01 November 2010
PROJECT UPDATE Week 3
CREATION IS NOT REPEATING WHAT YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE
"I am not ready to start designing the space yet. I need more understanding of the subject and more experience of the space."
This week I have been looking at the following subjects in relation to my project:
FILM SET, PRODUCTION DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, CITIES, PHOTOGRAPHY
STEP 1
I started my work by exploring Pete’s thought from last week on the subject on filmmaking and architecture or space design.
Filmmakers have extraordinary insight into how cities work, what they mean. I looked at the work of some filmmakers and their insight into how cities work on the set. Below is the shortlist of my findings, which I would like to pursue more within my project:
KUBRIC 2001 A Space Odyssey – Set Design
ALFRED HITCHCOCK “Rear Window” (observation of the city life)
JAMES SANDERS “Celluloid Skyline”
I found the work of this American architect very useful in my understanding of the space role in cinema.
DAVID LYNCH Interview on communicating in film.
STEP 2
STUDY OF THE CITY
Night and day shots of the same spots (photographed from the exact same point of view)
CYCLORAMAS
Images taken from upper floors and roofs to recreate views of the city as they appear through windows or doors of an interior
PEOPLE / SOCIETY / CULTURE/ THE NAKED CITY
I like the idea of following the stories of people. What they do in the space? Where do they come from? I like the theatrical aspects of the city.
LANDSCAPE
I looked at ways of how the city is being affected by other factors. Natural elements: lighting, weather, water sources or urban and architectural elements: different ways of transportation.
STEP 3
PHOTOGRAPHY, LIGHT, SHADOW
I went back to the V&A museum to see the "Shadow Catchers" Exhibition again and I also joined some of the talks and interviews.
I became interested in photogram - the camera-less photography technique
Photography is a way to interact with peoples the things you say outlound and not necessarily what you want to say or feel. Pictures can replace spoken language with its own unique language the aim is to create a channel to interact with people
Conceptualizing shadows.
MY DESIGN GOALS
To catch the excitement, energy and activity of the South Bank.
Crate a space where people have their interaction with photography and relationship with photography
The relationship with photography is different in every country. In London there are tons of photos taken without much of thinking and purpose…and I feel that there is a need of making people more aware of the true beauty of the photography.
To identify the ways in which setting reflects the themes and drama of the place
To show the impact of the light and shadow in the space
To introduce different styles in my design: expressionism, poetic realism and documentary in the representation of the place
To show artistic, cultural and technological influences
The complex interrelationship between the set and the human prese
MY INITIAL IDEAS AND INSPIRATIONS
HUMAN SPACE THOUGHT
My ideas are all in the subject of the exploration of human's mind in relation to the space. I would like to design not only the exhibition but also the space or metaphorically speaking the platform for the performance.
I am very much inspired by the way Kubrick designed his film sets for the Space Odyssey 2001 and would like to work in a similar way with my project.
I am planning to crate my exhibition space as a CAD model and rendeer it in a Artlantis for the 3D realistic effect http://www.artlantis.com/
This year I am in a Film Platform. We are working within the subject of expanded cinema. I also like to use elements of this in my project. My aim would be to both use the idea for the exhibition and then to film it so it can be shown to the public in a cinema theatre. That way I get to design my space without having to worry about the expenses involved in the rent of the space, materials and also it gives larger room for the creativity.
I will film the space and the experience in a way that the viewer would see it and then show it to a large audience so they can achieve the same viewing experience without having to go to the space. It will be a very interactive kind of experience.
RED BLACK WHITE
Recently I have been quite unconsciously surrounding myself with those three colours. Just a few days ago I went to the Shadow Catchers Exhibition at the V&A museum. As I was holding one of their flyers with the exact same colurs on it. I started contemplating on the idea and realized the meaning and importance of the choices I have made and what it really meant to me.
RED - life, strenght, blood, power, intensity (the power of thought)
BLACK- the unknown, dark side of human's mind, things we might fear
WHITE - the infinity, purity, space, air
ME AND MY MIND
My space in a way is reminisent of a bubble. A spiritual space that we create around our bodies without knowing about it. It will be pure, translucent, open...
There will be also contrasting elements of objects and suprise introduced as well. Just as in a real world we get obstacles every day on our way.
I will be playing with light, shadow, phonogram photography, film, moving image and sound.
Kubrick 2001 A Space Odyssey - Set Design
SET DESIGN (Special Effects)
The Special Effects of "2001: A Space Odyssey"
By George D. DeMet
Originallly published in DFX, July 1999
More than thirty years after its initial release, Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" still inspires those who see it. Like a piece of fine art or a classical symphony, its appeal has only grown over time. A strikingly unique film, it captivated a generation of young people in the late 1960s, who accepted its visual message with religious fervor. Initially rebuffed by leading film critics, "2001" is today considered one of cinema's greatest masterpieces.
An epic story spanning both time and space, "2001" begins four million years ago, in a prehistoric African savanna, where mankind's distant ancestors must learn how to use the first tools in order to survive. The film cuts to the technological utopia of the early 21st century, where life in outer space is an everyday reality. The story then takes us to the first manned space mission to Jupiter, which consists of two human astronauts and a super-intelligent computer named HAL. The final segment of the film contains a fantastical 23-minute light show of special effects and a mystifying conclusion designed to make its audience question themselves and the world around them.
Director Stanley Kubrick, who is also known for films such as "Dr. Strangelove", "A Clockwork Orange", and "Barry Lyndon", first approached science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke in early 1964 to collaborate on what both hoped would be "the proverbial good science fiction film". They spent a year working out the story, and Kubrick began pre-production in the mid-1965.
On the recommendation of Clarke, Kubrick hired spacecraft consultants Frederick Ordway and Harry Lange, who had assisted some of the major contractors in the aerospace industry and NASA with developing advanced space vehicle concepts, as technical advisors on the film. Ordway was able to convince dozens of aerospace giants such as IBM, Honeywell, Boeing, General Dynamics, Grumman, Bell Telephone, and General Electric that participating in the production of "2001" would generate good publicity for them. Many companies provided copious amounts of documentation and hardware prototypes free of charge in return for "product placements" in the completed film. They believed that the film would serve as a big-screen advertisement for space technology and were more than willing to help out Kubrick's crew in any way possible. Lange was responsible for designing much of the hardware seen in the film.
Every detail of the production design, down to the most insignificant element, was designed with technological and scientific accuracy in mind. Senior NASA Apollo administrator George Mueller and astronaut Deke Slayton are said to have dubbed "2001's" Borehamwood, England production facilities "NASA East" after seeing all of the hardware and documentation lying around the studio. Even today, most audiences and critics still find "2001's" props and spaceships more convincing than those in many more recent science fiction movies. While earlier science fiction films had aimed for a streamlined "futuristic" look, "2001's" production design was intended to be as technically credible as possible.
Production designer Anthony Masters was responsible for making Harry Lange's design concepts a reality. More than a hundred modelmakers assisted him and the other members of the art crew in this task. For greater authenticity, production of many of the film's props, such as spacesuits and instrument panels, was outsourced to various aerospace and engineering companies. Everything had to meet with Kubrick's approval before it could be used in the film.
Kubrick's unrelenting perfectionism was evident when it came to designing the mysterious alien monolith, which appears at various points throughout the film. Originally envisioned as a tetrahedron, none of the models were impressive enough. Kubrick then commissioned a British company to manufacture a three-ton block of transparent lucite, which also lacked the necessary visual impact. The black slab finally used was constructed out of wood and sanded with graphite for a completely smooth finish.
It was not unusual for the crew to go to great lengths to create the film's unique sets. The film's' most impressive set is that of the interior of the spaceship Discovery. To compensate for the weightlessness of outer space, the ship's crew compartment was envisioned as a centrifuge that would simulate gravity through the centripetal force generated by its rotation. A 30-ton rotating "ferris wheel" set was built by Vickers-Armstrong Engineering Group, a British aircraft company at a cost of $750,000. The set was 38 feet in diameter and 10 feet wide. It could rotate at a maximum speed of three miles per hour, and was dressed with the necessary chairs, desks, and control panels, all firmly bolted to the inside surface. The actors could stand at the bottom and walk in place, while the set rotated around them. Kubrick used an early video feed to direct the action from a control room, while the camera operator sat in a gimbaled seat.
"2001's" special effects team was supervised by Kubrick himself, and included Con Pederson, Wally Veevers, and Douglas Trumbull, who went on to create effects for other science fiction movies such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Blade Runner". Work on the film's 200+ effects scenes had begun even while Kubrick and Clarke were working out the script; Kubrick had used a reel of experimental effects shot in an abandoned New York corset factory to help "sell" the film to studio executives. Kubrick's crew hoped to set a new standard for quality in visual effects. As Kubrick put it, "I felt it was necessary to make this film in such a way that every special effects shot in it would be completely convincing - something that had never before been accomplished in a motion picture."
"2001" was one of the first films to make extensive use of front projection, a technique where photography is projected from the front of the set onto a reflective surface. The prehistoric Africa scenes were actually filmed in the Borehamwood studio, with second unit photography projected onto a screen behind the actors measuring 40 feet by 90 feet to provide the illusion of an outdoor scene. Front projection was also used for some of the film's outer space effects scenes. The more traditional technique of rear projection was reserved mainly for the many video displays and computer monitors that appeared in the film.
Although most of the visual effects techniques used in "2001" had been used before, there was one sequence that broke new technical and artistic ground. The "Star Gate" seen in the final segment of the film, where a stream of whirling lights colors streamed around amazed theater audiences, was created using a "Slit Scan" machine developed by Douglas Trumbull, which allowed the filming of two seemingly infinite planes of exposure. Additional effects for the sequence were created applying different colored filters to aerial landscape footage and filming interacting chemicals.
Other effects were achieved through a combination of creative camerawork, hard work, and dedication. To make a stray pen "float" in a weightless environment, it was attached to a rotating glass disk. The illusion of astronauts floating in space was created by hanging stunt performers upside down with wires from the ceiling of the studio, often for hours at a time.
The achievements of "2001's" effects, which were all done without the benefits of computer technology, are nothing less than amazing. Kubrick held his crew to the highest standards to insure that the film's effects were designed to be as realistic-looking as possible. To insure that every element of an effects scene was as sharp and clear as a single-generation image, he ruled out the use of many techniques that would have been much faster and less expensive. $6.5 million of his $10.5 million budget ended up going toward effects alone, and it was nearly two years after the end of principal photography that film was finally finished.
When audiences first saw "2001" in the spring of 1968, many were baffled. The film lacked a traditional plot structure, contained almost no dialogue, and had an ending that many found confusing. Leading film critics, like Andrew Sarris and Pauline Kael, panned the film, arguing that Kubrick had sacrificed plot and meaning for visual effects and technology. Young audiences soon discovered the film, however, and it became a huge commercial success. The glowing reviews of many younger critics prompted many of the film's detractors to give it a second chance, and some even retracted their earlier reviews. Articles and books were written, all containing different interpretations of just what the film's message was. Many agreed that with Stanley Kubrick's suggestion that as a visual masterpiece, "2001" is intensely subjective and cannot be objectively explained, much like one cannot "explain" Beethoven's Ninth or Leonardo's La Gioconda. The film inspired many, who have said they became filmmakers, engineers, or scientists as a result of seeing "2001".
Even today, "2001" continues to be a part of people's lives. Films and television commercials consciously evoke its imagery, countless fans post their thoughts about it on the Internet, and articles like this one continue to be written about it. It is a testament to the genius and dedication of Kubrick and his crew that the future they so meticulously constructed still looks so convincing.
Greatful appreciation is given to the following sources used in preparation for this article:
Agel, Jerome, ed. The Making of Kubrick's 2001. New York: New American Library, 1970.
Bizony, Piers. 2001: Filming the Future. London: Aurum Press, 1994.
Lightman, Herb. "Filming 2001: A Space Odyssey". American Cinematographer, vol 49, no 6.
UNDERSTANDING THE CITY (Analysing the Space and Place in the Cinematography)
FILMIC CITY AS URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCE
How design practice inscribes space as place in the cinema.
Interrogating both design practice and its creative effects in a variety of filmic contexts. By highlighting the performative role of sets and locations in filmic expression, this article will provide a forum for debate about how design practice inscribes space as place in the cinema.
Today we tell our fables with celluloid.
"Fascinating . . . Ambitious . . . A magnificent book, a searching and intelligent account of how the city shaped the movies . . . [Sanders's] knowledge of movies and filmmaking is profound, and his approach to the movies through his professional discipline is unique and revelatory."
--Charles Matthews, New London Day
"Mr. Sanders's book [is] an invaluable tour guide to several cities, each going under the name New York."
--Tom Shone, New York Observer
Sanders has been researching and writing Celluloid Skyline for more than a decade. His extensive research into the design and production of American films has led him to archives and private collections in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Paris,London, and Berlin, where he has located scores of rare and unusual images for the book, including production stills, location stills, art department sketches and models, frame enlargements, and views of standing sets, miniatures, scenic backings, process plates, optical and computer generated special effects, and other images that reveal how the "mythic city" of movie New York was created in the Hollywood studio and on the streets of the city itself.
This extremely well-written book captures the magnificent romance of New York City's skyline, the world's greatest.
Profusely illustrated, it depicts the city cinematically and is a must addition to any New Yorker's library.
The author, James Sanders, an architect who was co-writer with Ric Burns of the seven-part PBS series "New York: A Documentary Film," correctly maintains that "the movie city, the mythic city, is ultimately far more than a mirror." "It is a place unto itself, an extraordinary cultural construct spanning hundreds of individual films. Perhaps it is precisely because real New York possesses this `other' city as some kind of adjunct or underside or dream version of itself, that it holds a true claim to urban greatness, one shared by only a few places in history: London, Paris, Venice, Rome, Troy, Babylon, Ur. Once they were called the `storied' or `fabled' cities. Today we tell our fables with celluloid."
2. CELLULOID SKYLINE THE EXHIBITION IN NEW YORK AT THE GRAND CENTRAL STATION
“Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies,” an ambitious exhibition of films, photographs and sets that begins today in Vanderbilt Hall, adjacent to the main concourse. The project was put together by James Sanders, based on his 2001 book of the same title, which shrewdly observes that two New Yorks — the real city and the screen fantasy — feed each other in a never-ending circle.
“Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies,” an exhibition of background paintings, film clips, production stills and archival photographs.
Architect and author James Sanders to discuss his exhibition, Celluloid Skyline at Grand Central Station, New York. It's the story of how New York City was constructed in the movies, through the imagination of Hollywood-based filmmakers. Sanders tells us how the exhibition design came together, upon the discovery of giant scenic backings from classic movies like North by Northwestand The Clock.
To watch the interview with James Sanders click on the link below:
MOVIES
New York City on Film
The Times's Caryn James visits a multimedia exhibition at Grand Central Terminal devoted to films set in the city.
4. THE POWER OF IMAGE IN FILM (REFLECTION, LIGHTING, MOTION, SHADE)
This powerfully conveyed shot of Hudsucker’s successor, Sidney Mussburger (Paul Newman), silhouetted in the high boardroom windows. Not only Mussburger — the cynical, grasping executive who has instigated Norville’s rise — but Wall Street’s towers themselves are reflected in the mirror-smooth boardroom table, so as to appear to float weightlessly, utterly disengaged from everything else. There is far more to the skyscraper then the airy, detached realm at its top, as we discover when Norville pulls an idea out of his pocket — a crude pencil sketch of something that turns out to be the hula hoop — and, indulged by Mussburger, is allowed to carry the idea through to execution.
5. David Lynch on COMMUNICATING EMOTIONS IN FILM
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker and visual artist. Over a lengthy career, Lynch has employed a distinctive, unorthodox (and now known as "Lynchian") approach to narrative filmmaking that has become instantly recognizable to many audiences and critics worldwide. Lynch's films are known for nightmarish and dreamlike images and meticulous sound design. Probably best known for "The Blue Velvet" and "Twin Peaks".
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