Believability

Imagine this: an assassin is chasing a target in his car; he pulls up alongside the target's car and shoots at him but the windows are bulletproof--the bullet bounces off. So the assassin's partner races directly at him in her car...he drives up and over her hood using it as a ramp, propelling and twisting his car in midair, OVER the target's vehicle which has an open sunroof. The assassin shoots down through the sunroof and kills the target as his car flies overhead.


That's one of the least offensive pieces of farfetched action in the (red-band) trailer for this movie. I haven't read the comic this is based on so as far as I know this is the real world, the characters are real people and they're driving real cars. They're not in the Matrix (at least not that I'm aware of) so we're expected to believe these things based on the setting they take place in. In the Matrix (the first film), the world was set up to allow for lots of scenarios that would be impossible in a normal setting; and the movie worked because of that.

During this trailer I couldn't help but shake my head and say wha-wha-whaaat?? I'm all for pushing the bounds of what viewers (myself included) are willing to believe in movies, but some of the things in this trailer go so far beyond the realm of possibility, that it's just silly.

But isn't silly, ridiculous action good? Well, in certain cases yes, but not if you want the movie or its characters to stay with viewers any longer than the end credits.

The events that occur in a film/comic/etc HAVE to be believable within the context of the world that was set up for them in order for us to care. Otherwise, you have characters that are unstoppable, can do anything, and run no risk of injury; without that there's no threat. Without the threat there's no conflict. Without conflict there's no story.

Rejected titles for this post were "Nuking the Fridge" and "It Falls Three Times".
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Justin Wright

On March 18th, Pixar story comrade Justin Wright passed away due to heart complications at the age of 27. I saw first hand Justin's dedication to his craft as he worked his way through a summer internship to become a full fledged story artist at Pixar; a goal he had had for a long time and through hard work and tremendous spirit, achieved.

Last summer, we worked closely together on the short film PRESTO, for which there were just three members of our story squad. It's a surprise we got any work done, because most of the time we were howling with laughter at each other's gag drawings, each one topping the next, flowing like water. In one of those sessions, Justin humorously declared he had drawn the "worst drawing ever". We debated him, but Justin insisted on bestowing the honor to himself. Much to his chagrin (and amusement), director Doug Sweetland framed the drawing and presented it at our next meeting, where it presided for all our future sessions. Justin's attitude combined professionalism with an eagerness to please and brought tremendous spirit and humor to the productions he was a part of.

In a few months he will be credited for his work on "WALL•E" and "PRESTO", the short that preceeds it. A mighty achievement.

My thoughts go out to all his family and friends.

You can see Justin's work on his blog.
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Visual Storytelling - All the President's Men

A conversation I had recently with a director revealed (with some embarrassment) that I had not seen this 70's classic starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. So with no hesitation I set to it immediately. Having owned the film on DVD for at least a year it was high time I watched it and it is tremendous. The film is expertly directed by Alan Pakula and Gordon Willis' cinematography is excellent (not to mention the acting and script by William Goldman). One scene in particular really jumped out at me visually so I chose to break it down.

The basic story is of two reporters (Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein played by Redford and Hoffman) who are investigating a possible government conspiracy relating to the Watergate break-in in 1972. In the scene below, Bernstein (Hoffman) goes to the home of a young woman in order to press her for information. Naturally anyone associated with the conspiracy is going to be tight lipped, which is what Hoffman encounters in the scene.

What's important here are the visual choices made by Pakula and Willis to augment the scene, one that easily could have been a very repetitive and uninteresting series of talking heads in the hands of less competent filmmakers.

The breakdown:


Hoffman enters the home and we see immediately the woman he wants to question, separated from him by the rungs of the staircase. Right off the bat there is a separation between the two; impenetrable, like the bars of a jail cell.


Hoffman moves into position to talk to the woman. What really got me here is how Hoffman is placed in the shot -- he has framed the woman into an incredibly claustrophobic bit of screen real estate. She has been squeezed into a section about 1/100th the size of the frame.


Reverse of Hoffman separated from the woman by the bars. Again this is a visual separation to support the script.


Here Hoffman moves clear of the bars to open the conversation with the woman. A visual progression where the intensity (repeating pattern of the bars) has been lowered.


Reverse of the woman clear of the bars, but she is still not revealing anything.


Hoffman returns behind the bars and sits on the couch, trying to prompt a reaction from the woman.


The woman remains behind the bars, confined to her small space. Standoff.


Hoffman chooses to wait it out. Note the lighting of the living room here, because it will change as the scene progresses.


Hoffman has waited the woman out, she loses the game and comes out from behind the bars. A huge turning point in the scene, done visually.


The woman enters the living room and takes a seat across from Hoffman. Note the lighting has changed dramatically from before; her side of the room is now much darker and colder. She is casting a heavy shadow. This continues the visual progression in the scene; where before the progression was with line and shape (bars), now it is done with tone (light and shadows).


Hoffman resumes his questioning; note he is on the dark side of the couch.


Hoffman is served a cup of coffee and he moves to the light side of the couch (another progression of tone) next to the lamp.
What has been set up now is a classic interrogation scene. Hoffman asking the questions with a strong single light source over his shoulder.


Continuation of the interrogation scene, where the woman is lit by one source and casting a heavy shadow. The camera has pushed in on her, increasing the intensity. The questioning resumes in these two shots until the final shot.


Final shot of the scene - the woman has given Hoffman a lot of information regarding the case he is trying to build, but still manages to keep some of it hidden from him. This is reperesented (along with her requested anonymity) by the lamp which covers her face. I love this ending shot, it's a bold choice and speaks volumes.
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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

I had been anxiously awaiting this film for over a year and finally had an opportunity to see it in LA. The film is still swirling around in my head, so no personal review yet, but I will say that I really enjoyed the film and an SF Chronicle critic simply missed the point when he said this:

"Who would have guessed that a biopic about Jesse James could be so boring? Instead of covering the action-packed parts of James’ life, this movie by “Chopper” director Andrew Dominik chronicles James’ final days and death at the hand of Ford. As a piece of visual art, the movie is often amazing. But as a piece of entertainment, it’s ponderous and spectacularly lacking in action. Pitt seems lost as James, and Affleck as Ford bears too strong a resemblance to wannabe JonBenet Ramsey killer John Karr."

Well, first off, the film isn't "about" Jesse James. And secondly, god forbid entertainment that ISN'T force fed to the audience, action scene after action scene gouged into our eyes, pounding our senses into oblivion with no trace of soul whatsoever. The film is a CHARACTER PIECE, something that's becoming more and more of a rarity in film these days.

The film is 2 hours and 40 minutes and I didn't lose interest for a moment of it.

More later.
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Boing Boing!

A review of Rose and Isabel appeared this morning over at Boing Boing! Many thanks to Cory Doctorow and the Boing Boing crew for the kind words!

If you've landed here via the Boing Boing link, click here to go to the Rose and Isabel main page.

ORDER UPDATE: Orders placed on Friday 7/13 will begin shipping Monday 7/16. Please allow 2-9 days from the ship date for domestic orders (longer for International orders). I hope to have all orders shipped by Friday 7/20. This is a one-man operation so I thank you in advance for your patience and thank you for your interest in Rose and Isabel.

Below is some information about the books along with previews of each volume. If you are interested in placing an order, you may do so by using the Paypal buttons in the sidebar to the right. Just click the Paypal button below the book(s) that you would like to order.

All domestic orders are shipped media mail in padded mailers. Orders outside the US are shipped Priority International (including Canada), and require purchase of additional shipping (see sidebar). Shipping costs cover postage, Paypal fees, and materials. All prices are USD.

Please confirm that your PayPal shipping address is correct when placing an order.

If you'd like to have a closer look at the books, here is a list of comic shops that carry them. I will also be exhibiting at the San Diego Comic Con from July 25 to July 29 under the name E-Ville Press(booth #1534). Check this link for more info. Thanks!

The Beguiling (Toronto, Canada)
Impact Comics (Canberra, Australia)
Jim Hanley's Universe (NYC)
Meltdown(LA)
Super7 (San Francisco)
Isotope (San Francisco)
Comic Relief (Berkeley)



Rose and Isabel Part 1 ($8)
64 pages, B&W
preview


Rose and Isabel Part 2 ($15)
160 pages, B&W
Mature readers (contains graphic violence)
preview
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CORA update: June 07

I'm taking a step back to work on Rose's story before I continue drawing pages. The first act of the book has been roughed out (close to 60 pages) and I've been going back into it and heightening the drama and tension.

What Rose has been up to since the end of Rose and Isabel is of major importance and I realized I need to devote a larger part of the book to her than I originally thought. I'm afraid of pulling the audience away from Cora for too long because the book, although it is an ensemble piece, is mainly Cora's story.

Story is hell as they say, but I'm still enjoying these characters very much. Rose is yet again terrifying in my mind and getting more and more so as I write her. Once I figure everything out it think it'll be quite an adventure.

Here's a rough sketch of Rose on some sort of western inspired "throne".

Story: What not to tell?

I've wanted to post something about this topic ever since I saw Children of Men for the first time. When I saw the film's trailer I was worried it was going to be a film about "why women can no longer have babies"; the idea sounded very high-concept to me and I was reluctant to even see the film. When I did see it, I was pleasantly surprised that the reason why women could no longer reproduce was LEFT OUT of the film. Not explained. And it was a brilliant move. What we're left with is what has happened as a result of such a tragic occurrence and what may eventually happen when a baby is miraculously born.

Just a few days ago I finished reading the Pulitzer prize winning book, "The Road" by Cormack McCarthy, a post apocalyptic road story about a father and his son. We never find out what happened to the world which has been all but destroyed, but it doesn't matter. I was so wrapped up in the character relationships and McCarthy's incredible depictions of the world that I didn't care. Another perfect case of leaving something out in order to support the story.



So in these cases what's left out is just as important as what's put in. I've heard this many times and experienced it with regard to music as well (especially jazz) that when you choose not to play can be just as important was when you do.

That said, it happened again this morning when I watched the trailer for "Day Night Day Night" about a woman who has signed on to complete a horrific task. The trailer tells us nothing about her employers, and it appears we're going to be with her in her head for the duration of the film. It hasn't been released where I live yet, but I'm anxious to check it out. See the trailer here.