"Loving Vincent" is the first ever full-length painting animation film, created in Wroclaw, Gdańsk, and the United Kingdom. Its director is painter Dorota Kobiela who is writing the screenplay with the poet and writer Jack Dehnel.
The film tells a story about the life and death of one of the greatest genius Impressionist painters, Vincent van Gogh. It will consist of nearly 56 thousand frames, painted like a canvas painting.
They will learn PAWS
At the Centre of Audiovisual Technologies, 10 PAWS (Painting Animation Work Station) will be set up. The technology is a combination of traditional painting, i.e. oil on canvas, with animation. It will enable making 100 van Gogh's paintings become alive. During the recruitment announced a few months ago, 600 candidates sent their applications, 300 were invited for tests, and 51, mostly graduates of fine arts academies. More candidates will be tested next Monday at the Centre of Audiovisual Technologies in Wroclaw. In total, 50 painters will be needed for the film and ten of them are to be from Wroclaw.
"Thanks to the participation of Wroclaw residents in the project, your city will be known for the PAWS technique. We will train a group of painters who will be able to use this technology. It can be used to make advertisements, video clips, etc.", said Sean Bobbitt.
The company in charge of production is BreakThru Productions, established in London by Hugh Welchman, a 2008 Oscar winner for the best short animation film "Peter and the Wolf". The company produced, among others, the full-length film titled "The Flying Machine" (2011), which combined state-of-the-art animation with actor photos, an adventure story about Polish composer Frederic Chopin. BreakThru Productions gained international recognition thanks to its short films, which won prestigious film awards worldwide. These include nominations for the BAFTA award and the Le Cristal d'Annecy, the Canal+, the TCM, and the Rose d'Or awards.
Painters using paintbrushes and computers
"Dorota Kobiela told me about her idea in 2012", said Hugh Welchman. "She explained that she wanted to show the story of van Gogh's life by enlivening his paintings. She had an exceptional idea and a vision, and I was infected with her enthusiasm. No one has produced a full-length painting animation film for 120 years! It turned out that there is a shortage of painter-animators and this is why we need to train them".
The artists work in three groups: the firs is responsible for animation of portraits, the second - for animation of landscapes, and the third prepares archive paintings in the style of the early cinema of the Lumiere brothers. "All painters say that their work is very difficult", added Hugh Welchman.
Mysterious death of van Gogh
"In one month we will celebrate another anniversary of van Gogh's death. On 29 July he received a letter from his brother, who supported him financially, about the brother's financial problems. Supposedly this is why he committed suicide. I do not believe it and in the film we are trying to face the myth regarding his death", explained Hugh Welchman.
"His letters show a sensitive, creative, life- and world-loving good man of a great heart", said Justyna Wierszyńska, the film's editor. "People think van Gogh was a madman who cut his ear and committed suicide. We want our film to shed light on the last years of his life.
The spectators will be taken on a trip in van Gogh's life by Armand Roulin, a boy with many portraits by the painter. The entire film is based on the concept of conversations with people who knew the artist, met him, and were painted by him. "They are the witnesses of his life and they can express their opinions", explained Justyna Wierszyńska.
"Loving Vincent" and ECC 2016
Due to van Gogh's popularity and the unique nature of this project, the film, produced in Wroclaw by BreakThru Productions, will be an excellent platform for promotion of Wroclaw as a city associated with new forms of art and events focused on the organization of the Wroclaw 2016 - European Capital of Culture.
"I am happy that such an important project involving beautiful painting will be performed in Wroclaw. It will delight the city's residents and tourists", said Anna Szarycz, Wroclaw's deputy major, when she welcomed the Oscar-winning team. "I am happy that there are many activities associated with this project that involve work with young persons.
The film's budget is estimated to be equal to nearly 20 million US dollars. The Polish Film Institute has granted a subsidy of two million zlotys for the production of the "Loving Vincent" film. Its première is to take place in 2015.
"We want to be ready before 29 July 2015, which is the 125th anniversary of van Gogh's death", said Sean Bobbitt.
Agnieszka Kołodyńska
