Chihuly in the Hotshop

I purchased this Blu-ray because I have always been very interested in glass blowing and glass art. I previously researched Chihuly's work and observed various demonstrations of Chihuly and many other glass artists. I wanted more of that, and this Blu-ray did not disappoint.The disc is composed of various chapters (I think 10), each focusing on a different glass piece that forms the basis for much of Chihuly's work (i.e., seaforms, machia, persian, baskets, etc.) Each chapter is filmed in the same demonstration auditorium with stadium style seating surrounding a large glass blowing area. I believe this auditorium is in the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.The video quality is excellent, with minor imperfections and noise in various places throughout. The audio quality is also great. The soundtrack is comprised of a very strange hodgepodge of mid-90's pop music -- very strange, but mildly entertaining.I am giving the disc 4 out of 5 stars for one reason. There is simply not enough focus on what the artists are doing. There is very little explanation of the tools and techniques that are being used -- which is what I wanted. Chihuly narrates much of the video, providing a brief history of the particular piece, the people involved in its original creation, and what inspired him to start making them. Then, the rest is just soundtrack with various individuals creating the pieces (Chihuly himself no longer blows glass). There is simply not enough focus on the detail or technique for me. I'm not sure if this information is intentionally withheld as it may reveal Chihuly's secrets, but each segment left me wanting a whole lot more. Maybe I'm too accustomed to shows like How It's Made, which do a great job of explaining what is going on at all steps.Corresponding with this lack of detail was a lack of actual camera time on the intricacies of the glass. For example, when pieces are finished, there is no final shot of the piece. You simply see the piece transferred into the cooling box and that's it. No final shot or pan around the piece.All in all, the video feels more like a preview -- it lacks depth and detail. There is a lot more personal stories from Chihuly himself, rather than demonstration and explanation of the glass work. If I could have, I would have rented it and moved along. I don't think I will ever watch the video again for the next 10 years. That said, I still admire the artwork, the video quality of the disc, and substance covered throughout

Chihuly would deserve a more detailed review.I just want to make a quick note about how I was captivated by this documentary about the Chihuly team of craftsmen and craftswomen.The documentary shows eloquently the skills and strength required from the glass-blowing craftsmen and craftswomen of the Chihuly team to create their masterpieces.As reported in an other review, Chihuly's health and strength has been impaired by 2 major accidents long ago. We can see, from the documentary, that it must not be easy for the master to need delegating the physical work of the craft to his team mates most of the time.I also got the "HD Moods: Chihuly in Nature" BluRay disc. In this BR disk we see the masterworks that the individual pieces created in the documentary lead to. I saw this BR disc before the documentary. I did not know this artist before and was mesmerized by the works showed in the BR disc presentation.I find Chihuly to be a great artist, so close to nature, who has a magical touch in handling the mystical capacity of glass to handle light.I don't understand why Chihuly has a so brief note in Wikipedia. Maybe that's because he is not "postmodern" or "post postmodern" enough ...Presently, there is a big exhibition of Chihuly in the Montreal Art Museum. I can't wait to go and see it. Unfortunately, I missed the lecture that the master made at the Museum 2 weeks ago, but I won't miss the exhibition.(I bought the 2 BR disks on Amazon.ca at a very reasonable price)

I purchased this DVD after seeing Chihuly's works displayed in a number of different venues, being fascinated by them every time. I do a bit of amateur work in glass, and was anxious to see a master at the process. But I was hesitant by so many reviews that argued there was too little explanation provided. This was not my experience at all. Really, every aspect of this was fascinating. Chihuly talks a lot about his work, often doing it as the work is being created. I was amazed to see just how many people are involved in getting a large piece created, and the vivid colors of the work, the blazing furnace, and the workers themselves was to me riveting. And it was fun to see Chihuly himself! Having never see an image of him before he was not at all what I expected. If I'd met him on the street, I'd have guessed he was a bouncer at a local bar, not man with such creative genius. He's a burly, rugged looking man sporting a black eye patch (a result of an injury from past work with hot glass) that suggests more of a pirate background more than a designer of graceful glass. And a his body type just defies imagining him as a great artist until you actually see him at work - then you stop seeing the body image and just start seeing how he oversees and develops his work. The exciting part is seeing just how varied his work has been. This is a DVD I'd highly recommend to anyone with any interest in glass artistry.

This was for a friend that had been to a Chihuly exhibit. She was quite happy to receive the DVD and reported that it was 'perfect'.

i was impressed by the live aspect of this disc. You'll see dozens of beautiful glass art created live in a studio in front of an enthousiastic audience. Creating these works is very much a team effort, sometimes it works sometimes not but it always makes for great entertainment. The skills on display are stunning as is the picture quality, fantastic to watch this on my 46" HD plasma.