Netflix, YouTube and other OTT platforms offer a treasure trove of inspirational movies for artists and designers. This list has movies about artists and designers to inspiring stories specifically for creatives. These movies provide insights into the design process or just have incredibly creative execution. The artistic and human elements in these films can inspire you to overcome creative block.
This blog post aims to answer the question – What inspirational movies can artists watch to help with creativity?
Every artist must have the ability to translate their emotions onto the canvas. And when you can’t because of creative block, these films will help you overcome it and inspire you creatively. In this post, we will explore the top 10 movies for artists and designers to watch that could help them with creative thinking and expression.
In art and design school, case studies take precedence for instilling the ability to show creative thought. The idea is that if a student does not have professional experience as yet, they can learn from the experience of other designers. The movies in the list below offer the best examples of art and design work or stories of creative thought.
Note: Please review the age rating of films and series mentioned below before watching.
Grand Budapest Hotel
This Wes Anderson film is a classic for graphics designers, illustrators, photographers and cinematographers.
From the graphic design of a tiny cake box, hotel signs and the symmetrically shot scenes, there is something for everyone. Even if the pink, dreamy aesthetic is not your cup of tea, Annie Atkins and the creative team have done a fine job of creating an aesthetic for the film.
Loving Vincent
This movie by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman is a film for animators, fine artists, illustrators and cinematographers.
Loving Vincent won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and for good reason. The film was first shot with actors and then a team of artists was called in to reconstruct each frame into a painting. Kind of like the Johnny Cash Project for the song Ain’t No Grave.
Super Deluxe
This Indian film by Thiagarajan Kumararaja is a film for photographers, storyboard artists and filmmakers
Super Deluxe feels like a live-action version of a Studio Ghibli film, where every frame can be paused and admired. The saturated colours, vivid palettes, camera framing and overall composition lends itself to every story in this anthology film.
Art School Confidential
A movie by Terry Zwigoff is a must-watch for any creative who is trying to find their voice as an artist or if you are looking to be entertained.
Art School Confidential follows the story of an imposter posing as an art school student and knows nothing about art. This imposter manages to make subjectively better art than every student in school. The film questions the subjective approach to how we determine what art is good and what isn’t.
Affairs of the Art
A Joanna Quinn film made with frame-by-frame animation techniques where each frame is drawn with nuance and passion. Anyone interested in animation should watch this short film. It was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA.
This charming movie tells the story of a factory worker who is obsessed with drawing. What’s not to love?
Abstract: The Art of Design
A Netflix series by Scott Dadich explores the world of modern computer-generated design. This series is perfect for art and design school students or just anyone who wants to learn more about modern design. With this series, you will understand the purpose behind many popular designs and perhaps create comprehensive designs of your own.
Design and Thinking
Design and Thinking is a film for product designers, UX and UI designers. Case studies in the form of a documentary will help you learn about how companies and designers came up with the excellent designs that we know and recognise today. Nothing like learning from the experts and their reasoning behind some of pop culture’s greatest product designs.
Graphic Means: A History of Graphic Design Production
“Graphic Means” simply had to be on the list of movies for artists and designers. This film is an absolute must-watch for every Graphic Designer. Learn about the history of the graphic design industry with older computers where software did not have the provision of “layers” and designers did not even get to see the outcome on screen unless they printed a copy of the design first. A film that will surely make you appreciate your laptop no matter how much it may lag sometimes.
Art and Copy
This documentary film by Doug Pray is for professionals in Ad Design, Copywriting, Packaging and Point of Sale Art and any other form of marketing design.
The film explores the creative aspect of advertisements on screen and print and the implications that design has on the minds and behaviour of the consumer.
Indie Game: The Movie
This Netflix movie is for gaming designers. If you are interested in gaming, animation, game copywriting and anything to do with the framework of modern computer gaming then this film is something you must watch.
If you have any suggestions in movies for artists and designers, please leave your suggestions in the comments below and this post could have a part 2!
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