Creative Process: Norman McLaren

19901 h 56 min 32 secFilm: Documentary, Animation, Experimental

G

Direction: Donald McWilliams

Production: David VerrallDouglas MacDonald

Script: Donald McWilliamsSusan Huycke

Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in association with the CBC and Channel Four Television.

Norman McLaren was a cinematic genius who made films without cameras, and music without instruments. He produced sixty films in a stunning range of styles and techniques, collecting over 200 international awards, and world recognition. In Creative Process, director Donald McWilliams demystifies the process of artistic creation. Drawing on McLaren's private film vaults, a gold mine of experimental footage and uncompleted films, McWilliams explores McLaren's methods, including his celebrated "pixillation" technique, and his daring forays into animated surrealism. He reveals sources of McLaren's creativity and shows how they were transformed into cinema. This film is a unique examination of creativity - and a journey through McLaren's own extraordinary creative process.

Subject categories


  • Film and Video Arts > AnimationExperimentationNorman McLaren Animation techniquesPortraits
  • Media Education > Documentary FilmFilm AnimationFilm and Video Production

Credits


director
Donald McWilliams
editing
Donald McWilliams
producer
David Verrall
executive producer
Douglas MacDonald
script
Donald McWilliams
Susan Huycke
cinematography
Pierre Letarte
Jacques Leduc
animation camera
Pierre Landry
Jacques Avoine
Barry Wood
Robin L.P. Bain
sound
Yves Gendron
Hans Oomes
Esther Auger
Richard Besse
sound editing
Raymond Vermette
Tony Reed
re-recording
Adrian Croll
narrator
Susan Huycke
music
Eldon Rathburn

Awards


  • Honorable Mention for Best Documentary filmIMAGE Film and Video Festival
  • Blue Ribbon Award - Category: Arts: Profiles of Fine Artists, HistoryItinerant - American Film and Video Festival
  • Grand Prize for Best Images and Documents FilmInternational Film Festival