The Icebook

I recently had the pleasure of viewing The Icebook at the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts in Boca Raton, FL. Created by directors and designers Davy and Kritsin McGuire, this stop in Florida was the only American stop of their world-wide tour. The McGuire's created a pop-up book that can take projections, with the end result being a fairy tale on a minute and charming scale. It is unlike anything that I have seen or even heard of and captures wonderment that I imagine existed when "peep show" devices were being used at the dawning cinema.

The film follows a lonely man (portrayed by Davy) on a cold night who gets a magical message coming out from one of his books, created by the Ice Queen (played by Kristin.) Every scene transition takes place with the turn of a page. The first scene shows the front of the man's house, and we see him turn on lights, make his way through the house, and pick up fire logs on the porch. The actor, the lights, and the snow are all projections, while the house itself is a paper pop-up. This is a true 3-D film, unlike the phony bologna 3-D films that are rampant these days. The actors interact with the pop-ups, placing items on top of pop-up shelves, walking through the paper forest, or jumping in a pop-up boat. The work had to have been meticulous in order for everything to sync together, but the McGuires were able to create the full effect that they were shooting for.

There are many striking moments in the 17-minute film (do I call it a film?) Our protagonist journeys in a boat, where he encounters a lightning storm and icebergs. Through manipulation of the the light, and the movement of the background, the stationary, lifeless paper boat sails. It is whimsical and is nothing short of black-and-white perfection. The protagonist makes his way towards the Queen's castle, which is grand in size, as we see can barely make out Davy walking along the castle's grounds. These set pieces are clear, and subtle; not once did I feel like they were shoving their medium in my face. The pop-ups and projections are blended so well, that I forgot what I was looking at, until the very end, when the lights turn. Still, I had a sense that the action was happening right in front of, that this book had come to life. It was a surreal experience.

The story's silent, accompanied with music and sound effects, but contains no intertitles. The story doesn't coddle the viewer, and much of the motivations and results will have to be left up to them, but that is how silent films usually work. They're the universal storyteller, which explains why the McGuires have been able to tour the world with their production.

As I've said before, The Icebook brought to mind the history of film and the inventive and fantastic experiments that came about with the new medium. At this time, The Hobbit is showing in theaters, which has gained special press because it filmed at a rate of 48 frames a second, instead of the usual 24. Does it really matter? No. Will you be able to watch other films despite their slow 24 frame rate? Yes. While I admit I haven't seen the film, this is just another technological "enhancement" that is made to sell tickets. There was a time when innovative film techniques changed the way you viewed the film, like adding sound or color, but mainstream filmmakers are finding it harder to create that cool admiration. Where you can find it is on a smaller, local scale: at museums, galleries, local theaters, and exhibits to showcase the narrative, poetic, and mechanical properties of film.

That's what The Icebook does. The intimate size and the dimensional quality create a dreamlike environment made for fantasy. The McGuires have stated that a fantasy, dreamy storyline is too spot on the nose, and will try something more edgy and different. There are unless possibilities, really. A crime noir filled with pop-up city streets and smokey alleys would be neat, or a period piece featuring a home-sick soldier with his lonely wife trying to take care of their pop-up farm. Whatever their next pop-up theater show is, let's hope they come back to Florida.