From Script to Screen: Online Green Light Review

-

Comments

  1. tutorphil22 January 2015 at 15:44

    OGR 22/01/2015

    Hey Chels,

    I've got just one word for you... fire extinguisher... It appears to have vanished from what is otherwise a rather mouthwatering prospect - a slapstick celebration of physical comedy and cartoon violence - and really, the secret to making this work is to really embrace the tradition of the knock-about set-piece and all the physical contortions familiar to us from Loony Tunes and Tom and Jerry etc. As I said, I'd suggest that fire is used as daring set-piece, so maybe the classic 'hoop of fire' spectacle - and of course, your 'fire extinguisher' doesn't have to be a contemporary job - it could be something a bit more like this:

    http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/old-fire-extinguisher-11329714.jpg

    which would let you're circus and character design go more in this direction:
    https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2757/4378820556_653cd510b0.jpg
    https://experimentsandaccidents.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/breathless-moment.jpg
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWM3U2YoWi4/UEtSQE989AI/AAAAAAAAFH4/H-C2PoMkt-g/s1600/circo14.jpg

    You've got a lot of implied action there - easy to write - more complex to orchestra visually - so I suggest that you really drill down into the content here and start to sequence accordingly. Sound is clearly going to play a big part in this, so I'd start thinking about that too! Anyway, lots of lovely production design opportunities here, so get stuck in.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Spacer17626 January 2015 at 17:04

    Hi Chels.

    A fire extinguisher is one of those classic comedy elements. I like that the conflict is between to rivals-yet-partners as there is plenty of entertainment potential. Depending on the extinguisher you're using you have access to either water, carbon dioxide or foam, which could be used as an improvised prop to make them look better with some kind of spray to acrobatic trail. Make the improvisation specifics clear though, otherwise there's the question of "why not something else?"

    Maybe the fire extinguisher could be introduced via a high-flying snatch off one of the clowns?
    Maybe one of the trapeze artists uses it to sabotage the other's performance? (like foam-facing one of them. In real life this could lead to death but this is animation and but if the extinguisher's the property of a clown it's likely to be filled with cream or bubble foam or something.)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Film Review: The Incredibles (2004) - The Hero's Journey Archetypes

-
Image
Figure 1. 'The Incredibles Movie Poster' From the world famous Disney Pixar Studios comes an all time family classic about a super family forced to conceal their super identities to keep the world normal and safe. But when an unexpected force threatens the norm, it’s up to The Incredibles (2004) to save the day. Directed by Brad Bird, The Incredibles (2004) can be identified as a Hero’s Journey film, with examples of character archetypes that are associated with the Hero’s Journey concept. We begin our journey with Bob Parr, also known as Mr Incredible. He had a career as a superhero in his glory days, but then is reduced to the mundane life of a “normal” man after the Superhero race was cast out of society and forced into hiding. Bob is one of the main protagonists of the story, therefore he is also, ironically, the Hero . We journey with him to experience his ups and downs and his steps on becoming once again, Mr Incredible. He could also, in a way, be considere...
Read more

Film Review: Disney’s Hercules (1997) - The Hero’s Journey

-
Image
Figure 1. Hercules (1997) The mythical wonder that is Disney’s ‘ Hercules (1997) ’, titled after the main character himself, has graced our screens for all these years, and yet, it still manages to dazzle our eyes with extreme colour and filled our ears with musical joy. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, it’s a perfect example of how to describe Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, The Hero’s Journey. The story begins with the birth of the Hero, Hercules, son of Zeus. With immense strength and cheerful disposition, the realm of Gods seemed tranquil for a moment with the new arrival to the godly line-up. However, that happiness would be short lived, when the ever jealous Hades, lord of the underworld, would turn the small child in to a mortal. Despite what the original Greek mythology states about the main hero himself, Hercules is a happy-go-lucky chap with high hopes and not much clue about the hero business at the beginning. After becoming mortal and being adopted by two...
Read more

Film Review - "The Lego Movie" (2014) - A Hero's Journey

-
Image
Figure 1. 'The Lego Movie Poster' A timeless and classic children’s constructible toy now comes to life in this hyperactive and bubblegum pop movie known as The Lego Movie (2014). The concept of the Lego Movie can be perceived to follow Joseph Campell’s theory known as the Hero’s Journey, and can be split into three acts accordingly; Separation, Initiation, and Return. Each act has a series of steps within which portrays the path of each tale respectively. Although some stories can vary in the order, the initial concept remains the same. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, both known for their collaborative directing on films such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) as well as 21 Jump Street (2012) and 22 Jump Street (2014), this whacky array of colour and adventure all begins with an ordinary construction worker, Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt).  Our story begins in the first stage, the Ordinary World , where things are, as the title implies, ...
Read more