Archive for February 21st, 2009

Typesetting is not unlike programming.

- Jenny Holzer

I really enjoy watching or reading first hand accounts of how an artist works. I like anything that gives me insight into an artist’s mind. Often times when you hear artists speak you get no tangible insight at all, but you do get the flavor, the cadence, the odd ways their minds put things together. Often there is an incongruity between what you see as their creation and what they are saying about it. I enjoy that and I like to compare my creative process to theirs. It never ceases to be fascinating to watch other people be creative.

I’m not a filmmaker, I know very little about that particular craft, so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to get so close to a filmmakers mind in this particular documentary. The five obstructions is about two artists getting together and one of them gives the other a series of five challenges to overcome. You get to see each challenge and each solution in a call and response fashion and it is just fascinating and enlightening to be able to see this process.

(also a must see if you like nordic accents.)

It was truly visually stunning. It was so rich in detail, it’s almost overwhelming to think about the amount of work that went into creating it. Every intricate detail and special effect is done using the “old-fashioned” technique of stop motion. The story is also engaging and has enough twists to keep you along for the ride. But mostly it is a visual feast, and doubly so when you view it in 3D. Overall a great slowly expanding, at times unsettling, gross and funny, adventure, full of quirky and diverse, engaging characters.

For some reason I thought this had something to do with Tim Burton, apparently the iconic look of Nightmare before Christmas has actually more to do with the director than Burton. In that case I have Henry Selick to thank for this fun and amazing movie.