I still have sticky pancake makeup residue on my face after trying to recreate silent film makeup. I got half way through before realizing I was doing it wrong.
Tomorrow.
I love this set! The way he just barely brandishes the gun, just enough of an intimidation to make the point. Then the trickery spin in the next one, like “and here we go”.
Calling All Buster Keaton Fans: Don’t Miss Your Chance to Be Featured in an Upcoming Film
Hello all you beautiful people! As you may have heard by now, I’m making a documentary about Buster Keaton, and his existing fandom, and I want to hear from you. I’ve got a couple of ways that you can contribute to the film, where you’re work could be featured. This is going to be your chance to give something back to Buster, and let him know what you really think of him. Best of all, you’ll get to show your love for no more than the cost of a postage stamp.
I’m looking for fans to contribute a drawing, photograph, letter, work of art, personal message, or anything you’ve made inspired by or in relation to Buster.
All of the submissions will be taken to Muskegon, Michigan, the place Buster considered his hometown, and shared with the guests and attendees of the Buster Keaton Convention in October 2012 as part of the shoot.
Don’t have anything ready? Make something and send it.
So what if you’re a fan, and you don’t make art, but you still want to contribute? Easy! Make a card or send me a postcard.
So what if you’re not a fan, but you still want to contribute? Also easy! Hit the YouTube. Fortunately, much of Buster’s work is available in full on YouTube, and after you watch at least one video and go to watch another, write me and tell me about it.
The deadline for this project is Sunday September 23, 2012, but don’t wait, it’ll come sooner than you expect.
If you have any questions about submissions or the project, contact me at polyestercowboyproductions@gmail.com. Contact me with all questions before mailing your work. Otherwise, make it good, make it original, and make it plentiful. Make sure to spread the word to other fans, and let’s see what you guys can do.
~Nicolette
Submission Guidelines:
Send all submissions to:
Polyester Cowboy Productions
PO Box 7733
Greenwood, IN 46143-6427
Submissions can include, but are not limited to:
Drawings
Paintings
Photos
Fan fiction: select no more than two paragraphs to submit.
Videos
Photographs (this includes tattoos!)
A letter; to Buster or about Buster, your choice
Cards
Postcards
All artwork mediums are welcome, so long the work is Buster-related. Should it need an explanation, include it.
You don’t have to send me your original works, a copy or photograph will be fine.
IMPORTANT: Each submission must include your name, location, and a brief answer to the question: if you could say one thing to Buster, what would it be?
Watch for further updates about the film, and other ways you’ll be able to contribute in the future.
Georges Méliès - Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902)
Oh movies, how I love thee.
(And it’s very befitting that this is my 333rd post, my special number)
Verdict for The Artist (2011)
Let it be known that I love silent film. I love to watch them, study them, play with their soundtracks, and see as many of them as I possibly can. Let it also be known that I love movies from the ‘30’s and musicals, so, unsurprisingly, I’d been wanting to see The Artist for a while. Still, I ended up having one of those moments where I dropped everything, and ended up at the theater so quickly, I hardly remember making the decision to go.
I knew it was going to be hard for me not to enjoy it, that no matter what, I’d walk away having enjoyed at least some part of it, however I’m pleased to say that it wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and I had to spot it no points. The use of music and silence to help tell the story, naturally forces your mind to pay more attention visually to the film, creating that same kind of silent film feeling, but rather than being a traditional silent film or homage, it was like any modern period piece told in the style of a Silent. It was something completely new and interesting that had me captivated from start to finish.
And having the theater completely to ourselves other than literally two other people enhanced the experience greatly by eliminating the typical, obnoxious movie theater ambiance.
Oh, my inner nerd wants me to mention that it creates that same kind of silent film feeling without having to reduce the running speed for maximum impact. I’ll limit the nerd jibbah-jabbah to that. Well, except for this:
For anyone familiar with the end of the Silent and beginning of the Sound Era, the story is something you’d recognize, and are familiar with. It stays true to an almost stereotypical story of whole careers being lost while others are born. It’s a very strait-forward portrayal of what it was like for many actors during the transition. Even to viewers unfamiliar with the genera or era, the story is so universal, that it tells like the fact.
More than 80 years after Silents went out of fashion, resurrecting the beast had to be a daunting task both in front of and behind the camera, especially getting audiences and critics to respond positively to it. It’s not a matter of getting it right, so much as showing what the filmmakers had learned from the genera. And they’ve done it justice. Having clearly done their homework, the film is produced in such a way that it completely encapsulates ‘30’s era Hollywood and the dawn of The Golden Age of Cinema. I never felt like it was inaccurate or not exactly what it was supposed to be at all times.
The whole movie experience was fun, enlightening, and disarming. After seeing that it wasn’t going to play like a found Silent film, and that it was very modern in construction, I found myself not know what to expect. It played like an entirely new movie experience, and that alone makes it worth seeing.
The best part came for me at the end, and in two different ways. First, an RKO Musical-Esque dance sequence. Given my dance obsession, I was going crazy dancing in my seat by the end because I got the Magical Movie Feeling where I was seeing a new dance sequence so similar to those classic ones I love so much. I watch musicals and dance sequences (particularly with Fred Astaire) again and again, and for anyone who feels similarly, you’ll love the feeling of seeing it on screen. That’s something I never expected I would get the chance to experience.
Admittedly, casual viewers aren’t going to be like me and squealing with delight at the sight of a dance sequence, but I still recommend you try and prove me wrong.
Secondly, the covert twist of the story that doesn’t come until the very end, and brings the story into focus. I won’t spoil it all the way, but with two words George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) demonstrates why without Peppy’s (Berenice Bejo) intervention, the introduction of sound devastated his career. It’s a touch so smart and graceful, I feel like it might be easy to miss.
In all it was elegant, glamorous, and spot-fucking-on. I loved every second of it, and hope to see it get it’s dues at the upcoming Oscars. It’s something that definitely isn’t for all audiences, it’s in no way a traditional film, and requires all of your attention, so that means no texting and watching. Enthusiasts (and it so happens I enthuse about every theme in this movie) will love it, and if you’re on the fence about seeing it, go, just go. It’s too much fun to miss out on.
For overall creativity, inventiveness, and ability to really bring the Golden Age back to life in a spectacular way, that was fun and ever-entertaining, I award it the highly coveted but rarely awarded: five gold stars of film perfection.
This is so excellent on so many levels. First, hilarious, in fact beyond hilarious. Secondly, it proves that I was right, and that they used to do this all the time in the Silents.
Thanks to planetbuster for this one!!
It’s not hard to fall in love with Buster Keaton. He makes it so easy. Which is why I’ve always (and in my case always is a matter of a few months) been very mystified by this photo. It’s so unusual. He’s unmade, there’s an odd tension in his brows, and he almost has an agasp, or irritated expression. Basically, not the normal Stoneface, downtrodden sympathetic look, that he relentlessly strikes in every photo.
As per my unrelated obsession with antique and vintage photography, one thing I can say almost conclusively after analysis, is this is something of a snapshot or amateur photo. The light is harsh, lighting up the background and his back more than his face. It’s a hard spot and doesn’t look like any kind of bounce is used at all, the photographer was not a professional in my estimation. Not only that, but the hat he’s wearing is in rough shape, as though it was being heavily used at the time, or an old prop grabbed in haste.
But it doesn’t stop there. It’s terribly exposed to match the terrible lighting, which is why his light-facing shoulder is nearly invisible. So, to conclude, it seems to be imprompt, and unskillful on the part of the photographer, which may have something to do with Buster’s unusual expression.
Such a unique photo in such bad condition, that I’d see go by again and again on my dash, finally got to me, which is why I fixed it. I enhanced it be able to get a better view, so if anyone wants a singular post of the enhanced version, let me know and I’ll post it.
