and graduating with a degree in communications from Washington State University, Nickman then produced and created stage and lighting designs for leading-edge, live multi-media concerts combining rock bands with symphony orchestras along with his filmed images projected onto large screens above the performers.
[12] His body of work, which also includes Planetary Traveler[13] and Infinity's Child[14] has firmly established him as a computer-generated imagery (CGI) pioneer[15] and a master of long-form films that use music as the primary narrative.
Combining the artistry of numerous computer animators from around the world with a score by James Reynolds, The Mind's Eye is credited with giving rise to such films as Toy Story.
[16] Animation Magazine reviewer Karl Rathcke wrote the film was "... the type of audio-visual 'head trip' for the 90's that Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was for the 60's.
[22] Both films are true to his signature fusing of motion picture to music and were specifically designed as a way for viewers to connect emotionally with the beauty of our planet, rather than intellectualize it through a discussion about it.
Using music as the narrative, Echoes of Creation is a 40-minute journey through Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and as far south as California, featuring a soundtrack by Grammy nominated composer David Arkenstone and spoken word by Karen Hutton.