Les Miserables

Les Miserables is a film adaptation a musical it came out in 2013 and has been a big hit. The film has won many BAFTA’s including one in production design I wet into the cinema after watching behind the scenes videos about the production design so I could appreciate how it was made and the design process of creating the set’s. The set’s I have chosen to look at are the "lovely ladies" scene and the "barricade" scene as these scene’s connote different feelings and portrayed similar at times.

In the scene "lovely ladies" the set has a damp mouldy feeling as it is meant to be beside a dry dock with seaweed hanging from the walls and buildings made from what had been salvaged from ship wrecks in reality the majority of this was created by master carpenters to work with wood to create frames and by using moulded plastic to make the bricks this creates a realist approach that is believable to the viewers as well as to the actors on set. The seaweed on the walls is all real it had been shipped down to Pinewood Studios from Scotland I think this represents that the production designers strived for reality.

In the final scene of Les Miserables the barricades have been built made out of furniture that would commonly be found in the Parisian houses at the time the barricade creates a strong contrast with the flags that had been position along the barricade as it was wood against bright bolts of cloth. The barricade also runs alongside the “Elephant of the Bastille” which was a huge monument in Paris it also creates an interesting subject to look at and too show the era the events took place. It also is appropriated in the final scene as it is incorporated into the barricade, it is almost used as a tower defence compared to when it was shown earlier in the film when it denoted the elegance of Paris.

Overall I believe that this film is an amazing spectacle as it shows such diversity from both ends of the spectrum such as the focus is on different sorts of people by showing how the sets evolve around them it also shows how the person themselves are changing. I think that this film is one of the best films to look at so far this year as its depth into small detail is undeniably great.

Game of Thrones

 Game of Thrones is a HBO fantasy drama based on the conflict and politics of the main families/houses of “Westeros”. Each of the areas have their own distinct characteristics in game of thrones as it is has such a diverse set of scenarios spanning from “beyond the wall” (Iceland) to “Kingslanding” (Dubrovnik, Croatia) these places have been adapted to take form of the medieval fantasy realm by Gemma Jackson the production designer.

The places I am going to focus on are “Winterfell” (house seat of the Starks) and “Kingslanding” (house seat Baratheon) these places are completely different and this is made apparent whilst watching at no point is there any confusion of which geographical region the characters are in.

“Winterfell” like the other northern houses is heavily inspired by the northern European castles with thick stone (Granite) walls and a rather dull faded appearance this portrays the change of climate in the north as it is much more prone to harsh weather conditions these factors are all made obvious to create a visual that shows that the people of the north live in smaller homes with thick walls and fur trimmings around the houses to keep them insulated. The buildings in “Winterfell” also are made out of wood as the wooden frames of the houses are made obvious; this was chosen as it is next to the “Wolfs Wood” which is a large forest that runs alongside “Winterfell” so wood is easy to get hold of.  “Winterfell” is one of the only castles  in “Westeros” that still has a “Gods Wood” which contains a white tree with red leaves and a face carved into it this is called a “Wierwood Tree” in the HBO adaptation the face in the in the tree does not appear to be carved into the tree it looks more as if it is the way the tree grows itself, the reason I would think that this choice had been made it to safe time from deviating into a storyline that is not quite relevant in the current seasons (1-2).

“Kingslanding” is the capital city in “Westeros” the city stands on three hills and on the largest stands the “Red Keep” which is named after the pale red stone it had been built from the keep also fits a Mediterranean style with how everything appears lavish and grand, in the streets of “Kingslanding” there is a strong theme of the sea on buildings with the slate roofs looking like scales this also shows in the clothing of “Kingslanding” too. The “Red Keep” has many towers one of the key towers is the “Tower of the Hand” which is a tall circular tower that is beside the outer walls. Another key part to the red keep is the “Great Hall” this is where the “Iron Throne” is the throne is made out of melted swords the shape of the throe isn’t very conventional and is much more bulky than the everyday wooden thrones I think this is an important feature as the “Iron Throne” is the kings seat so it important for it to stand out.

Overall I believe that Gemma Jackson and her team have achieved their goal of giving every geographic region of “Westeros” its own feeling and style and will carry on doing so as in each series they introduce new locations that will only enhance the diversity of “Westeros” and new story lines.

Walking Dead

Walking dead is a programme that takes place during a zombie apocalypse, focusing on one group of survivors on a mission to find a safe haven this leads to a diverse selection of set design whether it is a farm or the middle of a large city it is completely believable and creates a realistic similarity to what the viewers have seen before in everyday life.

 In the current season the main locations are a abandoned prison and a small town, the two sets create an undeniable contrast to one and other as the prison is very bleak and grey as it is mainly create from concrete and steel the designer of the “prison” went to look around prisons to get inspiration to create an environment which feels believable, not only is the prison realistic it also connotes the situation that the group is in as each of the characters at the prison seem to be fighting their own personal battles whether it is mentally or physically.

 In the other settlement which is situated in a little town named “Woodbury” a complete different feeling is emitted as it is clean, colourful and organised throughout the first half of the third season only the high street is shown this creates an impression that the people in the community are living in paradise where as hidden away from the high street with its suburban charm lies secrets such as the room in the “Governors’” (Leader at Woodbury) room with both human and zombie heads placed in jars this is when it becomes clearer that all is not so clear in the town of “Woodbury”. Other areas begin to show more significance such as the walls around the town made by scavenged goods also more military vehicles begin to show up around the town creating the feeling of a start of oppression and it does not end there on final of the midway point in season three the viewer is introduced to the arena which has a modern day spin on the gladiatorial arena such as metal bleachers   and flaming torches situated around where the acts of violence take place.

Overall I think it is interesting how it seems that the different groups have ended up where they have it almost seems like an oxymoron how the good group have ended up in a place a dim and bleak as the “prison” and the ‘bad group’ have ended up in a place like “Woodbury” although it does add to the story as it reflects the positives, negatives and hides the secrets of key characters.