Our friends over at Minuscule Motion have been kind enough to curate a post for us featuring a selection of their brilliant cinema-themed illustrations. Valentine and Marine (Based in Lille, Northen France) have shared some of their favourite designs, and they’ve also revealed some of the emotions, thoughts, and inspiration that goes into the selection and composition of their works.
The really cool thing about Minuscule Motion is the organic and natural style of its inception. Initially, the illustrations came about as a means to decorate a living room in Lille, shared by two friends. Valentine’s talent for art and her love of cinema combined, and the first few movie-themed illustrations were born. The response of friends and acquaintances was overwhelmingly positive much to her surprise, so her friend Marine set about creating a means for people to buy these drawings. Thus, Minuscule Motion came into being – an endeavour born naturally, out of passion, creativity, and a love of film. There is no ‘master plan’ at work, Valentine’s illustrations emerge from her current movie crushes, the memory of old favourites, and the ever growing and changing landscape of cinema itself. The manifesto (if we can call it such) is sleekness, smoothness, and a charming simplicity. The colours are bright and vibrant, much like the school of Scandinavian illustration, and often the scenes depicted will be instantly recognisable to fans of the relevant movie – little nods to avid fans and cinema-goers worldwide, a pictorial invitation to bond over the love of a specific film! Without further ado, take a look at six of the designs below accompanied by some words from Valentine:
Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott – 1991)
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I’m always surprised that this film isn’t more popular. I consider myself a bit of a feminist, and i think the message of Thelma & Louise is still important and relevant to women and larger society today. The repression of a female sexuality, the blaming of women who have been sexually assaulted, and a general ignorance perpetrated by patriarchal society are topics that need addressing. Thelma & Louise’s attempts to escape these things makes for a tragic, but fascinating story of love, friendship, and society,
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson – 2004)
This one came about because of my love for Wes Anderson films – That’s it! i HAD to pick one, and this is the most recent Wes Anderson Illustration i’ve done – (Moonrise Kingdom is actually my favourite Anderson flick, and the first illustration i ever made! And there’s definitely more on the way) As much as i love the films, trying to condense all of the tiny details of his films, or even trying to decide which details to include when there are so many great ones, is a bit of a nightmare! Even when i’ve finished i still feel like there are so many cool parts of the movie that i haven’t been able to fit in – like a certain prop or moment, or idea. There’s only so much you can put into one illustration!
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott – 1982)
I love the futuristic, Neo-Noir aesthetic of Blade Runner, and i think many of it’s fans appreciate that aspect as well. But i decided to take this design in a different direction. I think the die-hard fans can appreciate the references and subtle nods contained within this illustration though. The grid is reminiscent of the machine Deckard uses to inspect the photographs, the desert and the tortoise is a wink to the questions posed to Leon in the opening scenes, and the immediately recognisable Voight-Kampff machine hovers over the picture as a whole. I’ll probably attempt a different Blade Runner design in the future, perhaps a ‘darker’ one, but for now i still feel quite attached to this one.
Her (Spike Jonze – 2013)
‘Her’ was my last cinematic crush. I tired to keep the illustration pretty simple. The pizza slice is a reference to the first ‘date’ (if you can call it that) that Samantha and Theodore go on at the fun fair. It’s probably the moment that things start to become emotionally complex between the two, and it’s quite touching and charming as well.
La vita è bella / Life Is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni – 1997)
I always try to stay true to the culture and language of any movie that i watch, so for Roberto Benigni’s ‘La Vita e Bella’ I asked an Italian friend to help me with the wording of the sign on the shop window – “niente ragni né visigoti”. It’s a reference to the moment when the Italian-Jewish Father touchingly tries to explain away the atrocities and prejudices of the Nazi regime by saying that he too will put up a sign for his bookshop, banning ‘spiders’ and ‘Visigoths’ from entering. You never see this sign go up, but i included it in the illustration as i found this moment between the father and son touching, and it really highlights the tension in the film between the comedy the father employs to shield his son from the horrors of the world, and the tragedy and inhumanity born out Nazi ideology. The tank is also another wink to fans of this film, but i won’t spoil that for any would-be watchers!
The Breakfast Club (John Hughes – 1985)
The great thing about loving cinema is that there is always more films to search out and watch. This project pushes me to search for all types of films – the critically acclaimed, the independent and niche, and popular films that speak for generations. I think the Breakfast club falls into the latter category- it’s an incredibly popular and influential film, and as such i felt i had to draw it. Sometimes i get so set on illustrating a particular film and sometimes it’s a film i haven’t even seen yet – so i’m never really sure where the illustrations will take me, or what they’ll turn out like.
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