I find a lot of inspiration in film, with many scenes from movies standing out to me for one reason or another. Either its meaning, or because it's visually stunning and/or interesting.
When given the religious iconography as the subject of a shoot, my first thought was religious symbols within films, rather than movies with a religious theme. Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a beautiful piece. The final scene is easily considered the most famous - the death of Romeo and Juliet - stands out visually as much as it does because of the tragedy. I've always loved the neon crosses, and the way Juliet is laid out. You'd think she was an important figure in the church or country, a saint or martyr, even a sacrifice. The whole layout is very over the top. And the neon crosses are something you're more likely to find on the Las Vegas Strip, not in a church.
I took the neon crosses out of the context they're used during the film and considered them on their own, as in what they stand for. And in my opinion, it's a garish/gaudy way to show faith. And when likened to the likes of Las Vegas, it cheapens the image of religion - it makes it seem tacky. There's a lot of religious paraphernalia available that has the same effect.
It gave me an idea to try painting with light, using a stencil and cardboard box "funnel" to concentrate the light. I would use the studio and a black Colorama background so the only thing to stand out is the cross.
http://screenmusings.org/RomeoAndJuliet/index_21.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment