Designing The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby was one of my favorite films of last year, sumptuous design coupled with wonderful costumes and fine acting made this film gorgeous to look at, despite it's narrative flaws. The film one two Oscars, both for design, one for set design and set decorating, and the other for costume design. I have always loved the twenties, art deco and art nouveau are two of my favorite movements, and having lived in Brussels, i have seen copious amounts of both.

One of the defining features of the twenties and indeed of The Great Gatsby is the architecture, the film takes place in various mansions around long island, and the characters are defined architecturally by the houses they live in. The Buchannans live on East Egg, and belong to the old establishment. Their mansion is a large regency brick building, rectangular and strong, showing the Buchannans place as old money, and their status. Jay Gatsby, on the other hand, lives in an Art Deco mansion, featuring turrets and towers. This house is much more ostentatious than the Buchannan residence, being more ornate, showing Jay Gatsby as a climber, concerned with appearances and status. Nick, on the other hand lives in a ramshackle cottage, overrun with tumbleweed and wisteria, clearly presenting him as a lesser member of society.

The interiors of the house also contrast, the Buchannan mansion features a hollywood regency style, with white stucco ceilings and classy, understated furniture, referencing the fact that they both grew up with money. Gatsby's house on the other hand is pure art deco, wood inlay floors, tall collumns and vaulted ceilings gilded with gold, the whole effect is more overstated and ostentatious, a sign of Gatsby's new money. Nicks cottage is in complete contrast with both of these interiors, it is a more arts and crafts inspired environment, and is overall a much more personal space. The apartment occupied by Myrtle is also different, being predominantly red and stuffed with flowers, the lack of taste in the interior showing Myrtles lack of class and status, the color red being significant of her blatant femininity.

The costumes of the film are also superb, Daisy is the character most obviously categorized by her clothes, her clothes make her look feminine, girlish and naive, they show a sense of immaturity, however they nonetheless show her as someone of status, and her clothes are embellished and fashionable. Gatsby, on the other hand, shows himself to be someone, again, concerned about status, he uses a cane, despite not needing one. Tom Buchanan, on the other hand is more conservative, wearing three piece suits in wool and tweed. Gatsby always wears light colored suits, while Tom always wears dark colors, showing their contrasting personalities and conflict.

The supporting casts costumes are equally distinctive, Jordan Baker wears trousers and pant suits, elegantly tailored, and unusual for a woman of this era, her wearing of more masculine clothing shows her golfing background and her dominant attitude. Myrtle's costumes are more feminine, her wearing much of the color red, wearing her skirts short and wearing fishnet stockings. Her choice of costumes show her as a sex symbol, and as a woman who flaunts her sexuality.

The Great Gatsby is a highly elegant film, the interiors show us much about the class and tastes of the people who inhabit them, their clothes are revelatory of their personalities and status, and of their interactions with the other characters.

Five Favorite CGI Visual Worlds

Computers are now more important in cinema than celluloid, and binary code is replacing real sets, some films eschew sets all together and use actors in front of a green screen preferring to create the visuals of the film in a computer, i don't resent this change, and i think it brings a fun visual flair to modern movies that used to be missing. Films made in this way are often visually stunning, eccentric and artistic. I am here listing my five favorite CGI environments, excluding animated films, because that's a post for another time.

• Gravity: This is a film which was created almost entirely in a computer, and yet it is almost impossible to believe that this film wasn't actually shot in space, the film's vision of outer space is so complete and detailed, and the CGI environment matches so perfectly to the lighting and cinematography used on the film, that the film is a seamless blend of live action and a visual environment. Gravity is a film created as much in a computer as on a sound stage, and the film is visually striking and highly detailed.

• 300: Another adaptation of a Frank Miller classic, this film was again shot on a digital backlot, and the film goes so far as to replicate various cells from the comic book frame for frame, the film creates a visual world that is highly defined, the geography of the battle field is strongly located, and the film is stronger because of this. The film uses a highly unique colour processing and the color red is used as a marker in the film, 300 is a film which is visually highly unique and which has inspired many other Hollywood productions.
  

• Mary Poppins: true, this is a film which is significantly older than the others on this list, and it is the only to use the sodium screen technique, Disney was a pioneer in this method, and this was one of the first films to use any kind of superimposition, and the film allows the characters to jump into Bert's street paintings, and for the characters to interact with the environment, the scene is iconic, and differs from the other selections shown here in that it was created without the use of a computer, and in that it's use was pioneering.
  

• Alice in Wonderland: This film differs significantly from the others on this list, as it incorporates the films characters into the environment, the film features some characters who are entirely animated, and others who are live action, but altered or colored with CGI. The film is visually a treat, and the production used sets covered with green screen, allowing the characters to interact with their environments. The environments used in this film are dark yet colorful, and the film uses the CGI to it's full extent, and created a world impossible without the use of a computer.
  

• The Matrix: The Wachowski's invented a CGI technique called bullet time, using cameras mounted 360° round the performer able to capture from any angle, over a green screen, so that a digital environment can be superimposed onto the action, and the performance can be sped up or slowed down as needed, this technique has been much imitated and copied in the years that have followed, however the technique is best seen in it's original form, and here the effect is used to show the nature of time in this stimulated reality.

Masters Of Sex

Masters of Sex is a 2013 Showtime television medical drama. The series is loosely based on the true story of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, sexologists and researchers in human sexuality who were responsible for exploring sexual dysfunctions and disorders from the 1950's onwards. The series is a very loose adaptation of their story, and Masters and Johnson themselves are the only real life characters in the show, most other characters are either inventions or composite characters.

The design of the series is fantastic, the show, being set in the fifties is a masterpiece of mid-century modern aesthetics, and the interiors are elegant and authentic. Also fabulous is the costuming, the costumes are sexy and tailored without being overly revealing or overtly modern. The series also has a superb cast, the MVP of this show is certainly Lizzy Caplan, who plays Virginia Johnson, i've been a fan of Caplan since Mean Girls, and in Masters Of Sex she has finally found a role worthy of her, Caplan has the poise and grace of a 1930's screen siren and the camera clearly loves her, it is refreshing to rediscover such a talent.  Martin Sheen plays Bill Masters, an obstetrician researching sexuality, Sheen does a surprisingly adequate american accent, and is fine in the role.

The show also features guest stars Allison Janney and Beau Bridges. The first season features one of my favorite subplot's featuring a university provost who is gay and frequents a male prostitute, Dale played by Finn Wittrock. Beau Bridges plays Provost Barton Sculley and Allison Janney plays his wife. The show deals with this plot is a surprisingly contemporary way, and it is handled with grace and elegance. Bridges is great as the conflicted and pained provost. Allison Janney has been one of my favorite actresses since Juno, and she is fantastic as the provost's confused yet understanding wife, struggling to deal with her husband's homosexuality, which was still considered a disease in the 1950's.

Masters Of Sex is a fantastic tv show, it takes something which could easily become dull, and makes it fascinating, the science behind the show is interesting and the authenticity is hugely beneficial to this series. The series acts as a great canvas for some terrific performances from Lizzy Caplan and Allison Janney who are simply naturals in their roles, and from Beau Bridges and Martin Sheen. Masters of Sex is fascinating, invigorating and visually appealing, an all round winner. Rating: A-

William: I'm a doctor. I can spot a statistically average masturbator from a mile away.

Design in Sex And The City

I've done a few posts about design before, discussing the production design of films such as The Truman Show and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Although i intend for production design to be a part of this discussion, it seems restrictive to talk exclusively about this, and it seems implausible to talk about Sex and the City without even mentioning fashion, given that fashion and clothes were such an important part of the show.

Sex and the city exhibits four characters who are defined by their clothing, the way they dress is a huge revelation of their personalities. Our heroine, Carrie, is a woman who lives for fashion, a woman who bought Vogue instead of fashion and who spends more than she can afford on clothes. Carrie exhibits a certain freedom with fashion, she expresses herself through her clothing and she is unafraid of taking risks. Maintaining a wardrobe like Carrie's would be virtually impossible for anyone other than Anna Dello Russo, but the filmmakers give her real persoanlity through her clothes, how she dresses is tailored to whether she is in a relationship, and how happy she is. At times she dresses almost like a child, showing her naivete and her selfishness. Shoes are a huge part of Carrie's life, and she confesses to owning over a hundred pairs, Carrie's wardrobe seems to be highly unaffordable on a writers salary, but with an unashamed lack of realism the creators of the series unapologetically make sure that Carrie is always dressed in something fabulous, whatever the occasion.

The other characters are also defined by their clothing, possibly more stereotypically than Carrie is, Miranda is a lawyer, and her wardrobe is thus slightly serious, rarely seen without her briefcase and palm pilot, Miranda is slightly more body consious than the other girls, and so likes to keep covered up, particularly after she has Brady in season 4, she is also slightly less fashion conscious than the other girls, caring less for fashion than for comfort, wearing ugly shoes whilst pregnant because her feet are swollen. Like Miranda, Charlotte is also slightly uptight, a typical Park Avenue Polyanna, Charlotte keeps to a uniform of cardigans and pearls, reflecting her status as an upper middle class wasp, and her hailing from Connecticut. Like Carrie her style also reflects her relationships, wearing plaid after marrying her first Scottish husband and a Jewish veil when marrying her second. Samantha has the most brash style of the four women, she wears bright colours and bold prints, being unafraid to show off her body and reflecting her brash and confident personality, and her unashamed sexuality.

The girls apartments are also important in reflecting their personalities, the production design of this show is so good that even when the characters move, their personalities are still shown, Carries apartment, whilst being ludicrously large for a writer to afford is nonetheless very close to her character, it is cluttered and filled with clothes and books. Her desk takes center stage in front of the window, show how important her writing is to her, and her spotless kitchen shows how little she cooks. Her closet is also an important room in the apartment, showing her love of fashion and the bookcases show her love of reading and books. Miranda moves into a large apartment of her own halfway through the series, with this apartment being organized and controlled as she is, with it's size and laundry room showing her status as a partner in her law firm. Charlotte's second apartment, that she gets in her divorce settlement, is lavish and beige, reflecting her status as a park avenue polyanna, and her clearly educated upbringing. Samantha is the only woman who lives alone throughout the whole of the series, her first apartment is on the upper west side, and her second is in the meatpacking district, this shows her status as a high earner and her willingness to lead a lavish and independant lifestyle.

Sex and the City is a series in which costume design production design and set dressing are hugely important, are revelatory of character, the objects people surround themselves with and the clothes they wear tell us about who they are as people.

The Chamber Of Secrets

Intuition, (and honest trailers) tells me that i'm supposed to detest this movie, that this is the worst film in the series and that this is 'the one everyone hates', but i can't help it, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets is one of my favorites, i adore the source novel and the film is equally as good, released in 2002 and, like the first film, directed by Chris Columbus, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is based upon JK Rowling's book of the same name, and the second film in the series.

The film follows Harry and his friends in their second year at Hogwarts School, as Harry meets for the second time, his arch enemy Lord Voldemort, and attempts to unravel the mystery of The Chamber of Secrets, a mysterious cavern built deep underneath the school, under the black lake, by one of the schools founders, Salazar Slytherin who expected that the chamber would be reopened when his heir returned to the school and unleashed the monster within, purging the school of muggle borns and creating a solely pure blood school. What immediately stands out about this film is the production design, the design of the chamber is spectacular, a long echoing room lined with giant snake heads hissing, and filled at the end with a huge medusa-like statue of Salazar Slytherin himself, out of whose mouth the basilisk crawls.

The film is also the first in which we meet Lord Voldemort as anything other than a crazed embedded face on the back of someone's head, Voldemort is shown as a real character, a real figure, a memory or a piece of Voldemort's soul hidden in the pages of a diary, a memory of a teenage boy, before the modifications and the years of soul splitting and murder left his body mutilated and ugly. We finally learn more about who Voldemort really is, what drives him, and what his connection with Harry is, Harry's psychological connection to Tom Riddle is also uncovered with his ability to speak Parseltongue revealed.

The acting in this film is generally much stronger than in the first, and the young actors seem to finally be finding their feet, their performances feel more confident, more lifelike and in this film as child actors go, their performances are pretty darn good. The supporting cast of acclaimed british thespians is as fantastic as expected, and this film features the addition of Miriam Margolyes as Professor sprout, the herbology professor, in a fantastic bit part. But what is most fantastic about this film, is it's story, mysterious and winding this films plot is original and dark, and for that we must give full credit to JK Rowling, author of this opus.

I love this film, not so much for the film itself although the cinematography and set design are pretty incredible, the plot is what is so amazing, and the story is a fantastic invention. The film offers us juicy tidbits about Harry and Voldemort's shared past, present and future, and allows us to truly be sucked into this magnificent creation. Rating: B

Dumbledore: It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.

Production Design of The Truman Show

My previous post focusing on the production design of Tim Burton's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory was reasonably well received, i decided to do a follow up, about The Truman Show. The Truman Show is a film directed by Peter Weir, starring Jim Carrey and Ed Harris. Carrey stars as Truman, a man who lives in a make believe town, where all his actions are filmed, and broadcasted 24 hours a day, on a TV show named The Truman Show, the film revolves around Truman's realization and understanding of the world he lives in, and his ultimate leaving of that world.

The world Truman inhabits is a constructed reality, despite being enclosed in the largest soundstage in the world, it is a universe constructed to look entirely like the world outside. However the town of Seahaven is overly idyllic, the buildings are all clean, well maintained and perfect. The buildings are all unnervingly unblemished, all a bland shade of yellowy-beige and all identical. Seahaven is a town where all the buildings are virtually identical, the town itself is also highly idyllic, all the lawns are perfectly mowed, the pavements perfectly swept. The town is idyllic to the point of even including a harbor and a traditional marble bank. The film makes a clear distinction between on-stage and off-stage environments, on-stage environments are over-lit, overly clean and synthetic looking, off-stage environments, such as the basement of Truman's home, and the room we see behind the elevator shaft.

The interiors of the houses are also highly constructed, garish, bright and synthetic. This introduces the notion that everything is for sale, that this is a designed, artificial world that has been created, the rooms look like the pictures from catalogs for model homes, minus the happy families eating breakfast at the kitchen table. The rooms look highly matched and coordinated, with the tablecloths tending to match the drapes. The characters costumes are also artificial, Truman's wife, Hannah, works as a nurse, and her costume is slightly camp, and highly stereotypical. All of the characters in the film dress in highly archetypal ways, always with perfect hair and makeup, this reinforces the idea that the characters in this film are actors, and that they are playing roles.

The film ends with Truman discovering the truth about his world and existence, and with his decision to leave this artificial reality. The final shot of the film, is Truman standing in front of a door, set into a blue wall, built to represent the sky, up a flight of steps, this iconic image represents Truman's venturing into the unknown, his lack of knowledge about the world outside, but about his understanding that reality is better than the artificial reality that has been constructed for him.