Monday, March 25, 2013

Three Minute Max + Interview with the Creators! - Forward (Webcomic)


Three Minute Max is a new web comic by father/son team Bob and Max Forward. The series is about a man who can stop his heart for three minutes, and what happens when fate connects him with a magnanimous group of geniuses and scientists that have cracked the code on teleportation. Doing this interview was a true honor for me as I have been a fan of Bob Forward's previous work on shows like Beast Wars (which has been mentioned on Great Work Review before) as well as the fact that I think Three Minute Max is, hands down, one of the most exiting web comic offerings out there today. 

Three Minute Max is primarily an action comic, but it has enough humor and sci-fi depth to keep it from ever feeling shallow. In preparation for this post I re-read the two issues that are currently out, and I was struck again by how polished the art and dialogue are. The way the premise is laid out is fascinating, starting with seemingly unrelated events that come together to form a complete vision. If you have not already done so, I recommend reading at least the first issue (which should only take a few minutes) before continuing on to the interview below, where Max and Bob give some fascinating insight into the comic and the creative process in general. Happy reading!

-MA 3.25.13

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GWR: How would you like to be introduced?
  
MAX: You probably don't need to say much to introduce me, other than that I'm Bob's son. I have a blog I do to discuss my storyboarding day job, and that's at digitalstoryboards.com. It includes a useful bio. This is my first real comic book project.

BOB: I've had a lot of jobs, primarily in animation. Started as a storyboard artist (though never close to Max’s skill) and moved into writing because I discovered it was a lot easier writing things like: "Ten thousand warriors come charging over the horizon on horseback waving weapons as flames rise behind them and a tidal wave approaches from the east" than it was to have to draw it. Then, during a period when I was writing on a series called Beast Wars, I wheedled the production company into letting me direct [an episode]. I liked the experience so much that I started trying to do short movies (ed. note, such as the surprisingly entertaining Agent 12 films), which led to the creation of Detonation Films. It started as a hobby, then eventually became an actual job. It’s primarily pyrotechnic effects, but I try to keep focused on creative projects. When Max suggested doing a comic book, it was like he was speaking to my soul.

GWR: When/How did you originally get the idea for Three Minute Max?

MAX: To my memory, Bob conceived of it during one of our Sunday Breakfasts, our weekly get-together, where the topic of discussion is usually centered on how much the world has changed since the week before. It was in late '06 or early '07, we had just finished Kabumei, and were brainstorming new ideas for our next video project. Bob produces these projects through Detonation Films and they basically serve as fun showcases for the special effects that he sells. So the projects are kind of built around the need for action and special effects. And it’s a lot of fun to make movies together.

BOB: Since action is kind of my thing, the idea was to come up with a concept that would allow us to jump right into the cool battles, but it had to be something we could pull off on a limited budget. I also wanted to give our protagonist some heavy limitations on time and weaponry, since overcoming obstacles is part of what makes a hero. And I wanted to throw in some weirdness, because weirdness.

MAX: So Bob was staring off into space and listing off criteria- "Gotta be real hard hitting action. Boom, guy shows up, kills everyone in hand to hand combat, then gone. Brutal. Violent. Gotta be short too. About three minutes, max." Pause. "Actually, I like the sound of that. Three Minute Max.'  And there you have it, the moment of conception. The fact that my name is Max is a funny coincidence, but at the time, it fit, since we were trying to think of an action project that I could star in. The next week, Google bought YouTube, Hulu was invented, and Netflix started streaming movies, and it became clear that short-form video projects were not going to be dominating the Internet, as we were thinking they would. So 3MM got shelved, and we moved onto other things. About a year later, I had established myself in the field of commercial storyboarding and was doing well, but found I had a lot of downtime and wanted a project I could work on when things were slow. I emailed Bob and asked if he would mind if I developed 3MM into a comic book project. He responded the next morning with the screenplay for what is now episode one. I liked it and told him so, but I had pictured another approach, and asked if I could do a different story. He responded almost instantly with the script for episode two. Which I loved. We’ve been working on it ever since.

BOB: That's basically it. And when we realized that we could add real effects to the artwork, the cross-promotional aspect became with Detonation Films became obvious. Three Minute Max was underway.

GWR: What made you decide to make this series as a web comic as opposed to going through a comic publisher?

MAX: I don't have a great answer- I mean Bob pretty much handles what happens to the comic once I draw it. I would love to see it on store shelves but is that realistic, especially today? It just seems so inefficient compared to the web options. In 2009, I attended the San Diego Comic Con, and I had the first issue/episode of 3MM all nicely printed up in a big portfolio and I was convinced that we would be able to get somebody to see it and say "Awesome! Here's a check for a million dollars." But I went to the review panels and was disappointed with the whole setup. Sitting around waiting for somebody to call your number, and turn you down. The body language in that place was depressing. So I didn't stick around. It reminded me of when I was trying to get into storyboarding animation- I would drop my portfolio off at a studio, and watch as the receptionist tossed it into a huge bin so full that mine would slide off the top and fall onto another pile that had accumulated around the base. So we've concentrated our efforts online instead, and it's worked out well. We both have experience in developing web-based businesses, and so it's kind of natural for us to find our own way around the hurdles.

BOB: Heh. If a publisher becomes interested, they know where to find us. In the meantime, there was no reason to wait around. I'm going to be blunt here – if Detonation Films taught me anything, it's that if you want to do something, just face the fact that you're mostly going to be doing it yourself. Yes, you're going to have to learn new things. And it will probably cost money, so keep your day job. But the technology exists now to do a lot of things on your desktop that would have taken a whole studio a few years ago. So you really can follow your dreams. Max and I both love the various projects we do for other people, but we also wanted to have something we could point to and say: “See that?  That's ours.”

GWR: The art is realistic in many ways, but it is also very stylized, both in how the faces are drawn and how the pages are colored. How did you develop that style? What do you like most about the style you’ve achieved here?

MAX: My style is cobbled together from various artistic influences that I admire, mostly from, believe it or not, American manga artists, and a splash of Will Eisner. I like to keep my faces pretty simple and concentrate on expression and acting. I'm primarily a freelance commercial storyboard artist, and have been for almost 10 years. That work experience has molded my style to concentrate on rapidly executed, powerful, simple visual statements. I talk about that extensively in my digitalstoryboards blog. For now, lets just say that I use the exact same drawing techniques for storyboarding and comics. There's a lot of overlap between the two fields, so that shouldn't be surprising. But I was delighted to see that I didn't have to reinvent my style for this new medium- it actually looks like a cool, fresh comic book style, and I'm glad I went for it, instead of directly mimicking the look of other comic book artists I admire, like Ryan Ottley (Invincible).  And it's interesting that I've been able to take some things I've learned from the comic, and apply that back to storyboarding. Both have benefitted- that's what I like most.

GWR: What is the hardest part about illustrating/coloring the comic? What would you like to improve on the most as an artist for the series?

MAX: The hardest part is in the panel-by-panel storytelling, and making that worth reading. That's the real art of comics, and unfortunately I think even amazing artists struggle with this. Sitting down with the script and really seeing the story unfold, capturing it, and telling that story visually in the allotted time frame (or page allotment) is mentally taxing.  It's the same in storyboarding… once you have your roughs plotted out, the rest is a real breeze, assuming you know how to draw/render. Rendering is monkey work, it really is. It won't impress anybody to know that I'm usually drinking or worse when I'm drawing this comic, but it's true. You don't need to be cognizant render. But those first couple days, thinking about the story, finding powerful visuals, and balancing it all is what takes the most mental and emotional effort. As far as the illustrating/coloring, I have a very efficient system that I use, all digital. It's a lot like a one-man assembly line, and it's scalable to whatever project I apply it to, and I can pause it and pick it up whenever it suits me. I admit my color theory is very weak and I'm looking to strengthen that as we go on. I don't have much formal artistic training so I kind of just wing it and experiment a great deal. Hopefully as things progress and I get more practice in, I will get a little more committed to certain design elements- for instance, I currently draw Max's armor a little differently every time, as well as the Strike Gate. Those designs are still a little nebulous and I'd love for them to reach a definitive state. 

GWR: So far you have filled your story with a variety of characters, geeks, ex-military, serious scientists, and corporate spies among others, where do you get the ideas for these characters, and how do you decide which ones go in the story? What do you like most about the writing you’ve achieved here?

BOB: I was never in the military, but while trying to learn more about pyrotechnics for effects purposes, I spent some time working for a company that did hyper-real training for the Army. While living and working on base, staging realistic war games for real soldiers, I learned to appreciate how impressive a well-trained professional soldier can be in a battle situation. The new recruits we could "kill" in droves. But when we took on Rangers, they would mop the floor with us. Maxwell Harcourt Reaper is basically a conglomeration of several staff sergeants I encountered during that period, with some of our namesake artist's personality added on top. As for the other characters, my father was a scientist and I'm actually a board member on a space technology firm (Tethers Unlimited) he helped found. Madison is derived from a person or two I know, both there and elsewhere. Marissa also. Toy companies (with whom I dealt heavily during animation projects) are extremely security-conscious. They are constantly worried about competitors bringing out something that undercuts their market in a certain product line. Industrial espionage is quite common, and it wasn't unknown for companies to actually create and develop entire lines of toys they had no intention of ever marketing, just so they could mislead the competition into spending vast sums in the wrong area. So when they found a mole on staff, it was occasionally more useful to keep them around, even buy them off as doubles, than it was to get rid of them. So that’s Dr. Sharma – though I confess his actual personality is based heavily on John Nobel’s Dr. Bishop and Iron Man’s Dr. Yinsen. Now, Cicerone – he’s a decent guy, but obsessed and a touch Machiavellian. All my favorites traits to play with. 

GWR: What is the hardest part about writing the comic? What would you like to improve on the most as a writer for the series?

BOB: There's a definite learning curve. I quickly found out it wasn't like writing for animation. You can have several conversations going on at once; you can have a certain amount of exposition without slowing the pace, and things that you've never dealt with before – like word balloon size and placement – suddenly become extremely important. Now I'll do all the rough lettering and word balloons myself, on the rough artwork, just because Max will have drawn something that I didn't anticipate in the script, and I want to play it up with new dialogue interchanges. Also, this lets him know where NOT to spend time drawing elaborate background machinery, since it will just have a word balloon covering it anyway. As far as improvements go – I just hope we keep having fun!

GWR: Describe your process when making an issue of 3MM. Are there benefits to working as a father/son team? Drawbacks?

MAX: I have very little direct input into the script writing, basically none, and that’s fine with me.  Bob (Dad) conceived of the concept, characters, and all plots and dialogue. He writes the scripts in screenplay format, which works well for both of us, although I might guess that is uncommon in the comic book industry. As I read the script, I see it in my head. Then I re-read and go through it slowly, and think of all the angles that might help tell the story. I draw very tiny thumbnails directly in the margins of the script. This is where the magic happens. Then I re-sketch the good thumbnails and edit them down to what can fit on a comic book page, and that’s like putting puzzle together. Then I reference that as I start drawing on my Cintiq, using a program called Corel Painter to make roughs, at which point I show Bob for approval, and he’s been very nice about approving pretty much everything. So then I ink them, and color them, and then submit them to Bob, who approves, and then he adds Detonation Films brand Special FX, and maybe tweaks the dialogue using the artwork as inspiration. Then he passes it back to me, and I give everything a final unifying pass, final touches, tightening up word balloons, etc. Then it's ready for Comicpress. That's the production process. As far as what it's like to work with my Dad, it's really a blast. We have a lot in common, creatively. Growing up, most of the comic books I read were titles that he introduced me to. We watched a lot of 80's action flicks together and I really think that comes through in the comic. I watched all the cartoons he wrote for, and many of those where adaptations from comic or video games. When I was thirteen/fourteen I was crazy about Image Comics and coincidentally Dad was writing on the cartoon series WildCATs, and we had stacks of every single WildCATS comic and spinoff series, and that's mind-blowing for a kid, and so I just read and drew comics nonstop. I remember touring WildStorm Studios and meeting Jim Lee when I was 14; going to SDCC and watching my Dad talk in panels, it was awesome. My friends were insanely jealous growing up. And so now, working together as we are, it's really a blast, because it flows so easily. We don't have a lot of “fixes” or disagreements. Basically no notes as we pass it back and forth. That's really efficient and probably not possible for most partnerships. But we make it work, and father/son stuff aside, that's very likely due to my respect for his writing and his respect for my artwork. 

BOB: For me, the great thing about all this is being able to work with Max. During his formative years, I mainly had an office job, and we couldn't do much together other than those things he mentions. His younger brother John was born seven years later, so there was something of a gap between them. During John's formative years I had made the transition to freelancing so my schedule was more flexible, and John and I got to spend a lot of time doing things together, including the eventual creation of Detonation Films. Max was in his early twenties at that point, and working as a video editor when he wasn't, say, passed out face down in an alley during a rainstorm, as is typical of that age. (See all this gray hair I have?) But he managed to survive, and so did I, and now I finally get a chance to have fun working on a creative project with him. So that's my real blessing. I will add that when I have co-story-edited on animated series with writers such as Larry DiTillio or Greg Johnson, we had a mutual understanding that you could "veto, but not change." If they were thinking of doing an episode which would entirely ruin something you were doing in another episode, you could ask them not to do it, but you couldn’t piss in their pool. We kept track of each other's work, and we'd take each other's ideas and run with them, but there was mutual respect for the boundaries. Working that way actually forced us to be more creative. We'd constantly be blindsided by something the other was doing, but it kept us nimble, figuring out how to make it work with our own plans. I now actually prefer working that way. Max may draw something I didn't expect, but I know he had a reason for it, and if it looks cool, I'd rather figure out how to capitalize on it rather than just demand he change it. The comic is ultimately better for it.

GWR: 3MM belongs to a company called Detonation Films, is that correct? What exactly is DF, and what is your involvement with it?

MAX: The money to produce 3MM comes from DetFilms (I actually get paid to draw this, which is awesome). I have worked on other DetFilms projects as editor and storyboard artist, and occasionally acted. As far as owning it, I’m not too sure. I believe we are partners, with Bob having a controlling interest. It's in writing somewhere.

BOB: Detonation Films started on July 4, 2001, when John and I made a short film involving a mechanical dinosaur and fireworks and toys being set on fire. We had such fun we decided to do more. They got increasingly elaborate, and it quickly became apparent that fireworks were not the way to go. They were loud and dangerous and didn’t photograph well. I needed to learn how to do my own effects. Well, you can learn anything on the internet these days. Before long, I started making better, safer effects, but I was still working with kids. It was then that Max, who was working for a wedding video place at the time, showed me how you could shoot an explosion against a colored backdrop and add it into a shot later via computer. We began doing this, and people turned out to be interested in using those effects shots in their own films. They wanted us to do more. And better. Detonation Films (and its subsidiary DetFilmsHD) actually became an official company in 2006, and while it has never been large (we call it the “donut shop” because it’s open 24 hours, we make all the product ourselves, and it makes donut shop money) it gets by, and it has allowed us to explore a lot of new venues, including 3MM. On the advice of a friend, Max and I (over one of our Sunday breakfasts) drew up a simple, one-page contract spelling out page rates, who owns what, and what percentages. You don't have to get complicated about these things, but it is important that each party know what they are responsible for and what their rights are as regards the project. That way no one feels taken advantage of.

GWR: How much of the story/characters did you both have planned before beginning 3MM? Do things ever change from what you had planned?

MAX: I can't speak for Bob, but I don't know what’s coming any more than the readers.  I take it a script at a time.

BOB: Right now, we have scripted and roughed out the drawings for the next two years of story. I don’t want to get further ahead than that because for all I know people will all be wearing Google Glass or something by that time and we'll just have to change everything. But I have plans beyond that; they'll just be adjusted as regards the world in 2015.

GWR: Is this meant to be an on-going series for sometime, or do you already know how and when everything will end? Or would you prefer not to say?

MAX: I personally hate it when comic books series stop abruptly, or worse, carry on well past their prime. So I think we can carry on for a few more episodes before we wrap it up. I think we had discussed doing at least 6 episodes, but who knows.

BOB: I'm a writer. Stories from now until doomsday are no problem, but I also have an ending planned if and when we decide we need it. It's important to have an exit strategy; just keep it flexible.


GWR: What would you like to see happen with 3MM in the future?

MAX: It's sounds sappy, but I'm already very happy with what we've achieved, so whatever good happens from here on out is just icing on the cake. I do want to eventually have the episodes available for purchase online, maybe via Comixology or some such service. The original comic pages are insanely high resolution and detailed, and I've made a version to view on an iPad 4, and it's stunning. So I want to see that available for purchase someday. I know fans of the series will see the worth in that. And I definitely want to have some printed versions available, even if it’s just a limited run. Movies, TV shows, video games, toys- those would be nice I’m sure, but that's up to Bob.

BOB: One step at a time. As Max said, we wanted to do this just because we wanted to see if we could, and we did, so we're already good there as far as personal satisfaction. There's no question that there will be a print version of the first three episodes in graphic novel form – I've already resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to now have to learn Pagemaker, and I'm looking into the best options for printing. So yes, that will be happening, because we can do that ourselves. Certainly open to other options as they may come up, but that one at least I can say is coming!

GWR: Closing remarks?

MAX: With episodes 1 and 2, we've setup the premise and introduced all the main characters.  Now we are on episode 3, which is probably the most action-packed comic you will read anywhere, and I guarantee you will be riveted. If you like the series, or have fan mail or questions, we're trying to do all that through the Facebook page and "likes," so I encourage everyone to "like" us and spread the word. It's still a pretty new comic and we are really trying to build readership to ensure that we can continue with this awesome project. So tell all your friends to check it out and tune in for our weekly updates! And thank you for the interview!

BOB: I'm just really happy that we're doing this at all, and I'm absolutely giddy about what we have planned for the future. Thanks so much for having us!

PS. Last night I went to check on Super Mega Comics to see if a new one had been posted, and look which comic was being advertized in the side bar: 


Three Minute Max! Spooky, right? 

Monday, March 18, 2013

Beavis and Butt-Head - Judge (TV Show & Movie)

No man should be without TP *or* PS.
What do Sir Patrick Stewart and I have in common? Well, beside looking great with shaved heads, we are both obsessed with Beavis and Butt-Head. Speaking of the titular characters, he has said, "My passion for them remains the same... I think it's one of the most original and brilliant pieces of television that we've seen in recent years. The dialogue is delightful. I simply sit and giggle and laugh all the time."

Depending on your age and upbringing, you probably fall into one of three categories: 1) You have seen the show multiple times, but don't really see what's supposed to be so funny about it; 2) You have seen it and understood it and loved it; or 3) you think it is an inappropriate and mindless program but have seen less than three minutes of any given episode. If you are of the first category here, there is nothing I can do for you beyond directing you elsewhere. If you are of the second group, let me just say welcome to Great Work Review! I think you will find yourself at home. If you are of the last category, I think it would be best for all of us if you continued reading.

Mike Judge (of King of the Hill, and Office Space fame) created the show in the mid-nineties, and has been thoroughly involved throughout the show's run. Not only has he written most of the episodes, but has also played the role of almost every recurring character. On the surface, Beavis and Butt-Head is an off-beat, somewhat slow-paced cartoon about two very unintelligent fifteen-year-old boys. On that level it is effective as a goofy comedy; however, it is also meant to be a satirical denouncement of the hedonistic TV culture in which we now live. 

Beavis and Butt-head are primarily interested in only one thing: themselves. They want to watch TV, eat nachos, and watch people get beat-up. Their future aspirations include drinking, living in filth, and--as Beavis explains to the school guidance counselor--"do[ing] it with two chicks." They live outside of humanity as uncontrollable youth with no real direction or drive and basically no redeeming qualities.

The dialogue is superbly crafted and often unexpected. The careful viewer may find themselves asking the question, "Did he really just say that?" over and over again. The animation is crude, but carries with it a weight of realism that anchors the actions of the protagonists in a world that rings true with our own. Some cartoons that display depressing or dark themes also employ dark colors, draw cracks and ooze in every building, and have auxiliary characters that are most often cynical, evil, or stupid. Beavis and Butt-head however, live in a bright, pleasant part of Texas. There are characters (like Van Dreissan and Tom Anderson) who are genuine and show friendly interest in the boys. For the most part, they are in the darkness in an otherwise normal world. 

“Hey Butt-head, I dreamed I was at school last night.
Do you think that counts for attendance?”
It can be easy to confuse the messengers with the message, but look beyond what the characters are doing and saying to see what the show is saying. In one memorable episode entitled "A Great Day", we get to see what B & B consider to be a perfect day: First, they go to school only to find it is closed for a holiday. Then, while dumpster diving, they find a crumpled-up dirty magazine. As they walk down a residential street looking at their pornography and laughing, they witness a three-car pile-up. They then find some blood on the side walk outside a run-down house. Later they also find a dead bird. The day ends with them buying nachos and being able to give some money to a bully they both admire. This is as good as it gets for Beavis and Butt-head. The message here is that when we live only for self satisfaction, that's all we get: in meaningless, small quantities, and for fleeting, insignificant things. 

If you never watched Beavis and Butt-head because your parents told you not to growing up, please keep in mind that they probably never watched the show either. Perhaps it's time to give a show with the word "Butt" in its title a chance. Might I recommend starting with the most recent season.

-MA 3.18.13 

Note of warning for Netflix users: The original run of the series was never released in seasons; instead, Judge picked his favorite episodes to be released in three chronological collections. When Netflix consolidated multiple seasons of shows into one, the second and third collections disappeared. Ergo, the only episodes available on Netflix are the oldest, which were be no means the best. The full-length B & B movie is also on Netflix; I suggest watching that over the first collection. Alternatively, you can watch the most current season directly on MTV's website if you don't mind inane commercials.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Minecraft - Mojang (Computer Game)



For those who don't know, Minecraft (2009) is a computer game in which you break blocks and move them. Among other actions, you can build things, craft things, mine in the ground, fight enemies, breed animals, and farm.

Minecraft represents, to me, the future of gaming and technology in general. Periodically there are updates; these updates add new items, biomes, rules, or creatures to the game. Updates are made by Mojang (the company that created Minecraft) in response to both user feedback and their own experience in playing, so the game is shaped in interesting, dynamic ways, based on the kinds of things actual players want to see.  This is why people (like myself) remain interested in the game years after setting Halo 3 aside, which we used to play contemporaneously with Minecraft.

Already, people have done amazing things with Minecraft, they have made working adding/subtracting computers out of redstone circuits and pistons. I have even seen Minecraft within Minecraft: a fully-functional 2D version of Minecraft you can play inside the game proper.

Servers (where people can play in the same world with friends or strangers) have expanded the experience even further. You can build huge castles and your friends can actually visit them. It's like Legos for the new age.

The game has incredible variety. Sick of digging? Build. Sick of building?  Hunt down the items to make an enchanting table or a potion brewing stand. Sick of that? Start a farm, build a mine cart roller-coaster, go to hell:

Literally

Since they are continually updating, once you have done everything and set the game aside for a month or two, you can come back to a host of new things to do. It makes me excited about what games and technology we will enjoy in the future, since ten years ago my friends and I would not have even been able to imagine something like Minecraft. Is there the possibility of addiction? Yes. But there are a lot of good things about it, too. Minecraft is a great way to connect with far-off friends. When I'm building a courthouse or giant tower with friends, we are chatting and working together. I also like to use Minecraft time as meditation time.  There is something soothing about breaking the stone, collecting it, building something, then starting all over again.

A castle in the snow from the server I play on.
The different biomes (such as jungles, deserts, and forests) add even more variety and interest. There is just something about the game that is beautiful and awe-inspiring despite it's blockiness. The environment is randomly created, so the incredible mountain outside your door exists only in your world.

All-in-all a solid game, just don't get (too) hooked.

-MA 3.12.13

Monday, March 4, 2013

Eraserhead - Lynch (Movie)

As promised last week, here is a review for a masterpiece of body horror cinema: Eraserhead! Did any of you guess? Debuting in 1977, Eraserhead is surrealist filmmaker David Lynch's first film, and arguably his best. I only recently found out who David Lynch was, through Ramsey Campell's indirect recommendation. As a reviewer of sorts, this is kind of embarrassing for me. But hey, I'm young, so I've got an excuse. I'm guessing most of my readers who are in their mid-twenties or younger also don't know what Eraserhead is, so hopefully this will be illuminating.

Readers familiar with my reviews will know I often diverge into some semi-related sub-topic before reviewing the work in question, and so it is today. I want to address something that I feel is key to understanding Eraserhead, but also many different works of art: motivation. I have written of this in detail before, but I just want to look at a tiny piece of the issue right now. Everyone likes different art for different reasons. It is my experience that this--more than any other factor--helps us determine what art we do or do not like. For example, some people appreciate songs that are easy to sing along to and choose their favorite songs on this rubric. Others are interested in guitar-work, and their favorite songs are the ones with the best solos or most interesting rhythmic riffs. Neither of these reasons is right or wrong, it simply shows how a person's artistic values lead them to prefer one song over another.

The "Lady in the Radiator", as she is known in the credits.
Eraserhead is not a movie you watch after a long day at work to unwind or to get a few chuckles in. Eraserhead is a disgusting, terrifying, intellectual thriller. It is not easy to watch or decode. It is meant to be dissected like a fine cryptic painting. If that doesn't sound fun to you, let me offer this thought for you to take or leave: it can be good for us to stretch our artistic limits. I am someone who has scoffed at the idea of liking songs based on how easy they are to sing along to, but then I decided to slow down and really consider the idea. It wasn't long before I started to see the value in it. I realized it isn't a stupid reason to like a song, it was just different from what I tended to look for. I understood both art and people around me a little bit better. If you are a person who really only watches movies that you think will be "fun," then it might be time to try something new and take on a film that is meant to challenge the viewer, as much as entertain.

Filmed over the course of five years (the sound engineering/dubbing alone taking up more than a year of that time) on a budget of about $20,000 dollars, Eraserhead succeeded because Lynch was meticulous about every detail. It was originally approved by the American Film Institute based on the misunderstanding that it would be a short film running about twenty minutes, because the script was twenty pages. They didn't realize that a full ten minutes would pass in the start of the movie before anyone said a word. Lynch had to go to outside sources for funding many times, including from the film's crew and actor Jack Fisk's wife, Sissy Spacek. I suppose what this comes down to is dedication. Lynch never gave up on the film despite taking years longer than anticipated.

His reward was a highly respected and debated film. It is a moving depiction of family tension. Unlike most horror, Eraserhead doesn't rely on themes like murderers or ghosts, instead it draws from Lynch's very personal fears. Fears like fatherhood and commitment. I'm tempted to link to a hidden page for those who have seen the film to post my interpretation of the movie, but your own interpretation will probably serve you much more fully than mine could. It is meant to be an "open metaphor." Lynch himself refuses to give an explanation, for he has said he doesn't want to color the interpretations of others.

Some reviewers have felt the movie is "weird for weird's sake", but I feel that is a gross oversimplifying of the work. Yes, some lines and scenes seem to be thrown in as mere style adornments (particularly in the first half), but I think anyone who knows how to look for meaning will find it in this film.


As a final remark, be sure to note John Nance's outstanding performance as passive Henry. He brings a Murray-esque energy that can't come easily in such long, silent scenes. He was a perfect choice for the role and stood by the film resolutely throughout its five year production period, even sporting the unusual hairstyle for its duration.

-MA 3.4.13