- After receiving a BFA in Industrial Design and a BA in Graphic Design from the University of Washington in Seattle, Mark moved to San Francisco in 1983. There, he worked in product/exhibit design, architectural models and illustration, and toy design (designing a children's ergonomic hand shovel for Discovery Toys and KID that has been mimicked the world over). In 1989, he was hired at Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic.
Over the next 13 years, as a storyboard/concept artist, visual effects art director -- and beginning in 1996 the ILM Art Department Creative Director -- Mark had the privilege of working with many luminary directors including: John Carpenter, Nicholas Meyer, Frank Oz, Tim Burton, Stephen Sommers, Rob Cohen, Brian De Palma, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Ang Lee.
In 2002, Mark went freelance, moved to Texas, and has since worked on films with directors Robert Rodriguez, Mike Judge, Jonathan Liebesman, Jon Favreau, and Jeff Nichols. From 2012 to 2021, Mark consulted with 900 lbs of Creative in Dallas on interactive exhibit experiences for a variety of clients including: Bell Helicopter, BSA, DFW, Dallas Cowboys, Interstate Batteries, JBL, Lockheed, Mack Trucks, Nike, Red Bull, Royal Caribbean and Vroom.
As of 2020 Mark is semi-retired and living in Lamar, Arkansas- IMDb Mini Biography By: Lance Rayfield
- Designed the look of the 'plasma ring' explosion that opens Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), and which has since become a staple of science fiction films (it is also featured in the poster art of the film). He returned to the design task for the 1997 Special Edition of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) with George Lucas' suggestion of augmenting the original Alderaan and Death Star explosions, and then again in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) with the 'seismic charges' that Obi-Wan Kenobi ('Euan McGregor') eludes in the planet Geonosis asteroid field.
- Much of his design for Doc, the malevolent alien abductor in Fire in the Sky (1993) was inspired by Laurence Olivier and his performance torturing Dustin Hoffman's character in Marathon Man (1976). "Is it safe?".
- Along with visual effects art director Alexander Laurant, he designed the expansive opening shot for The Mummy (1999), originally proposing that the film start with the black and white Universal logo from the 'Boris Karloff' version of The Mummy (1932). The elaborate tracking shot involved digital matte paintings, a huge miniature set of an Egyptian plaza, green-screen extras (dozens of ILM employees dressed in period Egyptian wardrobe), and ended on a live-action location plate of Pharaoh entering ancient Thebes via chariot. The one minute shot took an army of model makers and digital artists three months to complete at a final cost of approximately one million dollars.
- He designed the controversial evolution sequence in Mission to Mars (2000), which was deleted when the film was broadcast on network television. Mark also contributed concept art for the interior of the mammoth Martian head and the Martian herself, basing both designs on the works of Romanian modern art sculptor Constantin Brancusi, a favorite of Director Brian De Palma.
- For Grindhouse (2007), Mark created concept art for the horrific melting member of Quentin Tarantino's zombie character in Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror (2007), also providing dozens of key frames detailing the disintegration for the animators at The Orphanage. Chicken sausage and melted plastic were used as reference.
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