In His Own Words: An Invocation

A ShadowLight Production created in the spring of 2024.

"The illustrations in this video are very freely inspired by the work of Marc Chagall. The physical representation and the story illustrated by the misused words of Marc Chagall are totally invented by the author and do not reflect the thought and spirit of Marc Chagall." –Comité Marc Chagall, Paris, France

"In His Own Words: An Invocation" is an avant-garde shadow theater production inspired by the early life of painter Marc Chagall. Drawing from Chagall's autobiography "Mein Leben," the production uses Chinese-style puppets to animate his words and artwork. Directed by Larry Reed, with Art Direction by Naomie Kremer, the ShadowLight Productions team vividly portrays the artist's childhood in a shtetl and his creative inspirations. In a nod to traditional animation, the crew employed various physical planar layers to manipulate shadows and puppets, which were ultimately flattened by the output of a video camera.

Synopsis

In His Own Words: An Invocation is a visually rich and immersive shadow theater film that delves into the formative years of celebrated painter Marc Chagall. Inspired by his autobiography Mein Leben, the film traces Chagall’s journey from his childhood in a Jewish shtetl to the development of his visionary artistic style. Through a synthesis of shadow puppetry, animation, and early cinematic techniques, the production transforms Chagall’s words and paintings into a fluid, living tapestry of light and movement.

Directed by Larry Reed with art direction by Naomie Kremer, this ShadowLight Productions film employs traditional hand-crafted, Chinese-style puppets alongside experimental visual layering. Multiple physical planes of shadows and puppets were manipulated in real time, capturing a painterly effect reminiscent of Chagall’s own artistic depth. The film is narrated by award-winning actor and voice artist Peter Coyote in the English version and acclaimed French actor Tchéky Karyo in the French version, enhancing the storytelling with their evocative performances.

Designed as an educational tool, Chagall in His Own Words offers valuable insights into Chagall’s work, making it an engaging resource for students and educators in visual arts, history, and literature. With versions available in both English and French, the film broadens its accessibility, inviting a global audience to experience Chagall’s world through the interplay of shadow, light, and memory.

Director’s Statement

The Chagall project was a bold departure from my usual approach to shadow theater. My work has traditionally centered around large-scale screens and stark black-and-white imagery, but for this film, I wanted to embrace color and experiment with new techniques. Inspired by Chagall’s dreamlike palette, I opted for a Chinese-style screen that concealed the puppet sticks, integrating matte paintings, a camera, and video projection into the process.

What I initially assumed would be straightforward—puppet movement, compositional balance, the merging of analog and digital elements—proved far more challenging than expected. We spent weeks experimenting, failing, and adjusting before ultimately embracing our limitations. Out of that struggle emerged a fresh visual language: a fusion of shadow puppetry and animation that brought Chagall’s world to life in ways I had never explored before. This project pushed the boundaries of what shadow theater could be, and in the end, that challenge became its greatest strength