Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth - Book Review

Front and back cover of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth

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I watched Pan’s Labyrinth in the theaters the year it came out (2006), and it proved to be my favorite movie that year. I love Guillermo del Toro’s work, and thus far Pan’s Labyrinth has remained my favorite of his movies. The book, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth: Inside the Creation of a Modern Fairy Tale, by Mark Cotta Vaz and Nick Nunziata, was published in 2016 to mark the 10th anniversary of the movie. I won a copy of this book through a giveaway at tor.com, and I’m very pleased I did. This is a beautiful hardcopy book full of all sorts of details about the making of the film, from behind the scene photos, to concept art, set design, pages from notebooks, storyboards, and lots of interesting text to go along with it all. I love the design of this book. It’s full of inserts glued to the pages. It really gives it the feel of a scrap book created during the making of the movie. As with the movie there are so many fascinating and creative visuals to keep the reader’s/viewer’s interest.

Shows a translucent colored Faun overtop the initial sketch.

Lifting the translucent insert you can see the initial sketch.

Guillermo del Toro considers Pan’s Labyrinth the second movie in an imagined trilogy. The first movie was The Devil’s Backbone, another great film. It was set in 1939, the final year of the Spanish Civil War, and centered on an orphanage run by a couple who were loyal to the Republican forces. Pan’s Labyrinth is set in 1944 after the Fascists took control of Spain, but continue to battle Republican holdouts. It centers on an old mill with some people secretly aiding the Republicans. And as noted in the book, “in both stories, an innocent child is driven to a foreboding new home (the orphanage in The Devil’s Backbone; the mill in Pan’s Labyrinth), the supernatural manifests itself the first day in daylight and nighttime, and reality and fantasy intertwine.”

“In this film you walk in the shoes of this little girl who is pure, innocent, and sensitive. As she learns, you learn. Even though she’s in the middle of all this horror, once you’re in the mind of a child that has all this imagination and purity of heart anything can happen.”

— Guillermo Navarro, director of photography

These stories touch on real events, but are set in fictional settings. They are not just retellings of history, but are fantasy or horror tales that reveal some of the terrible evils of people, along with the fragility of innocence. Guillermo says that “fantasy is a language that allows us to explain, interpret, and reappropriate reality. It is not an escape and I’m very vehement about that.”

The inset storyboard on the right is actually a small booklet.

See the opened storyboard booklet.

Guillermo drew together an amazing team to make Pan’s Labyrinth, both behind and in front of the camera. The book introduces many of them, such as director of photography Guillermo Navarro, who worked behind the camera on other films with del Toro, production designer Eugenio Caballero, visual effects supervisor Everett Burrell, actor Serge Lopez who plays the cruel Captain Vidal, actor Doug Jones who is covered in prosthetics as the Faun, actress Ivana Baquero who plays the young Ofelia, CafeFX who produces some of the amazing visuals, and many others.

“On this film I learned a lot from Guillermo Navarro about how to light something and how not to light in terms of purposely keeping things in shadow. And Guillermo del Toro basically taught me how to direct.”

— Everett Burrell, visual effects supervisor

I really enjoyed learning about some of the subtle, or not so subtle, concepts or effects used in the film, things I often did not specifically notice, but knowing about them now and re-watching the film adds an extra layer to the experience. For example, the movie has 3 major journeys and they chose to use 3 color hues to represent these journeys. The first journey is reality, the world of Spain, with Ofelia and her mother trying to make a new life for themselves with Captain Vidal, who is in charge of the Fascist forces stationed at the mill. The real world uses blue hues and feels cold. The second journey is when Ofelia is in the fantasy realms, when she is working to complete the tasks given to her by the Faun. This journey uses warm colors. The third, and final, journey is when Ofelia enters the underworld kingdom, and for this they chose red and gold hues. It works so well. This is reminiscent of the green hue used in the movie, The Matrix. Even if you don’t realize how the hues are being used it does affect how the film looks and feels during the scenes that use them. Very powerful. And these are the kinds of things photographers can pick up from watching these sorts of movies. Paying attention to how color is used, how light is manipulated to create the moods and effects throughout a film. There’s much we still image makers can learn from film makers.

The beginning of chapter 5 from the book.

Showing photos, production sketches, and models.

Towards the end of the book Guillermo del Toro says he wants to finish this Spanish Civil War trilogy soon. He says the third movie will be called 3993 because the movie will open and close on a perfect circle. He mentions how The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Crimson Peak, also were circular, how something from the beginning of the movie has new meaning as the movie ends. He is very deliberate in how he structures his movies, adding elements and meaning, weaving together fantasy, horror, and reality, and in doing so he entertains, gives small glimpses of history, and perhaps teaches a little about the good and bad of humanity.

“I always believe things happen for the best. Everyone thinks of the director as a dictator, but it’s not that. You know when you have to do it the way you want it. But I think the big difference in being a first-time director, and one who has directed six or ten movies, is that with experience you learn to identify adversity not as adversity, but as opportunity. That distinction makes you much more flexible.”

— Guillermo del Toro

Front and back of Pan's Labyrinth DVD

Front and back cover of Guillermo del Toro: Cabinet of Curiosities

Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is a great addition to the library of anyone who fell in love with the film and wants to learn more about both the film and those who created it. And if you’re a fan of Guillermo del Toro’s work you might also enjoy the book, Guillermo del Toro: Cabinet of Curiosities - My Notebooks, Collections, and Other Obsessions, which I also own.

Cabinet of Curiosities has sections about each of del Toro’s creations as of its publication, as well sections about some of his unfinished works, and other topics important to del Toro. The book doesn’t have the three dimensional inserts contained in the Pan’s Labyrinth book, but it is full of the same sorts of content. I really enjoy both of these books. Check them out if you enjoy Guillermo del Toro’s films. And if you’ve never seen Pan’s Labyrinth, give it a try. You just might enjoy it.

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Buy on Amazon

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Book Review - Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope

Today I want to share a review of another work of fiction I recently finished reading. I do this to encourage everyone to look for inspiration everywhere, not just in photography. Read a novel or a biography. Watch a fantastic movie or a fascinating documentary. You may not initially find anything specific in these things that inspire your photography, but everything we read, watch, or experience changes and shapes us, and over time this will affect and improve your creativity. Exposing yourself to the ideas of others can help you develop your own.

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, at no extra cost to you. I received my copy of Collecting the Dead from a giveaway at CriminalElement.com, a site for folks who love “mysteries, thrillers & all things killer…”

On to the review:

Collecting the Dead, by Spencer Kope, is a thriller about a special team within the FBI called the Special Tracking Unit, who are known for their unique ability to track down criminals and victims when no one else can. The key to the team is Magnus Craig, who goes by the nickname Steps and has been dubbed by the media “The Human Bloodhound.” He and his partner, Special Agent Jimmy Donovan, work closely in the field, Steps tracking, and Jimmy backing him up. The third member of their team is Diane, who is always working in the background performing research and coordination.

But it turns out Steps is not really a tracker, though he has slowly learned some of those skills over the years. His real skill is an ability that lets him see where people have been, where they’ve walked, what they’ve touched. It’s like an aura of some kind, almost a residue. He calls it shine, and it is the reason he can track like no one else. Of course, as any gift of this sort, it comes with its own set of problems that Steps has learned to deal with. Very few people know of his ability, and he tries to keep it that way. His father knows. His partner Jimmy knows. And the FBI director knows. That’s all.

The book opens with a case to demonstrate Steps’ abilities and how he and his partner work. It also introduces Steps’ sense of humor which surfaces throughout the book to very good effect. It keeps the book from becoming too dark or depressing. It’s a way people in this line of work can cope and it fits in well in the book.

After solving the initial case the book jumps right into the main case, that of a serial killer who comes to be known as the Sad Face Killer for the calling card he leaves at each crime scene. As happens with serial killers, you don’t always know that’s what you have when you first begin investigating. But as evidence mounts, and background searches reveal other victims with the same patterns, it becomes apparent. In Steps case he knows it without a doubt. Every person has their own shine, each unique, each with its own colors and textures, and he sees the killer’s shine at each crime scene. By seeing this shine he finds clues no one else can.

Once he’s seen your shine he always remembers it. If he runs into your trail years later he knows it’s you. This can be a blessing in tracking down killers, but can also be a curse when he’s not able to find the criminal, when they keep alluding him, even with his ability. But this doesn’t happen often.

I loved Kope’s descriptions of shine, how Steps always sees it and over time learned how to tone it down a bit. And how he learned to identify each persons unique shine. Being a photographer who likes to occasionally experiment with infrared photography, I tend to picture shine almost as the unique glow you get with infrared photos, how living things just seem to shine, to glow, in a way they never do in life or in normal photographs. But of course with shine each person has their own unique color and texture, something lacking in an infrared photograph.

The shine is something that is left on physical things, it’s a trail of sorts. But when the killer gets in a truck and drives away the shine disappears in the parking lot. Steps can track it to where the truck was, but after that it’s gone. So there’s still a lot of old fashioned detective work that has to be done to track down both killers and victims. That’s where Jimmy and Diane come in. And that’s what much of the novel focuses on, looking for one more clue, something to get them closer to the killer, while always seeming one step behind.

Sometimes they don’t get there in time. People do die. “We save the ones we can,” they say to each other, trying to believe they do the best they can, trying to believe saving some is enough. But it doesn’t feel like enough to Steps. So he collects the dead, keeping photos of each person he wasn’t able to save, so he never forgets. But he’s tired of collecting the dead. He doesn’t want to add any more photos to his collection.

I really enjoyed this book. Steps was a fascinating character, and perfectly paired with his partner Jimmy. Steps cares about the people he tries to save. It tears him apart when he fails someone. This added a real level of emotion to the story, left me with that sinking feeling when things went wrong. I was easily able to get caught up in the lives of these characters. I wanted to see them succeed, to find the killer, and to do it before he killed another victim. The ending was a very emotional one and left me a little exhausted, but very satisfied. Collecting the Dead was a self-contained story, but also set itself up for a sequel. I strongly suspect I’ll end up reading that one after it’s released.

Let me know what you think of Collecting the Dead if you do read it.

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Book Review - After Atlas by Emma Newman

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. This is at no extra cost to you.

I received my copy of After Atlas through a Tor.com (now Reactor) giveaway.

Inspiration can come from immersing ourselves in many different forms of creativity and art, not just that of photography. So I read a lot of fiction and non-fiction, I watch movies and documentaries, I read graphic novels and comic books, and I view paintings, sculptures and other physical works of art as often as I can. I try to periodically share some of these other art forms, to encourage all of you to keep looking for creativity and inspiration in many different forms.

Recently, I finished a great science fiction novel by Emma Newman called After Atlas. This is the second novel set in this universe, the first being Planetfall. I have not yet read Planetfall, but most definitely will at some point. Thankfully, After Atlas is written such that it can be understood and enjoyed without having read Planetfall. They are very much connected, but separate enough to stand on their own.

How do you think your life would have turned out if your mother had abandoned you when you were young to join a group who left the planet on a ship named Atlas, abandoning everything they knew for some unknown destination in space? What if your father then fell apart and stopped really acting as a father, joining a religious cult headed by the charismatic Alejandro Casales, who becomes a father-figure of sorts to you. How would this shape your life? What choices would you make, whether consciously or not, because of these traumatic childhood events? Would you run away from the cult hoping to find your own life? Or would you stay?

Carlos Moreno ran away from the cult and from his father. Life didn’t end up as he might have liked, but in the end he found himself working as a gov-corp detective for the Ministry of Justice. This was a position many people might envy, a position of power and influence, that brings out fear or admiration from people he meets. But of course his situation isn’t really that rosy, and he doesn’t have the freedoms many think, instead being an indentured servant to the MoJ. They help make him into the perfect detective, an asset they can call on anytime they need.

Eventually, his past resurfaces, and the MoJ needs him to investigate the death of a very influential person, none other than Alejandro Casales, leader of the Circle, and former father-figure to Carlos. There are many groups who want to know what happened, how he died and under what circumstances. And there isn’t much time to solve the crime. A capsule from Atlas will soon be opened and its contents revealed to the public. There are hints that link this to Alejandro’s death.

Carlos has plenty of technology at his disposal to help in the investigation, including Tia, his neurally implanted Artificial Personal Assistant. One of the other interesting technologies is related to photography, and one we are seeing glimpses of today: the ability to photograph and capture every detail in a room, from every angle, and merge all that data into a 3D virtual recreation of the room that investigators can enter using their APAs. This allows the investigators to effectively return to the scene at the time it was recorded, as many times as they need, looking for new clues, without worrying about something having been moved or disturbed.

But for all the interesting tech, this really is not a book about technology. It has those elements of cyberpunk, but doesn’t focus on them. At heart, this is a mystery/thriller about a detective trying to solve a murder, and not just any murder, but that of someone he knew quite well. This is a very character driven book. Throughout the novel we get to see more of Carlos’ history, how he got to where he is, what drives him and what made him. And we see how this affects not just his investigations, but how he lives his life, how he interacts with friends or new people he meets during the investigation, how he interacts with his MoJ superiors.

I felt the book started a little slowly, but picked up pace quickly, and it wasn’t long at all before I was hooked. As I approached the end of the book I kept thinking there aren’t that many pages left and this doesn’t feel at all like it's winding down. Because of this the ending did seem rather quick, but it also felt appropriate, and impactful. It wrapped up most of the story, but did leave room for a continuation. I suspect there will be a third novel in this series.

If you’re interested in science fiction with hints of cyberpunk, or murder mysteries and police procedurals, then give After Atlas a try. You might enjoy it. I certainly did. And if you do try it, let me know what you think of it.

I first learned about After Atlas from a review over at Books Bones & Buffy, a great site for reviews of speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc). Later that day, I found a giveaway for the book at Tor.com (now Reactor), another great site for reviews and news about science fiction and fantasy, and was lucky enough to win a copy. Check out both sites. I do just about every day.

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Buy on Amazon

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