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ORGANIC HUDSON VALLEY ML Ball (October/November 2018, Edition 28) In September 2018, Max was interviewed as a 'featured artist" by Organic Hudson Valley magazine on his experience at the Art Effect and his senior project thesis Individuation Max Von der Horst: Possibly The Next Great Film Director By: ML Ball To make it big in film, you need passion, drive, a unique vision and an incredible work ethic. It also helps to have a lucky break. In Max Von der Horst’s case, he has all four, plus the lucky break. A recent graduate of Warwick Valley High School and The Art Effect’s intense 12-week Senior Project, Max is on his way to Los Angeles next spring, having been accepted to the USC School of Cinematic Arts. (Notable alumni: George Lucas, Ron Howard and Shonda Rhimes.) If you’re serious about filmmaking, USC or NYU are THE places to go, and this year The Art Effect is sending graduates to both: Max to USC and Tariq Gordon to NYU. (You can read Tariq’s story in the June/July issues of OHV.) So what exactly is going on there at The Art Effect? According to Max, a whole lot. Originally interested in animation, he was introduced to The Art Effect by a friend when he was a high school freshman. “I did a summer session in the character design program, then got into painting and then into film,” he said. “But the thing I fell in love with most was Todd’s philosophies. [Todd Poteet, Director of The Art Effect] I’ve learned so much more than just drawing, painting and film. I’ve learned some guide steps to life as a result of talking with Todd because he’s more than just an artist and a teacher. He’s a mentor and a therapist. You can talk with him for hours about certain philosophies or personal problems and he’s there to help.” A tight-knit family-like community, Max describes The Art Effect as a very comfortable environment where young people can explore what they want to express in their artwork. For his Senior Project thesis, Max wrote, directed and produced 12 short surrealistic films based on Carl Jung’s idea of individuation. “In simple terms, individuation is a union between the conscious and unconscious mind to form the fully developed Self,” Max explained. “When I was making my films, I was in a really rough patch of my life so I used the art as a therapeutic way to cope with what was happening around me.” Although Max is adept at drawing, painting and music, film is what he is most passionate about. “I’m an abstract visual representationalist,” he said. “Film has the power to be very abstract and representational, which is one of the reasons I love it.” When asked if he would be on his way to USC film school without The Art Effect’s support through the years, Max’s response was immediate. “Not at all, not even a little bit. I owe everything to The Art Effect. Without them, my intellectual and artistic curiosities wouldn’t have been stimulated in such a rich way, and without the guidance of teachers helping me down the path of finding my own voice, I wouldn’t nearly be where I am.” For more information about The Art Effect, visit www.feelthearteffect.org. |
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Toon Boom Animation Inc.
The global leader in digital content and animation software, publishes a monthly magazine. Their 2014 SPRING edition features an article written about me and my animation "Trans-morph-ations". Please read the article posted here below. |
April 2014 - The Warwick Advertiser - Local Newspaper
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My drawing was chosen for the
COVER of the Spring Children's Edition 
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My drawing for "Johnston's Toyota"
was chosen for their full page ad. 
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