Of Giants and Windmills...
How do I look in this...?
A picture says a thousand words...
Words to pictures
Setting the stage
Character development
Just a little bit more...
It goes without saying that it would be impossible for a single person (or small team) to emulate the richness of imagery that the likes of Pixar, Dreamworks, Blue Sky et al produce. These studios are infinitely better resourced in every field than any independent could dream of.
Consider the number of man-hours required for one of their shorts, let alone a feature. Then, work out how many evenings and weekends it would take a single person to achieve that – not even taking into account hardware and proprietry software. So it’s a no-brainer. Find your own style and you’ll improve your chances of getting the film finished in your own lifetime
Before material work took place on the film I needed to have a concept for it’s visual style. Mine started out as ‘if Arthur Rackham made Belleville Rendezvous’. Clearly, the look has evolved some way since, but it’s important to have that vision at the outset.
Then, there’s cinematography and acting styles. Camera movement is deliberately low-key – subtle pans and zooms more reminiscent of early animation rather than dynamic action.
For all the over the top nature of Quixote, acting is deliberately low-key. Fritz Freiling or Tex Avery it’s not - slapstick would never work with the style of the book.
Culture...
Don Quixote’s influence on culture is nothing short of staggering. Religion aside, few subjects have inspired such a range of artists, filmmakers and writers - from the likes of Strauss, Dali, Picasso, Orson Welles, Graham Greene, Dostoyevsky, Dickens, GK Chesterton and more recently, Terry Gilliam.
The subject of numerous film and television adaptations, ballet, opera and pop music; even after 400 years, there seems little sign of that influence slowing down.