There are not many films that I think are worth the trek to a movie theater and the 13 bucks for a ticket. However, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an exception to this rule, in fact I have seen it a total of 4 times in theaters.
For me Scott Pilgrim is a perfect marriage of old and new. It combines nostalgia such as 8 bit graphics and music from classic games like Legend of Zelda with fast-paced anime style fight choreography and indie rock. To quote a panelist at a Q&A about the film, it is an "Action-muscial". Each time I left the theater after watching this wonderful film I felt a surge of energy and my passion for making media was rekindled. This film took several years to make it to theaters and all of the pre-production time really paid off. There are so many little details that you can examine upon multiple viewings and so much spectacle to take in. Everything from the choreography to the music, the set designs and the costumes play an integral role in making this film feel like it belongs to the world of graphic novels and old school video games from which the script was born.
Several different aspect ratios were used in the production of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in order to make it look more like panels in a comic book. Fight scenes use 72mm film to give it a film within a film effect and make the highly stylized fights seem even more spectacular. The special effects are all way over the top and very cartoon like to stay true to the source material. This tickles the film's target audience who feel like they are being let in on an inside joke as the word "Love" pours out of Knives Chau's mouth and becomes a physical cloud that Scott must brush away.
The performances are all spectacular, and though many doubted the abilities of Micheal Cera to bring this iconic character to life, he proved himself. This role is unlike the typical Michael Cera characters that we have seen in the past. Yes Scott is nerdy and awkward, but he also has a strange sense of self and a confidence that comes out of left field. Cera was able to bring to the screen nuances within the character that I did not initially pick up on while reading the graphic novels. He offers the viewer a much more objective view of Scott's character, so while the audience is rooting for Scott all along we can see more clearly when his actions and choices are less than perfect.
Sound plays an important role in the film as well. It is the film's score that gives many scenes their nostalgic and or comical qualities. The target demographic grew up playing NES and spending their days in crowded arcades. Many of the sounds from our youth are incorporated into the film. From Ninja Ninja Revolution's anouncer remarking "K. O.!" (a game created for the film that is a cross between DDR and mortal combat) to the 90's tunes of Plumtree we are reminded of special memories.
Everything in this film is larger than life, yet the film does not take itself too seriously for even a second. This is the beauty of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Blog #4 Reflections on the Class
Overall I enjoyed this class. It was great to get some hands on experience with lighting equipment, which is something that I had no prior experience with. I also like the photoshop stamp assignment. It had been a very long time since I had used photoshop and it was fun to play around with it again to see what I could make. I do wish that more of the class had been spent on new experiences and lessons like these. There was a lot of overlap between this class and the Film 101 and Media 180 classes that I already took. At times I felt disengaged from the lectures because of this overlap. I would have liked to learn a bit more about current techniques within the media industry. I felt like the lectures were very heavy on historical information that I learned in my previous courses. I did enjoy the freedom that this course gave me in the content of my assignments. I found it fun and interesting to analyze posters of my favorite movies and to make my own little piece of artwork out of found images. I also really enjoyed being able to do my photo assignment on Comic Con using my friends as the subjects. This freedom enabled me to create media that I like and reflect on media that I like. I feel like this has helped me to focus on what it is that draws me to the media industry. I feel like I am walking away from this class with a much better understanding of how different technologies work and how to use them in order to create art.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Blog Entry #3 Design assignment
There is one version of movie poster for the 2006 film Penelope, starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy, which is particularly striking. The British version of the film poster is far more intricate than other versions. At first glance the design of this poster makes one think of magic and whimsy. This is due to both the color scheme and the objects represented within the image. The deep blues and purples of the sky and Penelope's attire, contrast with the white airy bubbles floating through the air and sparkling mist swirling around Penelope's hand/ nose region as well as the film’s title. All of the images within the poster are highly stylized which adds to the magical storybook effect. Using an image that reminds one of a storybook works well for this film, which is a modern twist on the fairytale of Beauty and the Beast. The font style used for the majority of the poster also adds to the whimsical nature of the image. It uses flourishes and serifs similar to fonts used for other fantasy films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and the letters do not sit on a straight line but vary in height creating a floating effect. In addition the golden/orange color choice for the title in combination with the sparkling mist is reminiscent of the Disney opening for their animated features with metallic print scrawling across the screen in glittering arches. The image also makes an interesting use of balance. Two ancillary characters flank Penelope’s figure and the edges are filled in with images of the physical space, where the action of the film takes place.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)