Behind the Designs: Bruce Cannon, Ghost Trap Engineer
Meet Bruce Cannon, the Mattel engineer responsible for the long-awaited Ghostbusters™ Prop Replica Ghost Trap. Bruce claims he's quirky; we prefer to think of him as witty, original and crazy-talented! Read on to meet Bruce and get a behind-the-scenes look at creating one of the most fan-demanded Ghostbuster toys ever.
Q. You’re the man responsible for the awesome Ghostbusters™ Prop Replica Ghost Trap. What’s the design process for creating a film-accurate replica?
A. This is one I will have to share the glory on, as the trap could not possibly exist without the seriously hard work of four other people: project designer Bill Benecke's commitment to accuracy, marketing manager Scott Neitlich's keen collector's sense, project manager David Strom's focus on exact reproduction of detail and mechanical complexity, and sound designer Matt Thorne's magic with the mix.
My contribution is the live part, the movement, light and sound; the electronic machine, how everything fits, the electromechanical system to create the synchronized sound and light sequences; the programming which creates the experience of trapping ghosts, electrical sparks, the confined ghost moving around in the trap. (Read more after images…)
My process was:
1. Spend a lot of time searching videos, reading blogs, and learning everything I could about the raw prop, the concept of the working trap, and the way it plays out in the film. Blogs and archival footage were a huge help. My best intel came from a YouTube post of a comparison of the dailies (raw film without effects) vs. the final footage (with special effects) for the ballroom trap sequence. This gave me great insight into what features the actual prop contained, and what features were added in post-production.
2. Figure out how to make the most excitement in the smallest possible space at a reasonable system complexity.
3. Do a lot of optical tests to get the trap light effects right.
4. Do a lot of animation scripting and tests to get the synchronized light and sound and movement sequences exactly right.
5. Spend a lot of months working with manufacturing partners to ensure that every detail of the vision the five of us had, made it all the way through the development process and into the final product.
Q. Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up and how did you get started?
A. I was born and raised in and around Seattle. My mother was an artist, my father was an architect, but more importantly a guy who felt he could fix anything and build anything. He fixed our cars, and everything in our house; he built stereos, boats, spare bedrooms, etc. And he made me help him do most of it. I internalized his belief that one can make anything. I studied sculpture, filmmaking and electronics in school. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. I worked in art and then technology startups for the next 20 years or so. Good training, it turns out, for toy engineering.
Q. What’s a real day like for a toy engineer? What do you actually do?
A. I study technologies online; brainstorm with designers, engineers, marketing people; sketch concepts; build mockups; design new toy ideas; create working prototypes; create toy-like working models; create video “commercials” and drawings; and either build them into existing items as part of my brand support work, or in other cases present them as inventions to all the brands for possible implementation in new items.
Q. What’s the best part of the job?
A. Everything I just described!
Q. What’s the hardest part of the job?
A. Finding the ideas that are low enough in cost for toys, and low enough in complexity that we can do them on schedule. Having enough time to do everything.
Q. How do you get your ideas? What inspires you?
A. I study pop culture, especially geek culture (Gizmodo, Instructables, Make), and the art and technology movement (Dorkbot, etc.).
Q. Who was your biggest influence and how did they affect you professionally?
A. I worked as studio assistant for ten years for a guy who studied originally to be an electrical engineer, but once in the work world immediately changed careers and became very successful as an artist making interactive sculpture. I tried for many, many years to emulate his success, but it is brutally hard in the art market. Only since coming to Mattel have I come close to my dream of making cool things and sharing them with the world.
Q. What are some of your favorite toys and why?
A. Even if I didn’t make them myself, I really love Mattel’s adult collector category of electronic items. The attention to detail, the complexity: I just want to own them more than anything else we make.
Q. What are your favorite movies and comics?
A. My top four movies are “Miller’s Crossing,” “Time Bandits,” “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Withnail And I.” As far as comics goes, I especially like all the collaborations between Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean.
Q. Favorite super hero?
A. In comics, Batman because he’s vulnerable and his world is dark. In film, Captain Amazing from “Mystery Men” because he satisfies 100% of my daily requirement for arch irony.
Q. Would you be a super hero or a villain?
A. I would be a superhero. I would be The Red Bee (Hit Comics #1, 1940). Why? Because it’s probably the dumbest thing I ever heard of, but at the same time kind of cool: I love animals, and to have an a**-kicking superpet named Michael that lives in my belt buckle is an opportunity I just can’t pass up.
Q. Have any quirks you care to share?
A. I am bad at chitchat and small talk. I can be a nice guy when I take the time, but I have a maniacal focus which can seem rude. I try to remember that not everyone is interested in what I’m currently obsessing on, but I forget too often.
Q. What else should fans know about you?
A. I have a long prior career of making strange, quirky and enigmatic high-concept interactive sculpture, which can still be seen on the web.
Q. Anything you’d like to say to the fans?
A. Thank you for supporting our attempt to create a new market for innovative, highest quality, high complexity items. I love this work!!
