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| This guy; he is awesome. |
Have you ever seen the Pop-Tart commercials on television about people tricking those delicious pop-tarts into toasters? I have and it was NOT Don Hertzfeldt. Kellogg's used a very similar style and humor, but Hertzfeldt has stated that he would never do commercial work. I did not know this until I began writing this blog, so I felt I had to inform you of this. Several other companies have also borrowed his style for their products. He has stated that he will not be involved in the commercial world. He makes his films because that is what he enjoys doing, not because he can make money from it.
Born on August 1st in 1976, in California, he taught himself animation when he was only 15. All he used was a small video camera and his pen and paper. Before then, he spent his time attending animation festivals and drawing comic books. While he attended film school at the University of California in Santa Barbara, he found he was drawn to animation rather than low budget live action films.
Hertzfeldt has never held a job other than his animation, even when he was in school. His 16mm student films found festival exposure from the beginning. These included Lily and Jim and Billy's Balloon. His short films include an array of slapstick humor, trajicomedy and black humor. His videos feature hand drawn stick figures with tradition media for the effects. He uses very little technological aid. He uses 16mm or 35mm film cameras and techniques such as multiple exposures, in camera mattes, and experimental photography.
Intro & Billy's Balloon
Hertzfeldt often single-handedly creates his entire films. This means he alone he writes, directs, produces, animates, edits, voices, and makes the sound for the entire film. At times, this process takes years. I single film may require tens of thousands of drawings. He will often include classical music in his movies. Music of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Strauss have appeared in films. He has also composed some of his own music.
His film, Everything Will be OK, has been acclaimed as his greatest feature to date. It has gotten the best critical reviews and the Boston Globe called it a "masterpiece." The film is based off of one of his early characters, Bill, and follows his mundane life until it begins to grow dark as we learn Bill may be suffering from a deadly disease. This is the first film in a trilogy telling Bill's story. The other two are I Am So Proud of You and It's Such a Beautiful Day. The trilogy is a moving event, something very cardiac; in your chest. It may be odd that a stick figure can cause these emotions, but when a man really knows how to tell a story, it doesn't matter what the figures look like.
Everything Will be OK
Hertzfeldt has won many, many awards for his animations, even being the youngest to win them in the history of the award. He resides in Santa Barbara and has produces all his videos from there. Although many bootleg versions of his films have been put on the internet, he is not going to hassle his fans. He feels that a true film should be seen in a dark room with the viewers undivided attention.
"I like paper and pens and paint...I need to angle real lights on my artwork and work with my hands and build props. Computers just take all that fun out of it."
-Don Hertzfeldt
**I do NOT own any of these images or videos**
Don Hertzfeldt: http://www.bitterfilms.com/ - info: http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?pageid=1554 - bio: http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?pageid=1554 - bio/quote: http://mubi.com/cast_members/24627 - facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/don-hertzfeldt/57893981990?fref=ts - Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Hertzfeldt
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