New Found Awe

In my film seminar today my professor introduced us to "Chris Landreth". And his work...well, it's on another realm of consciousness...

He is an utter genius. Landreth expresses the human psyche in a way I never thought could be possible. Here is a quick bio from the National Film Board Canada Website.

"Chris Landreth went into animation as a second career after a stint as an engineer. He received his MS degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois in 1986. For three years he worked in experimental research in Fluid Mechanics at the University of Illinois before making his leap into computer animation...
Now recognized as one of the animation world's rising stars, Landreth embarked on his most ambitious project yet: the animated documentary Ryan (2004), which marked Landreth's first co-production with Copperheart Entertainment and the National Film Board of Canada. Ryan, a portrait of animator Ryan Larkin, allowed Landreth to push the boundaries of the visual technique he calls psycho-realism – in which the body becomes a visual metaphor for a character's deepest inner states. Ryan immediately became a contemporary classic, and was honoured with more than 50 awards, including an Oscar®. Working with the same team of producers, Landreth has followed up Ryan with The Spine (2009), a film that continues his explorations in the use of unique imagery to represent human psychological turmoil"


Below is the stunning and surreal documentary about "Ryan Larkin"- an Oscar nominated animator who fell to drugs, alcohol and eventually poverty. When watching, Imagine the amount of time/ planning/ creativity that went into this short piece.

I wish it was in HD for me to share with you... but It is still 14 minutes of your life you won't regret. So without further ado, Please, sit down, relax and enjoy.



Watch the creative process: "The Spine"