Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Philip Seymore Hoffman Rocks.


Warning: lots of profanity in this clip. I haven't seen Charlie Wilson's War, but I saw this clip of Philip Seymore Hoffman during the Oscars and I had to chase it down on YouTube. First off, the shape of his head is amazing. But that's not his choice. Second, he's an amazing actor. But you probably know that. Third, check out the energy in this clip, especially around 1:15. He's so angry - his gestures hit hard and rattle his torso, his head shakes back and forth quickly, almost vibrating. His attitudes are so clear. When have you seen this kind of energy in animation? I can't recall if I have, but I sure want to try it the next time I have to animate an angry character. Maybe you guys will beat me to it!

12 comments:

  1. It's a pretty great flick. Mike Nichols is awesome!

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  2. I didn't care at all for CW's War, but I love Philip Seymour Hoffman.

    I'd love to see Seymour in Pixar film down the road. That'd be like a dream come true.

    Anyway I love the blog and can't wait for Wall-E. I'm beyond pumped.

    -Alex

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  3. Excellent thinking!

    Anyways, I'm wondering: what frame rate does live-action use?

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  4. Anyways, for film cartoons, I guess I really will use twenty-four frames per second after all.

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  5. its amazing how clear and simple, but convincing his acting is. fantastic!

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  6. This is a great clip - thanks for posting it.

    I particularly like how Hoffman keeps it reigned in. It allows for a more believable intensity which allows for the payoff at the end when he finally smashes the window. Also, the simple yet effective staging of having Hoffman standing and the officer sitting and smoking creates a clear contrast. I haven't seen the film but even through this short clip we get a clear vision of who these two characters are - great acting and well written.
    Like you said Victor - it'd be great to tackle something like this in animation. Especially a showdown like this between two characters.

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  7. This single clip from the oscars inspired me go out and see this movie... and it was well worth the money!

    Love your blog by the way! The advice section was particularly helpful!

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  8. I think Charlie Wilson's War is definitely worth checking out... the biggest reason being his performance! I was in tears laughing from some of his scenes--- I love this character!
    I can't think of an animated scene with quite this level of anger right now- but will post if I do.
    Thanks for the post Victor!

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  9. Wow. I'm speechless. I mean, I knew Phillip Seymour Hoffman was a gifted actor and all, but I had no idea he was THAT good. I would absolutely love to animated that, or at least illustrate it in some gestural drawings....Thanks for posting this Victor!

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  10. Charlie Wilson's War ain't too bad & of course Hoffman is the best thing in it. Just saw him last night in The Savages-total contrast to his performance in CWW. Great actor. I was even wondering whether he'd make a good voice actor in a Pixar flick? He has a very peculiar voice, not sure whether it would work for animation but he's great to study for acting.

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  11. Great clip; horrible editing!

    Can they squeeze more cuts into this??? there must be about 30 shots in this sequence!

    ri-diculous!

    Thank you for that great clip tho!

    Patrice

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  12. Patrice, yeah, looks like the editor got paid by the cut. I haven't seen the whole film, so maybe this editing style works better in context. I assume he's just trying to increase the intensity of the scene, but Hoffman is doing that pretty well on his own.

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