London 1903 - Thomas Edison Film Footage

Creating a Hubble Galaxy in Two Minutes

The Making of a Neon Coca-Cola Sign

It was designed and built for Picadily Circus in 1954.  via WankenBlog

Visual Story Telling Map by Jake Parker

The Known World of Visual Storytelling

The landscape of visual storytelling has always been a vast and evolving frontier.   History tells us how stories were told visually through cave paintings, then carvings, followed by etchings on primitive tablets, and eventually masterpieces painted on canvas.  Great strides were made with the advent of print technology and it opened the door to the mass consumption of stories being told through pictures.  From print it evolved to moving pictures, then television, and now video games.  (I know video games are just structured play time, but most tell stories and as such are an outlet for the visual storyteller.)

The visual storyteller; part artist, part writer.  Some favor the visual, others favor the word, but all of them convey their story using visual means.  For the last 100 years the there has been more opportunities open to the visual storyteller then at any time previous in the history of mankind.  Consider the talents who could not illustrate, but mastered photography.  Or those who’s written word was lacking, but brilliantly captured their stories on the screen.  The geniuses who could combine their own drawings with with their own words in picture books, comic strips, and graphic novels.   And the illustrators who spoke volumes with deft strokes of paint.  Had they been born in any previous century the world would’ve been denied their visions.

Link to: The Known World of Visual Storytelling

Steven Spielberg’s Curriculum

This is currently being circulated on Twitter, and comes in via Nate Winslow. He claims that it's a list of 206 movies unofficially referred to as the "Spielberg Curriculum" that all filmmakers must see if they want to work with him. You can check the whole thing out here in a Google Doc if you want.

Movies highlighted in yellow are available to watch on Netflix Instant Streaming

• 12 Angry Men          Sidney Lumet          Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda
• 2001                  Stanley Kubrick         Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood
• 400 Blows                 Francios Truffaut         Jean-Pierre Leaud
• 8 1/2                  Federico Fellini          Marcello Mastroianni
• Adam's Rib                 George Cukor          Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy
• Alfie                   Lewis Gilbert          Michael Caine, Shelley Winters
• Al Capone                 Richard Wilson          Rod Steiger
• All About Eve                Joseph Mankiewicz     Anne Baxter, Bette Davis
• All That Jazz                 Bob Fosse          Jessica Lange, Roy Scheider
• American In Paris         Vincent Minnelli          Gene Kelly
• And Justice For All       Norman Jewison         Al Pacino, Lee Strasberg
• Annie Hall                 Woody Allen          Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
• Apartment, The          Billy Wilder          Jack Lemmon, Shirley McLaine
• Apocalypse Now         Francis Coppola         Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen
• All/Presidents Men      Alan Pakula          Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford
• Baby Doll                 Elia Kazan          Carroll Baker, Karl Malden
• Bang/Drum Slowly       John Hancock            Robert DeNiro, Michael Moriarty
• Barefoot In/Park          Gene Saks                 Jane Fonda, Robert Redford
• Battleship Potemkin    Sergei Eisenstein       Vladimir Barsky
• Belle De Jour          Luis Bunuel          Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel
• Best Years/Lives        William Wyler          Fredric March, Harold Russell
• Big Sleep, The          Howard Hawks          Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
• Bicycle Thief                Vittorio de Sica          Lamberto Maggiorani
• Big Chill, The          Lawrence Kasdan     Goldblum, Hurt, Kline, Close
• Birds, The                 Alfred Hitchcock         Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor
• Body Heat                 Lawrence Kasdan      William Hurt, Kathleen Turner
• Bonnie & Clyde          Arthur Penn          Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway
• Breakfast/Tiffany's      Blake Edwards          Audrey Hepburn, Mickey Rooney
• Breathless                 Jean Luc Goddard    Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Segal
• Bridge/River Kwai        David Lean          Alec Guiness, William Holden
• Brief Encounter          David Lean          Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson
• Bringing Up Baby         Howard Hawks          Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn
• Bullitt                  Peter Yates          Steve McQueen
• Butch/Sundance         George Roy Hill          Paul Newman, Robert Redford
• Cape Fear                 J. Lee Thompson        Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck
• Casablanca                 Michael Curtiz         Bergman, Bogart
• Celebration, The Thomas Vinterberg
• Champ, The                 Franco Zeffirelli          Jon Voight
• Charade                 Stanley Donen          Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn
• Chase, The                 Arthur Penn          Brando, Duvall, Redford
• Children/Paradise        Marcel Came   Etienne Decroux, Arletty
• Chinatown                 Roman Polanski         Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson
• Citizen Kane          Orson Welles          Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles
• Clockwork Orange        Stanley Kubrick         Malcolm McDowell
• Close Encounters         Steven Spielberg       Richard Dreyfuss, Ted Garr
• Come Back/Sheba       Daniel Mann          Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster
• Cool Hand Luke          Stuart Rosenberg       Paul Newman
• Conversation, The        Francis Coppola         Gene Hackman
• Day/Earth/Still          Robert Wise          Billy Gray, Hugh Marlowe
• Days/Wine & Roses     Blake Edwards          Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick
• Deer Hunter, The          Michael Cimino          DeNiro, Walken, Streep
• Dog Day Afternoon       Sidney Lumet          John Cazale, Al Pacino
• Double Indemnity         Billy Wilder                Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck
• Doctor Zhivago          David Lean          Julie Christie, Omar Sharif
• East of Eden                 Elia Kazan          James Dean, Jo Harris
• Exorcist,The                 William Friedkin         Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller
• Face In The Crowd      Elia Kazan          Andy Griffith, Walter Matthau
• Five Easy Pieces          Bob Rafelson          Karen Black, Jack Nicholson
• Fly, The                  David Cronenberg      Jeff Goldblum
• French Connection      William Friedkin         Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider
• French Conn. 2         John Frankenheimer Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey
• From Here/Eternity        Fred Zinneman          Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster
• Fugitive Kind, The         Sidney Lumet          Marlon Brando
• Gaslight                 George Cukor          Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten
• General, The          Buster Keaton          Buster Keaton
• Gntlmn’s Agrmnt         Elia Kazan                 John Garfield, Gregory Peck
• Giant                  George Stevens         Dean, Hudson, Taylor
• Gone With/Wind          Victor Fleming          Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh
• Grand Illusion          Jean Renoir          Erich Von Stroheim
• Great Escape, The       John Sturges          Steve McQueen
• Godfather, The         Francis Coppola         Marlon Brando, Al Pacino
• Godfatherr II, The Francis Coppola Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
• Godfather III, The Francis Coppola Al Pacino, Andy Garcia
• Graduate, The          Mike Nichols          Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman
• Grapes Of Wrath          John Ford                  Jane Darwell, Henry Fonda
• Great Santini, The        Lewis John Carlino     Robert Duvall
• Guess Who's…         Stanley Kramer          Sidney Poitier
• Guns Of Navaronne     J. Lee Thompson       Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn
• Heiress, The                 William Wyler          Montgomery Clift, Olivia/Havilland
• High Noon                 Fred Zinneman          Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly
• Hud                  Martin Ritt                 Patricia Neal, Paul Newman
• Hunter, The                 Buzz Kulik          Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach
• Hustler, The                 Robert Rossen          Jackie Gleason, Paul Newman
• His Girl Friday          Howard Hawks          Cary Grant
• Holiday                  George Cukor          Cary Grant Katherine Hepburn
• I Confess                 Alfred Hitchcock     Montgomery Clift, Karl Malden
• Immigrant, The          Charlie Chaplin          Charlie Chaplin
• In A Lonely Place        Nicolas Ray          Humphrey Bogart
• In/Heat Of/Night          Norman Jewison        Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger
• Indiscretion/Wife         Vittorio de Sica          Montgomery Clift Jennifer Jones
• It Happened/Night         Frank Capra          Claudette Colbert Clark Gable
• It's A Wonderful Life      Frank Capra          Jimmy Stewart
• Jdgmnt/Nuremberg       Stanley Kramer          Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster
• Julius Caesar          Joseph Mankiewicz   Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston
• Kramer Vs. Kramer        Robert Benton           Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep
• Last Detail, The          Hal Ashby          Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid
• Last Picture Show         Peter Bogdanovich     Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shephard
• Last Tango In Paris       Bernardo Bertolucci    Marlon Brando
• Lawrence Of Arabia      David Lean          Peter O'Toole
• Little Foxes, The          William Wyler             Bette Davis, Teresa Wright
• Lolita                  Stanley Kubrick         James Mason, Peter Sellers
• Lonelyhearts          Vincent J. Donahue     Montgomery Clift
• Long Day's Journey    Sidney Lumet          Katherine Hepburn, Jason Robards
• Long Hot Summer       Martin Ritt          Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward
• Lost In America          Albert Brooks          Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty
• Lost Weekend Billy Wilder          Ray Milland
• Love Story          Arthur Hiller          Ali McGraw, Ryan O'Neal
• M                  Fritz Lang            Peter Lorre
• Magnif. Ambersons     Orson Welles          Tim Holt, Orson Welles
• Magnificent Seven      John Sturges          Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen
• Man/Shot Liberty…     John Ford          Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne
• Manchurian Cand.      John Frankenheimer    Angela Lansbury, Frank Sinatra   
• Marathon Man            John Schlesinger        Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier
• Marty                  Delbert Mann          Ernest Borgnine
• Mean Streets            Martin Scorsese         Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel
• Men, The          Fred Zinneman           Marlon Brando
• Metropolis          Fritz Lang          Brigitte Heim, Theodore Loos
• Midnight Cowboy        John Schlesinger         Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voiqht
• Miracle/Morgan's…    Preston Sturges           Bobby Watson
• Misfits, The          John Huston          Clift, Gable, Monroe
• Mississippi Burning    Alan Parker          Willem Defoe, Gene Hackman
• Missouri Breaks         Arthur Penn          Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson
• Modern Romance       Albert Brooks          Albert Brooks, Bruno Kirby
• Modern Times          Charlie Chaplin          Charlie Chaplin
• Mr. Smith Goes To…   Frank Capra          Jimmy Stewart, Claude Rains
• Mutiny/Bounty              Frank Lloyd          Marlon Brando
• My Fair Lady         George Cukor          Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn
• Nashville             Robert Altman          Ned Beatty, Jeff Goldblum
• National Velvet            Clarence Brown          Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor
• Network                 Sidney  Lumet          Faye Dunaway, William Holden
• North By Northwest     Alfred Hitchcock         Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
• Notorious          Alfred Hitchcock         Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant
• No Way To Treat…     Jack Smight          Rod Steiger
• Odd Couple, The         Gene Saks                 Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau
• On the Waterfront       Elia Kazan          Brando, Malden, Steiger
• One/Cuckoo's Nest     Milos Foreman          Jack Nicholson, Danny Divito
• One-Eyed Jacks          Marlon Brando             Marlon Brando, Karl Malden
• Ordinary People          Robert Redford           Mary Moore, Donald Sutherland
• Panic/Needle Park      Jerry Schatzberg           Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino
• Papillion                  Franklin Schaffner        Dustin Hoffman, Steve McQueen
• Party, The          Blake Edwards           Peter Sellers
• Parallax View         Alan Pakula            Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn
• Patton                  Franklin Schaffner         Karl Malden, George C. Scott
• Pawnbroker, The          Sidney Lumet               Rod Steiger
• Philadelphia Story       Georqe Cukor           Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn
• Public Enemy, The      William Wellman           James Cagney
• Psycho                  Alfred Hitchcock        Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins
• Quiet Man, The          John Ford             John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara
• Raging Bull          Martin Scorsese           Robert DeNiro
• Rain People, The        Francis Coppola          James Caan, Robert Duvall
• Raintree County          Edward Dmytryk          Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor
• Ramblin' Rose          Martha Coolidge          Laura Dern, Robert Duvall
• Real Life                  Albert Brooks          Albert Brooks, Charles Grodin
• Rear Window         Alfred Hitchcock            Gace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart
• Rebel W/out Cause    Nicholas Ray          James Dean, Natalie Wood
• Red River          Howard Hawks            Montgomery Clift, John Wayne
• Reflections in a…        John Huston          Marlon Brando, Julie Harris
• Requiem for a…          Ralph Nelson           Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason
• Rosemary's Baby       Roman Polanski           Mia Farrow, Ruth Gordon
• Runaway Train          Andrei Konchalovsky    Eric Roberts, Jon Voight
• Safety Last       Harold Lloyd        Harold Lloyd
• Sand Pebbles Robert Wise           Steve McQueen
• Saturday Night Fever John Badham          John Travolta
• Sayonara            Joshua Logan         Marlon Brando
• Scarecrow            Jerry Schatzberg       Gene Hackman, Al Pacino
• Scarface                  Brian De Palma          Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer
• Scent Of A Woman     Martin Brest               Al Pacino
• Searchers, The          John Ford            John Wayne, Natalie Wood
• Serpico                 Sidney Lumet             Al Pacino
• Seven Samurai          Akira Kurosawa          Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune
• Seventh Seal Ingmar Bergman         Max Von Sydow
• Signal 7             
• Singin' In the Rain      Stanley Donen       Gene Kelly, Rita Moreno
• Smiles of a…          Ingmar Bergman       Jarl Kulle
• Soldier In The Rain     Ralph Nelson             Jackie Gleason, Steve McQueen
• Some Like It Hot         Billy Wilder                Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe
• Sound Of Music         Robert Wise             Julie Andrews
• Splendor/Grass       Elia Kazan         Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood
• Stagecoach                 John Ford          James Mason, John Wayne
• Star Is Born William Wellman       Janet Gaynor, Fredric March
• Star Wars                 George Lucas           Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford
• Streetcar/Desire         Elia Kazan          Marlon Brando, Vivian Leigh
• Suddenly Last…      Joseph Mankiewicz     Clift, Hepburn, Taylor
• Sullivan's Travels       Preston Sturges       Veronica Lake, Joel McCrea
• Sunset Boulevard         Billy Wilder                 William Holden, Gloria Swanson
• Sweet Bird of Youth     Richard Brooks       Paul Newman, Geraldine Page
• Taxi Driver          Martin Scorsese         Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel
• Teahouse of the…      Daniel Mann       Marlon Brando
• Tender Mercies       Bruce Beresford      Robert Duvall
• Third Man, The          Carol Reed          Orson Welles
• Three Days/Condor    Sidney Pollack         Faye Dunaway, Robert Redford
• To Kill/Mockingbird      Robert Mulligan       Gregory Peck
• Tootsie          Sidney Pollack         Dustin Hoffman
• Tree Grows in…       Elia Kazan       James Dunn, Peg
• Trip To Bountiful, A      Peter Masterson      Geraldine Page
• Two Rode Together     John Ford            Jimmy Stewart
• Verdict, The          Sidney Lumet          Paul Newman, George Mason
• Vertigo                  Alfred Hitchcock      Kim Novak, Jimmy Stewart
• Viva Zapata       Elia Kazan            Marlon Brando, Karl Malden
• Wait Until Dark       Terence Young       Alan Arkin, Audrey Hepburn
• West Side Story       Jerome Robbins      Rita Moreno, Natalie Wood
• White Christmas       Michael Curtiz       Bing Crosby
• Who's Afraid…       Mike Nichols           Richard Burton
• Wild One, The       Laszlo Benedek       Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin
• Wild River            Elia Kazan            Montgomery Clift
• Young Lions, The       Edward Dmytryk      Brando, Clift