Get exclusive access to Sensei Tim Miller’s recent feature in ImagineFX. In this short version interview, the acclaimed American film director, best known for Deadpool, talks about his childhood in Maryland, co-founding Blur Studio and shaping groundbreaking projects like Love, Death & Robots.

 

Where did you grow up, and how has this influenced your art?

I grew up in the suburbs outside Washington, DC, in Fort Washington, Maryland. I had a great childhood with all the usual stuff growing up in America brings if you’re lucky enough to have good parents, enough money, and no real trauma. And most fortunate of all, to be the child of a huge reader - my dad's library was like a vault filled with treasures. I was that kid who'd get lost in the worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard - real pulp adventure stuff - but also JG Ballard, Nevil Shute… I mean, I’d read anything, but those stories were like gateway drugs to my imagination. And I loved to draw. Comics were my jam because they mashed up the best of both worlds: heroic stories and fantastic art. All that geeking out over art and story set the stage for what I wanted to do.

 

What, outside of art, has most influenced your artwork through the years?

Beyond traditional art, my two major influences are genre literature and computer technology. Immersing myself in science fiction and fantasy novels sparked my imagination and ignited a passion for storytelling beyond the visual. And then the emergence of computer technology as an art tool came along and completely absorbed me. It offered tools and possibilities I hadn’t believed were possible.
Equally significant has been the opportunity to work collaboratively with other artists. Co-founding Blur Studio in 1995 as a place where animators and artists could come together was incredibly satisfying. I’ve learned so much through collaborations with visionaries like David Fincher on projects such as Love, Death & Robots, and Jim Cameron on Terminator, and those ideas have altered my perspectives, demonstrating the power of collective creativity in pushing the boundaries of storytelling.
 

Is there a painting you saw in your formative years that changed everything? What was it?

I know this is super nerdy, but like many genre artists from my generation, Frank Frazetta was a MASSIVE influence and inspiration.  There are so many great paintings, but I’ll go with THE DESTROYER, a painting done for the cover of a Conan novel.

 

Entire interview on Imagine FX.