Studio Journal

This is original Image of Rembrandt's 'Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp.' It is a relatively well known painting which would be a good example of something that would be widely understood if parodied or recreated.

This is an image of a parody of the Rembrandt piece drawn by my grandfather, Will Elder for the short lived 'Mad Magazine' spinoff, 'Humbug'. The accuracy of this recreation is the primary aspect that makes this parody funny. If something genuine looking is discovered to be a forgery, the joke hits much harder than that of a shabby recreation.

Death of Marat - Jaques Louis David. This image is extremely well-known and can be recognized even by those who are not very keen on art history. The gesture is great and I feel that it would make a fun composition to recreate.

This is a film still from 'A Clockwork Orange.' It is one of my favorite films, from Stanley Kubrick, one of my favorite directors. I don't know if I will necessarily reference or parody this film, but I have drawn much directorial inspiration from Kubrick over the years. There is no directing style quite like his.

This film still from 'Inception' depicts Christopher Nolan's use of practical effects. Hollywood is obsessed with mindless action inundated with tasteless CGI. Seeing these effects that were accomplished in production (as opposed to post), are a breath of fresh air, as well as a homage to Kubrick's rotating sets from '2001: A Space Odyssey.'

A picture is worth 1,000 words. This is one of my all-time favorite film stills because it gives off such a feeling of peril in one simple image. Spielberg takes a well known warning that anyone who has driven a car has seen (objects in mirror are closer than they appear), and uses it to evoke sheer terror. I love the idea of juxtaposing imagery to convey a certain idea or mood (The image is taken from Spielberg's 1993 adaptation of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park).

Hitchcock is another one of my all time favorite directors. This still is from his 1951 thriller, Strangers on a Train conveys the recurring theme of the film; 'Criss-cross.' An obsessed fan of a tennis star proposes the idea that he kills the tennis player's ex-wife while the tennis player kills his father. Hitchcock throws in criss-crossing imagery throughout the entire film including this still of Guy (the tennis player)'s lighter with the crossed tennis rackets. Symbolism adds another level of which to be aware in a film.

Taxi Driver is the perfect example of a film that is entirely character driven. What retains the viewer's interest is that De Niro's character (Travis Bickle) grows increasingly more fed up with urban corruption as the film progresses. He starts off strange but mellow in the beginning and by the end of the film he becomes a vigilante who goes on a killing spree. This sense of heightening creates a vehement cinematic experience.