“All things change in a dynamic environment.
Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you.”
—Puppet Master, Ghost in the Shell (1995)
My purpose behind this project was to recreate the unmistakably elegant yet grungy style of the 1995 film Ghost In The Shell (based on the manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow), while attempting to successfully allow for the beauty of Production I.G.’s anime artistry to seamless flow into the scene.
Initial Sketch
The inspiration for this poster was a blend between the first scene of the movie, when Matoko leaps from the penthouse of a corporate skyscraper without concern for her android body, and the scene roughly midway through the film when she speaks to Batou after diving into the nearby river, sharing a brief glimpse of vulnerability and… perhaps, soul? I briefly entertained redrawing the entire scene, but ended up realizing that Production I. G.’s original cells were above my ability to replicate, and deserved to shine on their own merit, besides.
Concept Development
Diving Scene from Ghost in the Shell (1995)
