tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89680146169936043902024-02-20T10:23:53.988+00:00What I'm Watching.Hi, I'm Laura.
I'm currently a student at Nottingham Trent University, on the course "Design for Film & Television".
The course requires that I design and make models for TV & Film sets but there is also a contextual side that I have to work on with regards to a wider knowledge around design. Hence, here you are on my journal of Film, TV & Theatre that I have to observe and record. Enjoy.
P.S. These are not reviews, these are observations of design.Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-36287092384888807662013-07-31T21:03:00.000+01:002013-07-31T21:03:39.203+01:00The Devils<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Ken Russell,
1971)</span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2" target="_blank">IMDB</a><br /><br />
Based on a true story, The Devils presents
imagery that is difficult and offensive. It presents a very stylised
view of France in the 1700's, with looming white architecture, smooth and
clinical. It illustrates the old fashioned device of chaos within the
hierarchy, by presenting a threat to someone high up, in this case accusing a
deeply catholic character of being the devil. It's a very interesting story,
particularly now, as it resonates with the current media “trend” that seems to
be the paedophilia witch hunt that is so present in today's news. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-61001133697428212202013-07-31T21:01:00.001+01:002013-07-31T21:03:46.292+01:008 ½<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Federico Fellini, 1963.<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056801/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3" target="_blank">IMDB</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
The narrative is essentially about a blocked film director in his struggle for creativity,
it blurs the lines between reality, inner turmoil and fantasy, with chaos being
the fundamental base for the storyline. It is set in black and white and
intentionally dubbed, with intentionally peculiar characters. People within the
cast have evidently been selected specifically for their odd looks. There is a
sense of claustrophobia and being trapped; anxiety. The lines between truth,
love and age are blurred, mixed with fantasy and presented in a very theatrical
way, much like a circus. The soundtrack sounds particularly familiar (to a
modern audience).<br />
<br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-33251737015779416902013-07-31T20:59:00.001+01:002013-07-31T21:03:54.493+01:00Eraserhead<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(David Lynch, 1977)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074486/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">IMDB</a><br /><br />
The dystopian, nightmare of inner self, showing what many believe to be the
protagonist's inner turmoil. Atmosphere is created effectively via lighting and
really well considered composition; every frame could be a photograph. Strong
use of shadowing and light to create harsh surroundings and nightmare-like
imagery.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-20689960235232183862013-07-31T20:58:00.000+01:002013-07-31T21:03:59.155+01:00Hairspray<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(John Waters, 1988)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095270/?ref_=sr_3" target="_blank">IMDB</a><br /><br />
Classically kitsch and very much “John Waters”, everybody knows the story of
Hairspray. It was retro, even in the eighties, and very much bad taste
design-wise, but in such a way that, you're very away that it's trying to be
trash. Everything within the design is very OTT, similar to a pantomime style,
in that it's overtly obvious. It uses this image as a device of raising serious
issues like race and sexuality, but does it in a very tongue in cheek way.</span>
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-84135354538696236292013-07-31T20:55:00.002+01:002013-07-31T20:55:54.551+01:00One From The Heart<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Francis
Ford Coppola, 1982)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084445/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IMDB</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
One From The Heart is very much a designers film. All of it's sets were custom
built indoors with only one small scene being actually filmed in the open air.
Set in Las Vegas, it places both of the main characters amid their idealist
fantasies of romance, only for them to discover that their ideology of their
dream partner is as fake and constructed as the set in which the whole thing
occurs. As each character slumps back to their normality (being together as a
couple for whom the romance has disappeared) it feels tragically poetic.</span>
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-326262826506824522013-07-31T20:53:00.000+01:002013-07-31T20:53:19.455+01:00Carmen<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(Carlos Saura, 1983)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085297/" target="_blank">IMDB</a><br /><br />
“Love is terrible and jealousy is treacherous”.<br />
A flamenco twist on “the world's most famous opera,” <i>Carmen</i> is set
within a Spanish flamenco school, much like a mirror within a mirror. The
lighting, which is very theatrical, plays a key part in that, in some scenes
it's poor so that it may accentuate the bags under the women's eyes, or in
other cases, too harsh, so as to blur the features of the characters' faces. In
the scene where two performers dance with canes, their shadows cast against the
plain white walls, there is a really nice dynamic between their movement and
the representation of their shadows, which on occasion move separately from the
figures casting them.</span></span>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-14264579622067054242013-07-31T20:49:00.000+01:002013-07-31T20:49:59.776+01:00Walk The Line<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(James Mangold, 2005)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/?ref_=sr_2" target="_blank">IMDB </a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
The establishing shot is from a Californian prison watch tower, (later
determined to be Folsom) set in 1968. In the foreground, crows pick at scraps.
The pace then quickly changes and follows the beat of the music as it rapidly
passes by the bars of the cells, as feet rush in the same direction. Hands clap
and feet stomp in time to the beat, creating a heartbeat-like frenzy of sound
and movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Memphis, Tennesse, 1955. The Rock & Roll recording
studio that emotes the complete opposite of a Rock & Roll atmosphere;
boring and dull. Off-white walls, white blinds and grey furnishings. The three
performers each dressed in black suits with their brown instruments.
Contrasting hugely to this is the later scene, set in Texas, 1955. The music
tour emotes colour and noise, liveliness and free-spirit. Cash's band now each
donning white suits and slick dark hair. The diner is typically fifties
Americana, with wood panelled walls and units painted opel green. The surfaces
are polished and bright white, contrasting with the brown wooden wall shelves.
The walls are embellished with a variety of mismatched picture frames and the
curtains are typically red and white checked, hung above and below the windows.
The table tops match the polished white surface of the counter, at which June
Carter (Reese Witherspoon) sits in her very feminine, red and white flower
dress, dark hair and cherry red lips.</span>
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-54286842902498835702013-07-31T20:39:00.000+01:002013-07-31T20:39:06.336+01:00Koyaanisqatsi<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Godfrey Reggio, 1982.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085809/?ref_=sr_2" target="_blank">IMDB</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Koyaanisqatsi, literally translated as “life out of
balance”, is a collection of videos that represent moving image as art. It's an
innovative, personal journey documenting time passing via various
environmental, industrial and human actions. It's an epic and poetic journey
through footage that speaks volumes without any actual dialogue; just the
moving image choreographed to the soundtrack composed by Phillip Glass. It's
systematic and repetitive music that changes very slightly according to the
mood emoted by the visuals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The initial piece of film we see is footage of slow-motion
debris falling, although at first it's not entirely clear what we're looking
at. As it slowly widens, it becomes distinct that it's the base of a rocket
launch; the scale of which, I personally find quite threatening. In a complete
change from this, the footage changes to a largely environmental scene, a wide
pan across a landscape of rocks and boulders. Footage of clouds passing over
the landscape, casting shadows and creating formations, is sped up to the point
of darkness falling. Footage is also shot from in and above the level of the
clouds, drawing attention to the movement and formation of such natural
occurrences. There's imagery of clouds spilling around mountains and valleys,
like water being poured. POV footage takes us through the sky, looking down on
the varying landscapes below, showing the audience a different way of viewing
nature. It pans across fields of rich colours; blues, purples, reds and
yellows. It draws attention the perfection of natural reflections as well as
the fluidity in the movement of unaltered/ untouched conditions, like the
rolling of waves or the dissipating of clouds and mist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next section seems to focus on beauty in unexpected
places, man-made surroundings. This is accompanied by big, looming music. The
footage goes through a series of heavy machinery, dense black smoke engulfing
the screen, implosions, explosions, stills of power lines, long leading lines
of pipework; beauty amongst an engineered environment or within destruction.
Similarly, the visual features offered by the imagery of war are equally
hypnotic and strangely beautiful. Imagery of missiles falling in slow motion,
sailing through the sky like birds. Or the POV of a fighter jet flying through
the air. Rows of tanks, guns cocked upwards. The space capsule detaching. An
atomic bomb detonating. All of the aforementioned are threatening, scary
occurrences that, when placed within such a forceful rhythm of film and to such
a strong sound, are weirdly mesmerizing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next phase of film is heavily centred around a
cityscape; overcrowded, busy, dense and relentless. Full car-parks, planes
taxiing amid the haze of water vapour, cars filtering in towards the city-
bathed in the shadows of skyscrapers. Night footage of tall buildings with
lights flickering on and off like parts of a circuit board. High speed, long
exposure footage of cars passing through the city, creating lines of light.
Aerial shots of cars moving through the labyrinth of roads. The full moon
passing behind the silhouetted skyline. The vastness of the cityscape is shown
in daylight via a long shot, interrupted by the lens glare of the sun
reflecting off of the huge amount of glass and metalwork. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole thing feels like feels like a real visual feast,
overpowering and stimulating the senses in a completely unique (at the time)
and beautiful way.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-30439063890665574662013-07-31T20:32:00.000+01:002013-07-31T20:39:34.959+01:00The Rocky Horror Picture Show<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Richard O'Brien, 1975)</span><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073629/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IMDB</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RHPS started life in the Royal Court Theatre, in 1973, as a
“fifties U.S. Cinematic experience”, where the cast of the theatrical
performance would act as ushers and interact with the audience. The film was
not initially a hit, in fact, it achieved it's cult status via VHS home
invasion. It is largely a tribute to early sci-fi and hammer horror B-movies
and is very much a British art college film, playing on shock value. In this
sense, it aimed to be “everything your parents hate”, very alternative and
underground, breaking convention. By the time of it's cinema release, fans of
the stage show felt it was dated. In the eighties it was revived as a stage
show in the US before the idea was sold back to the UK, where it had
originated. Following this it has since become an industry in it's own right as
well as something of a modern classic. The film was made in the UK and feels
very British, I think.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film offers a gritty realism in a pantomime sort of way,
with levels of design never seen before. Set within a Berkshire country house
(with a very “crystal maze” looking dome roof!), the interior varies from
gothic to futuristic. The Lab set is sanitized, white-tiled and shiny with red
embellishments. I really like the theatre space, with striped red deck chair
audience seating, red and gold rope dividers and the classic red velvet
curtains; it's very British and nostalgic/ classic amid such an odd array of
things going on within the film.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-85680104610432431912013-06-05T23:07:00.000+01:002013-06-05T23:07:38.794+01:00New York, New York<span style="font-style: normal;">(Martin Scorsese, 1977)</span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076451/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2" target="_blank">IMDB</a></span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"></span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;">New
York, New York, is Scorsese's </span><i>typical
Hollywood</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
telling of a love-hate relationship. As a director, Scorsese is
fantastic at telling a story or opinion that is unpopular, which is
probably why, at times, the film is quite difficult to watch- even to
a modern de-sensitized audience. He makes us feel a real feeling of
danger and threat between the two explosive forces of De Niro and
Minnelli; really distressing us, as viewers, as we </span><i>practically</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
watch domestic abuse.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
design features heavy use of painted scenery and back-cloths as well
as vulgar clashes of colours within the jazz clubs (purple and
yellow), adding I suppose to the uncomfortable watch that the story
had already established.
</div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-43939744389775729082013-06-05T23:02:00.000+01:002013-06-05T23:03:31.027+01:00Sweet Charity(Bob Fosse, 1969)<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065054/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">IMDB</a><br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Directed
and choreographed by Bob Fosse, every movement within the film has a
certain fluidity to it; a sexual and syncopated feel that hadn't
really been seen before. The film itself, revolving round Charity, a
dancer at a strip club, is an example of Fosse tackling a seedy/
gritty subject, via movement and theatricality. Within the strip
club, the décor is tacky and feels very uncomfortable, with cheap
gold embellishments adorning the space. During “Hey Big Spender”
the women roll their shoulders and hips in a way that suggests
sexuality, but at the same time feels quite sanitized. The women
stand in a line, all fixed against a horizontal bar in various poses.
Some lean against it, whilst others drape legs or arms across it,
much like puppets I think. The women's movements are superimposed
upon each other The transitions between scenes feel very dated, done
via grainy still frames.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In a stark
contrast to the aforementioned strip joint, there is The Pompeii
Club, filled with tall, statuesque, model men and women. Figures are
silhouetted in black amongst a set of columns, candles and marble
floors. The scene screams sixties class, in that massively desirable
but overtly pretentious kind of way. A cheetah sits in a cage and
moving pictures are projected onto the walls. The only colour really
present is the selection of feather wigs that the female dancers
wear. Everyone otherwise wears black; black sequins, black feathers,
white silk gloves and diamonds. The dancers perform three acts; <i>The
Aloof</i>, <i>The Heavyweight</i>
and <i>The Big Finish, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">all
the while surrounded by an elegant audience of people not watching,
but instead contributing to the atmosphere by just being sexy,
mysterious and statuesque themselves. Each dance is, of course,
accompanied by the obligatory “sixties head-bobbing” movement.
During the three acts, the mood is changed by the colour of the main
wall behind the stage area. Blue during </span><i>The
Aloof</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, red
during </span><i>The Heavyweight</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
and amber during </span><i>The Big Finish</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
</span>
</div>
Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-23577334000305505652012-07-05T21:07:00.000+01:002012-07-05T21:07:14.006+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>Scott
Pilgrim Vs. The World</b></u><br />(Edgar Wright, 2010)</span></div>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">IMDB</span></a><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
film has been interpreted from a comic book and hence has a lot of
graphic influence. Parts are narrated and subtitled like a comic and
characters are introduced with on screen with their name, age and
bio. As the music plays, graphic lightning bolts fire in time with
the beat and the room's perspective becomes dramatically altered to
accentuate the impact- as if the music is blowing you away,
literally.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Throughout
the fight sequences, comic/ graphic style text appears on screen upon
impact, for example wham! And kapow! The screen also freezes and the
scene becomes illustrated/ animated during the final knockout.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-18277459293007800322012-07-05T21:05:00.000+01:002012-07-05T21:05:35.625+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>500
Days of Summer</b></u></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Marc
Webb, 2009)</span></div>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1022603/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">IMDB</span></a><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We
are introduced to the main characters, Tom and Summer, via a montage
of childhood home videos, showing them developing their interests and
personalities. The film constantly flashes back and forth between the
500 days of their relationship, the colours reflecting the tone in
that stage of their time together.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tom
dresses in greys and pale colours whilst Summer wears pale blues and
yellows. Her apartment is decorated with patterns and “ditsy”,
pale furniture, whilst Tom's apartment is furnished with dark wood.
When he's in a relationship with Summer, the whole filter of the film
is brighter and warmer, whereas everything gets colder and pale when
she leaves and Tom feels miserable.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During
the film they visit an IKEA, which is exactly like every other IKEA
you've ever visited in your life! Homely and a little quirky. The
morning after Tom and Summer spend their first night together,
everything is noticeably brighter. There's an upbeat song playing,
the sun is shining, everyone smiles and walks with rhythm. The people
in the park are all in sky blue clothing and form into a synchronised
dance, only accentuating Tom's happiness. As he enters the elevator
everything is bright, the lift door closes and it re-opens ahead in
time, where the relationship has gone dark and cold, along with the
tone of the film.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
the expectation vs. reality scene, the screen is split and narrated,
there's no audible dialogue. The scenes start the same and reality
plays out slightly behind Tom's expectations. The expectation side is
bright and warming, intimate, whereas reality is more sterile and
cool. </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
scene takes place on a rooftop garden with pastel shades and lantern
hanging lights of pinks and pale blues. Reality and expectation
become one single screen as the camera pans and focuses on Summer
showing somebody her engagement ring. A great realisation of emotion
comes over Tom and the colour in his face fades. As he flees the
scene and runs down the street, the colour begins to drain and the
shot becomes illustrated and the scenery is erased until all that
remains is the slumped silhouette of Tom, alone.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-31532733969783355852012-07-05T21:04:00.000+01:002012-07-05T21:04:02.208+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>An
Education</b></u></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Lone
Scherfig, 2009)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1174732/">IMDB</a></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Set
in 1961, in a middle-class London suburb we see a montage of girls
practising etiquette, dancing, cooking and sport. The girls sit in a
high-ceiling school room, with large windows through which they stare
longingly. Jenny is a mousey, A+ student bound for Oxford. She
dresses in browns and greens and lives by her Father's rules and
ambitions for her. Her home is nice but dowdy, pale blues and
patterned curtains.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
charming older man enters Jenny's life in a classic, maroon Bristol.
He offers her excitement and colour, takes her to luxurious places
and buys her quality gifts. Jenny is cultured above her age and
enjoys fine music. David takes her to the theatre which is so
extremely different from her pale, home life. The interior is
decorated with luxurious golds and reds. They drink from crystal
glasses and the singer stands amongst red velvet drapes, wearing a
sequinned fish-tail dress.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David's
friend lives in luxury, his apartment is furnished with white sofas,
classic upholstered chairs, dark wood furniture and crystal ornaments
and collectables. The exterior architecture is white, art deco style.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
France, Jenny lives like she has always desired. They dance in the
street, browse book stalls of French literature and drink wine on the
riverside. Paris is much brighter than home, so much more colour.
Jenny dresses glamorously, with big sunglasses. She walks on the wall
of the riverbank, high heels in hand.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-8672889312495689502012-07-05T21:02:00.000+01:002012-07-05T21:02:36.718+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>Bunny
and The Bull</b></u></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Paul
King, 2009)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1251725/">IMDB</a></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
house is a set of clutter and random collected items. Rooms are
filled from top to bottom with boxes and boxes of organised and
arranged junk, filed and stored precisely. The collections include
stamps, drinking straws 1995 to 1996 and crossword cut-outs. The
kitchen cupboard is filled with ready meals, labelled by day. All
surfaces house piles of videotapes, folders and files.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
walls are also covered with clutter, one wall houses a variation of
different clocks. </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
a flashback, the scenery becomes illustrated and 2D. Chairs, tables
and surroundings are drawn cut-outs, drawn fish swim in the fish
tank. Landscapes are created from newspaper and on a visit to the
shoe museum(!) the whole scene is filmed in front of a green screen.
The surroundings of each scene are made from familiar objects, seen
previously in the house- reality.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
sets are very handmade, some even noticeably and purposefully spill
off from their rostra. The materials that the sets and props are made
from are very recognisable, for example a floor in one case is
created from black bin liners. A large pile of newspapers appear as
the leg of a road bridge and there's a miniature fairground created
from the the cogs and wheels within a cuckoo clock. Other rooms are
created using illuminated beer crates and stacks of books too.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-74391230639361540632012-07-05T21:00:00.000+01:002012-07-05T21:00:34.883+01:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>The
Third Man</b></u></span><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Carol
Reed, 1949)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048347/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">IMDB</span></a><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shot
in a mixture of studio sets and on location, the film is known for
it's music creating a part of the narrative. Set in post war Vienna,
the streets are filled with rubble and reminders of war. It features
fine design and important photography and revolves around a complex
narrative of espionage/ thriller.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
famous zither music repeats throughout, complimenting the fine
interiors of Vienna's crumbling streets. Anna resides in a once
lavish apartment, furnished with a brass bed and several potted
plants. On the wall are dust marks where pictures had been hung.
There's also a stylish spiral staircase.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
doctor's house is full of collectables and various beautiful and
desirable statues and ornaments, and the walls are lined with mirrors
and paintings. </span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-11453440943769372802012-07-05T20:58:00.000+01:002012-07-05T20:58:55.195+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>The
Man with the Golden Arm</b></u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Otto Preminger,
1955)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048347/">IMDB</a></span><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Six
month clean heroin addict, Sinatra, arrives in the lower side of
town, surrounded instantly by temptation, with signs for liquor,
drugs, beer and girls. </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His
girlfriend, Sash, is wheelchair bound, as a result of his actions
under the influence of heroin. She waits for him each day in an attic
bedsit, understandably a bit mad and paranoid. It soon becomes clear
that Sash is pretending to be disabled in order to keep Frankie to
herself and away from the, by comparison, glamorous Molly, a dancer
with whom he has history. The attic room is dull and cluttered and
doesn't offer much excitement.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Frankie
occasionally visits a shop window, showing an ideal middle-class
kitchen, accentuating his longing for a better quality of living,
away from temptation. The temptation though is only emphasized by the
soundtrack and the great, booming brass interludes as he injects
again and again.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-21265599097853228512012-07-05T20:56:00.000+01:002012-07-05T20:56:58.043+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>The
Night of The Hunter</b></u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Charles
Laughton, 1955)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048424/">IMDB</a></span><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
terrifying Robert Mitcham, a real life bad boy, plays the leading
role of a preacher, complete with love and hate knuckle tattoos.
Laughton experiments with a lot of different shots, including aerial/
above shots and even a with camera attached to the front of a
car.<br /><br />Mitcham appears terrifying and looming, a black figure at
the end of the garden in the shadow of a single street lamp,
accompanied by the booming, great music each time he appears. He
speaks with musicality and authority, casting a shadow over any other
characters within his scenes.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
the attic room scene, there's a single bedside lamp that provides
little light. The light from the single window casts across the set
and the mother lies in bed, within the white light. The preacher
casts a looming shadow over her and the room plunges into darkness as
he stabs her. Later her body sits upright in a white car at the
bottom of the river. Her hair blows with the current of the water, in
synchronisation with the underwater reeds. </span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
preacher later appears haunting as a silhouette on the hill at dusk,
chasing the children from their homes. And the children appear
drifting downstream in a rowing boat, silhouetted against the the
dark riverbank.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-74722720252629241662012-07-05T20:52:00.000+01:002012-07-05T20:52:46.051+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">La'
Belle et La' Bête</span></b></u></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Jean
Cocteau, 1946)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/">IMDB</a></span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
was created partly, as a morale booster for France, following the
war. The film is heavily stylised and instantly recognisable to those
aware of Cocteau. Cocteau uses lots of shot framing as well as plenty
of experimentation with focus. </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
the Beast's castle, parts of the set are living. The candlesticks on
the wall are simply oval-framed, silver-painted human arms, that move
when passed. The stone heads in the fireplace are also real, painted
human faces that silently react to the main action within the scene.
Hands appear from within the table to serve food, doors and gates
open themselves, and grand shadows provide mysterious hiding places,
within which the beast sinks quietly into.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-634754254741496962012-07-05T20:51:00.000+01:002012-07-05T20:51:04.623+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>Last
Night</b></u></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />(Massy
Tadjedin, 2010)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294688/">IMDB</a></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Set
in Manhattan, the main set in the film is a modern apartment,
overlooking the city. The furnishings are very clean-cut and smooth,
solid wood and slate surfaces. The main characters are a young
married couple who, money-wise, are comfortable. The palette mainly
consists of grey, stone and whites. Within scenes in which the couple
face temptation, the colours are subtly richer. For example, Joanna
wears violet lingerie and shoes and goes to a party where the main
colours are tones of deep reds and black, symbolic for lust and
temptation. Michael finds himself amid a cooler palette of turquoise
and blues (around a swimming pool), possibly as a reference to his
coldness towards his marriage, but also his tentativeness towards
cheating on his wife.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-2860207204458900652012-07-05T20:49:00.000+01:002012-07-05T20:49:15.383+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>Submarine</b></u></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Richard
Ayoade, 2010)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440292/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">IMDB</span></a><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Set
in a Welsh, 70's seaside town, Submarine is a “coming of age”
story of Oliver Tate, who whilst trying to get a girlfriend, is also
trying to save his parents' marriage. His bedroom is tidy, although
it's a sort of organised chaos. An attic bedroom, with dark wood
beams break up the sloping ceiling, painted to resemble a light blue
sky with clouds. The room has a blue painted bed, surrounded by
Polaroid pictures and postcards, the room is “cluttered” with
boxes of comics and records and books. Plane models hang from the
roof, along with a medical skeleton model. </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
space seems childish yet it hints at maturity, with clothes hanging
on an exposed rail and with features like a record player and a
typewriter, all viewed on screen with mature and literate narration.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Abandonment
is a running theme throughout, not only in the narrative, but in the
scenery as well. So as not to appear “romantic”, the couple spend
time together in very still, abandoned places, including a deserted
industrial estate and a closed fairground. Together, Jordana and
Oliver fill these dark places with light, more accurately fire.
Matches, flares, bonfires and fireworks.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
entire palette for this film is an array of blues and greys, with
Jordana, the object of Oliver Tate's affections, wearing a bright red
coat, a seemingly flamboyant choice in this cold, welsh, seafront
town. Jordana provides the excitement and colour in the otherwise
very dull (nevertheless beautiful) tone of the picture. </span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-47278363332579060422012-07-05T20:46:00.000+01:002012-07-05T20:46:00.030+01:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>Noel
Fielding's Luxury Comedy</b></u></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Nigel
Coan, 2012)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Fielding's_Luxury_Comedy"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WIKI</span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From
the childlike imagination of Noel Fielding, comes the mixture of live
action and animation that is, Luxury Comedy. The sets are created
from what looks like the contents of a child's craft set; reflective
card, glitter, felt tip pens, crayon, sparkly fabrics, sequins,
feathers, etc. It's an extravagant mixture of exaggerated textures
and surfaces, for example, creases are painted onto fabrics. It is
psychedelic and over the top and props are created from the most
normal of objects, making them very abnormal in the process. Beards
created from pencil crayons, facial features made from plastic cups.
Make up and face paint are used in an exaggerated manner too. The
whole feel of the programme is colourful and bizarre, a neon,
geometric world.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-81764709212318501972012-01-28T13:29:00.001+00:002012-01-29T01:49:20.765+00:00<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
Jonathan Ross Show</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Various Directors, 2012)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2049323/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">IMDB</span></span></a></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The studio for Jonathan Ross' show
is by no means innovative, it works as a simple concept that has been
used time and time again amongst similar programmes, the world over.
It provides the basic presentation, performance and guest area, with
space for an audience too. The guest area typically including the
most simple of props, simply a desk for the presenter and your
average 3-piece leather suite for the guests.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The set is outlined with curves,
accentuated by the orange, strip-lighting that illuminates the
multi-levels of rostra. The set wall is almost an “S” shape,
housing each individual studio area in it's two-directional curve.
The wall houses light panels that are illuminated in spots, with what
resemble traffic-sign lights, again in orange. In yet another
unoriginal part of the set, behind the desk area is a London
night-time cityscape! This said, I like the set, it serves it's
purpose!</span></div>
</span></strong>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-7745631221096866252012-01-28T13:28:00.001+00:002012-01-29T01:51:19.034+00:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Fresh
Meat (S1EO2)</b></span><br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Various Directors, 2011)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2058303/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">IMDB</span></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Fresh
Meat is the telling of six first-year university students who missed
out on places in halls and so find themselves living together in a
student house. The living space that they all share is very typically
“student house” and I hate to use such a phrase! However, the
furniture is mismatched and somewhat worn, sofas with throws and
cushion strewn over them. Various sets of different coloured fairy
lights hang around the room, which merges with the kitchen. The
kitchen is a you would expect, with mismatched crockery and glasses
stacked around the surfaces. Empty drink bottles are also dotted
around. Space invaders stickers decorate the otherwise plain, dated
kitchen cupboards. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968014616993604390.post-73568852587080067762012-01-28T13:27:00.002+00:002012-01-28T13:34:25.433+00:00<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The
IT Crowd (S4EO2) “The Final Countdown”</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Graham Lineham, 2010)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487831/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">IMDB</span></span></a></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my favourite TV sets is the
basement office of The IT crowd. It's fantastically “nerdy” and
cluttered with an assortment of items. The walls are covered with
graphic posters and cult imagery and every display surface is crammed
with books, CD's, board games, memorabilia and models. Cupboards and
other smooth surfaces are decorated with an array of stickers. Pieces
of computer components are dotted around the set. The furniture is
dated and mismatched, only adding to the cluttered and dis-organised
feel of the whole IT department.</span></div>Laura Myers.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03326868073061622400noreply@blogger.com0