2023 60-Second Films

I've always been intrigued by the Moulin Rouge, which probably stemmed from an obsession with the 2001 film as a child. So when I was randomly assigned this artwork, I was ecstatic and knew I wanted to create something that combined the essence of the time period and the simplicity of the art style in which it was rendered. I also took influence from the modernized art styles that hearken back to these past works, specifically the title sequence for the Queen Charlotte Netflix series. So I wanted to create a piece that feels simple at first glance, but is actually teeming with complexities through it's design, motion and story.

Las Meninas is a gorgeous and at first glance an almost indecipherable masterwork of art. I wondered how an artist would describe the concept to a 17th century King to get them on board. So it just got me wondering about the challenges of communicating between artist and patron, which resulted in imagining modern email exchanges between clients and vendors. The Spanish Kingdom did not pay Velázquez until 1666. Unfortunately Velázquez died in 1660, six years prior.

The initial reception of the painting was quite critical. The reviews were mostly split between critics who found it overtly sexual, and those who found the subject unattractive. Personally I found her pose and expression feels to me as one of 'expectant poise'. That is to say beholden to the expectations of the culture she was born into; she balanced on a knife blade between how she is expected to act, and her internal desires.

When I first looked at "The Farm" by Joan Miro, I noticed one thing. The animals. I decided I wanted to do something with animals. Specifically the little dog running next to the path. Then I thought about the amount of times I begged my mom to get a dog, hoping maybe she would say yes. I wrote a script about an alternate universe, where maybe, just maybe, my mom would say yes.

It's human nature to block out the bad, and remember the good. We pick and choose what sticks in our memory. Sometimes we learn from our choices, but often time we don't. People continue to make the same choices over and over... for better or for worse.

Albert Einstein became well known for being a scientific genius, and became a legend because he exuded joy and quirkiness. This photo, taken on his 72nd birthday, exemplifies that vibe. This film not only pulls the "tongue" out of the art to inspire the theme, but does so in a way to match the quirky nature of the joyous man who the tongue is attached to.

When I first saw this painting, I knew I would be heading to the mountains to create. Typically, for me, the mountains are a place of happiness and color, whereas this painting gave me feelings of darkness and solitude. But when and how could these places I love bring me darkness? Then I thought about who I have made most of my memories in the mountains with: my dogs. When all I have left are the photos and memories, I know visiting these places without them will be incredibly difficult. Although it was an emotional story to tell, I know it is one that many will relate to.

The second I stood next to the large replica of The Thinker at the Cleveland Museum of Art an idea came into my head and I couldn't shake it. He just looked like he was... well - I suppose watch the film and you'll know what I was "thinking"

This experimental film was inspired by Marc Chagall's "America Windows", a 1977 stained glass piece that explores history, culture, and city living all in one space. I wanted to create something experimental based on "America Windows", as I felt Chagall's work has numerous focal points rather than one. Stained glass is enjoyed at its full potential when illuminated by light, and this got me thinking about how I could create something that plays with light and framing an image within an image. The title "Kinds of Blue" is inspired both by Chicago's deep musical roots in Blues, and a play-on-words with Miles Davis' masterpiece album, "Kind of Blue".

When researching it and exploring the painting itself I wanted to capture the idea of these characters that exist at a time when many others are tucked away in their beds. While the piece itself has a feeling of melancholy, it also has a sense of mystery with where these people came from or where they may go.

Hopper's aesthetic was also influential to the birth of the Film Noir style, so I leaned into that look when making my short film.

City Landscape evokes feelings of being overwhelmed amidst chaos, the same as one feels when having to perform the hardest automotive maneuver known to man.