03-08-2010, 05:32 AM
...the right movie won. I heard Avatar only worth it if you see it on the real big screen with the special glasses...
M'self, I have not yet seen The Hurt Locker so do not have a solid basis for an opinion regarding Locker, but am certainly glad James Cameron had a bit of a taking-down. Avatar definitely is worth seeing --even in 2D-- imho, for the beautiful imagery. Alas, the wonderful art carrying the film (and without which the film would have been a ridiculous laughingstock; the plot has been done before, to say the least) was plagiarized part and parcel from Roger Dean. Not an acknowledgment, not a mention, not a single little tip of the hat to the artist whose life work was ripped off. More on that here:
http://www.artistsuk.net/artist-news/sho...-film.html
I sent him this note-
Dear Roger Dean
Not just for yourself but for young artists who have not achieved your secure place in the world, please take James Cameron to task --at the very least in the media if not in court-- and leave him with egg on his face as a plagiarist. He really is shameless and deserves some taking-down. People everywhere agree. Here is my blog entry on the topic: http://people.tribe.net/alohasteven/blog...5834f4db2a
Sincerely,
Steven
PS: If you are ever in Hawaii, I'd be delighted to show you around!
To which, remarkably, Roger Dean himself sent this reply-
Dear Steven
Thank you for your support it really is very much appreciated. I have
read your blog and will comment, but not right now.
Thank you though.
Best Regards
Roger Dean
I do hope Roger Dean follows through with going after Cameron for his due as an artist.
Back in the very late 70's or very early 80's an artist friend of mine went down to LA and met with the individuals putting everything together for a new film. They had contacted him saying they were interested in seeing his designs for sets, costumes, monsters, and so on, so he drew up a big portfolio of designs and took them down there; I saw him working late into the night on these sketches and scale models for weeks. At their request he left it all for them to ponder. A couple months later they sent it all back in a box with a note saying something like "Thanks, but we decided to go in a different direction." When the first Conan the Barbarian film came out at cinemas I was shocked, as was everyone else who knew my artist friend. They had used everything, down to tiny details, and not given any credit whatsoever, let alone paid him. His parents were furious; we all twisted his arm to sue the plagiarists. He would not do so, saying that it would take money to sue which he did not have. I think it was as much or more that he felt too sickened and betrayed and ashamed of himself for having been gullible. At any rate Conan launched Ahnod on his career as serial Barbarian (Conan, the Terminator, then Governator) and spawned sequels and imitators galore but no recognition and not one cent ever went to my artist friend who had worked so hard on originating and detailing the main vein of creativity which made the film so interesting in the first place.
Yes, quite probably (as Nina Paley says) all creative work is derivative, and yet that does not mean it is OK for wealthy people like James Cameron, who have teams of lawyers at their beck and call, to totally rip off the hard work of living artists, treating them with callous disregard and basically stealing their earnings.
I am glad Cameron did not sweep the Oscars and just hope Roger Dean is eventually recognized as having been the genius behind the wonderful look and success of Avatar.
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All creative work is derivative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcvd5JZkUXY
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Astonishing skill! This archer is a real-life Legolas and then some!
http://geekologie.com/2013/11/real-life-...rs-anc.php
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Astonishing skill! This archer is a real-life Legolas and then some!
http://geekologie.com/2013/11/real-life-...rs-anc.php
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