Interview with Hugh Welchman
Continued Success Post ‘Loving Vincent’
– Hugh and his partner, DK Welchman after their triumphant directorial stint with ‘Loving Vincent’, decide to continue their cinematic journey. Neither resting on laurels nor playing second fiddle to Van Gogh.
– Refusing to make a carbon copy of their first success, they long to experiment and innovate. Because, why paint the same picture twice, right?
– DK hatches a plan as fresh as morning eggs, suggesting they adapt to new styles of filmmaking.
An Interview with Skwigly Animation Magazine
– On a rendezvous with Skwigly Animation Magazine, Hugh spills the beans about his new venture, ‘The Peasants.’
– The duo choose to tell a tale of humble, dirt-on-their-hands peasants. Anyone said ‘Real-life Shrek’?
Their Future Endeavours
– The partners keep the suspense under wraps about their future plans. But, we’d wager they won’t stick to just making ‘Still Lives.’
Hot Take
I’ve always said that animation is the mullet of the film industry – a daring party in the front, and meticulously arduous work in the back. And the Welchmans’ journey is as scenic as it gets. Dabbling with Van Gogh, they mesmerized us all, and now they’re strolling down the countryside, painting tales of ‘The Peasants’. It’s like watching painters evolving into movie Avengers. Or rather, Marvel-lous movie-makers. Can’t wait to grab my popcorn and immerse in their next immersive creation. Now, if only they could animate me a golden ticket to their film premiere…
After their directorial breakthrough with Loving Vincent, filmmaking duo Hugh and DK Welchman embarked on another oil-painting movie project. However, this time, they wanted a different challenge and decided to adapt The Peasants, Noble Prize-winning novel by Włdysław Reymont.
Following four years of rigorous production, the completed project exemplifies a unique portrayal of Reymont’s stylized narrative. Unlike Loving Vincent, the team took a more ambitious approach, employing dynamic camera work to capture the raw emotions and drama of the period piece.
In anticipation of the film’s UK release, Hugh Welchman joined Skwigly for an insightful conversation about the film’s development, and potential of paint-animation. Read our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
The Peasants (Vertigo Releasing – Image via Alternate Current)
Talking about paint-animation beyond Loving Vincent, what kind of stories inspire you to express them through this unique medium?
…The way Reymont writes is very poetic and colorful. It doesn’t feel like a landscape that could exist in reality… It can be used in other ways.
The Peasants (Vertigo Releasing – Image via Alternate Current)
We noticed an evolution of camera work in The Peasants when compared to Loving Vincent. Can you tell us more about this decision?
… the camera was a character in the film. It was allowing us to tell the story better, so then we just had to learn how to paint the moving camera.
Kamila Urzedowska’s performance as Yagna is captivating. Does an actor’s facial features influence your casting when envisioning them in oil painting?
… [Kamila] is pretty beautiful in the flesh but she’s stunning when photographed and I think we made her even more stunning by making her into a moving painting…
The Peasants (Vertigo Releasing – Image via Alternate Current)
What is your perspective on the future of paint-animation as a filmmakers pioneering this medium?
…For it to not be just a footnote in cinema history and for it to grow beyond me and DK, I think a studio has to go, “we want to do something in this style,” and I think that will only happen if The Peasants does as well or better than Loving Vincent
The Peasants is now playing in UK cinemas.
Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/the-peasants-hugh-welchman/