MENTOR'S DRAWINGS

FILM PRODUCTION DESIGNS

Ben Hur
Conceptual Story Board Designs
Mentor Huebner (c) 1959
Charcoal on Onion Skin 11" x 17"

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BEN HUR won eleven of the twelve Academy Awards for which it was nominated. Mentor's Conceptual Story Board Designs were a major factor in the film becoming such an extraordinary success. It is the most honored film in movie history. Mentor's drawings of the scenes are very exciting. They are magnificent. Mentor put a great deal of his own magnetic vibrations into those designs. I intend to eventually place many of the production drawings from this film and others on this Site. Many of Mentor's Production Designs deserve to be displayed in Museums, and many were. Mentor worked on the film's Chariot Race for about a year and a half. He designed it to 'look' dangerous and yet not bring harm to any actor during the film's shooting.

Many of Mentor's drawings for this film were created on 18" X 20" onion skin, and larger. Very few could be done in a sizes less than 11" X 17". Due to the film's epic scope, the usual Studio Story Boards of fellow artists executed in sizes of three or four on a drawing pad sheet; 8 1/2" X 11", could come close to displaying the necessary proportions of the scenes. Much the same as a postage stamp of the Grand Canyon can give witness to it's magnificence.

Mentor was the right guy at the right time to do the high quality Conceptual Designs best suited to the needs of this historical and Classic Film.

Mentor's Production Design's and calculated camera angles saved Studios many several hundreds of thousands of dollars..each.

Here's a bit of my own personal Trivia connected with this film. I was a kid and had reached no particular significance in the Occult field. No doubt due to Mentor being a major artist for this film, the fantastic actor and matinee idol, Stephen Boyd called and asked me to calculate and read his Astrological Chart. He had a terrific build, and looked very good and every bit the role he played in Ben Hur. I know I was shocked when he called and I heard this 'voice' say, "Hi, this is Stephen Boyd". Doing his Horoscope was a thrill.