The Mind's Eye series consists of several art films rendered using computer-generated imagery of varying levels of sophistication, with original music scored note-to-frame. The series was conceived by Steven Churchill of Odyssey Productions in 1989. The initial video was directed, conceptualized, edited and co-produced by Jan Nickman of Miramar Productions and produced by Churchill. The first three products in the series were released on VHS (by BMG) and LaserDisc (by Image Entertainment[1]). The second and third programs in the series were also released on DVD (by Simitar Entertainment), while the fourth program was released and distributed by Sony Music exclusively on DVD.
The typical entry in the Mind's Eye series is a short package film, usually 50 to 60 minutes long, with an electronic music soundtrack over a series of music video-like sequences. The original film, titled The Mind's Eye: A Computer Animation Odyssey, by director and co-producer Jan Nickman and producer Steven Churchill, consisted of a non-rigid structure of many semi-related sequences. The general style which characterizes the series is light and cartoonish, due to the difficulty of rendering more complicated images using the computers of the day.
The computer animation sequences that appeared in the films were generally not produced specifically for the Mind's Eye series but rather were work originally created for other purposes, including demo reels, commercials, music videos, and feature films. Nickman then assembled these sequences into a narrative through creative editing, which resulted in a double platinum selling film considered to be a milestone in the field of computer animation. As a result, The Mind's Eye: A Computer Animation Odyssey reached No. 12 on Billboards video hits chart. This approach gave Churchill access to the best-quality computer graphics of the time without having to bear their substantial production costs.
The soundtracks for the films were composed by James Reynolds, Jan Hammer, Thomas Dolby and Kerry Livgren (founder and guitarist for Kansas).[2]
| Title | Release Date | Distributor | Director | Producer(s) | Composer | Details | Segments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mind's Eye: A Computer Animation Odyssey | January 1, 1990 | Miramar Images, Inc. | Jan Nickman | Jan Nickman Steven Churchill | James Reynolds | Serves as a demonstration of computer animation when the artform was still in its relative infancy. The sales of this video were RIAA-certified as "Multi-Platinum" and reached as high as No. 12 on Billboard's video sales chart. | "Creation" "Civilization Rising" The technological advances of humanity from the advent of agriculture to the future exploration of the cosmos A segment of what might be the next sentient species to arise on Earth |
| Beyond the Mind's Eye | December 23, 1992 | Michael Boydstun | Steven Churchill | Jan Hammer | Some scenes were originally created for the 1983 Simutrek arcade lasergame Cube Quest. Video sales were RIAA-certified as "Multi-Platinum" and reached as high as No. 8 on Billboard's video sales chart. | "Too Far" "Seeds of Life", a sequence themed around planet-colonizing seeds, featuring the noted Panspermia by computer graphics artist Karl Sims CGI sequences from The Lawnmower Man (1992) The DVD version includes both the vocal version of "Seeds of Life" (sung by Chris Thompson) that blends the animation segment and footage of Hammer and his "band" performing (composed of four Jan Hammers) and an instrumental. | |
| The Gate to the Mind's Eye | June 30, 1994 | Odyssey Productions | Thomas Dolby | "Armageddon", a sequence depicting massive devastation "Neo", an astronomy-themed song "Valley of the Mind's Eye", a song about the progress of human technology "Nuvogue", the series' first jazz track "Quantum Mechanic", starring guest vocalist Dr. Fiorella Terenzi "Delirium Tremendus" "God and the Quantum" "Synchronicity", produced and conceptualized by visionary artist Beny Tchaicovsky. | |||
| Odyssey Into the Mind's Eye | July 12, 1996 | Kerry Livgren | Features two vocal tracks: "One Dark World" (sung by Darren Rogers) and "Aspen Moon" (sung by Livgren's nephew Jacob).[3] | CGI sequences from (1994), Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Cyberscape, a 45 minute computer animation produced and copyrighted by Tchaicovsky. |
| Title | Release Date | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Nature: A Computer Generated Visual Odyssey From the Makers of the Mind's Eye | 1993 | Odyssey Visual Design |
| The Mind's Eye Presents Luminous Visions | April 24, 1998 | Odyssey Productions |
| The Mind's Eye Presents Ancient Alien | July 10, 1998 | |
| The Mind's Eye Presents Little Bytes | July 25, 2000 |
Two other anthologies released by Churchill did not include the term "The Mind's Eye" as part of their titles and are thus not considered to be part of the series.
| Title | Release Date | Distributor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imaginaria | December 21, 1993 | Odyssey Visual Design | |
| Turbulence | March 16, 1996 | Odyssey Productions |
Churchill's most recent releases have been entries in the eight part Computer Animation series.
| Title | Release Date | Distributor | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Animation Festival Volume 1.0 | November 5, 1993 | Odyssey Visual Design | [4] |
| Computer Animation Festival Volume 2.0 | September 2, 1994 | ||
| Computer Animation Festival Volume 3.0 | July 12, 1996 | Odyssey Productions | |
| The Mind's Eye Presents Computer Animation Classics | May 6, 1997 | ||
| The Mind's Eye Presents Computer Animation Showcase | August 29, 1997 | ||
| The Mind's Eye Presents Computer Animation Celebration | May 1, 1998 | ||
| Computer Animation Marvels | July 23, 1999 | ||
| Computer Animation Extravaganza | August 18, 2000 |
A second sister series obliquely referencing Computer Animation is formed by the original Mind's Eye video and Cyberscape: A Computer Animation Vision (August 28, 1997, co-produced by Zoe Productions and Odyssey Productions), a surreal animation chronicling the evolution of human life and thought, by Beny Tchaicovsky.[5]
Beyond the Mind's Eye was a bestseller in the US when it was originally released on VHS and LaserDisc. Roger Ebert selected it as his "Video Pick of the Week" for the week of December 23, 1992 on the TV series Siskel & Ebert.
Several excerpts from The Mind's Eye were seen in the 1992 sci-fi horror film The Lawnmower Man, which itself was featured in Beyond the Mind's Eye. The Mind's Eye and Beyond the Mind's Eye were both integral components in YTV's Short Circutz segments that aired between programs in the 1990s. Canadian independent television station NTV airs excerpts from the first three Mind's Eye videos as part of their "Computer Animated Art Festivals" that run overnight on Fridays.
Pantera covered the song "Planet Caravan", originally by Black Sabbath, on their 1994 album Far Beyond Driven. The music video for this song features scenes from Beyond the Mind's Eye.