Visual Style

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a children's book that I would recommend to any and every one. It was written and illustrated by Brian Selznick. The book is several hundred pages long, but the majority of the pages are captivating drawings. There are words too, but for the most part, this book is a wonderful example of how to tell stories visually. The book also gets bonus points because it references Georges Méliès, who is one of my favorite early filmmakers. The entire book could be read in about an hour or two, and Scorsese is actually directing a movie version expected to be released later this year.

The Science of Sleep is a film that I find incredibly interesting. I've always been into surreal, dreamy things (as I'm sure you'll notice a little further down this page). If you have never seen this movie before, please do.

 

 El Secreto de Sus Ojos or The Secret in Their Eyes is a film I saw a few months ago. These two stills are from a scene where the two main characters have just been informed that the murderer/rapist they convicted has been let out early on good behavior and that there is nothing that they can do about it. As they get in the elevator to exit the building, the newly-freed killer gets in with them. Although they ride down without speaking, the killer begins to take out (what might have even been a government issued) gun and loads it. After several tense moments, he exits and in the reflection of the elevator walls, we see him turn and finally face the people who put him behind bars. Because we can no longer see the gun in the shot, is unclear if this is the end for the main characters or not. I find shots that utilize reflections as a reveal or to build tension exciting and visually interesting.

 

Pes is brilliant. He uses stop motion animation to create short films and commercials. He uses every day objects as substitutions for other objects, if that makes any sense. Everything he does is so weird and interesting to watch. This still is from my favorite short called "Western Spaghetti." Instead of me rambling on about how much I love it, I'll just post a link so that you can see for yourself.

Western Spaghetti 

If you like it, watch some of his others. They are all pretty short.

I would recommend Game Over, Roof Sex, Moth, and Fireworks.

The rest of these images are simply some of my favorite pictures to look at. As I mentioned before, I really like surrealism. I also really like sweet things and things that can make you grin just by looking at them. There are a few other pictures that may have more of a politcal message, like this first one "Mujer Fatal," or are classics that I've always found captivating, like "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror."

 

 

Dizzy Gillespie and Natalie Dee rule.