Most people enjoy some medium of art, they'll get pleasure out of seeing a painting on a wall, a photograph, a sculpture, a graphical design or even a performance piece. I have an admiration for all these forms of art and even more, but out of everything which inspires me I am most passionate about the medium of film and would happily spend most of my day being absorbed into it. I love to see where a film might lead me, the emotions stirred, how I am transported from where I am sitting into the world created by the director, cinematographer, designers etc.. I am amazed how audiences from all different realms of life lose connection with everything except the film they are viewing and then become a willing spectator of what's happening on screen. There really is something magical about what the film industry can create and that it has the ability to capture a viewer total and complete, it's a powerful medium.
Of course not all films match all audiences all the time, but most of us have a film we remember going to see, one that we have found ourselves so stirred by that we got the DVD and watched it several times or couldn't top recommending it to others to go see. A big part of what makes this all happen are the names that roll in the credits at the end of the film. Each and everyone of those people helped put together the film you watched and if they are doing a good job what you see will be seamless and blend into one without you noticing and you'll wonder why all of them were really needed at all.
What exhilarates me within the whole mechanics of a films production are the sets. There are many films that excite me, leave me in wonderment of the beauty that was played out in front of me, but with regards to Production Design there is one film I think of time and time again and which I feel is jaw dropping great and that's Lemony Snicket's Series Of Unfortunate Events. The Production Design is simply amazing and brought together by the genius Rick Heinrichs and his team. From the beginning of the film and it's opening credits everything falls into harmony with the direction by Brad Silberling, cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki and this is all played out through the sets. A Production Designer doesn't just create an area for actors to perform in, its about provoking a feeling visually and in a subliminal way to give something a haunting nature, or maybe portraying a scared angst or a harmonious comforting safe home. Each one is thought through for practically of filming but all to evoke a feeling for the actors to feed from and for everyone in production to work within. Rick Heinrich plays all this through masterfully in Lemony Snicket and he always gives more in each scene than your eyes can actually absorb. For the set design alone I had to watch it a few times to register all the intricacies of his work. I think this is a stunningly shot film and is one of my favourite master pieces within the medium of film.
No comments:
Post a Comment