Studio Shoot: Initial Ideas #1
GREEN TEAM
Role:
I put my name down for the Art department. I've always been interested in architecture and how a location and its structures can set the tone for an entire film. I'm a very hands on person so i feel like I'd put my all into the construction of a set. Over lockdown i got really interested in how films create the illusion of a real location or structure within miniature sets, when actually everything is built and filmed in the studio. For example, some of the miniatures used in Wes Anderson's 'Grand Budapest Hotel':
I was able to construct my own buildings, as their small size made it accessible, but having the opportunity to build a life-size set is very exciting. I am in awe of all the attention to detail that goes into the dressing of a set. I'm a very visual learner so i'm looking forward to dreaming up all the weird and wonderful parts of our set. I also love how, as the art department, we will really need to focus on the tone of the film and therefore the narrative. We will also need to adapt the set in such a way so that the camera crew can manoeuvre easily and the lighting team can navigate the space as best they can. I'm excited to work closely with other departments and in turn, make the outcome of the set stronger.
Theme for this project:
Five Words and a Photograph. Develop an idea for a film of 3 – 5 mins using one of the following photographs as your inspiration. You can use a maximum of five words. Here are the photos:
Gregory Crewdson- Untitled (Dylan on the floor) 2001
Ralph Eugene Meatyard- Untitled 1962
Hannah Starkey- Untitled 1997
Sarah Moon- Morgan 1985
I really liked the theme of this project from the beginning. I feel like you can gain so much inspiration from just one picture and even though options for ideas could be endless and therefore daunting, the unique tone of each image helps to structure the narrative. I was immediately drawn to Ralph Eugene Meatyard's 'Untitled 1962'.
The composition of the photograph is very ambiguous and leaves you questioning the context surrounding it. The lighting is also a beautiful contrast to the dark, eerie interior. As I'm in the Art Department, I felt like this image had the most potential for a strong and unique set design; a simple structure making use of light and dark, and two very interesting characters. Our producer, Reagan, created a google doc for us all to start generating ideas, as we obviously had to compromise and come up with a collective narrative:
I was worried about this aspect of the project at first as there are so many strong creative forces with strong opinions. I was concerned that it would take us all a while to agree on one photo and then construct a solid narrative in such little time. However, we all had a similar vision and our brainstorming went extremely well. I found inspiration from the set designer Es Devlin and posted examples of her work up on the docs. I was aware of her work previously and saw a correlation between her style and Meatyard's photograph. The use of light in such a compact, simplistic space in his image is what made me really think of Es Devlin. She works in a wide range of media, often mapping light and projected film onto kinetic sculptural forms. One specific set of hers reminded me a lot of this photo:
Es Devlin's set for the play 'Chimera', by Lucy Kirkwood
The way Es Devlin constructs a space reminds me of the composition of Meatyard’s photo; the window in the corner letting light into a dark space. I thought that it would be interesting to try and create a very ambiguous set. Something that could be interpreted in many ways; a very malleable space. It leaves room for a weird and wonderful story to develop. It is as if we’re looking into someone else’s life; gazing into their little boxed off universe. This concept also reminded me of a short film called 'The Neighbours Window'. I put this idea on the docs and people seemed to take to it which was exciting. More people started to post up ideas and soon we had pages and pages of inspiration. Every idea was unique, complex but strangely similar to one another which was amazing. I felt like the image above also felt like a 'Truman show' type scene and a few other people mentioned this type of narrative inspiration in their ideas. Things felt like they were coming together before we had even properly talked to one another which was very positive. The thing i love about the set above is how she's taken such a simple shape and made it so complex. The projected black and white exterior draws the eye to the vibrant blue inside. I think the fact that she only shows a slice into the interior is really effective because it creates more mystery. Below are examples of her other work:
This set is a similar design to the previous one, however, it's strictly black and white. I like how she has different textural projections as well as the rectangles and lines making up the majority of the structure. The fragility of what looks like trees adds a new dimension. This set is very ghostly in its aesthetic but i do miss the little burst of colour from the previous set design. I feel like it helps to distinguish from the world outside to the world inside.
I think the idea of creating a world within a world is just very appealing to me and Es Devlin does it beautifully. The attention to detail is stunning but she doesn't over do it. I think that's what we will have to be careful of when we come to designing the set; not to overcomplicate it but to also have everything we need to emphasise the narrative.
On the docs people started sharing inspiration they got from the other photos as well which was really interesting, as it helped to develop the idea we have now.
First group zoom call- Thursday 5th November
We started the call with an array of brilliant ideas. It was really well structured as we got up the google docs and took it in turns to explain each of our thought processes; like a mini pitch/presentation. It just gave everyone a chance to openly discuss how we envisioned this shoot developing.
I started by talking about my ideas and inspiration, which was the work of Es Devlin. People were really drawn to the way she constructed a space and her use of lighting. Conversation about the narrative started almost immediately. I feel like such a strong visual got us all really excited for what we could create. We all agreed that the mesmerising thing about Devlin's sets is how interactive and immersive they feel, yet also completely isolated in their own world. We began to envision quite an ambiguous narrative; something that would leave the audience intrigued. Everyone really liked the look of having an exterior and interior to the set; the black and white projections on the exterior and the warm, glowing blue on the exterior. We all agreed there was very much a feeling of an outsider looking in; the audience being the outsider/observer. This way, our film would be more interactive towards the audience as it would feel like they were in this strange little world.
Another example of her work; a similar style and concept but different set.
All really inspired, we moved on to talk about the next idea. I was really impressed with the flow of this zoom call and how eager everyone was to listen to and develop one another's concepts.
Annie felt strongly about the use of black and white, but using it in such a way as not to create sadness; as this emotion is often attached to this particular colour palette. She said that the contrast of black and white is really beautiful and she loves the lack of colour. This was in response to 'Untitled 1962'. We all agreed that we wanted our film to be rather eerie and mysterious, so the contrasting black's and whites would be a very important aspect for the set in order to evoke this. She then mentioned the inspiration for using mirrors that she got from 'Untitled 1997'. The idea of 'communicating with the other side' and adding that other dimension to the film sounded fitting for the kind of aesthetic team green were leaning towards. Through discussing these ideas, the group had already thought up the idea of having a figure being confronted with himself and battling between what's real and what isn't so Annie's concept really helped to shape this.
Leah talked about inspiration from the Truman show and how this concept was fitting for this day an age; the containment and control we are all feeling being in lockdown due to covid-19. She also mentioned distorted perspective which was really interesting and opened up more conversation about different ways we can question reality in our film.
Drawing inspiration from the projections on the exterior of Es Devlin's set for the play 'Chimera', we collectively agreed that the use of shadows/projections (in black and white) would really benefit our narrative. To have that contrast with the coloured light on the interior would be really effective.
Kaitlan put forward the idea of having shadows almost dancing past the window inside the house when our character looks through; almost as if he's looking at past memories. These shadows can act as a metaphor for part of his mind. Everyone really loved this idea and by suggesting this, i feel like we were all able to imagine a beginning/establishing shot for this film which will be really helpful for the development process. These shadows would also have sounds attached to them, drawing the character into the house.
Andrea presented the group with artist inspiration to properly visualise the shadow concept. She showed us the artist Boltanski. This really helped to visualise and imagine what the scene would look like inside the house. I feel like it's also a simple concept to create yet it's so effective.
Jeff Wall
After the zoom call, Kaitlan found this image which captures the kind of aesthetic we want to achieve for our set design; she described it as a rather organised chaos. We discussed that all the objects in the room acts as a memory, a trinket from his past and present. Things he doesn't want to let go of and things that maybe he wishes he could bu can't. Our character is complicated, isolated and mysterious.
The Green Team collectively decided that in order to not make the film too confused and chaotic, we need to have some kind of unspoken dialogue between the set, the lights and the camera. So basically, they will each compliment one another and therefore help to make the film more immersive rather than messy and chaotic. His chaos will instead be shown through a shift in the soundtrack or the growing brightness/intensity of the lights. It will also be shown very much through the way the camera moves. Each of these will represent his internal chaos and will act as motifs throughout the entire film. We all realise that this idea could easily get confused as we are all having such brilliant inspirations. However we know that our main priority is to keep thinking back to how clear we've made it to the audience; whether they will be able to translate what's going on.
Victoria then went on to make a beautiful mood board that just put all of our ideas and visuals into one place. This was really helpful for all of us to just imagine our concept even further and see what we've already done:
Some of the group came out of the call still a little confused about the narrative and the direction it would take so Vicky also created a very clear story outline:
Idea 2
Inspired by Sarah Moon's 'Morgan 1985'
Reagan took inspiration from 'Morgan 1985' and came up with a really strong second idea to get some more ideas flowing. Her idea was very much focused on the maternal and the stress of parenthood. A mother, overwhelmed by the chaos that unravels in her household is shown to be in a living room/dining room type space, ideally outside to add another element of intrigue to the scene. This idea took off really well with the rest of the team as, if we were to endure further restrictions due to covid-19, this idea would allow us to take the shoot outside. As ideas developed, Annie put forward the idea that the mother could play all characters; have one actor that plays the mother, child and father. This was likened to the narrative in the film 'Split', where the protagonist shows the audience every side to each of his multiple personalities. This would also mean we'd only need one actor so we'd be reducing risks on set. A very solid plan B. However, Rosie did bring up the point that we can't be working two productions at the same time; our plan B would need to link with our first idea, whereas this one is completely different and is based on a different photograph. It was still really interesting to discuss ideas further and see how the outside element of shooting would work.
I think we were all really impressed with how each of us responded to the brief so quickly. We had come up with a really strong idea within one evening and we were all on the same wavelength. It was really exciting to see.
Zoom call with Brodie (FDA graduate) 6th November
The team had a 2 hour meeting with Brodie to put forward our initial ideas and receive some constructive feedback before our session with Rosie in the afternoon. As Brodie had been in our shoes before, it was really insightful to hear about her journey and what her team had done previously. It brought us all back down to earth a bit, as some of our ideas could've been seen as a bit too ambitious. Our first idea about having the set as a 360 set, for example; a brilliant idea in theory but, with our limited time to plan, maybe not the best possible idea. Brodie assured us there were ways around this however, as our team still wanted to be as ambitious as possible. Flora managed to draw up a really simple but effective plan for the set. I feel like it was what we all had in mind but didn't quite know how to put onto paper and she did it perfectly. The set will mainly be a U shape, however there will be a bit of an overhang around the front exterior where the window will be. The set won't join, there will be a big gap where 'the door' could hypothetically be, so that our camera crew can stage themselves there.
We then had a lesson with Rosie from 1:30 to 4:30. Although it was quite a quick turnaround, i think it was quite useful going straight from Brodie's session to Rosie's, as our ideas were still fresh in our minds. We presented our first idea to her; based off 'Untitled 1962'. Initially she was rather confused, which none of us were surprised about as it is a very ambiguous narrative. However, after a few of us helped to describe what we had in mind, it became more clear. She did warn us not to overcomplicate it and always make sure to have the audience in mind. She liked the idea a lot though and agreed that it was very developed. She could see that we all had the same kind of vision for this film. When we started to describe how the house was a part of our character and a metaphor for his mind, i think it became clearer why we wanted certain things like strange projections and shadows involved. Everything needs to have a purpose and we need to make sure that whatever we include is there to develop the narrative, not just there because it looks good etc...
We moved onto describing idea 2; based off 'Morgan 1985'. I think through describing this idea, Rosie could tell that it was less developed. She commented on the struggles we'd have in the edit if we were to use one actor for all parts and how exactly this would work. We agreed and told her that idea 1 was by far our strongest and that's the idea we'd prefer to put into production.
We then went off into our separate departments to discuss ideas further. In the Art Department for Team Green we have Annie, Mariah and myself. I feel like we all have very similar visions so i'm excited to start working with them. There was so much that we could potentially discuss so it was difficult to know where to start! We compiled a set of bullet points:
- We want a sense that there's an outside world. This will help to make the audience feel like the overseers and also emphasise the isolation our protagonist is experiencing.
-Definitely include and exterior and interior, as the window is a really important aspect of the set design. It's quite literally a window into his mind.
-A mixture of textures within the set is important. This can help to showcase different aspects of his personality and also breathe more life into the set.
-Mix between 2D and 3D furniture to symbolise his confusion as to what is real and what is not. His concept of reality is very clouded.
-Lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. Inspiration for this idea: Jeff Wall, 'Stranger Things', 'The Hole' 2009 horror film, 'The City of Ember'. These lights could act as a form of communication (like in Stranger things when Winona Ryder is trying to communicate with her lost son). As there's no dialogue in the film, there could be a dialogue between the lights and the strange sounds that accompany this. We can talk to Miso as he will be doing sound. The lights could simply flicker at the beginning and then become more chaotic towards the end when our protagonist's mind becomes more chaotic.
-Use perspex for the 'glass' in the window as using real glass would be a safety hazard and would also result in hefty risk assessments.
-We could just leave the window with no perspex or plastic however we want to try and create some kind of condensation so that the scene looks eerier when we close in on the house. We can also play with how this condensation will look with coloured lights shining through. I imagine an effect rather like Nick Turpin's photography:
-We could use the window shot as the establishing shot so that we don't have to worry about continuity with the changing condensation.
-The film will be set in 2020 (the present day) however, his house will be filled with trinkets/objects that represent memories of the past.
Flooring
-A patchwork of rugs and floorboards. So that it looks odd and lived in. Like he's bought and collected these rugs over the years.
-This will have to look well finished and look good otherwise if we are able to see the set flats showing through, it will ruin the illusion of the film and the room.
-An antiques/bits and bobs shop comes to mind when i picture his room.
'The Hole'
There's a scene in the 2009 horror film 'The Hole' by John Dante that reminds me of the kind of aesthetic we're trying to achieve. Below is a little example as i couldn't get access to the entire film. In this image however, you can see the different lights in the background that make the space just very quirky and lived in. The strangeness and randomness of the lights reflect the rather unique male character standing in front of them; his steam punk-like goggles and oversized jacket. He's a classic example of a rather eccentric and chaotic character so this film is helpful to put things into perspective for how we want our character to look. It also starts off inspiration for costume.
'City of Ember'
City of Ember is a 2008 American science fiction adventure film. It's set in an underground city known as Ember. This city is blanketed in strings of lights and has beautiful set design. I feel like its visuals link strongly with the way we intend to use lights and its colour palette is rather dark which i feel like ours will predominantly be as well; especially when playing around with how our protagonists mind effects the lighting.
Through all of our discussions and individual research, I feel like I have a strong vision of how the set should develop and I'm very excited to start collaborating properly with the rest of the Art Department and the Green Team.
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