Cinematic Spaces OGR: Cinematic Spaces OGR The Wizard of OZ

The extracts above have been taken from a variety of versions of this childrens novel written by L. Frank Baum, and published on 17th May 1900. The story follows a protagonist of a young girl called Dorothy who is swept away by a cyclone at her farm house in Kansas. She is then transported to a magical world called the land of Oz, containing mystical creatures and witches. During her adventures, the reader is introduced to three comrades of Dorothy; The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, and The Scarecrow. It is believed that loving aspects of this novel was actually inuenced by some quite distressing moments in Baums life. Dorothy was created due to his niece also named Dorothy, who became sick and died on November 11 1898 at age ve months. The Scarecrow originated from Baums nightmares as a child, in which the scarecrow pursued him, and the Wizard was a portrayal of an oil baron who was an enemy of Baums father. Since this book there have multiple sequels and adaptions. In 1939 the lm was created starring Judy Garland, there have been stage shows and recently there has been the adaption Oz The Great and Powerful which follows the origin of the Wizard.

So these were the rst thumbnails that stood out most for me, as they were aimed to capture the emerald city in image. But the main aspect which I want to use is the mountains, which was described in the rst extract.

Colour thumbnail using the mountains, as well as experimenting with tones.

Artist Inuence - Dylan Cole:

Dylan Cole is a digital matte painter and concept artist who works mainly with lm and television. He worked on lms such as; Tron Legacy, The Lord of The Rings, Avatar and many more. The reason why chose him as an inuence was due to intricate and complex landscapes, in which he lls the space with excitement and colour. It is from these images that I can see that a major importance in creating an environment is, to have the perspective perfect, and that the use use of mid tones in work can improve the depth of a piece.

Other Artists work Inuence.

This is one concept I have for a painting, this was inuenced by the ice caverns in Iceland, this due to in the books the city is described as appearing like glass. So by applying this concept, I will also by able to over exaggerate the colours.

Films have been a major inspiration to my work, mainly this lm Metropolis (1927). This silent lm is a german expressionist Science-Fiction directed by Fritz Lang. The lm uses elaborate set designs such as the huge futuristic city and the dystopian city underneath the grande Metropolis. In this there are a selection of Biblical references, such as the Tower of Babel, well in these scenes it clearly shows how advanced it was for its time in creating sets. While watching this lm I noticed how it acts as a iconic inuence for most sci- lms in the past two decades, such as how 3CPO has a resemblance to the Maria robot in this lm, then there is the city itself which aspects can be seen in such lms as Bladerunner and Total Recall. Overall I highly favored this lm even though some parts were slow, yet visually it was exciting and contrasting to lms of that period.

Lang hardly moves the camera; he knows all the angles, and keeps the focus on the overwhelming, colossal contrivances that arise from an ambient megalomania and the infinitesimally calibrated, razor-sharp machinations that they provoke. Richard Brody. New Yorker

So the next lm was King Kong made in 1933, directed and produced by Merlan C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. For those who have heard of or seen this lm, it is about a lm crew who travel to an exotic island inhabited by a gigantic ape called Kong and prehistoric creatures. But Kong dies in an attempt to possess a beautiful woman.
The story, like Frankenstein and Dracula, has taken on the significance of a modern folk tale, layered with obvious moralizing and as familiar as personal history. Los Angeles Times. Mark Chalon Smith http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1011615-king_kong/reviews/?type=top_critics

For me the selling point of the lm was its complex and imaginative sets, all created by paintings overlaying the footage, this was mainly used in the jungle scenes, similar to how layers are used in digital paintings. Then there is the use of stop motion to animate Kong created by Willis OBrien, although some parts in todays generation may appear humorous yet this was an advance in the creature lms, without King Kong I doubt there would be no Godzilla or any other Kaiju Films.

Inspired by Metropolis

Images taken from Bladerunner and Total Recall.

Oz environment using aspects from King Kong Jungle set.

Inuence images taken from King Kong remake, Lord of The Rings and Avatar. One aspect I want to focus on with these digital paintings, is to be expressive with the colours, as in the land of Oz it is described as being vivid and bold in colour.