The 300 Spartans referrers to the ancient battle of Thermopylae, where 300 outnumbered Spartans held off the Persian army in 480 B.C . Frank Miller’s interest in this story can be attributed to the values and honor he had explored in stories of the Samurai in ancient feudal Japan. Working once again with longtime collaborator Lynn Varley , Miller wrote on this five part limited series for Dark Horse Comics beginning in May of 1998. Miller took a unique approach to layouts using both the left and right pages folded open as one large canvas to work with. The work can be seen as mimicking a wide screen motion picture lens. Carefully composing each panel as he would direct each shot, characters have a bold relief to them. This deliberate line quality is complimented by Lynn Varley’s use of red accents and cepia tone that grounds the work in ancient times, like an old photograph.
Director Zack Snyder was also a fan of Frank Miller’s work and insisted on working with the author in faithfully translating his work from page to screen. Frank Miller was retained as consultant and executive producer of the film. The pages of 300 are as much a work of art as a template for which the director calls upon to bring this motion picture to life. Many months went by shooting on blue and green screen sets. Snyder had recruited numerous animators, designers and technicians to capture the tone and essence of Miller’s work. Again, through close collaborative efforts, Frank Miller has been able to guide the process and successfully translate the original vision of the book to the motion picture screen. The film was released 2007 to highly critical praise.
Exhibited Titles:
300 # 1-5 (Dark Horse Comics) (1998)
300 by: Frank Miller, Lynn Varley (Dark Horse Books Hardcover) (1999)
300: the art of the film by: Tara DiLullo, Zack Snyder (Dark Horse Books Hardcover) (2007)
300 directed by: Zack Snyder (Warner Home Video DVD) ( 2008)
Frank Miller: Transformation of the Medium, From Comic Book Artist to Motion Picture Director 