Seminar 4: Cities and Film

I will admit that I had drawn a blank when it came to applying this topic to animation, but thanks to James, it finally hit me (And a few others) that cities, buildings, and any sort of architectural designs are obviously environments and settings, that if designed and presented in a certain way, can create the perfect mood and establish a large part of a film, or animation. Sometimes the application of things to a certain area can be so darn obvious, that it is frustrating that we pointlessly ended up thinking too hard on it.

The Fountainhead (1949)

Howard Roark continues to struggle through life as he refuses to adhere to the conventionalism of others, despite giving the opportunity to make it big, he chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. Despite an establishment centred on tradition-worship, Howard continues fighting against it, sticking to his practice as what the public sees as modern architecture.

The film, and pretty much the book it was based on focuses on themes of individualism, not in terms of politics, but the individuals themselves, namely Howard, despite being written in the 30s during World War II when it wouldn't be surprising for books to be written on world affairs and such. The theme of architecture was chosen for the analogy of the ideas offered to the author herself, especially in the context of the ascent of modern architecture. Roark searches for truth and honesty and expresses them in his work, remaining uncompromised when changes are suggested, mirroring modern architecture's trajectory from dissatisfaction with earlier design trends to emphasise individual creativity.

"Through almost seven hundred pages of elaborate plot, stilted speeches, and overwrought emotions, (Ayn) Rand's ideological cartoon of a book (she also wrote the screenplay) pits the individual, whose undaunted ego is the fountainhead of all praise-worthy human activity, against the common man, Rand's rabble, who fearing the individual, attempts to destroy or reduce him to its own base level. To translate her philosophy into fiction, the author cast her hero as an architect" ~ Albrechy, D. (1986), Designing Dreams: Modern Architecture in the Movies, London, Thames and Hudson, Page 168

Psycho (1960)

The Bates household had been presented as the all-american dream (Oneiric in a sense) home of sorts at the very beginning (As well as in some of the trailers shown at the time), in most Alfred Hitchcock films, characteristically they start off in an idyllic and relaxed atmosphere. Scenes and buildings reflect a somewhat naïve and amusing balance of bourgeois (Conventional, middle class) life. 

As the story begins, however, a sense of foreboding begins to convey a negative content to the buildings. The very same architecture turns gradually into a generator and container of fear, and in the end, terror seems to have poisoned space itself (Pallasamaa, J. (2001), The Architecture of Image: Existential Space in Cinema, page 25). In the original black and white version, the stark contrasting shadows are able to enhance the sinister feel that this house gives off as the story progresses, even during the day, a sense of foreboding is felt with each new character that dares enter it.

It is interesting to note how certain rooms are associated with certain characters we already know that the seemingly forbidden areas of the household are associated with Norma Bates, such as her bedroom and her basement, which are barely seen until near the end of the film. 

Norman's parlour was his sanctuary, where he probably had felt the safest as he gets to momentarily have some time alone to himself, and away from the verbal abuse of his 'mother', surrounded by the things he loves such as his bird taxidermy collection (Perhaps getting some sense of comfort as these lifeless creatures watches him from above, almost as if guarding him, keeping him company, possibly agreeing and supporting him). 

The Shining (1980)

The Stanley Hotel in a way also ties in with the bourgeois existence, in the beginning before it was closed for the winter, where there were still guests and staff around, it appears to be a seemingly peaceful and lovely place to stay. Despite that however, despite the beauty and magnificence of the landscape, it becomes apparent that not all is at it seems, especially once Jack and his family is isolated from the rest of the world.

The opening is a pretty obvious give away to the overall mood of the film (Unlike Alfred Hitchcock's films, which are considered a rarity these days in terms of pacing and atmosphere), with the soft but ominous music that plays in the background, as well as the tracking shot of the car as it drives its way down a long winding path up the mountains, that establishes just how far out and secluded their destination happens to be. The sense that there is nowhere to escape or no one to call for help if something should go wrong...

The interior of the hotel, despite how vibrantly coloured it is and grandiosely classic the architectural elements are (Such as materials, wallpapers, windows and doors, furniture, etc.), as the story progresses, the overall feel of the setting begins to become more suffocating and claustrophobic in nature. Jack however, out of the three occupants in this huge, quiet, empty hotel, becomes the most overwhelmed (With his alcoholism obviously contributing to that), but also seemingly becomes a part of the hotel itself (Particularly that ending that still draws many questions to this day), as it would seem his supposed moments of 'sanity', or when he is feeling the most calm, is when he is speaking to people that are meant to be there, such as the bartender.

Most successful horror works are able to make full use of the psychological aspect of space when it comes to the settings and of course, how things are shot through the camera... sort of celebrates it, while also ironically, the beauty of the city and the dark side of it

Grand Theft Auto V

Onto something a little different... The critically acclaimed "Grand Theft Auto V" has been known for it's satirising of the glamorous city life, particularly in the fictional city of Los Santos (Based on Los Angeles), where one of the main characters, Michael Townley/De Santa had chosen to leave his old criminal life behind in hopes of starting anew with his family there. 

While it has been made clear that the playable main characters are in no way the good guys, the people that they have to deal with are no better, these 'plastic', rotten, arrogant people that think they are living the life and are above all else, characteristics that begin to manifest in Michael's family as they themselves become taken a hold of by the luxurious lifestyle that he himself had provided to them in the first place.

Out of the three main characters, Michael is probably the most connected to the city of Los Santos (While not being a city native like Franklin), developing a rather bittersweet relationship to the city. As he realises towards the end of the game that while he still hates himself, he is also able to accept himself in a way, and is quite contented with his new life in the city (A little humorous note is how frequently he purchases unhealthy highly caffeinated drinks from the Bean Machine, a spoof of Star Bucks and Coffee Bean, which of course pokes fun at consumer behaviour behind such chains).

While a huge and sprawling metropolis of contemporary culture, being the game that it is, the city obviously has its dark side to it. While it is already mentioned that the wealthier or simply well off people are made to be these plastic or just plain rotten wad, a variety of gangs inhabit every crook and cranny of the city (This probably feels more apparent in the online mode where the population of online characters created by us, the players, cause way more chaos than any of the computer controlled gang bangers ever could). It is not often that the player will chance upon any decent or normal folks, and if there were, they are probably killed off before we even notice they are there.

Los Santos' beautiful design is just a cover up for all the messed up, crazy, awful people that inhabit it in all honesty, and that just makes it easier for us to kill them...