Talk:Don Hertzfeldt

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This Article Needs a Picture of the Person[edit]

Everyone is already going to know or at least have an idea of what Rejected is when they look up this article. I'm quite frankly more curious about the man himself. — Preceding unsigned comment added by UberMan5000 (talk • contribs) 03:39, 10 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Done! --Rubberducky 13:34, 16 November 2006 (EST)

Error in Reflist[edit]

The reflist lists the bitter films faq twice. Don't know how to fix, personaly. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 157.130.28.174 (talk) 23:53, 11 February 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Also, it looks like the bitter films double listing is messing up the numbering for the citations in the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.162.229.79 (talk) 16:19, 18 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

POV check[edit]

I just saw Everything Will be OK, was bowled over, but this page reads like a overly adoring fan page. Statements which violate NPOV include:

The popularity of his work is unprecedented in the history of independent animation...
...is well-known there, though is something of a recluse...
The enormous popularity of his films ...

Furthermore, the only "references" are the filmmaker's site FAQ. Independent sources are needed (and should be eeeaaasy to find, for awards nominations, etc. -- check IMDb, et al).

If you're a frequent contributor here, please take steps to improve this filmmaker's page by removing biased statements, weasel words, and add sufficient independent, reliable sources. David Spalding (☎ ✉ ✍) 18:46, 20 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hi David,

I agree and disagree with you. I too wish there were more citations though please note that this article has eight links to interviews, where much of this information is corroborated beyond the filmmaker's FAQ. Additionally, on other filmmaker's Wiki pages I do not see citations for basic facts like awards and nominations. If there is anything specifically that you feel requires a citation please let me know and if I wrote it, I'll dig up my reference.

I'll correct a few of those POV statements. There is one you noted that I disagree with:

The popularity of his work is unprecedented in the history of independent animation. As an armchair animation historian I strongly believe this to be fact, as do many in the animation community. I'm not aware of any other independent animator in history who has received such a large and devoted following, not even Bill Plympton. So I do not believe this statement is a personal opinion. But if you have a suggestion on how to make it sound less "adoring" :) please let me know. Sleepyjuly 20:29, 20 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, while I am a fan of Hertzfeldt's, this article is still incredibly POV. The most striking example is the following: "Hertzfeldt is one of few independent filmmakers who could be considered a true auteur." The rest of the paragraph is fine, but I would strongly suggest it being removed.

I also agree with David regarding "The popularity of his work is unprecedented in the history of independent animation. Sorry Sleepyjuly, but I don't believe that your strong belief that it is fact justifies the statement in a wikipedia article. If we could have some sort of reference: the profit of the films, a survey, something. I am fine with it being said that his films are commonly referenced in pop culture - there are many examples of that given in the article. But unprecedented popularity? There is a LOT of iconic animation from the same period (and earlier, of course). I'd need to see some proof that "Ah, L'Amour" is more popular or even well-known than "Bambi vs. Godzilla" among the general population. I'd like proof that it's more popular among animation fans than "Fritz the Cat." I don't think that the phrase belongs there in its current form. 71.179.93.217 (talk) 04:54, 18 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I agree, some of the language is a bit fangirlish but I also agree with the points they're trying to make. In movies the definition of an auteur is an artist who wears more than one hat and carries most of the creative responsibilities. In the text this statement about H being an auteur is followed up with the following statement that he alone tends to write, direct, animate, produce, do the sound, composes music, et cetera for his movies. Most directors do not do all of this. Maybe the two statements in the article should be combined into one sentence so the connection is more obvious? I'll do this now.

As for the popularity of his work statement, it could stand to be reworded maybe but I also think it's true. Just the most recent YouTube copies of H's cartoons have millions of views alone and bear in mind I believe those copies are illegal and are regularly removed. So who knows how many tens of millions have shared them, they've been spread online by fans like memes for years and were in movie theaters and dvds for years before that. By comparison, "Fritz the Cat" is a historic footnote for being X rated but it never came close to carrying the same audience or popularity as something like "Rejected", "Billys Balloon" or "Oh L'amour" (in the Internet age, how could it?). "Bambi vs Godzilla" is an excellent example, that's a comparably huge independent cartoon. But "Bambi vs Godzilla" is just one cartoon, and I believe the author is referring to the enduring popularity of H's entire body of work. Film-for-film I'm hard-pressed to come up with another independent animator who compares in audience and fandom. I agree that this kind of statement's hard to quantify but it's probably an important sentiment to keep in the article. 72.214.242.26 (talk) 20:06, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

These POV issues have remained for over 3 years, looking at the dates on these comments. I added the NPOV template to the page in hopes it will attract attention of a more experienced editor. 76.218.69.148 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 09:24, 27 November 2010 (UTC).[reply]

Not true. The three disputed statements listed above are no longer in the article, or have been given proper citations. Were you referring to something specific? 208.191.154.42 (talk) 18:57, 27 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

DVD Details?[edit]

As it stands, the section of this article discussing Don's DVD box set reads like an advertisement for said product. I'm not sure it's in the scope of this encyclopedia to provide a detailed list of everything available on that DVD... anyone intrigued by the DVD could easily find the information on Hertzfeldt's homepage. Are there any objections to paring down the length of the DVD section somewhat? Also, some mention should be made there of the availability of several of his shorts on the Animation Show DVD collections. Just my two cents. Bobhobbit 07:17, 29 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Bob,

That information is actually no different than the DVD release details you can find on many other Wikipedia pages for movies or directors. To see another example, check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre

Sleepyjuly 07:20, 29 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

biography details[edit]

Hjal: Personally, I don't see how Hertzfeldt's opinion of his grammar school has any relevance here, or to his filmmaking. Let's try and keep this page focused. I think that bio/early years section is now complete. If you disagree please explain here before making further changes, thanks

Sleepyjuly 07:32, 29 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation[edit]

I was surprised to see no mention of Herzfeldt's relationship with Spike and Mike's. Unless I'm mistaken, S&M is how "Rejected" was distributed and achieved such popularity, and Hertzfeldt now refuses to work with them. Could somebody with more information add something about this? 71.179.93.217 (talk) 04:57, 18 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure about this, do you have a source? I'm pretty sure the cartoon played in hundreds of film festivals and animtion programs, so it might be strange to credit just one as making it popular. If anything I'd have guessed the Oscar nod is what did that. 72.214.242.26 (talk) 20:09, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]