Choosing Film Locations 1 and 2, with Lighting

After discussing the use of an abstract, non descriptive location with Sebastiane, I decided to explore Robert Wilson's set designs to gain inspiration for my own. My aim isn't to create a theatrical set, it is to create an abstract space to enhance my mode's emotion.

Scene 1 - This scene introduces She in a contorted state. The scene represents her feeling of imprisonment, as she feels trapped by society's discrimination towards being unique or alternative. She is not frantic in this scene, but instead very still portraying her drained and hopeless mental state; she has almost accepted that discrimination towards her and others is inevitable in today's society. I want to include the asylum staff/society figure in this scene to be standing in the background; however the figure will become more apparent in the second scene so the figure will only be seen faintly as an introduction.

Setting

The Old Woman
(CalPerformances 2014).

I was inspired by this deformed metal bed, with its angular, twisted shape because it transformed an everyday object into an abstract artwork to create a fantasy setting. The bed is reminiscent of an asylum bed, with the metal structure and basic mattress; however the crisp white sheet and polished frame give an abstract, almost cartoon look, suggesting it's not representing reality, but instead a fantasy or dream. I was concerned changing the location would mean changing my vision of She in contorted positions; however I think the broken bed would complement her angular body positions and movements. The bent bed could enhance her extreme body shapes as she could entwine her body with its structure.

I chose to use a bed as it is a common place for reflection as people fall asleep and analyse, sometimes causing them to overthink and possibly distort a situation. This reflects how She is feeling overwhelmed and helpless, trapped by discrimination's hold, as she tosses and turns whilst convincing herself that discrimination is inevitable.

(Wilson, 2017).

This still from La Traviata inspired me to use sharp poles or rods to surround the bed, as if they are guarding She's escape. The spiked sculptures look intimidating and viscous as their sharp edges jut out chaotically, attacking from every angle. These sculptures could represent society's suffocating hold on She as she feels trapped by their harsh opinions and expectations, mirrored by their never ending, uncontrollable painful edges. I will experiment with different materials to make these sculptures; however I will focus on making them strong, chaotic and intimidating. 

I am unsure whether to construct this scene in a studio space or on location because I want an abstract, clear space, but I think having a simple outside location will add more detail instead of a flat looking back drop, for example a warehouse or other cement room. If I filmed this on location I would have to consider the natural lighting, which would restrict the filming time as I want the background dark. I will discuss this with Harrison to discuss our options and experiment. 

Lighting

Screw by Nick Knight
(Knight, 2017)

I want the lighting to be dramatic, with harsh shadows to emphasise her intense feeling of depression. Robert Wilson uses extreme lighting techniques to convey emotion and atmosphere, for example he experiments with silhouettes and spot lighting to pull the audience's eye to certain aspects. I was inspired by the vertical rods in the bed's structure as they are reminiscent of a cage's walls. I was inspired by Nick Knight's use of caged lighting in Screw which emphasised the metal bars of the prison walls by projecting their silhouette onto the scene setting. Adding these dark shadows adds a sinister feel to the scene, limiting the viewer to only see what is in the channels of light, creating a fear of the unknown. I want to experiment with shining strips of light onto the scene to cover the model and the background to represent the cage She feels forced into by society. A similar lighting effect was used in Blade Runner in the 'rape scene' where bright light shines through the strips in the blinds, creating a caged effect, possibly reflecting her emotions towards Rick. I will discuss this idea with my film guy, Harrison, to gain his opinion and look at our options to create this caged effect.

Blade Runner
(O'Dea, 2013).

I am concerned the combination of the chaotic, viscous sculptures and caged lighting will look messy because they are both dominating features that may not complement each other. I will need to experiment with this combination to make this judgement.

Set Design Sketch

Scene 2 - This scene shows She frantically scribbling down her haunting memories of discrimination and hate. It represents an alternative emotion people may experience when being discriminated against, where they look back and analyse every abuse they've received, making them feel angry and resentful that they've been treated in such an unfair way. I have personally experienced going through something I found traumatic and then going over and over it in my head until it sent me crazy as I relived the hurtful emotions, doubting how well I handled it and what I could have said. Drawing is a therapeutic way to express your emotions so I want She to frantically draw her memories in a variety of ways to show her constant change of mental state and all her painful experiences. In this scene the society/asylum staff figure will stand completely still behind She, watching her as she frantically draws, reflecting that society's voice haunts She's existence.

(Wilson, 2017).

I was inspired by the above set in Robert Wilson's performance of Lecture On Nothing because the man is surrounded by hundreds of scrunched up papers, creating a very chaotic and unorganised mess. This inspired me to surround She in her thrown away drawings of her memories to emphasise her frustration and disbelief towards her experiences. The scrunched and ripped papers will litter the floor, reflecting her cluttered mind as she constantly gets distracted by her own memories, quickly forcing her to discard each drawing to move onto the next. As the scene develops I will scatter more and more scrunched up drawings on the floor to emphasise how many awful experiences she's encountered and how damaging they've been to her current state. I will keep the rest of the setting very simple as I want the drawings and table to be the main focus. I may add a giant stack of paper on one side of the table for her to quickly be able to grab from. The stack of paper will represent how she has let her emotions build up over time, mirroring the build up of paper. This build up of paper will be relatable to many viewers, whether it be a build up of homework or bills, as letting things like that build up causing anxiety and stress, reflecting She's emotions. 

I discussed in my tutorial with Sebastiane yesterday the use of a table and chair to create a relatable, but non descriptive setting. This idea was confirmed when I saw how effective the prop was in Robert Wilson's Lecture On Nothing as its simplicity and normality is altered when paired with abstract surroundings, reflecting She's distorted subconscious mind. 

Lighting

(Williams, 2013).

Screenshot from Alchemy
(SHOWStudio, 2017)

I want the haunting society/asylum staff figure to be reveal slowly throughout the scene. I want the lighting to be reminiscent of an interrogation room to reflect how exposed She feels to society's control; the dramatic spotlight lighting will reflect She's panicked and frustrated emotions. I was inspired by the first image below to start the scene with the lighting above the model's head but coming from behind her to create a halo silhouette. This reveals the outline of the model and her close surroundings, but still hides her identity to keep the viewer guessing about her scenery and appearance. I want to create suspense as the lighting slowly comes forwards to reveal more of the scene until the viewer sees her frantically scribbling her nightmares. I want the asylum figure to stay in the same place as if it is focused on guarding She, so as the lighting moves further forwards it will slowly reveal the figure, creating tension and playing with the fear of the unknown. I was inspired by Inside Flesh's fashion film, Alchemy, to use strong lighting from above as the lighting accentuated the models' facial features, making them look harsh and strong. My model's styling will include ropes and plaits across her face so I think the harsh lighting will create sharp shadows to emphasise these. If the lighting looks too unflattering on the model I will use reflectors to fill the dark shadows towards the end to give a softer look. I am concerned the dramatic lighting will not reach the floor to reveal the scrunched up drawings as the light will be blocked by the model and props. If this is the case I will experiment using lights to run along the floor to accentuate the scattered paper. I will discuss this with my film guy, Harrison, to see what he thinks will be most effective.

I want to use a studio for this scene as it will give me more control over the high spot lighting and I can make the background as dark as possible, instead of worrying about natural lighting. I initially wanted to film this scene in a concrete room; however I don't think the ceiling will be tall enough to get the right lighting and I would have to work around the sunset, which would restrict filming time. The background will not be particularly visible as the lighting is focusing on the model so the studio would work effectively to create a blank, black setting.

Set Design Sketch

References:
CALPERFORMANCES, 2014. Mikhail Baryshnikov explains the genesis of The Old Woman [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B8caVC9Luk

WILSON, R., 2017. La Traviata [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: http://www.robertwilson.com/la-traviata

KNIGHT, N., 2017. Screw [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: http://showstudio.com/project/screw/fashion_film

O'DEA, J., 2013. The Sexual Politics of Blade Runner [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: https://davidcollard.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/the-sexual-politics-of-blade-runner/

WILSON, R., 2017. Lecture on Nothing [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: http://www.robertwilson.com/lecture-on-nothing

WILLIAMS, M., 2013. The Capture: A Revenger Mission Update [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: https://storiesbywilliams.com/2013/05/29/the-capture-a-revenger-mission-update/

SHOWSTUDIO, 2017. ALCHEMY [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: http://showstudio.com/project/alchemy