Overlooked and Legendary

When many think of the greatest and most legendary directors in film history, we think of names like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg,  or Quentin Tarantino. However, there is a great director that many seem to overlook. He had a vision that many seemed to think would fail or be too risky but he was determined to make it happen and did. This man is John Lasseter, the director of the first ever fully CGI motion picture, Toy Story. 

Lasseter began his career at Lucasfilm and contributed to many of their computer generated special effects in movies such as The Young Sherlock Holmes. The more he experimented with this technology, the more he began to realize the potential of making a film purely from computers. It was not until Steve Jobs bought the computer animation division of Lucasfilm and renamed it Pixar Animation Studios when Lasseter finally had the opportunity to make is dream a reality. Jobs believed in Lasseter's vision and hired him as director of their short films. Lasseter's short films then won multiple awards and recognition from many big film companies. One of these companies was Disney, who later signed a three movie deal with Pixar studios. Jobs then decided to give Lasseter's dream a shot, making their first partnership with Disney a legendary one.

Toy Story was released on Thanksgiving of 1995 and became a huge blockbuster success. According to boxofficemojo.com, the movie accumulated over $300 million dollars at the worldwide box office, making it the most successful animated film of that time period. Pixar had revolutionized the way animated films could be created and inspired many other companies to create movies similarly to generate the same success. Lasseter, however, realized that the content means more than the software and intended to create a great story to keep the audience from just looking at pretty graphics. The unique story tied with the high quality of computer graphics technology makes this film and its director truly legendary!

From Doubt to Destiny

Lately, I have been realizing that my past couple of posts have been about pioneers in media history that overcame odds to accomplish their dreams. Mainly, this is because they inspire me to dream big and to work hard to make my goals happen. The subject of this post is probably one of the greatest success stories in television history and one of my personal favorite actors of all time. This person had dreamed as a child that she wanted to be an actress. She went to acting school as a teenager and her teachers told her that she was not talented enough to be an actress… They doubted her… But she didn't give up. She stared in low budget B-films until she finally got her own television show. A show that still airs to this day! By now, you should know who I'm addressing! Yes, one of the greatest and most successful actresses of all time, Ms. Lucille Ball!

Before Ms. Ball became an actress, her career actually had her start out as a model. Her modeling career was really successful until she struggled with sicknesses such as rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis which caused her to stop modeling for almost two years! Lucille bounced back, however, and started gaining small rolls in films which then later turned into lead roles. Ball ended up being so successful in the "B-Movie" community that she was nicknamed "Queen of the B's."

It wasn't until 1948 when Lucille stared in the hit sit-com "I Love Lucy"and the rest as they say is history.... LITERALLY! She became the first female in television history to be the head of a production company. The show also became the first sit-com to be shot live in front of a studio audience. Lastly, even though the show lasted only six seasons, it is still being shown on television to this day which makes it the longest syndicated show in history! According to tvguide.com in 2011, almost 40 million people watch "I Love Lucy" every year!

What really makes Lucille a legend in the industry was her ability to make anyone laugh! Whether is was her voice, her facial expressions or her wild antics, her main goal in every episode of "I Love Lucy" was to make the audience smile. Lucy's talent radiates with every episode and has helped those who were having a bad day to turn their frowns upside-down.  In my opinion, no one on earth did that better than Lucille Ball.

 

Farnsworth: Boy Genius

When I think of young geniuses, I think of all the characters that I grew up watching on television such as Jimmy Neutron, Dexter from “Dexter’s Laboratory,” and Doogie from “Doogie Howser M.D.” Little did I know that a young genius actually invented television! The name of this intelligent young boy is Philo T. Farnsworth.

Farnsworth was a farm boy raised in Rigby, Idaho. The idea of electronic television came to him at age 14 when he was plowing a field for his family’s farm. The back and forth lines caused by his plow’s motion inspired his idea of the “image dissector”: the idea that a lens can direct light into a glass camera tube, in which the image is split into electrons that are transmitted one line at a time on the screen. This concept became a reality years later and has not only changed broadcasting, but also society forever!

Sadly, even though Farnsworth gets credit for the original idea, the blueprint and prototype for the electronic television, he did not become as rich as most people thought he would be. Later in life, however, he held over 300 patents including a "fusor." Farnsworth's life proves that ideas can change lives no matter the age of its creator. Many people did not grasp Philo's concept when he first came up with it, but Farnsworth did not let that stop him. To me, that kind of determination at a young age is inspiration in itself. Even though Farnsworth might not be a huge name in most history books, his legacy in the broadcast world cannot be overlooked! 

From Folly to Fortune

Imagine having an idea.... An idea that is revolutionary but yet risky. An concept that can either make a lot of money or cause your company to lose everything. Would you go ahead with it? I don't know about you guys but I would tread lightly in all of that pressure. However, there was a man in film history who risked his company and his pride to make a vision come to life. His revolutionary idea was the first animated film with sound!

Walt Disney started developing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1934. The film took almost three years to fund and develop until its premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre on December of 1937. During those three years, the film created a lot of hype and also a lot of criticism. Many people doubted that the idea would work and tried to talk him out of it including his wife and brother! Disney was ambitious however and even mortgaged his own house to help fund the movie. The movie ended up costing over $1 million to make and Disney had to hope that his gamble would pay off at the premiere.

At the end of 1937, Disney showed his masterpiece to the world! The theatre was full of nay-sayers and fans. When the movie ended, the crowd stood up and gave the film a standing ovation. The film ended up being not only one of the greatest animated films of all time, but is also known as one of the greatest pictures in motion picture history! Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ended up making over $7 million in profit during its original run. The movie today has earned the company over $400 million!!

It amazes me how much criticism and risk Walt Disney encountered during the development of this movie. Walt Disney's determination and faith in his abilities is a real inspiration to those who strive to be in the movie industry. Imagine what our childhood would be like without movies like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!........ Depressing right?? 

 Disney proved that when you wish upon a...... You guys know the rest!!!

The Legacy of Nosferatu

When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon series. However, there was moment in one particular episode that came out almost 12 years ago that has always left me puzzled. Here is that clip of the episode:

Twelve years later, I have finally understood this joke that left millions of kids puzzled! The scary man flickering the lights is one of the legends in the horror film genre!

Nosferatu was a horror film based on the popular novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. The film was shot and developed by the Prana Film Company in Germany in 1921 and was released in theaters in 1922. The film was very popular in the 1920's and became a worldwide success. However, Stroker did not give the developers authorization to do the adaptation of the novel and thus sued Prana Film. The judge then ruled that all copies of the film be destroyed. However, one copy of the film survived and the movie is now seen as a legendary!

It was not until Dr. Martin's class when I realized this connection! It amazes me that over 80 years after the film was released, a kid's cartoon pays tribute to a movie character that a lot of us never knew about.  Another point in class that I thought was interesting was that the actor that played Nosferatu, Max Schreck, did not use a mask, a lot makeup or anything to make him look scary. He naturally looked odd and had scary teeth! That is what I call natural talent!