Movies / Documentaries Every Artist must watch
polycounter lvl 5
Hello Polycounters!
I love movies and documentaries, all my friends know that so quite often they suggest me some movies to watch. Unfortunately it's not very often where directors and producers release art focused movies, so I've thought it would be interesting to post here in the community the movies I think are worth your time and ask for suggestions of what I should watch.
This idea came after watching the movie below, It blew my mind so hard that I HAD to share it with you guys.
If you could share your suggestions as I did below, that would be amazing
If the moderators think this is not the right forum to post it please move. Or delete it =/ (please don't. I really want to see your suggestions!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94pCNUu6qFY
NAME: Tim's Vermeers
RELEASE DATE: 03 October 2013
DIRECTOR: Teller
WRITERS: Penn Jillette, Teller
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3089388/?ref_=nv_sr_1
SYNOPSIS: Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
PERSONAL REVIEW: How often do you watch a movie/documentary that changes your life forever? Tim's Vermeer is one of these life changing experiences, I guarantee that by the end of it you will see art with a whole new mindset.
I love movies and documentaries, all my friends know that so quite often they suggest me some movies to watch. Unfortunately it's not very often where directors and producers release art focused movies, so I've thought it would be interesting to post here in the community the movies I think are worth your time and ask for suggestions of what I should watch.
This idea came after watching the movie below, It blew my mind so hard that I HAD to share it with you guys.
If you could share your suggestions as I did below, that would be amazing
If the moderators think this is not the right forum to post it please move. Or delete it =/ (please don't. I really want to see your suggestions!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94pCNUu6qFYNAME: Tim's Vermeers
RELEASE DATE: 03 October 2013
DIRECTOR: Teller
WRITERS: Penn Jillette, Teller
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3089388/?ref_=nv_sr_1
SYNOPSIS: Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
PERSONAL REVIEW: How often do you watch a movie/documentary that changes your life forever? Tim's Vermeer is one of these life changing experiences, I guarantee that by the end of it you will see art with a whole new mindset.
It follows the saga of Tim Jenison, the inventor of LightWave 3D and his fascination for the "best" painter that ever lived Johannes Vermeer. But was he really a painter? Or a incredible engineer that with his knowledge of optics and color created a device to make "perfect" paintings.
This documentary is a must for EVERY ARTIST OUT THERE, specially in times where there's so much stigma against using base models, stock footage, stock models, tracing, photo bashing, photo manipulation, etc....
Seriously,watch it now 
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Replies
My one issue with it is that it completely omits the other possible ways to check local values and colors accurately (jumping straight from "camera obscura cannot get values since it's an overlay" to "therefore this got to be mirrors"). A bit of a shame really as it is such a core point of the research. Still a fun watch regardless
As for other documentaries: Painting with Fire, about Frazetta.
Is there a way to paste youtube links without automatically embedding ? I wanted to update the first post with all the suggestions as they go..but I'm afraid the videos would make the topic impossible to load lol
Edit: looks like that video got shut down pretty quick for copyright reasons. Looks like you'll have to work a little to find it, but as @claydough mentioned in his more detailed post, its definitely worthwhile to check out.
More than a documentary that can by-pass a lot of back info, this chapter divided lectures cover sequentially and in-depth engineering tech evolution from the ancient Greeks and Romans. And it's hardly boring or dry even if the presentation style is lecture delivery. Includes cg re-interpretation or sim of ancient machines, building techniques (example, how arches are constructed) and presented by a West Point army engineering professor. You'll understand how the forum was built (cranes!) and how aqueducts were built (concrete!) and designed to transport water from sources miles away from the ancient city of Rome (inverted syphon!).
Recommend it for concept artist and enviro/ level artists even if you're not in or going to do an ancient culture based gamedev.
Sample:
Beltracchi
Art and Craft - Mark Landis ("I just use colored pencils because they can't tell...").
Artful Codgers - family uses their weirdo son's art skills to make a fortune, made fakes in the garden shed
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjFqcJQXGZ6T6sxyFB-5i6A
YES! glad someone beat me to it.
When reading the thread title I immediately thought of "Visions of Light"!
It needs to be at the top of every artists must see list if you haven't had the pleasure already...
Even if an interactive immersive art form will eventually replace cinema as the culturally predominant experience. Film-making is still the most important and relevant for the majority? There is probably a danger for real time interactive art forms that cinema will infect that medium.
where we mimic and try to force the cinematic experience unto games the same way theatre infected the language of film making at first. On the other hand there is plenty of overlap between the two and as it stands, a powerful cinematic experience still dwarfs the best games out there!
( although that margin is shrinking ).
The documentary is very inspiring and I find that whenever I am experiencing a block, ennui, or just suffering an uninspired jag...
I come away inspired every time I pop in Visions of Light ( originally owned it on VHS ).
Particularly when it comes to lighting. Whenever I find myself going through the motions. Watching mastery painting shadow and light at 24 frames a second always recharges the creative juices.
I imagine there is more than one thread here on the topic of shadowing tech...
Even with the release of Pascal and Polaris performance is an issue. Perhaps a bit less now but more so in past threads, the importance of shadows in video games were/are dismissed by many.
I am pretty sure that "Visions" was the inspiration for myself that fueled the passionate argument "for" shadows importance: contributing to delineation, depth and composition not to mention the drama that shadows help us to communicate.
For anyone whose opinion might be otherwise, I just wish everyone could watch "Visions" to get on the same page!
Where even if we have to admit at times the conditionally important need to sacrifice shadows or shadow quality...
we would then at least recognize as much for what that sacrifice truly amounts to!
( a "compromise" and an insult to a long artistic legacy )
If you dig "Visions"...
At every major book chain's cinematography section you can find the same cinematographers interviewed, but interviewed in more depth
( don't have my books on hand but if messaged I could dig up the names of the good titles )
Also American Cinematographer Magazine and it's archives are a treasure trove of incredibly in depth insight technically and inspirationally. I haven't had a subscription for awhile though so I can't speak to the quality today but I am sure u can still back order issues.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MXYaQA04U