OK, don't let this guy fool you. Yes, he's talented. Yes, he's a kick-ass concept artist. And yes, he's quite humble about all of those things. But he's tellin' tales out of school when he says he's not funny—that's a lie! In his bio, he confesses to having done stand-up before and we're not surprised. He was a hoot and we had the best time with him! Alright, on to more serious matters...
Cloverfield and the upcoming Avatar, Watchmen, Star Trek, Tron and Piranha 3-D all have one thing in common—concept designer and artist, Neville Page. Neville is another in a long line of talented folks my bud Dwight keeps finding and bringing to the SiDEBAR mics. And I'm not mad at him for doing so! Most people don't know who the designers are on films (or anything else for that matter) because designers almost never get the spotlight. Almost. Today, that's gonna change, especially for one Mr. Page.
I won't spoil much here about his background 'cause frankly, it's too interesting. You definitely need to listen to the show though to get the fullness therein (trust!). Let's just say his life as a regular guy—was hardly regular! He was born in Great Britain, grew up in Chicago, moved to California as a teen, and spent a few years pursuing a whole other career in the entertainment biz (OK, I can't hold back...go here).
After a few years of waiting tables, Neville realized this other career pursuit wasn't working out and enrolled at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. It was there he met his best friend and future business partner, Scott Robertson. They struck a bond and after graduation, started a consultancy firm together. They also started teaching at Art Center and both still do to this day.
Our interview with this guy is full of laughs and mad cool stories. I mean, stuff like being in the Swiss Riviera and discovering a school for girls right 
down the road. Getting off the phone with James Cameron while driving to a meeting in Hollywood about Cloverfield. Names like J. J. Abrams, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana and Ralph McQuarrie popping up everywhere. And let's not forget the lovely Zoe Saldana (...sorry, I couldn't resist).
We wanna thank Neville for bringing not only his perspective and insights to the show, but also his good humor. He was awesome!
**The title of this interview is a reference to all those pesky Non-Disclosure Agreements (bah!). And in honor of Neville's R&B past, we played some of DeBarge's "I Like It".
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Man, this interview was awsome! Neville Page seems to be a great guy, isn´t he? So many news about his personal life, his work and the ones who he worked for. Thank you guys for these pleasure moments you´ve just provided.
This was the first podcast I´ve heard from you, and I tottaly enjoy it. From now on I´m going to listening to many others indeed.
By the way, I manage a Blog about Concept Art, here in Brazil, and I´d like to link this interview on it. I hope you don´t mind. If there is any problem with that, please let me know.
Best,
Flavio Remontti
São Paulo - Brazil
(Swain re: Go for it, Flavio, no worries and thanks!)
Posted by: ConceptArtBlog | April 08, 2010 at 10:17