Here is some experimentation I'm doing, depicting the massive Skeleton statue in the Hall of Dead is not being easy, on my 1st try i started to paint on the top of the background from a solid block, the difficulty that i found was that the skeleton would rarely blend with the background, which is what i'm trying to achieve. On my 2nd try, I used a different technique, instead of painting on it, I decided to take it away using just a rubber, kind of sculpt out of the solid block, the background. I aim to make the effect that the skeleton and all the elements on the background are coming from the darkness showing that extra sense of depth. So i think will opt for the second technique.
Today, we had the chance to watch the film, 'The Cook, the Thief, his Wife & her Lover' (yes, a mouthful :)) by the Dir. Peter Greenway from 1989. At first, I was a bit uncertain what I would think of this film, as we were advised it contained scenes of cannibalism, but like every film that Tutor Phil shows,It was really interesting approach of good cinema.
Synopsis: "Master director Greenaway outdoes himself with this grisly fairy tale. The thief, Albert Spica, (Gambon) is a gangster, repugnant and boorish, who holds court at the same table in his opulent restaurant every night surrounded by his lackeys (Tim Roth and the late Ian Dury included). When his cultured and repressed wife Georgina (Mirren) becomes magnetically attracted to a solitary diner in the restaurant, the two begin a secret affair under the nose of her dangerous husband. With the help of the restaurant's chef, the time the lovers share is kept secret from the vicious Albert...for a while. Despite the breathtaking production design and artful camera work, this violent, disturbing and very darkly comic work is not for everyone. Those with the stomach for it, however, will reap generous rewards"
This film was really different from all the others we watched as it was full of theatrical references, from the lights to the set, the way the set was made depicting this stylized world inside a restaurant where everything looked like out of a fairytale, the use of different light colours in different rooms set the mood in all the film, the amazing camera work with beautiful horizontal shots all the way from the kitchen to the dining room, where the camera didn't follow the action but, the spectator had to do it and not forgetting the beautiful set design where everything was so detailed, so exuberant reminding something out of France of Louis XV.
P.s.- Sry for the Italian translation
The plot, besides being about a subject quite common in society, the cheating with a lover, It add twist of exuberance, everything that was beautifully stylized emphasized the story. The costume designs by Jean Paul Gaultier are just beautiful playing a really important part in the film, specially in the Revenge scene where the wife's dress resembles to a spider, who traps the husband into her revenge. The music makes us think we were in a theatre instead of a cinema, it was really well composed to the film, giving that extra sense of theatrical. The painting on the wall decorating the dining room, seemed to be of the French revolution era, painting of Eugene Delacroix 'Liberty Leading the People', where is a woman among all men holding a french flag in sign of freedom, quite similar with the painting in this film, where the woman looks imprisoned in the middle of men but ready to make a breakthrough. The breakthrough happens in the end when the gang leader kills the wife's the lover, when she finds it, her revenge is something taken from a Shakespeare novel, she makes him eat the lover's corpse cooked.
Really interesting to watch, though if you have a weak stomach maybe is not advised.
On my Birthday, I receive an amazing present ( no computer games, no),it was the book "Concept Design 2" from my girlfriend. She knows i'm really enjoying this Unit, so she decided to surprise me with this present :). The book, itself, is amazing , it consist of works of 7 main professional Concept Artists, such as James Clyne, Mark Goerner, etc. And a few Guest Artists, such as Ryan Church and Dylan Cole. The book shows the stages that the artists go through from merely a hand-drawn sketch to an amusing digital concept drawing, These works range from sculpture, 2d concept drawings to matte painting.
In my opinion, It is a must buy if you re really into Concept Art.
Finally I had some time to get on with Maya and did 2nd week of the Street Facade Tutorial, it was simply the continuation of the 1st week where we had to had some more details, such as the street elements. and UV map them. Apart from minor problems, the tutorial went well after all and im really getting hold of those UV's.
Today, we watched the film 'Edward Scissorhands', in my opinion a masterpiece of cinema. Also it is my essay choice so I had to pay extra attention to detail and production design. The main thing i found is that it has so many influences from the first Gothic films, such as 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' (1919).
The film ' Edward Scissorhands' was the most personal film to the director Tim Burton, where he finally was able to express the long-waited longings he had as a teenager and that reflect his own childhood living in suburbia. It is a Gothic fairytale film, where everything seems so magical, but so real as well. A story of this Inventor's (Vincent Price) great invention called Edward, a not so perfect character that had scissor for hands. Edward lived in the dark and cold castle until one day an Avon lady took him to live with her in the colourful suburbia. At first, everything seems to be going alright but then Edward finds the life in the suburbia not so perfect. A lovestory with a moral aspects behind it, just like 'the Elephant Man' , where the actually 'freaks' are not the main characters but yes the people around them that don't understand what is to be different.
Interesting notes from some of the scenes to help me with my essay:
-It starts with an amazing soundtrack by the composer Danny Elfman, which set us the mood into entering the world of fantasy, and imagination. The first scene indicates that the story that 'old' Kim is telling is a fairytale, when she starts to tell her supposed grand children a story of a man that lived in a castle high in the mountain. The amazing set design on the first scene, where the objects are not the same scale of people, emphasizes the sense of fairytale. When she starts to tell the story, the first thing visible is the depiction of 2 opposite worlds, though they are stylized, you are able to relate them to the 'real' world. The use of maquettes to give a overview of the all scenario is amusing. The contrast presented between the 50s/60s 'American Dream' Suburbia and the European Gothic style building, this opposite worlds are better shown in the scene with the mirror of the car, where the bright colours of suburbia, don't blend with the image of the dark castle in the mirror.
-Also the scene, where the Avon lady meets Edward has influences from the old Gothic films, where the distortion of the German expressionism present in 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' and the strong shadows of ' The Night of the Hunter' and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' sets us into a Gothic, creepy world, but in fact contrasts, the shadowed side of the attic where Edward stands to the bright side of the attic provoked by the fallen roof the Avon lady stands. When she decides to take Edward to her house, he looks really excited when he first sees suburbia this colourful place full of harmony, but actually as he starts to live there he realises that the exterior beauty doesn't really mean what is inside, as the stylized people the he meets along the way are nothing more than fake,who 'use' him for they own need.
Meanwhile, Edward remembers the inventions room, the sound of machines and the way it was filmed resembles 'Metropolis', it has a creepy but fairytale sense to it, where everything looks like it was taken from a 'Hansel and Gretel' story or the 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. The music in that scene contrasts what looks like an evil room, that actually creates beautiful things. Other Scene that really grabbed my attention was when Kim was coming on the van, and in paint job of the van i could identify the craziness of the teenage years, the thought we are able to do everything and become different. After on the scene with the haircuts, where the music sensualise the scene, just like they were having pleasure when cutting hair and the exuberance of the haircuts emphasizing how Edward is different. When Edward goes on the show i found it a really confrontational scene, where he seemed to be exposing himself a lot, which still happens nowadays in reality shows. The scene with the ice sculpture, bring us back to the fairytale world, followed by a fight between kim's boyfriend and Edward. The Uninvinting Castle once again highlighting Edwards previous life,which is going to go back to, and also the scene is going up the stairs through the shadows looks like a breakthrough from his life to create something beautiful for Kim.
P.s- Also found that in each night scene, something bad happens to Edward, such as the robbery and the fight with Kim's boyfriend that led him to go back to the castle. don't know if it is coincidence or was supposed to be like that.
I know this post doesnt look like a review, is more notes to help in my essay, sorry if it looks confusing.
After my day off yesterday with all uni work as it was my birthday :), I decided to start to search the web for some interesting reviews and other websites related to my essay choice, Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands. After looking on Youtube for some making offs, I came across with this video, it is a documentary of the film made a few years ago which links it with the personal life of its director, Tim Burton.
-Edward Scissorhands was the most personal film made to date of the director Tim Burton. - Tim Burton being an animator in the Disney Studios, the character of Edward Scissorhands was based on his teenage longings. - The slight distortions of the set in the castle scene, reminds me of the film ' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' due the to be influenced by the German expressionism. Also the strong shadows, reminds me a bit of the "fairytale" of the film 'Night of the Hunter' - Also the documentary shows Tim Burton's influences while making this film, The film "Pit and the Pendulum" 1961, based on the Edgar Allan Poe's short-story and the amazing acting of Vincent Price in the same film, who acted also in Edward Scissorhands.
Here is some experimentation I'm doing, depicting the massive Skeleton statue in the Hall of Dead is not being easy, on my 1st try i started to paint on the top of the background from a solid block, the difficulty that i found was that the skeleton would rarely blend with the background, which is what i'm trying to achieve. On my 2nd try, I used a different technique, instead of painting on it, I decided to take it away using just a rubber, kind of sculpt out of the solid block, the background.
