- "We had to come up with our own credit, because what I was doing sort of became a lot more expansive than just storyboards. Gore and I started working together when he was directing commercials, and I would storyboard for him. Then, when he started making movies, he would bring me in from time to time and my work expanded. For 'Pirates', we would talk about the script, story, themes, character beats, things that go beyond traditional storyboarding. The best part about films like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is that there's lots of room for creative enhancement."
- ―James Ward Byrkit
James Ward Byrkit (also known as James Byrkit or Jim Byrkit) is an American filmmaker. He is perhaps best known for his many collaborations with director Gore Verbinski. His work included co-writing the script and starring in Rango, as well as directing the science fiction thriller Coherence.
For Pirates of the Caribbean, Jim Byrkit was the conceptual consultant, helping Gore Verbinski design iconic sequences and create several props for the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, and At World's End. In 2006, Byrkit directed Tales of the Code: Wedlocked, a short film and prequel to The Curse of the Black Pearl. Although credited for the Map featured in At World's End, Byrkit did uncredited revision work on the Map in On Stranger Tides.
Biography[]
Early life and career[]
Not much is known of Jim Byrkit's early life, only that he loved to draw as a kid. As he grew older, he realized he enjoyed acting, music, photography and travel, things which seemed to combine in movie-making.[1] A CalArts theater grad turned storyboard artist, Byrkit had been involved in many film projects. At some point in his career, Byrkit met Gore Verbinski, who was directing commercials.[1] They would work on many projects together, including Mouse Hunt.
Pirates of the Caribbean[]
The Pirates Trilogy[]
- "A joy to work on. [...] I'm still amazed that the ridiculous ideas we would come up with to make each other laugh actually ended up in the movie, shot for shot as we imagined them. Thanks, Gore. You're a sick man and I love you."
- ―Jim Byrkit
James Ward Byrkit was the conceptual consultant of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.[2][3][4] To help conceptualize the original Disneyland ride as a sprawling film of curses and cutlasses, wenches and wit, director Gore Verbinski hired Jim Byrkit as a consultant in the making of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[2][5][6] Because they had worked on tons of projects together, when Gore called Byrkit up to say he was doing the first Pirates, Byrkit said "I'll be right over!"[1] Bykrit soon found himself on the very first location scout to the Caribbean with Gore where they conceived Jack Sparrow stepping off the sinking boat, the Jolly Mon, the musical introduction to the skeleton pirates, and other key moments.[7] He would have done three weeks of consultancy work on The Curse of the Black Pearl, doing the very first drawing of the Black Pearl and other ships.[4]
Byrkit's first rendering of Davy Jones, an early illustration sketched in the middle of the night during one of his "spitball sessions" with Gore Verbinski.
Byrkit continued to work on the Pirates films in the sequels, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, as conceptual consultant.[3][4] Although Gore had his hands full with two movies that were lacking finished scripts, they worked out all the action scenes together, had more adventures on the location scouts, and had to develop a new set of pirate bad guys. On the very first day they got together to talk, Gore and Byrkit came up with the idea of "bodies that had suffered a sea-change", which Crash McCreery used to develop Davy Jones and his crew soon after.[7] In addition to the more than 3,000 storyboards for Dead Man's Chest and At World's End that Byrkit created, he also bounced back and forth between departments, such as production design, props and the pre-visualization team, helping with simplified animatics of the overwhelmingly complex action sequences that were a blueprint for Verbinski on set, and later, for Industrial Light & Magic's visual effects.[4]
While Byrkit made an early illustration and first rendering of Davy Jones, sketched in the middle of the night during one of his "spitball sessions" with Gore Verbinski,[8][9] Byrkit storyboarded the scene in Dead Man's Chest where Davy Jones appeared in front of Jack Sparrow from the scuttled ship to aboard the Black Pearl by February 9, 2005.[10]
Jim Byrkit and Gore Verbinski making the Map.
Of all his experiences with the Pirates trilogy, Byrkit enjoyed the location scouts, saying that they were "quite adventurous and fun" and that he loved cruising around remote parts of the Caribbean looking for just the right place to set a scene. Byrkit had stated that his favorite location, which was also the most dangerous in his opinion, was the island of Dominica. He also enjoyed making Sao Feng's Map, which he wrote a lot of death-inspired passages included on the map that were translated by the calligrapher.[11][12][8][9][13] There were different versions of the map, one of which was barely seen in the fourth film On Stranger Tides,[1] which were revisions on the map that served as the only thing Byrkit worked on for the film, uncredited.[14][15][16] Byrkit also helped Kris Peck, the prop master, with making the "Pirate codebook", in which he would help fill the pages with the kinds of things pirates would include.[13][1][14][15]
Tales of the Code: Wedlocked[]
Jim Byrkit directing Wedlocked.
- "I had been helping conceptualize the big action scenes [in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'] with Gore, so I was on set a lot. We had these amazing sets that Rick Heinrichs designed for sequels No. 2 and 3, and it seemed like we should put them to use somehow. We would be in the misty bayou set and Gore would say, 'Somebody give Jim a camera so he can shoot a movie here.' I got Brigham Taylor at Disney interested in the idea for a short film. Then it was all about rounding up the writers. I envisioned something based on the Pirate Code Book, because that implied a device that could tie other stories in later. That's a hint, by the way."
- ―James Ward Byrkit
In 2006, while Byrkit was on a set for At World's End, marveling at the work of Rick Heinrichs (the Shipwreck Cove set piece), he told Gore Verbinski “we should shoot a movie here in off hours.” And he said “Go for it!” So he went to Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and asked if they had an idea for a short about the Pirate Code. They thought that Vanessa Branch (Giselle) and Lauren Maher (Scarlett) should have their own story and the three started writing Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked.[1] The script made recalled the Disneyland ride more than the movies, which would include new characters made up by Elliott, Rossio, and Byrkit.[17]
Production began in late 2006,[18] in which the DVD department gave them some money to put together a crew, rent a camera, and had filmed the short for three days.[1] Directed by Byrkit, the short would feature Vanessa Branch and Lauren Maher in center spotlight as a saucy, comically gifted duo—in what Byrkit calls "a chance for the wenches to have their own wacky moment". Wedlocked also allowed Byrkit to display his directorial gifts, as a cast and costumes and sets were speedily assembled on the California Pirates soundstage for this passion project.[5] Most of the pirates that appear in the short are new characters made up by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, and Byrkit himself. He also loves "Pyrate Bryde" by Warren Goodlang, a song created just for the short that plays at the ending credits;[19] by 2022, he revealed it was performed by a collaboration between himself, Steve Goodie and Martin Lang.[20]
To coincide with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the "Four-Movie Collection", a 15-disc Blu-ray and DVD packaging containing the first four feature films and Tales of the Code: Wedlocked, was also released on October 18, 2011. Despite its release, as of December 2011, Byrkit doesn't own the Blu-ray/DVD set.[19] In addition, Wedlocked was released on his website jimbyrkit.com initially set with password access though later was accessible upon entering his website.[17][21]
After Pirates[]
When asked if he was still working on Pirates, Byrkit's answer was no, saying it's not the same since Gore Verbinski stepped away and that they didn't have the same magic for him.[6] Despite this, Byrkit had great enthusiasm for his work on the franchise.[14] In Prop Culture, a Disney+ series which premiered in 2020, Jim Byrkit and Crash McCreery appeared in one episode to talk about their experiences in making Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[22]
In 2024, prior to the Van Eaton Gallery auction, Byrkit tweeted how it was an honor to be included as an artist in the auction. He added that the collectors of Pirates of the Caribbean art, and all movie art, "are fascinating souls, full of dreams and creativity, and constantly amaze me."[23] Most of the art featured included some of Byrkit's storyboards, the Mao Kun map from At World's End, and the "Take a Wench for a Bride" banner featured in Wedlocked.[24]
Later work[]
And when Verbinski decided to attempt his first feature animation film, Rango, it was Byrkit the artist right there behind the literal drawing board, spending long months trying to determine how a shaky-gunned chameleon dropped into a “Chinatown”-parched desert could ever be visually expressive enough to become a Depp-voiced cartoon hero.[5] Byrkit also provided several voices, most notably the character "Waffles".[1]
In 2012, James Byrkit and Alex Manugian were announced as screenwriters for a film based on Fraggle Rock,[25] though had since left the project. Byrkit directed the 2013 science fiction thriller Coherence, his debut feature film, which earned critical and audience praise. In between projects, Jim Byrkit posted a majority of his work on his website jimbyrkit.com, which features art from Pirates, Rango, among other commercial work.[14]
Works[]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Contribution(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Consultant | Credited as "Jim Byrkit"[2] |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Conceptual Consultant | |
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Conceptual Consultant | |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Uncredited work on the Map[14][15][16] | |
| 2011 | Tales of the Code: Wedlocked | Director | Filmed in late 2006[18] |
| 2020 | Prop Culture | Himself | Disney+ docuseries; Episode: "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"[22] |
Bibliography[]
Trivia[]
- Jim Byrkit on how Will Turner's line "I can do this all day" was added into Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. He also added that his friends who knew that he suggested the line joke that he somehow triggered Captain America's biggest catch phrase, though in reality, he must have heard it somewhere else as well. Byrkit thought Will needed a moment to show his undaunted spirit and signal to the audience why he wouldn't just give up after being trapped, and so he suggested it to director Gore Verbinski as we storyboarded the scene and it made its way into the script.[27][28]
Sources[]
- The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean
- Bring Me That Horizon: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: Masters Of Design
External Links[]
- Jim Byrkit's official website - Archived
James Ward Byrkit at the Internet Movie Database- James Byrkit (@jimbyrkit) on Instagram
- James Ward Byrkit (@JamesWardByrkit) on Twitter
- James Ward Byrkit on Wikipedia
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 POTC Interview with Jim Byrkit 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl credits
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 POTC2 Presskit
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 POTC3 Presskit
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 As a creative renaissance man, writer-director James Ward Byrkit brings 'RANGO' and 'PIRATES' film to your screen - The Washington Post - Archived
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 James Ward Byrkit: Exclusive FinalBoss Interview
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Pirates of the Caribbean - Jim Byrkit Director
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bring Me That Horizon: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean
- ↑
James Byrkit (@jimbyrkit) on Instagram (post) (March 8, 2021): "Jack sees Davy"
- ↑ At World's End production notes: Chapter 15 - Props: Weapons, Maps, Rings or Whatever
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Production Notes | 2007 Movie Releases - Made in Atlantis
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Masters Of Design"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 UTC 025 - Jim Byrkit - Director of Pirates of the Caribbean Short "Wedlocked" - Under the Crossbones - The Pirate Podcast
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Jim Byrkit Director of Pirates of the Caribbean Short Wedlocked Under The Crossbones Pirate Podcast - YouTube
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Jim Byrkit Interview - Discussing Pirates, Rango, and Coherence - YouTube
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Wedlocked - Jim Byrkit Director
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 bio - nic sadler - added before October 22, 2009
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Jim Byrkit confirming Wedlocked details on December 28, 2011
- ↑ Jim Byrkit about Warren Goodlang on July 23, 2022
- ↑ The Vault | jimbyrkit.com
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Prop Culture
- ↑ James Ward Byrkit on X: "An honor to be included as an artist in the upcoming Van Eaton Gallery auction (p. 185). The collectors of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN art - and all movie art - are fascinating souls, full of dreams and creativity, and constantly amaze me" / X
- ↑ A Celebration of Popular Culture | Van Eaton Galleries
- ↑ 'Rango' Collaborators Jim Byrkit & Alex Manugian Hired To Write Long-Developing 'Fraggle Rock' Movie - IndieWire
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Pirates of the Caribbean the complete Jim Byrkit storyboards
- ↑ Jim Byrkit on P2 Will Turner's "I can do this all day" line.
- ↑
James Ward Byrkit (@JamesWardByrkit) on Twitter (post) (October 20, 2022): "for the record... this line wasn't improvised in Pirates 2 #steverogers"
