I have always been a logical-mathematical creative person, I love to solve problems. So when it comes to film and books, I enjoy a challenging script or storyline that allows to me figure out what is going to happen before it does, but more than anything, I like the challenge of a twist or a surprise ending, one that I was not even expecting. I also love films that allow me to pick out the smallest details and see their influence on the narrative or character development. Stories that make you think and introduce to a world outside our own also influence and inspire me to make films that will have this same affect on others.
Many artists inspire me, including filmmakers, musicians, painters, writers, photographers, and many others. For example:
1. M.C. Escher
I have been fascinated with the work of M.C. Escher ever since I can remember. When I was younger, I was so intrigued by how fluidly he made impossibility real. Water cannot and does not flow up, but in his world it does, nothing is impossible. He allows his and almost forces his audience to actively view and engage in his work. The answer is not handed to you, he bends reality right in front of our faces, but does not tell us how or where or why. He is not a didactic artist, it is our job as the audience to actively participate in his work and figure out its meaning. We as an audience have to figure out for ourselves his meaning and what is real and what is not. Escher entices us into his world and then confuses us once we get there. The more detail we notice and the more we think about and look into his work the more we are pulled in and the more we have to think and discover. Escher never hands us anything, it is our own imaginations and discovery that allow us to appreciate his work. He was remarkably talented, but never obvious, he was not trying to please anyone, he wanted the audience to discover for themselves.
“The things I want to express are so beautiful and pure.” – M.C. Escher
2. Janusz Maniski
The work of cinematographer Janusz Maniski is a recent discovery and love of mine. His work on movies such as Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan has been winning him awards since the early 1990s, but it was not until The Diving Bell and the Butterfly came out in 2007 that I realized his talent and the beauty he creates in his work. Maniski’s talent for making a movie beautiful is based on his understanding of contrast and affinity and his ability to use to manipulate and audience or an image. His use of affinity, whether it be a color scheme, outdoor images, or the types of shots he uses allows the viewer to see and understand his concept and work as a beautiful and complete whole. His skill also lends him to use contrast to throw off the viewer and really make a point with the images and scenes he is trying to create. Maniski’s collaboration with various directors has always lead to a beautiful story being told and his ability to create beauty out of any situation is something I hope to emulate in my own work.
3. Harold and Maude
The unlikely romance between a young, death-obsessed teen and a happy-go-lucky eighty year old is the basis for one of my favorite movies of all time. It not only is an enjoyable film to watch, but there is more to it than meets the eye. Director Hal Ashby and writer Colin Higgins collaborated to create a great film full of tension, but also the necessary release. The first scene in the film introduces us to Harold, as he is in the process of hanging himself. This first few moments and filled with confused and tension for the audience, but then we realize the triviality of the situation and his mother comes in, sees him hanging, and says, “I suppose you think that is very funny, Harold…” and we as the audience, get a somewhat unconventional release as we realize he did not really kill himself. We are then lulled into a false sense of security as these ‘suicides’ continue throughout the film, but towards the end of the film Ashby and Higgins use this built up comfort with suicide to trick us and once again create a new tension. This film inspires me to create my own work that can be enjoyable, but also get a message across and toy with the audience, not to mention the incredible soundtrack by Cat Stevens.
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