Pablo Ferro
Encyclopedia
Pablo Ferro is a graphic designer
and film titles designer.
Born in Antilla
, Oriente Province, Cuba
, he was raised on a remote farm until emigrating to New York
with his family as a teen.
from a book by Preston Blair
. In the mid-50s he began freelancing in the New York animation industry for Academy Pictures and Elektra Studios. He found his first solid job with a company that made commercials. It was while working there that he met and befriended former Disney
animator William Tytla, who became a mentor. Another co-worker was Stan Lee
, the then-future editor of Marvel Comics
, with whom he created a series of science fiction adventure comics. In 1961 he became one of the partners to form Ferro, Mogubgub and Schwartz with animation stylist Fred Mogubgub
and comics artist Lew Schwartz
, and in 1964 he formed Pablo Ferro Films.
From the unforgettable opening of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove to the revolutionary split-screen montage of the original The Thomas Crown Affair
, the Cuban-born filmmaker Pablo Ferro has been putting his indelible stamp on the moving image for over four decades. A pioneer of quick-cut editing, multiple screen images (the first in film and television in 1963) animation, and endowed with an inherent sense of playfulness, Ferro’s influential visual style has enormously enriched film, television, animation, commercials, novels and now children’s books. His innovative collages and use of abstract imagery have consistently challenged the medium, as well as altering conceptions of how (and how much) information is received by viewers.
A self-taught filmmaker, Ferro first rose to prominence with such classic animations as the first color NBC Peacock and the Burlington Mills “stitching” logo, as well as technologically novel visual presentations, including the Singer Pavilion’s film at the 1964 New York World's Fair
– the first time film projectors were used to create multiple-screen images.
Hailed by director Jonathan Demme
as “the best designer of film titles in the country today”, Woman of Straw
, Bullitt
, The Russians are Coming…The Russians are Coming, Citizens Band, Philadelphia
, Married to the Mob
, Beetlejuice
, and To Live and Die in L.A. are among the over 100 films that have showcased his creations. Ferro’s distinctive hand-drawn opening segments have appeared in films ranging from Stop Making Sense
, American Heart
and The Addams Family
to Men in Black
, and his memorable trailers have helped introduce such epochal films as A Clockwork Orange
, Jesus Christ Superstar
, O’ Lucky Man and Zardoz
into the cultural vernacular.
Pablo worked on several films with his closet friend the late film director Hal Ashby
, including Harold and Maude
, Bound For Glory, Being There
as well as Co-Directing The Rolling Stones
, Let’s Spend The Night Together documentary. Ferro worked with Gus Van Sant on To Die For
and Good Will Hunting
, and has worked with dozens of Academy Award winning Directors. In addition to directing and producing his own feature film, Me, Myself & I
(1991) with George Segal
and JoBeth Williams
, he worked as an actor for Robert Downey Sr.
in Greasers Palace (chief cloud in the head) as well as in Hugo Pool
as a (salsa dancer).
Ferro has worked as Visual Consultant, Second-unit Director on several films and contributed the famous “Pornographic” Effects to Midnight Cowboy
in a special montage within the film. Ferro was Supervising Editor on The Night They Raided Minsky’s, and received a nomination for the first American Video Award (AVA) for his work as Supervising Editor of Michael Jackson
’s music video BEAT IT Ferro has produced and directed numerous short films such as The Inflatable Doll.
Pablo Ferro has won over 70 National and International awards over his amazing career, among them numerous CLIO’S, a DGA
Excellence in Film Award, and several Lifetime Achievement awards. He has also received nominations from such highly regarded institutions as the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt. In 1999 Pablo was awarded the prestigious DaimlerChrysler Design Award, and in 2000 Pablo was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame.
Pablo’s titles and montage sequences have appeared in 12 Academy Award winning films. Pablo is currently creating a children’s book, a graphic novel and finishing animation on his own documentary to be released in 2012.
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and film titles designer.
Born in Antilla
Antilla
Antilla is a municipality and town in Holguín Province of Cuba. It is located on the north-eastern shore of Cuba, on a peninsula between the Gulf of Nipe and Banes Bay....
, Oriente Province, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, he was raised on a remote farm until emigrating to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with his family as a teen.
Education
Ferro taught himself animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
from a book by Preston Blair
Preston Blair
Preston Blair was an American character animator, most noted for his work at Walt Disney Productions and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation department...
. In the mid-50s he began freelancing in the New York animation industry for Academy Pictures and Elektra Studios. He found his first solid job with a company that made commercials. It was while working there that he met and befriended former Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
animator William Tytla, who became a mentor. Another co-worker was Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, the then-future editor of Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, with whom he created a series of science fiction adventure comics. In 1961 he became one of the partners to form Ferro, Mogubgub and Schwartz with animation stylist Fred Mogubgub
Fred Mogubgub
Fred Mogubgub was an animator and painter who first came to attention through his films related to the pop art movement of the 1960s in New York City....
and comics artist Lew Schwartz
Lew Schwartz
Lew Schwartz was an American comic book artist, ad-man and award winning film-maker, credited as a ghost artist for Bob Kane on DC Comics superhero Batman from either 1946 or 1947 through to 1953...
, and in 1964 he formed Pablo Ferro Films.
From the unforgettable opening of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove to the revolutionary split-screen montage of the original The Thomas Crown Affair
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)
The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 film by Norman Jewison starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. It was nominated for two Academy Awards and won the Award for Best Song with Michel Legrand's "Windmills of Your Mind"...
, the Cuban-born filmmaker Pablo Ferro has been putting his indelible stamp on the moving image for over four decades. A pioneer of quick-cut editing, multiple screen images (the first in film and television in 1963) animation, and endowed with an inherent sense of playfulness, Ferro’s influential visual style has enormously enriched film, television, animation, commercials, novels and now children’s books. His innovative collages and use of abstract imagery have consistently challenged the medium, as well as altering conceptions of how (and how much) information is received by viewers.
A self-taught filmmaker, Ferro first rose to prominence with such classic animations as the first color NBC Peacock and the Burlington Mills “stitching” logo, as well as technologically novel visual presentations, including the Singer Pavilion’s film at the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
– the first time film projectors were used to create multiple-screen images.
Hailed by director Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
as “the best designer of film titles in the country today”, Woman of Straw
Woman of Straw
Woman of Straw is a 1964 British crime thriller starring Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery. It was directed by Basil Dearden and written by Robert Muller and Stanley Mann, adapted from the 1964 novel by Catherine Arley.- Plot :...
, Bullitt
Bullitt
Bullitt is a 1968 American police procedural film starring Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L....
, The Russians are Coming…The Russians are Coming, Citizens Band, Philadelphia
Philadelphia (film)
Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film that was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington...
, Married to the Mob
Married to the Mob
Married to the Mob is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Modine.Michelle Pfeiffer, in something of a departure from her previous roles, gave an acclaimed lead performance as a gangster's widow from Brooklyn, opposite Matthew Modine as the...
, Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...
, and To Live and Die in L.A. are among the over 100 films that have showcased his creations. Ferro’s distinctive hand-drawn opening segments have appeared in films ranging from Stop Making Sense
Stop Making Sense
Stop Making Sense is a concert movie featuring Talking Heads live on stage. Directed by Jonathan Demme, it was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 1983, as the group was touring to promote their new album Speaking in Tongues. The movie is notable for...
, American Heart
American Heart
American Heart is a 1993 film by Martin Bell, starring Edward Furlong and Jeff Bridges. It was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award in a number of categories, and won in the Best Male Lead category.-Synopsis:...
and The Addams Family
The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
to Men in Black
Men in Black (film)
Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film was based on the Men in Black comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Marvel Comics. The film featured the creature effects...
, and his memorable trailers have helped introduce such epochal films as A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
, Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, O’ Lucky Man and Zardoz
Zardoz
Zardoz is a 1974 science fiction/fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman. It stars Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, and Sara Kestelman. Zardoz was Connery's second post-James Bond role...
into the cultural vernacular.
Pablo worked on several films with his closet friend the late film director Hal Ashby
Hal Ashby
Hal Ashby was an American film director and film editor.-Birth and early years:Born William Hal Ashby in Ogden, Utah, Ashby grew up in a Mormon household and had a tumultuous childhood as part of a dysfunctional family which included the divorce of his parents, his father's suicide and his...
, including Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude is a 1971 American dark comedy film directed by Hal Ashby and released by Paramount Pictures. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama, with a plot that revolves around the exploits of a young man intrigued with death, Harold...
, Bound For Glory, Being There
Being There
Being There is a 1979 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby. Adapted from the 1971 novella written by Jerzy Kosinski, the screenplay was coauthored by Kosinski and Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A...
as well as Co-Directing The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Let’s Spend The Night Together documentary. Ferro worked with Gus Van Sant on To Die For
To Die For
To Die For is a 1995 dark comedy film, made in a mockumentary format, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Buck Henry, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, which in turn was based on the Pamela Smart story. It stars Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, and Joaquin Phoenix...
and Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting is a 1997 drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, and Stellan Skarsgård...
, and has worked with dozens of Academy Award winning Directors. In addition to directing and producing his own feature film, Me, Myself & I
Me, Myself and I (film)
Me, Myself & I is a 1992 dark romantic comedy starring JoBeth Williams and George Segal. The movie is the directorial debut of editor and producer Pablo Ferro. Bill Macy, Shelley Hack and Ruth Gilbert also appear in this independent film shot in Ontario, Canada.-Cast:*JoBeth Williams ... Crazy...
(1991) with George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
and JoBeth Williams
JoBeth Williams
JoBeth Williams is an American film and television actress and director, and current President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.-Early life:...
, he worked as an actor for Robert Downey Sr.
Robert Downey Sr.
Robert John Downey, Sr. is an American actor, writer, and film director, and the father of actor Robert Downey, Jr...
in Greasers Palace (chief cloud in the head) as well as in Hugo Pool
Hugo Pool
Hugo Pool is a 1997 American comedy-drama film starring Alyssa Milano and Patrick Dempsey and directed by Robert Downey, Sr.-Plot:...
as a (salsa dancer).
Ferro has worked as Visual Consultant, Second-unit Director on several films and contributed the famous “Pornographic” Effects to Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...
in a special montage within the film. Ferro was Supervising Editor on The Night They Raided Minsky’s, and received a nomination for the first American Video Award (AVA) for his work as Supervising Editor of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
’s music video BEAT IT Ferro has produced and directed numerous short films such as The Inflatable Doll.
Pablo Ferro has won over 70 National and International awards over his amazing career, among them numerous CLIO’S, a DGA
DGA
DGA may refer to:* Damned Good Airplane a series of planes, i.e. DGA-15 built by Howard Aircraft Corporation* Dangriga Airport in Dangriga, Belize...
Excellence in Film Award, and several Lifetime Achievement awards. He has also received nominations from such highly regarded institutions as the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt. In 1999 Pablo was awarded the prestigious DaimlerChrysler Design Award, and in 2000 Pablo was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame.
Pablo’s titles and montage sequences have appeared in 12 Academy Award winning films. Pablo is currently creating a children’s book, a graphic novel and finishing animation on his own documentary to be released in 2012.