eye.
The numerous Episode I items Shuster designed include several other Podracers (including the one piloted by the underhanded racer Sebulba), most of the Podracers pilots' outfits, weaponry like the Battle Droid blaster rifle, the hangar of Theed palace (where the Royal Naboo Starfighters await combat), starship hallways and corridors where a lot of the action scenes of Episode I take place, and countless items that define the
Star Wars ambiance, like spaceship landing gear and boarding ramps, light fixtures, and other set-dressing elements. All this work began with concept direction from George Lucas, who has been closely involved with the design of Episode I. Under the guidance of Doug Chiang, Shuster focused creativity on his assignments and turned Lucas' concepts and imaginary environments into specific sketches and designs. When Shuster's work reached approval by Chiang and finally George Lucas, the evolution moved on to the next stage. Shuster turned his designs over to other members of the production team: set builders, model makers, and ILM's digital artists. "I didn't lose sleep over ILM working on digital versions of my designs, because they're so close to us," says Shuster. "The leap of faith came when the full-size sets and vehicles were being built in London, on the other side of the galaxy. Of course modifications were made: the small piece of hardware welded to such and such's Podracer didn't look exactly like my drawing, and all of that. Too bad...but life goes on...and when that thing passes in front of the camera for 3 seconds on film, you could care less. And in the end it looks great!"
As much as he likes to explore new territories and expand the boundaries of his work, Jay Shuster wants his designs to connect directly with their viewers. Through his dedication to purposeful and functional designs that keep in touch with everyday elements, Shuster makes sure that the foreign environments he creates don't become too alien. Still, innovation is de rigueur in everything he does. "I really like to experiment with textures, alien technology, ships, and things that go fast in general," says Shuster. "I guess I'm in the right place."
