Drafting and Planning/Research Into Similar Products: Inspiration from 'Nine' and 'Chicago' for character development

After discussing some favourite movies with a friend, and after mentioning 'Moulin Rouge' I remembered a film called 'Nine' starring Daniel Day-Lewis I watched once and remembered enjoying. So I watched some of clips from it again, and not only was I artistically inspired, but it made me think more of Senara's saucy past...

And there's one song from Nine which especially impressed me:

Nine: Be Italian (sung by Fergie)
(warning, suggestive content and burlesque dancing)

"You rely on what you were born with, because it is in your blood."

I adore this song and clip; the dance routine, the costuming, and not to mention the singing! Fergie's voice is just incredible in this song!
The 'harem' of women (almost moving like snakes at times and looking so powerful especially when dragging the chairs with long strides) almost as if part of a tribe has inspired me of how Senara's life could've been before entering the human world. Maybe she was originally on one of her 'missions' under her Mistress. Maybe she originally was leading on 'Isaac' (the name for the main male) but because he was so nice, she soon fell for him (which was against the rules of her kind obviously) and the more she spent in the human world, the more intrigued she was by humanity, and the more secretive she was with her own kind; like when a teenager has a mischievous, secret relationship they'd hide from their parents.
(I'm thinking of how Jack and Rose were like in Titanic! How they'd run around the ship giggling and being secretive about their relationship (just before 'the car' scene). I could make some cute scenes similar to that!

Now here's Chicago...

I love Catherine Zita-Jones' character 'Velma' in this musical (girl with short bob haircut), she has such sass, humour and fire in her personality, and I'd love to replicate that in Senara's character.

But this clip 'Cell Block Tango' reminds me of the clip 'Be Italian' since there's a group of dominant women unleashing fire!

Chicago - Cell Block Tango
(note: there's a weird pause in the middle of the clip)

"He had it commin,
He had it commin,
He took a flower in it's prime,
and then he used it,
and he abused it,
it was a murder but not a crime!"

So much fiery aggression yet slow seduction is used in this song; it's amazing! It's much like 'Be Italian' except much angrier with more technicality (arguably).

Since I'd love Senara to be complex and her story to be full of ups and downs, I wonder if she kills her husband/lover by purpose! Yet I don't want to make a 'man murdering' story, but this could be a 'crime of passion' in more ways than one! Actually, that'd be a brilliant title for the film! Shame the title's already used... 

Well, the title could potentially be synonymous of 'A Crime of Passion' or of 'death' and 'passion'...

Here's another clip of Chicago which inspired the 'humourous' 'quirky' side of Senara which I'd like to come through in the trailer somehow.

Chicago - I Can't Do It Alone

"Keep your socks up, 'cause you 'aint seen nothing yet!"

I think the idea of looking at the sort of 'Burlesque' and 'Murderesses' element of how women could be shown could give a lot of context to Senara's life; her as a seductress but discovers a personality beyond herself. It gives me much more food for thought in terms of storyboard ideas and trailer content; especially the idea of her initially leading Isaac on then changing her mind when she discovers there's a human underneath the darkness that her label 'Succubus' gives her.

Organisation: Latex 'Elf'/'Succubus' Ears

I finally had a go at making some latex elf ears to give Senara that 'otherworldly' look even when she isn't in her hard-core 'Succubus' form.

I have to say, it was a 'simple' process but was much harder than it seemed; it took over 2 days to make (since I wanted to make sure the latex dried as much as possible) but I'm just glad the shape turned out fairly pointy-ish.

What you will need:
Play-dough/clay
Liquid Latex
Paintbrush
Talcum Powder
Sellotape (anything sticky so you could hang it up to dry)
Scissors

Step 1:

Mold the clay into the shape of your ear (you may need someone else's help with this, especially to get the size of the ears right)

Step 2:

Then you brush some Talcum powder on the clay and paint one layer of latex over the pointy part of the ear with the end of the paintbrush.
*Use the END of the paintbrush because the latex will ruin the bristles of the brush!*

Here's where you have to be a bit inventive and patient. Try to find some place you could hang the
ears to dry. Once the first layer's dry (will take a few houres) and then paint on another layer of latex (you'll have to remove the ear from wherever you hung it and hang it to dry again) then repeat this process one last time to wait for a third later to dry.

Step 3:

Now once the third layer's dry, it's time to peel off the latex from the clay. Use the talcum powder again along the way so the latex wont stick entirely to the clay.

Step 4:

You'd cut the edges of the ears to fit your ear properly. As you can see in the image above, it does need trimming. And to cover up the edges you use more latex to join the elf ear to your own.

I tried to make the ear more like my skin colour by brushing some liquid foundation on it; but that didn't work at all. So later I'll have to paint it with acrylic paints. But I'm a little unsure of whether to have the ears (if I use them) pointed up like this...

Or pointed downwards like this. Well, I guess it'd depend on what compliments her character. If they're drooped it shows more shyness and sorrow, whereas the more 'upward' ears are a bit too conventional/cliche though they do look quite cute (and though they did fit my ears better in that position).


Either way, I'm yet to decide whether to use these ears or not; I'd like to but it depends on how they look once I've painted and applied them properly. 

EDIT:
I've finally painted the ears and I did use it for some of the filming as you'll see in one of the clips in this post and here's how they look:

I ended up wearing them overnight since I couldn't get them off and thought 'well, I'll be wearing them tomorrow for filming anyway, so why take them off?' But they do look great in these photos!

Research Into Similar Products: Cinderella Trailer

I absolutely adored this movie! I really need to see it again; I cried so much throughout and it reminded me of the magic of movies again. If Disney takes over the world, at least we'd know there'd be many beautiful stories to tell, for all ages.

Cinderella Trailer:

"Have Courage and be Kind"

Though my trailer is much more 'mature' you could say, there's so many 'inspiring' elements that come through from Disney movies (or any heart-felt films) that I want to push through in my trailer.
Trailers usually show these inspiring elements through the dialogue or acting of the characters; yet in this film it's inspired throughout; visually and audibly:

I love the passing of time shown in this clip, from when Cinderella is young to getting older,
showing the father/daughter relationship. By the filed being the same one despite the time change, it

shows how her life has been steady and consistent since her mother died, now in her father's protection. Until the step-mother gets involved.

I love the variation of shots here and the complete colour (and style) difference in clothing between Cinderella's humble pale blue and the rich colours of the Step-mother and her daughters. I especially love that low angle as the Step-mother walks up the stairs; emphasising her dramatic sense of authority even more.

In this clip, not only do I love Cate Blanchett's (the step-mother's) evil laugh and smile, but the contrast of this to Cinderella's suffering (the low angle of her face pressed against the table top is so
emotionally deep, and I love it's transition to her fleeing afterwards.) 

You just got to be impressed by Helena's bouncy dress! She's so adorable as the Fairy Godmother;
there's so much magic in this trailer; it's impossible! I also love how she's the only light (almost a only source of light) in the physical darkness; in a metaphorical sense, she's the light in Cinderella's darkness.

This part was actually really funny and awe-inspiring... the exploding pumpkin...but that carriage though- Oh the colours are just gorgeous;
though I cannot do CGI in my trailer (I'm not that advanced yet!) it's still beautiful to watch and appreciate, and it must be a real challenge for an actor to completely rely upon their imagination to express their shock and awe.

I found this scene so beautiful; I cried in the cinema so much when I saw that high angle shot of her spinning in the dress. The variation of shots from the two-shot, to the close up of the shoes are so skilful and the vividness of the whole movie makes it so solid and the trailer so enchanting.

I noticed how since the Fairy Godmother turned up, there hasn't really been a shot without Cinderella in it. She now takes centre-stage... Until the step-mother returns that is. Why is it that the villains always steal the show when they appear? Well; that's the whole job of a villain in these tales isn't it? And lets face it; Cate Blanchett's performances always scream to be noticed. But that twirl and that dress... so pretty!

Here I simply love the fast straight cuts in this gif; there's no fade ins/outs here; pure drama and pressure being pressed on all the characters... I also adore the music and singing in the background; everything intensifies gradually until the end when the title screen is revealed; everything works together in such harmony!

You really have to admire the artists who make the fonts and logos and graphics as well as the rest of the production and cast. It's so professional and beautiful; the text made of glass just like the slipper. The fade ins and outs of the text is so graceful too; embodying the enchanting feel throughout the film.

"Where there is Kindness, there is Goodness. And where there is Goodness, there is Magic."

This film was truly moving for me; it was a source of motivation when I lacked the passion of performance and story-telling, so I just had to talk about it and un-pick the trailer a little bit. Gosh, I've done so much trailer analysis the past few days; I'm rather proud of myself! But there's still much work to do if I want to make my trailer as realistically 'magical' as possible. Also, I believe the pace of my trailer would be much like this Cinderella trailer, since there's more story and relationship to delve into rather than action. I could get so many ideas from this if I look at the trailer in terms of pace then; the gradual beginning and highlighting each moment of the well-known story-yet despite the fact everyone knows the story, the trailer still gives an element of anticipation though we know what happens. 

Research Into Similar Products: My Week With Marilyn Trailer

I remember when I watched this film the first time I truly loved it! Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe was simply gorgeous and adorable, and Eddy Redmayne as Colin; he was stunningly emotional as he is in all his films.

My Week With Marilyn:

"Darling, as Im in England lets say I sleep in nothing but Yardleys Lavender"

The elements of this trailer I admire the most are...

I love the close up her wink; it immediately summarises her playful character
into a single action; and it's importance is heightened even more by the fact they shot a close up of it.

There's a strange series of fade to blacks' and straight cuts.
Fade to black from Milton (business partner running after the car) to Marilyn by the pond, and then
straight cuts through the rest. This could put emphasis on key moments while also keeping the display of action seamless.
Also, when the man says "be careful not to get in too deep, son" the tide changes in the trailer; from showing the fun, positive side to their growing relationship to the harsh reality. But this tide soon changes again near the very end. This tends to happen a lot in these sort of 'drama' trailers, it takes the audience on an 'up and down' journey which would be really interesting to replicate and provides a structure in the trailer.

I just love the emotion within these shots; especially in Marilyn's face in mid shot
and medium close up.

The complete change in setting; from her bed (I love the long shot and panning here) to her on the stage with all the rich pink, red and purple lights; connoting to passion, love and even pride.

I adore the fade to whites between each cast caption representing the flash of a camera,
and even the use of black to make the text more legible is so classy and makes such a solid trailer.

And finally the variation of long shots and close ups and zooms are all
very effective here; perfectly showing Marilyn's character and the love she received from her fans.
 I also love the font used for the captions; it suits the tone and house style of the film incredibly well - obviously I'll have to keep that in mind when it comes to making my trailer.

Overall I truly admire the way they composed this trailer; with all the variation of shot types, the pace and concentration on character and relationship. In terms of the way they show Marilyn; in a classy but desirable way, I'll definitely keep in mind when I'm portraying Senara on the camera.



Research Into Similar Products: Macbeth Trailer

I shall make it clear, that this is the final Trailer related-or anything related-blog post of today; because looking back I've done the most blog posts today than I have any other day. And that's a bit tiresome. 

But since I've been trailing some of the trailers of Michael Fassbender, I finally found the trailer for the new 'Macbeth' movie - of which I'm pleasantly surprised by the fact he's starring in it!

Macbeth:

I'm a Shakespeare fan already, so I was already looking forward to this movie when I saw the posters and little TV Spots. But today, when I found out he was starring in it, I was all the more excited for it!

And not only that,
do my eyes deceive me or is that the David Thewlis!!!

At the sight of him I made my mind up 'another blog post coming right up!'

Oh well Thewlis... It's been short but sweet seeing you...

I personally love this slow motion in the beginning too; I could perhaps imagine a slow motion, or at least a slow paced beginning to my trailer to warm the audience into it. This also really goes against the grain of usual 'action' films; instead it focuses on drama and the tragedy by making the action slow motion. Perhaps I could replicate this in my trailer with any 'action' sequences.

I also love the gradual freeze of the ambient sound and
'All Hail Macbeth' to get this close up and focus on the quote

"So foul and fair a day I have not seen."

This close up and mid shot of Lady Macbeth and the other women, all wearing the
same black robes has really inspired me for my trailer. What if all the sins appear
in the forest like that, and they find Senara; the last sin to complete the seven of them
(since Senara is Lust). I think that'd be an AWESOME idea. I just need to make sure everyone
has an identical black robe/blanket each. First everyone would have clean faces, and as they remove the robes, their faces have their make up on maybe...

I also love the different earthy, natural colours they use in this film;
it really fits in well with the context of the story.

And, Oh how I just love that look in his eyes in this scene.
The first sign of relief and happiness you see in Macbeth's face
in the trailer. He looks so handsome. And the way the dress stretches
out in that wide shot as the camera tilts up; just beautiful.

And I don't know how well you could see this (the gif can't be under a second long
unfortunately, so gets a little flickery) but that's a dramatic tear if ever I saw one!
I'm sure it takes some skill to get that 'just enough' level of emotion.
But as you can see by the flickering of this gif, the pace of the trailer really sped up
near the end; just like most dramatic trailers.

I think thats the end of my Michael Fassbender marathon for today. But these trailers have been very inspiring for me and I've learnt so much from all the different genre's I've been looking at; from comedy to tragedy, they all had something to offer in terms of trailer techniques. I just hope I can do enough for my trailer to make it as brilliant as possible!

Research Into Similar Products: 'Frank'

I know this is probably the fourth post of the day, but I just have to make a post on this trailer aswell! It's just so funny and quirky and unique! 

After looking at the trailer 'Shame' which Michael Fassbender starred in, I came across 'Frank' which I already recognised but didn't delve into yet. And my goodness, isn't the trailer just brilliant!

Frank

"Flattered grin. Followed by bashful half-smile"

For a start, I love the setting; being in a cute little hut of a house in the middle of no-where, as well as the narration at the beginning and throughout:

Within the first 50 seconds it's an introduction to Frank and his general lifestyle with 'what goes on inside the head inside that head'; then it switches to the discovery of a gig they've been invited to; in which the 'story' stems off. 

I love the little pause the editing has in order to give way for the narration; it really gives that comedic effect that the story isn't to be taken too seriously since there's an interruption in the flow, making it seem all the more unrealistic and silly, especially with the timing of the text along with the voice of the narration.

I also love the little cuts to comedic moments to show the silly innocence of Frank:

But there're also moments in these light-hearted trailers when the music halts at a significant comedic moment, such as:

"Frank, people should know about you, you should be famous!"
[Music halts]"Flattered grin, followed by bashful half-smile"

What I also love about this trailer is the effects they use for the captions being within the shots themselves:

But my favourite shot of them all has to be this zoom in when they introduce Michael Fassbender:

The approach to this trailer is just so quirky and the actual idea of the story is so unique. I've got some inspiration from it in terms of the pace and order of content, but I mainly wrote this post not only because it shows how to make a trailer comedic, but also because I just love it!

Research Into Similar Products: The Danish Girl

I just came across this trailer again while doing my previous post and I just HAD to write about this beautiful trailer.

The Danish Girl:

"I love you, because you're the only person who had made sense of me.
Who made me possible." 

This trailer made me cry I think when I saw it the first time, it's so insightful and gorgeous and touches on an aspect of humanity that hasn't been touched on in film much. I love the dialogue driven approach to this trailer; and wow the acting is phenomenal.

Eddy Redmayne has been doing so many moving, human, heart-touching roles, all the way from Marius from 'Les Miserables', then Stephen Hawking from 'The Theory of Everything' and now 'The Danish Girl' (not surprising two of these films were directed by Tom Hooper who tends to do these sorts of beautiful, artistic, heartfelt films)... He's just incredible.

But despite this, I suppose I ought to do some technical analysis of the trailer rather than chatting about why I love it.

In terms of things I could bring into my trailer from this trailer could be bits like;

I love the cute hand holding and him pulling her onto the bed! This is the sort of tone of romance there is in my trailer; genuine and cute.

I love the close ups to the little details of his hands and the silk. I could use elements of these sorts of close ups in the beginning of my trailer, perhaps.

The use of over shoulder shot; perhaps this sort of shot could be used between Senara and her lover.

I love the use of dissolve/fade into each shot, making it clear his thoughts are becoming his actions and he is one in those two persons. Eddy makes such a pretty lady!

The fast straight cuts as the music quickens to suggest the change in time and emotions into something brighter. But in my case, would the emotions change for the better or worse?

But regardless of the helpfulness of this trailer, I just had to share it because it's just so beautiful and does look like a fantastic story; I really want to watch it, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for more on 'The Danish Girl'.