Stunningly beautiful but tragically flawed, this DVD is both an inspiration and a caution for visual artists working in motion. In this large collection of short films, well-regarded illustrator/comic book artist Dave McKean translates his visual style into film using puppets, actors and computer graphics. The work is astonishingly beautiful, but in the end is difficult to watch because it functions more like painting-in-motion than film. The problem is not the weakness of the narrative or story as much as the way that McKean treats film as an extension of visual art. Film works best when told through the viewpoint of its characters. McKean, on the other hand, is always present in his work designing, composing and controlling his characters as a behind-the-scenes operator. Imagine result direction gone wild. By imposing his vision from without, he sucks the spontaneity out of his characters, objectifying them. The effect is like watching storyboards in motion awaiting a spark of life.
Perhaps the most effective work here are the films. The use of real sets and the palpability of the film grain gives them an energy and integrity missing in the CG work. In his CG videos, McKean superimposes scratch film effects in an attempt to reinvest these videos with liveliness. But while this surface effect aspires to energy it ultimately discloses only the quick and easy reality of computer compositing.
Audiences interested in this kind of video/film may enjoy Chris Shepherd's short film Dad's Dead available on youtube and at higher res on the Sunshine DVD. Shepherd's approach is similar, but ultimately more successful in its ability to meld the layered, spatial world of visual art/special effects with the sequential nature of film.
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