Wednesday, December 07, 2011

FILM SKOOL: NORTH BY NORTHWEST



God, I wish I could pull off wearing a fedora any day of the week. The tall kind, the kind the “professor” wears.

And yeah, yeah, yeah, there’s nothing more “American” than Mount Rushmore. Maybe. I’ll go with Jazz, and bourbon. And you should, too.

So, the 20 year Pappy Van Winkle, switched to Noah’s Mill Bourbon about 45 minutes in, should make you giggle like a school girl as Cary Grant escapes harm via fabricated hijinx in the auction house. Seriously, NORTH BY NORTHWEST is one of the obvious go-to films for “learning”. I was shown the cornfield crop-duster sequence at age 18 in my freshman year story class at CalArts. The problem with freshmen is that you’re dealing with people who you ASSUME have seen certain films. At age 18, I’d heard of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, but never seen it. So the crop dusting sequence was marvelous to behold, even out of context, but still…it was out of context. And out of context, in a story class, is almost useless. Story happens in two ways: details, of course, which, with the crop-dusting sequence, still come across as marvelous…but the second way is “broad strokes”. Big, sweeping story elements. And these, my friends, are what establish context for something like the crop-dusting sequence.

Still, LOOK FOR DETAILS in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. The use of hands--human hands--and how they articulate. Grant and Eva Marie-Saint use them to great effect. Their first meeting, on the train, has them in the throws of passion: the cross cutting keeps the consistency of splayed fingers in hair, conveying a certain charm in the moment. Later, when they meet again, after Grant has been betrayed, Marie-Saint keeps her fingers splayed, but Grant, he holds his hands away from her, unable to touch his Judas. THIS is something that doesn’t show up in a script. THIS is NORTH BY NORTHWEST.

ALSO! Watch closely during the introduction of Van Dam. He accuses the unknowing Grant of “playing games”, yet Van Dam, that wily Sher Khan, enters in full light, crosses to a curtain, draws it closed, crosses to a lamp, turns it on and stand IN FRONT OF IT, back-lighting himself, then crosses yet again to light the room in full once more. Games, and control of how he’s perceived. This is a villain. This, too, is NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Charm: in the dialogue...the uses of lenses…the choices of shots.

It was a complete accident that I accented this flick with bourbon. That’s the happy film gods playing their role to a “t”, as Grant is forced most of a bottle, then requests it once more near the end of act 2. Bourbon. And Pappy Van Winkle is perfect for viewing this thing. The switch to Noah’s Mill was out a low supply of the Pappy’s. Try to keep to the good stuff.

ALSO! After the bad guys are on to Eva Marie-Saint (watch for two nice conventional camera tricks: focus, and a move, to a God’s eye view of the snakes in the grass), you’ll want to watch for an artful use of COLOR. It’s subtle, but as Grant climbs the outer wall of the mountain retreat, there’s a unique separation of warm and cool values: inner rooms warm, outer cool. Villains and prey inside…our hero, outside, in the cool.

And a train has never meant so much. Set up early in act 2. And the last shot says it all.

Details AND broad strokes. Watch the whole thing. The crop-dusting sequence is iconic, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Dem Birdsh

This'll be up for sale to benefit the Cartoon Art Museum. It's some birdsh. Dey gots some berriesh. Birdsh gotta eat, too.

This is painted with cel-vinyl from Cartoon Colour. You people are always asking what kind of paint I use. So there ya go.

Cartoon Colour.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

WOMEN OF WONDER DAY!

Here's a little something for WOMEN OF WONDER DAY. Go support, people!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Sonny walks the Monster

"...more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation."
--Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN




When my pal Steve Niles recently told me his dog Sonny had to undergo chemo I knew I had to step up to help a bit. I know what it's like to have a best buddy like Sonny. There's no end to a life like that no matter what's on the horizon.

This art will be made available as a print and the original will also be for sale shortly. Watch for details over at Steve's website.

Monday, September 12, 2011

SWEETPEA

Hey, my pal Emma Coats is making a western short film called SWEETPEA. Go kick in and score an original gunslinger painting by me, but be QUICK! Fundraising is almost over! I contributed 4 originals...you'll score one of these paintings plus some other cool stuff.



Friday, September 02, 2011

KAMEN RIDER!

For a 40th Anniversary gallery show at Q POP in L.A.


Thursday, August 04, 2011

CRIME AND TERROR/ STRANGE SCIENCE FANTASY limited editions


You can now order the limited editions of A GLIMPSE OF CRIME AND TERROR and STRANGE SCIENCE FANTASY world-wide!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

A GLIMPSE OF CRIME AND TERROR is a very small "preview" print run of the upcoming CRIME AND TERROR hardcover series from Steve Niles and Scott Morse. This volume, an oversized board book hardcover at 9"x12" with rounded corners, is limited to 500 copies (going fast after the debut at TR!CKSTER) and runs $25 plus shipping and tax (in CA). It'll come signed by me if you order through my site.

STRANGE SCIENCE FANTASY's "limited edition" is the high quality trade issued from IDW, signed and numbered by me and shipping with TWO pieces of original art from the actual book. Each page was executed as three separate panels, and with each limited edition you'll get two of these panels, picked by me, to accompany your book. Limited to 25 copies, these might go quick. $50 plus shipping and tax (in CA).

Get 'em while you can! And allow a couple weeks for shipping...I'm a one-man operation still recovering from TR!CKSTER and planning the next one, so I'll get 'em out in a timely fashion, but it might take a few days. Thanks!

CRIME AND TERROR/ STRANGE SCIENCE FANTASY limited editions




You can now order the limited editions of A GLIMPSE OF CRIME AND TERROR and STRANGE SCIENCE FANTASY world-wide!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

A GLIMPSE OF CRIME AND TERROR is a very small "preview" print run of the upcoming CRIME AND TERROR hardcover series from Steve Niles and Scott Morse. This volume, an oversized board book hardcover at 9"x12" with rounded corners, is limited to 500 copies (going fast after the debut at TR!CKSTER) and runs $25 plus shipping and tax (in CA). It'll come signed by me if you order through my site.

STRANGE SCIENCE FANTASY's "limited edition" is the high quality trade issued from IDW, signed and numbered by me and shipping with TWO pieces of original art from the actual book. Each page was executed as three separate panels, and with each limited edition you'll get two of these panels, picked by me, to accompany your book. Limited to 25 copies, these might go quick. $50 plus shipping and tax (in CA).

Get 'em while you can! And allow a couple weeks for shipping...I'm a one-man operation still recovering from TR!CKSTER and planning the next one, so I'll get 'em out in a timely fashion, but it might take a few days. Thanks!

Thursday, July 07, 2011

On Comics and Film: visual storytelling

COMICS AND FILM LANGUAGE

It has occurred to me, while watching David Lean’s GREAT EXPECTATIONS as I write this, that cinematic language and how it relates to comics storytelling—that being the progressive sequential images of comics—has evolved in ways we don’t acknowledge or respect.

Take for instance simplicity in staging and cutting—bare economics in relatable film language—in Lean’s GREAT EXPECTATIONS. Simple by today’s standards (2011). Progressive cutting from establishing shots to medium to close-ups and back out. This language of visual dynamics is economic and easy to follow and translates readily to a still-image format like comics. By today’s standards, however, the cutting dynamics of Jack Harris and his crew in GREAT EXPECTATIONS might be viewed as light and elementary by the average viewer. However, there is historic and elementary KNOWLEDGE at play here. And shockingly enough, this is the type of cutting most directly related to the strongest of dynamic comics storytelling in play in the modern age. Take Jeff Smith, or Paul Pope, or Cyril Pedrosa, or Jaime Hernandez. These fellows know when to move their “camera”, when to cut, when to shift compositions, at the most basic cinematic level--essential cinematic level, even. A reveal, a cut or push-in for dramatic impact. The fact that you can “hold” on a composition for solidarity is often times cast away in favor of “flash” and “style”. In actuality, relishing a composition can in fact strengthen and hearten a moment. Let a composition do its job: tell a story. And remember: to tell a story is to lay out one card at a time and not play your full hand until you need to.

Let us address this: in comics, we have only the still image to play with. Only the stagnant, untimed delivery of one image juxtaposed against the sequentially designed next. If, as a visual storyteller, you endeavor to tell your stories in comics and eventually hope to translate them to film, you might consider the editorial style of Jack Harris and David Lean. Economic--poignant and iconic—and effective.

Very simply: let a moment exist as long as it needs to, and “cut” only when it serves to progress your story. Impact. Small or large, impact is important. Savor the visual choice to establish a new plot dynamic. Only change the visual when there’s something new to say—a new story point—and understand that this choice will be obvious when you execute it. Impact.

Comics are NOT storyboards. They are very different animals. However, even different animals share a common ancestor…and sometimes that ancestor is an unknown quantity: is Bigfoot the missing link between great apes and man? Is there a way to merge the still images of comics with the timed images of film?

Thursday, June 30, 2011

A GLIMPSE OF CRIME AND TERROR...on its WAY!

Big thick board book pages! You could throw it at someone and knock 'em out! They're on their way and they're gonna be at TR!CKSTER. Come an' get 'em... and come see how make a book like this! You get a copy of the book with the price of admission!


Monday, May 23, 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

A GLIMPSE OF CRIME AND TERROR **NOW EVEN BIGGER!**


You suckers asked for it. Me and Steve Niles are gonna slap you silly with a sneak peek book this summer. It's a 9"x12" board book with rounded corners, all big and thick and meaty. Sure, it's just got two stories in it, 32 pages total, but it's a limited edition kind'a thing. We're only printing 500 of these bad boys. It's called A GLIMPSE OF CRIME AND TERROR and these stories we're puttin' in it, they're chocked full'a both crime AND terror. Yer gonna be pushing people outta the way just to get yer mits on it. CRIME AND TERROR, the big book, it's gonna be LOTS bigger'n this with lots more stories, but that's coming out down the line and THIS is coming out this summer. This is just a tease, a tease you'll want for your coffee table to make all'a yer friends jealous that yer so cultured with a big ol' book about CRIME AND TERROR.

More information soon. Hold yer horses. Enjoy the cover for the book in the meantime, you saps.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

ONE: a benefit for Japan


Another incredible effort to generate some much-needed aid for Japan. I'll have this piece available:

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

CRIME AND TERROR teases

A little more...just to keep you all in suspense...


Monday, February 21, 2011

CRIME AND TERROR is in full swing...

...and here's a coupla more peeks:


NEWS!

Hey all-

A coupla things:

ITEM! Pal Skottie Young and I have launched a new daily (?!) character sketch blog at SkottieScott Swing by every day for some love! And buy something if you love it THAT much.

ITEM! TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! is available for the iPad at WHAMIX! ! If you're wanting a beautifully designed digital version of this and many other books by pals Ted Mathot, Enrico Casarosa, and others, on an app by Apurva Shah, one of our pals from Pixar, then this is your ticket!

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

It's been awhile...


Hey everyone-


Happy 2011. I'm on a new film at Pixar, and working on my own stuff in the spare minutes. MY OWN STUFF. That's important. Stuff I get to call shots on, and work with who I want to work with on. Along those lines, there's two new books on the horizon that'll hit this year. I'll be yapping about them lots, as I'm super excited about both.

TEN AGAINST THE WORLD will launch later this year...5 issues, 40 pages each. You've seen some snippets of this in the past. Buckle up for the full-tilt horror ride. Hot rods and monsters, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE a'la pre-hero Kirby. Kinetic, insane, pure comics. I'll post some art soon, as well as info on the publisher. It's locked, but we're not done with contracts yet, so stay tuned...

STEVE NILES and I are about to kick you in the teeth with an ONGOING SERIES. It's called CRIME AND TERROR. It's filled with episodes detailing the events in the life of a detective named Mike Fallon who's going through some serious personal problems. On top of THAT, we'll be smacking you upside the head with a bunch of short, stand-alone stories: noir, horror, sci-fi, whatever we want. All drawn by me, some written by me, some by Steve. On top of THAT, we'll be throwing in new prose stories with spot-illos by me. Seriously, monthly is the plan, and every month, you'll cry with glee as you scream your face off. Again, publisher info soon, but here's a possible first cover, above, and a sample page from one of the short stories, below:



There's more on the horizon for 2011, too, stuff like CARS 2, of course, but even more stuff that just might change the world. You've been warned.