"That's why I wish people would not merely list titles of movies but also say something about why they consider each film inspirational instead of merely good."

Fair point. I really should be working, but here's why I find the following film inspirational (as an artist/animator).

300 - A stylistic triumph, if not the greatest piece of screenwriting. The influence of this adaption of a Frank Miller graphic novel is everywhere; HBO even created an entire series by nicking the idea (Spartacus). It picked up the baton from another Miller adaption, the excellent Sin City, and ran with it. And how it ran! Personally, the composition of the individual shots (sticking close to the graphic novel) are some of the best ever seen on the big screen. The grading of the film is something I have been inspired by too; a truly fantastic piece of work.


Jurassic Park - What to say? The second the brachiosaur strides onto the screen my world changed forever: Firstly, I'm a dinosaur nut, secondly I work with 3D animation. A moment up there with Charlton Heston screaming his dismay at the Statue of Liberty.

Every Star Wars film - Ask any mograph/animation pro of a certain age why they do what they do and chances are Star Wars will be citied as an initial inspiration. The opening sequence changed everything and every film since, even the direly-scripted and vapid prequels have brought something to the party. Lucasarts are the boys.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy - From a purely technical inspiration point of view this could be summed up in one word: Gollum. However the fact the films are engaging, exciting and true to the spirit of the book (if not the actual detail) makes all three of these inspiration fodder for myself. Weta are the new LucasArts, and the software they developed for the crowd scenes called Massive was revolutionary.

Wall-E - Just brilliant animation. The actual visualisation of a future earth suffocating under the weight of it's own waste was superbly realised; the fact you actually care about the characters so much is a testament to the animator's art. And it looks sooooooo good.


2001 A Space Odyssey - Firstly: waltzing spaceships (wow). Secondly: it's intelligent. Thirdly: It's Kubrick at his enigmatic best. Fourthly - the score and sound design is incredible. Fifthly; ideas - the film is packed with them and many are subtle, meaning this is a film that rewards multiple views. The sequence on the space station is worth the price of admission alone and it has Leonard Rossiter.


German Expressionist Cinema (although I'm a bit of a newcomer to this outside of the usual suspects) - Proof that movies can be art. I used to watch these films endlessly on Saturday mornings as a kind when they were shown on BBC2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Golem and the peerless Nosferatu and awsome Metropolis were all favourites and the fact the atmosphere they conjured was mainly due to lighting and some incredible set design proves we don't need no CGI to make a great movie. They continue to inspire thousands of mograph artists, not just yours truly.

Toy Story - All the genuis of Chuck Jones et al in modern format. For any 3D artist/animator these films are worth their weight in gold. Direct descendants of Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and Merrie Melodies they take all the subtleties of those and create three works of brilliant, a musty for any aspiring animator. Inspiration? These films go way beyond that.


Blair Witch Project (and Cannibal Holocaust of course) - Camera work. Sound. Plain and simple. Proof the old adage Keep it Simple Stupid works for films on tiny budgets and still these films can break new ground. The first-person camerawork of the 'Green Inferno' sequence of Cannibal Holocaust inspired the Blair Witch makers, who did it so well 3D applications now have tools enabling animators to re-create the hand-held feel.


Inception - Simply a good idea, and good script and some rather natty use of CGI. I find this film inspiring for technical reasons really as I love the grading of the film, although unlike all the other films on this list I don't have great affection for it.


Herzog - A visionary, a flawed genius who understands the power of film and uses it to incredible effect. It's difficult to pinpoint why I love Herzog films so much, and why they inspire me so. To watch a Herzog film is to be; to exist in a state whereby the film maker communicates directly to you as an individual rather than communication to an audience.

Lynch - Ah, where to start? My favourite film maker. Inspiration distilled into the pure, bright essence of communication via celluloid. A chronicler of the human condition whose stylistic isms and frequently disturbing visions are presented via the almost painterly cinematography, incredible sound design, design of the film which is beyond the capabilities of virtually all of us. Auteur doesn't come close to describing this man; perhaps genius visionary of the modern age is more like it.


Se7en - Grading, design, etc etc, but mainly the title sequence which is the greatest ever since Saul Bass and revitalised this undervalued cinematic artform. Also, the design of the film itself is brilliant. They wrote all those notebooks you know.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original) - A work of utter brilliance. Once more, the sound design is truly inspirational and the whole film feels . . . off-kilter. Everything is designed to give you the impression something indefinable is haunting your peripheral vision.

Blade Runner - If you can't understand why this film is inspiration, then I give up. The brilliance of the movie, apart from the incredible visualisation of LA in the not-to-distant- future (apparently Phillip K. Dick was given a private screening of an early cut of the film and afterwards turned to Ridley Scott and said "How did you do this?" He was awed) the reason this is so complete and excellent can be summed up with the line "I have seen things you people wouldn't believe . . . attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. . ."


Early Universal horror flicks - More Saturday morning fare, the early horror movies Universal produced were, and still are, hugely influential on me. From Frankenstein to Lugosi's hammy Dracula, The Man Who Laughs and The Phantom of the Opera these films contain moments of brilliance that in many ways have never been equalled. Big plusses for the set design and the films look fantastic in that wonderful smooth black and white film stock they were shot on (the poster design for these films is superb too, although often the European posters were quite different).

Now I have to work.