Entry No 13

My poster is going to be approximately 64 cm x 90 cm in size (two A2 thin cards joined together).

 

My first idea is to stick various pictures in the background, showing all the characters that had important roles in the films, different scenes and the locations - the left side of the poster relating to the 1968 film and the right side to the 1996 version.  In the middle part of the poster, lengthwise, I will put photos showing the faces of Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, who acted as Romeo and Juliet in 1968 and those of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes from the 1996 film.  The face of Romeo will be split in half, the left part of the face showing Leonard Whiting and the right side showing Leonardo DiCaprio.  Similarly will be done with the pictures of the actresses who played the part of Juliet.  Apart from the changes in the actor/actresses’ faces, I will also focus on their costumes, the weapons and the means of transportation that were used.  After I finish glueing the pictures, I will extend them by drawing out from their edges (photomontage technique).  I will be using acrylic paints.

 

My second idea is to do a collage with the pictures that I find in the magazines/brochures and the internet, separating those related to the 1968 version from those of the 1996 film.  However, I will link them with a message (showing text) in the middle of the poster.  The story used is the same – the tragedy written by William Shakespeare – therefore the message that comes out from both films should be the same.  This idea regarding the message comes from my previous research on conceptual artist Barbara Kruger.

Another idea that comes to my mind is to sketch the main characters, using pop art – I am mostly inspired by Roy Lichtenstein.

Entry No 12

I decided to prepare a poster, not a test piece (as I was considering earlier on).  It will be entitled “Romeo and Juliet” and it will bring out the changes that took place between the 1968 and 1996 film versions. 

 

I shall go through some travel magazines and brochures of Verona which we don’t need any more at home and find any suitable pictures that I can use for my poster.  That way I will be re-using them, just like some of the artists that I came across during my research who used recycled or re-used material to produce their artwork.  I will also use the internet to search for various photographs taken during the filming of the old and modern versions and print some of them.  Then I will use the pictures to do a collage or a photomontage. 

 

The pictures that I will be using must clearly show the transformation in the location, clothing, weapons and means of transportation.

 

Entry No 11

Two days ago, while I was doing a presentation regarding the film “Romeo and Juliet” (based on Shakespeare’s tragedy), in the presence of Ms. E. Abela and the other students, an idea popped into my head regarding my “Transformation” final idea.  I thought of using “Romeo and Juliet”, instead of the films that I mentioned before in my blog, bringing out the difference between the 1968 and 1996 versions of the said film and therefore the transformation that took place from one version to the other, especially with regards to the costumes worn by the actors, the location of the scenes, the weapons used and even the means of transportation.

The 1968 version of the film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli.  Zeffirelli was greatly influenced by Shakespeare and his film was set in Verona Italy, just like Shakespeare’s version.  The costumes worn by the actors were medieval and the weapons that were used were swords/daggers.  They travelled on horses/donkeys.

 

The 1996 version of the film was directed by Baz Luhrmann.  Luhrmann was also influenced by Shakespeare, but more in writing than in his directing.  The film was set in a fictional location in America called Verona Beach and the actors wore modern outfits (leather clothes by the Capulets and Hawaiian shirts by the Montegues).  The weapons that were used by the actors were guns (even though they were called swords and daggers) and they travelled in cars.

 

Zeffirelli introduced his film by having an actor narrate the introduction while showing 5 scenes or so of Verona to let the audience reflect on the words rather than the scenes. On the other hand, Luhrmann repeated the introduction twice – first as a television news report and the second time by showing various scenes from the film.

 

 

iluvsoaps. (2008). Romeo & juliet trailer. [Online Video]. 10 February.

Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kWhvd3apun0. [Accessed: 20 December 2012].

 

 

gloriayleo1. (2007). romeo and juliet "1996" trailer. [Online Video]. 15 December.

Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sMel13nY0PE. [Accessed: 20 December 2012].

 

Entry No 10

I sketched the 5 objects – a feather, a gun, a heart, a noose and a piano – that are connected to the characters that were transformed in the films The Four Feathers, The Godfather, Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, Return to Paradise and Ray.

 

 

I also sketched an abstract art using the same objects.

 

 

 

 

Another idea that came to my mind is to do a structure made out of used printing aluminium or scrap metal and demonstrate the Four Feathers.  The base will represent the desert where the battle took place.  An old camera film will rest on the structure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entry No 9

The first idea that comes to my mind is a sculpture made out of scrap metal, featuring something that reminds me of a famous cartoon character.  I thought about Mickey Mouse’s hand covered by a glove.  The artwork can be used as an ornament or else as a ring holder (rings can be placed in each finger).

 

These are my first sketches:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another idea is to create a poster regarding the character of Amélie.  I can also add some text to it to bring out a message regarding “love”.

 

 

Entry No 8

 

Transformation in Film

 

In my first 5 entries I wrote about the following 5 films that showed transformation in one or more characters:

·         The Godfather (1972);

·         Return to Paradise (1998);

·         Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001);

·         The Four Feathers (2002);

·         Ray (2004).

I have now carried out some more research regarding the directors of the above films with the hope of finding out what or who influenced them in their work.  I managed to find the following information.

 

I found out that Francis Ford Coppola who directed “The Godfather” was influenced by the film "Blow Up" (1966) of Michelangelo Antonioni.  It was the best film of 1966 and it was Antonioni’s first English-language film. The writers of the screenplay were Antonioni and Tonino Guerra, whereas British playwright Edward Bond was responsible for the English dialogue. The producer was Carlo Ponti. This film is about a photographer, played by David Hemmings, who believes that he may have witnessed a murder and unintentionally taken photographs of what happened.  Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, John Castle, Jane Birkin, Tsai Chin and Gillian Hills, as well as the model of the 1960’s Veruschka, also star in this film.

CINEVIEW1. (2010). BLOW UP - Official Trailer (1966) . [Online Video]. 03 December. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrJ9U75OZOw.

[Accessed: 13 December 2012].

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of “Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain” was influenced by the film “Once upon a Time in the West” (1968), directed by Sergio Leone.   Famous stars in this film include Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson and Claudia Cardinale.  The screenplay, written by Leone and Sergio Donati, was taken from an Italian story by Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento.  The story is about a young woman named Mrs McBain, who finds her husband and family killed when she arrives in Utah after moving there from New Orleans.  A prime suspect become friends with her and starts his quest to find the real killer …….  Following is a trailer from the film and also an interesting interview with Jean-Pierre Jeunet about his life as a director of films.

 

 

Danios12345. (2007). Once Upon a Time in The West Trailer. [Online Video]. 17 December. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNGQ1hUyx-k.

[Accessed: 13 December 2012].

 

 Baftaonline. (2010). Jean-Pierre Jeunet - BAFTA A Life in Pictures . [Online Video]. 12 March. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HndWfBhvQrk.

[Accessed: 13 December 2012].

 

I think that for my artwork I might consider taking 5 objects connected to the transformation that took place in the characters involved in each film that I wrote about in my first 5 entries, and include them in a sculpture or else produce an abstract artwork out of the objects. The objects can be: “a feather” which reminds me of The Four Feathers that were given to Harry to make him realize about his cowardice and to do something about it; “a gun”which transformed Michael from a quiet to a violent person in The Godfather; “a heart” in the case of Amélie in Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, “a noose” which ended the life of Lewis in Return to Paradise, even though he was transformed into a better person; and “a piano” that made Ray Charles famous.

 

Entry No 7

Transformation in Design

 

In my first 5 entries I wrote about:

• two buildings that both involve transformation – one of them being a private residence whereas the other used by the public in a multi-functional way;

• space-saving furniture that can transform one room into two or three rooms;

• a wrist watch that can be transformed into a pocket watch;

• cassette tapes being transformed into fabric and then transformed into neckties; and

• material from London bus and underground seats transformed into shoes.

 

The designers of the neckties and the shoes were also influenced by the concept of reusing and recycling – to produce environment-friendly products.

The designs of the buildings, the furniture and the watch all show that the designers were influenced by the concept of multi-functionality which is quite a modern concept considering that traditional designs were usually produced to serve just one purpose. 

The designers of the furniture were also influenced by the concept of space-saving, which nowadays is essential since the majority of people do not afford to live in spacious buildings.  Space is especially limited in the cities, therefore offices, shops and private residences all benefit from space-saving furniture.

I will be considering multi-functionality when I design my test piece.

Entry No 6

Now that I`ve done a lot of research on TRANSFORMATION IN ART, DESIGN & FILM, I am going to reflect on my research and comment about how the practitioners` work is a reflection of various influences.  Today I’m going to focus on Art, whereas in my next 2 entries I will reflect on Design and Film, after which I will prepare another 2 entries regarding my ideas about the creation of my end visual product concept.  I think my concept will take the form of a test piece.

Transformation in Art

In my first 5 entries of this blog, I wrote about:

• scrap metal being transformed into beautiful works of art;

• two paintings that, although very different from each other, both showed the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly; 

• an image with the statement “We don’t need another hero” on it, which shows that the meaning changes if one had to look at the image only without the words.  The words transformed the interpretation of the image;

• discarded toys transformed into a wonderful dog sculpture; and

• used paper cups decorated with beautiful paintings and transforming not only the cups themselves, but also the place where they were installed.

 

 

The artwork produced from used material – scrap metal, toys, paper cups – shows that the artists involved were all influenced by the concepts of reusing and recycling which are very important in today’s world.  People are now aware that, in the years gone by, waste was not managed well and this caused damage to our environment - climate change, pollution, health problems, etc.  With the research that I carried out I realized that even artists are trying to do something to protect our environment and make our world a better place to live in.  In view of this, I decided that my “transformation” test piece should be eco-friendly and it will be made out of used or recycled material, possibly scrap metal.  In fact, I searched for some more information regarding “green companies” (companies who produce environment-friendly products) which use scrap metal.  I found out about the company that produces “Unique Thai Scrap Metal Art”.  This company considers the environment as their number one priority.  Their goal is to be creative in their metal works, using recycled material and non-toxic products.  They transform the metal that they find in scrap yards into beautiful sculptures, mirrors, robots …. and they also create film/mythical characters.  Maybe, for my test piece I will transform used metal into a cartoon character.

 

I did some more research about Allison J. Bratt, one of the artists who painted the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.  She says that she is mostly influenced by "the fluidity of nature, and the tangled web we’re a part of."  I found out that even this artist cares about our natural environment and when she produces her artwork, she tries to use recycled or used material, just like Robert Bradford who makes use of discarded toys and Gwyneth Leech who works with used paper cups. 

I think that Barbara Kruger is influenced by social issues and she produces her artwork – images with statements added to them – to make others reflect about what is going on in our society.  She makes the photos that she finds eye-catching by putting a red background and she uses text with ideas that she wants the viewers to think about, not just read.  The text that she puts is in a way asking the viewers about certain issues, such as feminism, classicism, consumerism, and the freedom and desires of the individual persons in our society.  Her artwork can be very useful during discussions, for example during debates of social importance.  Apart from “We don’t need another hero” I came across other statements by Barbara Kruger, such as “I shop therefore I am,” and “Your body is a battleground."  Her statements all bring out a message.  Maybe I will add a message to my artwork too.