One of the reasons I love Tarantino films so much is the excellent choice of songs for the soundtracks in his films, written and directed by the same man shows the dedication and ownership of the film, getting the whole experience. Soundtracks for the idents will be key to getting the right feel. A couple sample songs for possible use.
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Wednesday 27 January 2010
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Menu brainstorm
Having a little brainstorm towards the DVD menu layout, wouldn't it be great to have a VHS recorder as the menu display, digital read-out in the same format, buttons to press on a physical recorder, information appears on a TV screen maybe..?
A recorder/player as old as possible, to look a little more authentic..?
VHS tapess
Retro relived.
Reusing old TV idents for the feel of seventies with the tarantino films would work really well, and here is a great example. The TV series 'Life on Mars' set in the seventies, remastered and used the old identity, just I as I intend to do.
Jackie Brown
Title: Jackie Brown
Date: 1997
Genre: Crime, Heist.
Plot Summary: A female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot between the police and an arms dealer. ‘Six players on the trail of a half a million in Cash. There's only one question... Who's playing who?’
Feel: Smooth, slick, clever.
Key Characters: Jackie Brown, Ordell Robbie, Max Cherry, Ray, Melanie.
Key Scenes + Quotes:
Ordell Robbie: That's Beaumont.
Louis: Who's Beaumont?
Ordell Robbie: An employee I had to let go.
Louis: What'd he do?
Ordell Robbie: He put himself in a position where he was going to have to do ten years in prison, that's what he did. And if you know Beaumont, you know ain't no god damn way he can do ten years. And if you know that, then you know Beaumont's gonna do anything Beaumont can to keep from doing them ten years, including telling the federal government any and every motherfucking thing about my black ass. Now that my friend is a clear cut case of him or me. And you best believe it ain't gonna be me.
Ordell Robbie: [Ordell has bailed Beaumont out of jail] Look at you and your free ass. Come here, boy, gimme a motherfuckin' hug.
Beaumont: Good lookin' out, man. I don't know what to say. Thank you, thank you...
Ordell Robbie: Uh-huh. Who was there for your ass?
Beaumont: You were there for my ass.
Ordell Robbie: Who?
Beaumont: You.
Ordell Robbie: Who?
Beaumont: You!
Ordell Robbie: Whooo?
Beaumont: You nigga, damn!
Ordell Robbie: You goddamn right. That's how that shit works: you get your ass in trouble, I get your ass out. That's my motherfuckin' job. And I don't mind telling you, nigga, it's steady work.
Tarantino Interview:
Inspirations:
Rum Punch
Opening Sequence:
Saturday 23 January 2010
Game covers - reimagined.
Obviously not DVD covers but still relevant, Game covers that have been remade into classic styled illustrations for books. Bold colours, simple geometric shapes and handmade quality make these really beautiful. Could something similar be done with a DVD? A few of my particular favourites.
How games would look made in the seventies?
Friday 22 January 2010
Prologue films
Another excellent resource, title sequences, film intros and other information for a selection of films. I especially like the iron man sequence and Valkrie. Strong and largely typographical.
Thursday 21 January 2010
Art of the title sequence.
An excellent website and resource for screen graphics, a collection of opening title sequences with video and a description of creator and design cues. I took a few which have strong vector based colour and older font styles.
Smoking Aces.
Public Enemies (Superman + Batman)
Falling Down
Dirty Harry
Falling down and Dirty Harry have a simple title sequence with just type and image, similar with what I want to achieve with my idents.
Sunday 17 January 2010
Seventies identity.
To have a better understanding of seventies graphics, I found a selection of logos on flickr compiled from what looked like a book of different examples over the alphabet, really comprehensive. They can be found here.
A few favourites, love the direct simplicity of the vector graphics, but they feel much more original without the soulless examples of vector logos today.
Friday 15 January 2010
Thursday 14 January 2010
Exploitation Film
Taken from wikipedia, but checked with a dictionary-
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex, violence, romance, etc. An exploitation film, however, relies heavily on sensationalist advertising and broad and lurid overstatement of the issues depicted, regardless of the intrinsic quality of the film. Very often, exploitation films are of low quality in every sense.[1] However, this has not always been the case. Exploitation films sometimes attract critical attention and cult followings.
Films advertised in a exploitation style glorifies the film in different ways, here are some great examples of posters.
Loud, bright, loud tech art house style graphics.
Could be seen as hilarious, but has the desired effect.
The poster for the 'Grindhouse' campaign. Same style, and works really well. the low quality style works well with the ready distorted poster and variations in typefaces that somehow work well together. The exploitation style will only really work for the film originally intended, which is Death Proof.. so this will be taken into consideration.
Seventies Media
The VHS tape was created in seventies, and the format of the time, wouldn't it be good to continue the entire 70's theme though to DVD menu and packaging? A few examples of the media of the time to be interpreted into the design, possibly a film reel dvd menu? old styled button pressing and sound effects.
Digital readouts?
Buttons to light up on overlay in the menus?
Monday 11 January 2010
Regional TV idents
A great selection of remastered TV idents found on youtube over a long period of time. Really simple clean motions, that aren't too different todays designs used, just working with 3d space.
Sunday 10 January 2010
Saturday 2 January 2010
Reservoir Dogs
Title: Reservoir Dogs
Date: 1992
Genre: Heist, Gang, Thriller
Plot Summary: After a simple jewelery heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Feel: Black Comedy, Tense, Violence, Brutal
Key Characters: Mr White, Mr Orange, Mr Blonde, Nice Guy Eddie, Mr Pink, Mr Brown, Joe
Key Scenes + Quotes:
Mr. White: When you're dealing with a store like this, they're insured up the ass. They're not supposed to give you any resistance whatsoever. If you get a customer, or an employee, who thinks he's Charles Bronson, take the butt of your gun and smash their nose in. Everybody jumps. He falls down screaming, blood squirts out of his nose, nobody says fucking shit after that. You might get some bitch talk shit to you, but give her a look like you're gonna smash her in the face next, watch her shut the fuck up. Now if it's a manager, that's a different story. Managers know better than to fuck around, so if you get one that's giving you static, he probably thinks he's a real cowboy, so you gotta break that son of a bitch in two. If you wanna know something and he won't tell you, cut off one of his fingers. The little one. Then tell him his thumb's next. After that he'll tell you if he wears ladies underwear. I'm hungry. Let's get a taco.
Joe: He was the only one I wasn't 100% on. I should have my fuckin' head examined, going on a plan like this when I wasn't 100%.
Mr. White: [shouting] That's your proof?
Joe: You don't need proof when you have instinct.
Tarantino Interview:
http://www.beckerfilms.com/reserve.html
Inspirations:
Get Carter, City On fire
Kill Bill
Title: Kill Bill
Date: 2003
Genre: Martial Arts, Revenge
Plot Summary: The Bride wakes up after a long coma. The baby that she carried before entering the coma is gone. The only thing on her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her - a team she was once part of.
Feel: Raw, Bloody violence, crisp, tense, powerful,
Key Characters: The Bride, Bill, O-Ren Ishii, Elle Driver, Budd, Vernita Green.
Key Scenes + Quotes:
Bill: Do you find me sadistic? You know, I bet I could fry an egg on your head right now, if I wanted to. You know, Kiddo, I'd like to believe that you're aware enough even now to know that there's nothing sadistic in my actions. Well, maybe towards those other... jokers, but not you. No Kiddo, at this moment, this is me at my most...
[cocks pistol]
[BLAM!]
Tarantino Interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auIn_TTuJhQ&feature=related Inspirations:
Lady SnowBlood, Master Killer, Fist of Fury
See the comparisons in Movie poster, influence is taken right down to the Graphic Design Produced.
Death Proof
Title: Death Proof
Date: 2007
Genre: Exploitation/Car chase
Plot Summary: Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.
Feel: Dark, Black humour, gore/horror. Carchase, exploitation. 70's Feel. The Introduction to death proof, which actually starts around 20 seconds in. Displaying the use of 70s vintage logos, typefaces and film distortion, Something that could continue well across
Key Characters: Stuntman Mike, Zoe, Jungle Julia, Arlene
Key Scenes + Quotes:
Stuntman Mike: Well, Pam... Which way you going, left or right?
Pam: Right!
Stuntman Mike: Oh, that's too bad...
Pam: Why?
Stuntman Mike: Because it was a fifty fifty shot on wheter you'd be going left or right. You see we're both going left. You could have just as easily been going left, too. And if that was the case... It would have been a while before you started getting scared. But since you're going the other way, I'm afraid you're gonna have to start getting scared... immediately!
Stuntman Mike: [as he drives] Hey, Pam, remember when I said this car was death proof? Well, that wasn't a lie. This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you REALLY need to be sitting in my seat.
[slams his boot to the brake and sends Pam flying face-first into the dashboard]
Stuntman Mike: [handing Arlene and Jungle Julia beers] Cheers, Butterfly. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. And I have promises to keep. Miles to go before I sleep. Did you hear me, Butterfly? Miles to go, before you sleep.
Jungle Julia: Sorry, Stuntman Burt...
Stuntman Mike: [angrily interrupting her] Mike.
Jungle Julia: Mike. She already broke off that dance.
Stuntman Mike: Is that true? Did I... miss my chance?
[Arlene doesn't respond]
Stuntman Mike: Do I frighten you?
[Arlene silently nods]
Stuntman Mike: Is it my scar?
Arlene: It's your car.
Tarantino Interview:
'But then the thing I like so much about slasher films are the things that make them limiting. They’re all the same, and that’s actually part of their charm. It’s a perfect genre for subtext. That’s why you can do so much subtextual film criticism on them, because they follow the same pattern. And to f*** with the pattern too much is to f*** with the genre too much. I was like: “OK, that would then make this too self-reflexive.” It would be too much of a reflex exercise to do that. So I thought: “How can I do it my way and get what I want out of it?”
Also, breaking off from the whole slasher film, I realised I’d never really done an exploitation movie before. Even though we spent a lot of time shooting it, I wanted to have that opportunity, as if I was doing this in 1977, on a 20-day schedule. It started reminding me of the kind of movies I could imagine I would have made back in the 70s, something like The Candy Snatcher (1973), an exploitation movie that has all these weird elements.'
Inspirations: Vanishing Point, Gone in 60 Seconds (1974), Bullitt, The Candy Snatcher (1973)