Considered something of a cult classic this films owes a great deal to many older sources, but as such the world created by Kosar and Anderson is wonderfully nightmarish and for all it's influences shockingly original. The film explores many themes the primary two being guilt and madness. Themes that can in conjunction with one another be arguably traced back as far as Poe's The Telltale Heart short story but the film has a complexity that truly makes it a modern classic.
The set designs as seems typical with most of the great Psychological thrillers are a marvel to behold with the dreamlike ghost train sequence being of particular note for it's wonderful otherworldly quality and intelligent use of garish theme park style design. The main character's apartment is reminscent of jacob's Ladder in the sense that it seems to be a world of it's own in constant flux. This is particularly true of the kitchen enviroment which changes constantly throughout the film.
It could be said that while Christian Bale plays the lead role very well for the majority of the film there are areas where he appears to lapse into almost of parody of the character he is portraying but these are few and far between as for the most part he does a truly incredible job of making himself believable.
The lighting in the film is of note as it is incredibly cold seeming utilizing lots of blue filter and high contrast blacks, this gives the film a very washed out look reminiscent of modern independant movies that aim for a gritty feel. However this does not have the indie feel as the lighting brings great effect to the mood of the piece and helps draw you in to what the character is experiencing.
Like most films of it's kind The Machinist will keep you guessing right until the end while at the same time exploring some complex themes the use of insomnia and madness as a theme is very well interweaved leaving you questioning the credibilty of both the main protagonist and the world he occupies, these elements especially the use of hallucinations as a plot device brought to mind the earlier work Requiem For a Dream which like this used hallucination to great and horrific effect.
There is a lot about the film's production that while incredible is also very understated. This is played to grreat effect and keeps a firm foothold on suspension of disbelief, arguably an important fact considering the surreal almost expressionist quality of the film. For example a major catalyst in the storyline is a man's arm getting severely injured in a piece of machinery which is used to break up the routine of the main character's life and send him on a downward spiral. The special effect used to create this accident are incredible but the gore of the accident is not overstated leaving a more lasting effect merely from the actor's reactions which are it could be said quite realistic. this focus on emotion over event give the film a true feeling of dread throughout as the majority of the film is character driven drama.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Rear Window
Alfred Hitchcock's Incredibly influential Psychological Thriller could be said to be a staple of the genre.
It uses the ordinary everyday setting of an apartment to great effect in creating an atmosphere of incredibly powerful paranoia that will raise many questions to the veiwer.
For example the main protagonist seems to become more unbalanced as the films goes on giving a great red herring typical of Hitchcock's style that leaves you questioning wether isolation has merely let the character's sanity unravel or wether something more sinister is actually going on.
The set though very everyday in appearance is actually a marvel when you realise the amount of timing required to pull off seamless scene changes without using cuts. also the level of visibilty between areas of the setting make it an incredible technical feat as it is possible to see glimpses of interactions between the supporting cast in a beleivable way that still means you get a good idea of what is going on. Making it both beleivable and coherent.
The majority of the story arc centers around a crime commited in the area of a housing blockwith views into the everyday lives of the tennants, this style has been emulated by such works as Silent Hill 4; The Room which shares the plot device of a man trapped inside his apartment whose link to the outside world becomes a level of voyeurism. As with most work by Hitchcock he gets incredible performances out of his cast as considering the era they play their roles in a convincingly human manner. The interaction between characters is a great strength of the piece as is the use of camera angles as most action within the block is shot from the main protagonist's perspective giving the removed isolated feel to the viewer that he is feeling throughout..
This is particularly effective during scenes of suspense such as when the character of Lisa goes to investigate the flat of the man suspected of murder. The camera gives a true sense of helplessness in this very well timed and choreographed scene.
An interesting idea brought forward by the film seems to be that of two worlds interacting and crossing over. This is given in the sense that the apartment bound Jeffries inhabits one plain of existance as a man shut in a box and unable to leave and the vibrant world of the apartments below. It could be argued that the jeffries character yearns for the interaction they share that he is lacking and becomes obsessed with it to the point of this second world violating his world the way he has violated it with his obsessive voyuerism.
An interesting dynamic is the character of Lisa who is able to traverse both these plains and act as a go between which seems to spur jeffries obsession on.
Another interesting quality to the film is the multi-layered approach to story telling. This is evidenced by the lives of all the people in the neighborhood being played out before the main cast which leaves the film with several interlacing and complex storylines.
I feel that this film is important to the genre as it raises many questions about voyeurism and obsession that outside of the particular genre might not have been so clearly or neatly constructed and as such it attaches the audience to the protagonists in a profoundly intimate way. For example Jeffries' slip into voyueristic obsession is not only his journey but the audience's as well.
It uses the ordinary everyday setting of an apartment to great effect in creating an atmosphere of incredibly powerful paranoia that will raise many questions to the veiwer.
For example the main protagonist seems to become more unbalanced as the films goes on giving a great red herring typical of Hitchcock's style that leaves you questioning wether isolation has merely let the character's sanity unravel or wether something more sinister is actually going on.
The set though very everyday in appearance is actually a marvel when you realise the amount of timing required to pull off seamless scene changes without using cuts. also the level of visibilty between areas of the setting make it an incredible technical feat as it is possible to see glimpses of interactions between the supporting cast in a beleivable way that still means you get a good idea of what is going on. Making it both beleivable and coherent.
The majority of the story arc centers around a crime commited in the area of a housing blockwith views into the everyday lives of the tennants, this style has been emulated by such works as Silent Hill 4; The Room which shares the plot device of a man trapped inside his apartment whose link to the outside world becomes a level of voyeurism. As with most work by Hitchcock he gets incredible performances out of his cast as considering the era they play their roles in a convincingly human manner. The interaction between characters is a great strength of the piece as is the use of camera angles as most action within the block is shot from the main protagonist's perspective giving the removed isolated feel to the viewer that he is feeling throughout..
This is particularly effective during scenes of suspense such as when the character of Lisa goes to investigate the flat of the man suspected of murder. The camera gives a true sense of helplessness in this very well timed and choreographed scene.
An interesting idea brought forward by the film seems to be that of two worlds interacting and crossing over. This is given in the sense that the apartment bound Jeffries inhabits one plain of existance as a man shut in a box and unable to leave and the vibrant world of the apartments below. It could be argued that the jeffries character yearns for the interaction they share that he is lacking and becomes obsessed with it to the point of this second world violating his world the way he has violated it with his obsessive voyuerism.
An interesting dynamic is the character of Lisa who is able to traverse both these plains and act as a go between which seems to spur jeffries obsession on.
Another interesting quality to the film is the multi-layered approach to story telling. This is evidenced by the lives of all the people in the neighborhood being played out before the main cast which leaves the film with several interlacing and complex storylines.
I feel that this film is important to the genre as it raises many questions about voyeurism and obsession that outside of the particular genre might not have been so clearly or neatly constructed and as such it attaches the audience to the protagonists in a profoundly intimate way. For example Jeffries' slip into voyueristic obsession is not only his journey but the audience's as well.
The Shining
This film for me evokes childhood memories and I feel it is a true classic of the psychological thriller genre easily alongside such greats as Blue Velvet and Jacob's Ladder. Firstly I feel it is important to mention that aside all else the sets are absolutley amazing and in my mind put to very good use.There is a running theme throughout the movie of long narrow corridors that is even present in the final outdoor chase scene through a hedge maze, This give the film an almost choking air of claustrophobia and opression that seems to run through the whole movie.
The lighting in the film is quite bland and oddly this works well given the events within. For example the majority of the film is set in a very bright well lit clean hotel but given that the main plot involves a man being driven slowly mad by ghosts trying to make him commit matricide this mundane setting brings it into reality which I feel makes it truly terrifying If it had for example been very dark and dingy I don't personally feel that the effect would have been quite as powerful.
The main cast is comprised of three actors with very few supporting, however whilst this would normally be a challenge from an acting standpoint the tension in direction and soundtrack intersperesed with incredibly frantic scenes of action and terror break it up enough to remain dynamic. The main cast is as well incredibly talented, being fronted by Jack Nicholson in what is probably his most iconic role to date. Alongside Nicholson is Child actor Danny Lloyd who while not the most fluid actor does a good job of creating tension with some very deadpan moments played out to great effect like the infamous 'REDRUM' scene.
The only possible downside that comes to mind fresh from watching this movie is that sometimes the pacing depending on opinion can seem a little off. Personally I like the mixture of slow tension build interspersed with dramatic scenes as I feel it adds to the overall atmosphere of the movie, but it is not something that everyone will enjoy especially not those that are new to Kubrick's style and pacing.
In comparison to other work of this ilk from other filmmakers it could be said that The Shining verges more towards traditional ideas of horror rather than flat out Psychological thriller. For example Psycho is considered by many to be a classic of the genre and by comparison there is very little bloodshed or violence whereas the famous elevator of blood scene from the shining could be said to have echoes of straight forward shock horror the likes of which were made famous by actors like Vincent Price and studios like Hammer, however The Shining plays this as a strength managing to combine both genre areas and remain slick .
In conclusion I will say that while it may not be for everyone there are doubtless those that will enjoy the sense of dread this movie evokes through simple tools like repetition of work and almost surreal interactions (especially between the films ghosts and the main antagonist) and as such it deserves recognition as one of kubrick's finest moments and one of cinema's greatest horror movies.
The lighting in the film is quite bland and oddly this works well given the events within. For example the majority of the film is set in a very bright well lit clean hotel but given that the main plot involves a man being driven slowly mad by ghosts trying to make him commit matricide this mundane setting brings it into reality which I feel makes it truly terrifying If it had for example been very dark and dingy I don't personally feel that the effect would have been quite as powerful.
The main cast is comprised of three actors with very few supporting, however whilst this would normally be a challenge from an acting standpoint the tension in direction and soundtrack intersperesed with incredibly frantic scenes of action and terror break it up enough to remain dynamic. The main cast is as well incredibly talented, being fronted by Jack Nicholson in what is probably his most iconic role to date. Alongside Nicholson is Child actor Danny Lloyd who while not the most fluid actor does a good job of creating tension with some very deadpan moments played out to great effect like the infamous 'REDRUM' scene.
The only possible downside that comes to mind fresh from watching this movie is that sometimes the pacing depending on opinion can seem a little off. Personally I like the mixture of slow tension build interspersed with dramatic scenes as I feel it adds to the overall atmosphere of the movie, but it is not something that everyone will enjoy especially not those that are new to Kubrick's style and pacing.
In comparison to other work of this ilk from other filmmakers it could be said that The Shining verges more towards traditional ideas of horror rather than flat out Psychological thriller. For example Psycho is considered by many to be a classic of the genre and by comparison there is very little bloodshed or violence whereas the famous elevator of blood scene from the shining could be said to have echoes of straight forward shock horror the likes of which were made famous by actors like Vincent Price and studios like Hammer, however The Shining plays this as a strength managing to combine both genre areas and remain slick .
In conclusion I will say that while it may not be for everyone there are doubtless those that will enjoy the sense of dread this movie evokes through simple tools like repetition of work and almost surreal interactions (especially between the films ghosts and the main antagonist) and as such it deserves recognition as one of kubrick's finest moments and one of cinema's greatest horror movies.
My final job on the set was to add a bit of distress to the flooring in Gregor's room. As I have mentioned before I had hope to put debris on the floor along with ripped up floorboards, however time was a factor and I simply ran out of time to do an effective job and therefore concerntrated on making what I had got look good.
I first of all scratched veiny marks into the floor much like my design sheet, I'm not sure if my intended effect works as I wanted it to as I was trying to acheive the look of the room almost seeming to grow veins as a reflection of Gregor's metamorphosis the room was to be transforming as well. Then I startedadding large quantities of mud everywhere that added the natural distressed chernobyl look I had been originally after the effect was simple but incredibly effective.
Overall I am pleased with the work I have done on this project, though I do wish I had managed my time better to include effects that I think would have really added to the atmosphere of the set.
I first of all scratched veiny marks into the floor much like my design sheet, I'm not sure if my intended effect works as I wanted it to as I was trying to acheive the look of the room almost seeming to grow veins as a reflection of Gregor's metamorphosis the room was to be transforming as well. Then I startedadding large quantities of mud everywhere that added the natural distressed chernobyl look I had been originally after the effect was simple but incredibly effective.
The main room ran along very much similar lines to the bedroom paint wise except this time I gave the whole floor a coat of varnish to make it look slightly newer. also before painting on my base coat I laid out the carpet I had aquired for the room postioned it where it would go and marked this area off with masking tape to save myself time and paint.
The carpet I have for this room is old and worn and very much matches the wallpaper in colour. I have purchesed a lampshade lining to use as edging for the carpet all of which I will simply tack into the mdf floor.
This picture demonstrates my final flooring in the main living room area with the worn carpet laying across the old looking floorboards. I am quite pleased with the end effect.
The carpet I have for this room is old and worn and very much matches the wallpaper in colour. I have purchesed a lampshade lining to use as edging for the carpet all of which I will simply tack into the mdf floor.
This picture demonstrates my final flooring in the main living room area with the worn carpet laying across the old looking floorboards. I am quite pleased with the end effect.
Creating Floorboards from paint
To create the look of floorboards I used illusionary painting skills that we had previously been shown. First I painted on my base coat of a mixed dark brown. Then leaving the masking tape in place I ran down either edge with a thin paint brush and some very dark watered down paint. THis gave me a darkened edge effect to work with during this process I was also leaving random marks of dark brown across the boards to create the effect of natural discolouration. With this done I painted onto the area patchy bits of a dark brown similar to the base colour but a bit darker, smudged the edges in and then ran the length of each board with a rubber wood grain tool. This all created a brilliant effect but I felt that something was still missing.
I consulted Fellow group member Stuart Lennon whose opinion on 3d texturing I hold in high regard to see what he would come up with. His idea was to Gouge straight lines into the edging of the floorboards to create a 3d worn look. We tested this on a corner piece and the effect was incredibly satisfying so I performed the technique of using a sharpened nail and an offcut of straight MDF to gouge areas across the floor.
Satisfied with my results I gave the entire floor a final wash with a heavily diluted black paint just to darken the boards a bit and blend everything.
Satisfied with my results I gave the entire floor a final wash with a heavily diluted black paint just to darken the boards a bit and blend everything.
My flooring.
Once the walls were complete it was time for me to start work on my flooring.
This process went much as I had assumed it would.
My first task was to lay down sheets of mdf lifting up the edges of the set in order to place them without having to use a jigsaw more than was needed. Once these were in place I used gaffer tape to hold them in alignment so that other group members working would not disturb the gaps too much.
With the mdf in place I then went over the entire surface area with covent garden primer in order to help when it came to actually painting the floor.
This picture shows the MDF flooring in place.
Once I had the floor primed I had to work ut where my floorboards would be. To do this I found the dead centre of the set using a measuring tape and then ran a line directly down the center of the set. This would be my center point from which I could align the floorboard markings. as Gregor's room gets narrower towards one end I had to get help with working out he dimensions from my course leader Andy Stead who help massively with the maths. Once I had my measurements which worked out to be about 6 inches at the narrower end of the room I was able to starting from my center point and with the help of fellow group member Jess use a chalk line to measure the seperations between each board.
This was a process of us both working from the center point with tape measures of our different widths, running chalk across some string then holding it taut on the floor at the correct distance plucking it at the floor like a bow string. THis left a straight line of chalk across the length of the floor giving us our lines.
When I had these I masked them off in gaps of a board each time and started painting on my base coat.
This process went much as I had assumed it would.
My first task was to lay down sheets of mdf lifting up the edges of the set in order to place them without having to use a jigsaw more than was needed. Once these were in place I used gaffer tape to hold them in alignment so that other group members working would not disturb the gaps too much.
With the mdf in place I then went over the entire surface area with covent garden primer in order to help when it came to actually painting the floor.
This picture shows the MDF flooring in place.
Once I had the floor primed I had to work ut where my floorboards would be. To do this I found the dead centre of the set using a measuring tape and then ran a line directly down the center of the set. This would be my center point from which I could align the floorboard markings. as Gregor's room gets narrower towards one end I had to get help with working out he dimensions from my course leader Andy Stead who help massively with the maths. Once I had my measurements which worked out to be about 6 inches at the narrower end of the room I was able to starting from my center point and with the help of fellow group member Jess use a chalk line to measure the seperations between each board.
This was a process of us both working from the center point with tape measures of our different widths, running chalk across some string then holding it taut on the floor at the correct distance plucking it at the floor like a bow string. THis left a straight line of chalk across the length of the floor giving us our lines.
When I had these I masked them off in gaps of a board each time and started painting on my base coat.
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