The home is a setting where a character’s psychology can be mirrored and explored. Character and ... more The home is a setting where a character’s psychology can be mirrored and explored. Character and story are closely entwined in the domestic interior and this is often the place that undergoes transformation to signify the changes taking place in the narrative arc. This chapter explores the ways in which the Byers' home is designed as a transition space physically and metaphorically – situated on the edge of the woods on the outskirts of town, a liminal space between the town, the forest and the ‘Upside Down’. Will’s return home at the end of the first season is examined and considered in relation to the importance of returning home in cult texts. The quiet, small town landscape of Hawkins in its everyday familiarity functions as the backdrop to the supernatural events that subsequently unfold. A contrast is set up between the unexceptional location of Hawkins and the ‘Upside Down’, another dimension, where a beast dwells. This chapter acknowledges the importance of cult 80s film to the design concept and subsequent sense of place created. Through the course of the first season a small, simple, neutral-coloured bungalow transforms, as the protagonist becomes increasingly desperate to communicate with her son and bring him home. Furniture is moved around in haphazard fashion creating a cluttered and chaotic frame, bursting with brightly coloured fairy lights. The spatial transformation of the home reflects Joyce Byers' interior landscape while also radically altering for reasons connected to the narrative development. The home is a metaphor for her psychological state, which appears fragile as she refuses to give up on the belief that her son is alive and communicating with her from another dimension. It is in the house that traditional boundaries are broken and temporary ones created, rupturing and subverting conventional entrance and exit points. Although it is the site of struggle, pain, terror and violence it is also incredibly resilient, like the family it prevails. As a transition between the two colliding environments of normal and abnormal, the home signifies a space situated between the two and increasingly comes to reflect the danger and turmoil of the ‘Upside Down’. In the second season, the Byers home is again the site of trauma and the key to both environments as it’s design actively participates in the narrative and forms the problem-solving visual for the series, by reflecting Will’s interior landscape quite literally. At the end of season three their home is abandoned, we see the contents of the bungalow packed into boxes and the empty house resonate with the shared memories. Their poignant departure suggests the family are ready to move on, how does this reflect on the myth of home
This chapter explores the role of the prison setting in the representation of character and narra... more This chapter explores the role of the prison setting in the representation of character and narrative in the film Paddington 2 (2017). The prison is a key setting in the film, which playfully stitches together popular notions of the real and imagined prison and turns it into a community where friendship, food and flowers blossom. It effectively forms a transitional space linking Paddington’s journey from home and back again. The changes we see taking place in the prison are metaphors that convey the Visual Concept at the heart of the design. Traditional ideas and images of the prison are turned on their head as the place of incarceration becomes a candy pink-striped world of high teas and bunting. My chapter works through the way the design conveys these ideas using a model I have developed for the analysis of production design, called the Visual Concept methodology. The model works through the five key ways a production designer visualizes a script: (i) Space, (ii) In and out, (iii...
Cult texts often have ‘a nostalgic appeal’ for audiences (Gwenllian-Jones and Pearson 2004, ix), ... more Cult texts often have ‘a nostalgic appeal’ for audiences (Gwenllian-Jones and Pearson 2004, ix), providing a site for returning viewers to an imagined, longed for or idealised ‘home’, such as the recreated landscape of the 1980s in Stranger Things. Home is also a setting where a character’s psychology can be mirrored and explored, as character and story become closely entwined in the domestic interior, a place that often undergoes transformation to signify changes taking place in the narrative arc.
The Palgrave Handbook of Incarceration in Popular Culture, 2020
This chapter explores the role of the prison in the representation of character and narrative in ... more This chapter explores the role of the prison in the representation of character and narrative in the film Paddington 2 (2017). The prison is a key setting in the film, which playfully stitches together popular notions of the real and imagined prison and turns into a community where friendship, food and flowers blossom. It effectively forms a transition space linking Paddington’s journey away from home and back again. The Brown’s home, Paddington’s family home, is established as a warm and welcoming environment, which Paddington is forcibly removed from when he is wrongly sent to prison. On arrival, the prison appears to be a classic harsh and hostile place of incarceration where Paddington is intimidated and alone. However, Paddington’s presence is slowly seen to transform the place into a warm and inviting world full of friendship and hope. The design is crucial in conveying key themes in the script that reflect Paddington’s character and the positive impact he has on people’s lives. The changes we see taking place in the prison are metaphors that convey the visual concept at the heart of the film design.
The home is a setting where a character’s psychology can be mirrored and explored. Character and ... more The home is a setting where a character’s psychology can be mirrored and explored. Character and story are closely entwined in the domestic interior and this is often the place that undergoes transformation to signify the changes taking place in the narrative arc. This chapter explores the ways in which the Byers' home is designed as a transition space physically and metaphorically – situated on the edge of the woods on the outskirts of town, a liminal space between the town, the forest and the ‘Upside Down’. Will’s return home at the end of the first season is examined and considered in relation to the importance of returning home in cult texts. The quiet, small town landscape of Hawkins in its everyday familiarity functions as the backdrop to the supernatural events that subsequently unfold. A contrast is set up between the unexceptional location of Hawkins and the ‘Upside Down’, another dimension, where a beast dwells. This chapter acknowledges the importance of cult 80s film to the design concept and subsequent sense of place created. Through the course of the first season a small, simple, neutral-coloured bungalow transforms, as the protagonist becomes increasingly desperate to communicate with her son and bring him home. Furniture is moved around in haphazard fashion creating a cluttered and chaotic frame, bursting with brightly coloured fairy lights. The spatial transformation of the home reflects Joyce Byers' interior landscape while also radically altering for reasons connected to the narrative development. The home is a metaphor for her psychological state, which appears fragile as she refuses to give up on the belief that her son is alive and communicating with her from another dimension. It is in the house that traditional boundaries are broken and temporary ones created, rupturing and subverting conventional entrance and exit points. Although it is the site of struggle, pain, terror and violence it is also incredibly resilient, like the family it prevails. As a transition between the two colliding environments of normal and abnormal, the home signifies a space situated between the two and increasingly comes to reflect the danger and turmoil of the ‘Upside Down’. In the second season, the Byers home is again the site of trauma and the key to both environments as it’s design actively participates in the narrative and forms the problem-solving visual for the series, by reflecting Will’s interior landscape quite literally. At the end of season three their home is abandoned, we see the contents of the bungalow packed into boxes and the empty house resonate with the shared memories. Their poignant departure suggests the family are ready to move on, how does this reflect on the myth of home
This chapter explores the role of the prison setting in the representation of character and narra... more This chapter explores the role of the prison setting in the representation of character and narrative in the film Paddington 2 (2017). The prison is a key setting in the film, which playfully stitches together popular notions of the real and imagined prison and turns it into a community where friendship, food and flowers blossom. It effectively forms a transitional space linking Paddington’s journey from home and back again. The changes we see taking place in the prison are metaphors that convey the Visual Concept at the heart of the design. Traditional ideas and images of the prison are turned on their head as the place of incarceration becomes a candy pink-striped world of high teas and bunting. My chapter works through the way the design conveys these ideas using a model I have developed for the analysis of production design, called the Visual Concept methodology. The model works through the five key ways a production designer visualizes a script: (i) Space, (ii) In and out, (iii...
Cult texts often have ‘a nostalgic appeal’ for audiences (Gwenllian-Jones and Pearson 2004, ix), ... more Cult texts often have ‘a nostalgic appeal’ for audiences (Gwenllian-Jones and Pearson 2004, ix), providing a site for returning viewers to an imagined, longed for or idealised ‘home’, such as the recreated landscape of the 1980s in Stranger Things. Home is also a setting where a character’s psychology can be mirrored and explored, as character and story become closely entwined in the domestic interior, a place that often undergoes transformation to signify changes taking place in the narrative arc.
The Palgrave Handbook of Incarceration in Popular Culture, 2020
This chapter explores the role of the prison in the representation of character and narrative in ... more This chapter explores the role of the prison in the representation of character and narrative in the film Paddington 2 (2017). The prison is a key setting in the film, which playfully stitches together popular notions of the real and imagined prison and turns into a community where friendship, food and flowers blossom. It effectively forms a transition space linking Paddington’s journey away from home and back again. The Brown’s home, Paddington’s family home, is established as a warm and welcoming environment, which Paddington is forcibly removed from when he is wrongly sent to prison. On arrival, the prison appears to be a classic harsh and hostile place of incarceration where Paddington is intimidated and alone. However, Paddington’s presence is slowly seen to transform the place into a warm and inviting world full of friendship and hope. The design is crucial in conveying key themes in the script that reflect Paddington’s character and the positive impact he has on people’s lives. The changes we see taking place in the prison are metaphors that convey the visual concept at the heart of the film design.
This book uses in-depth case studies to explore the significance of the design of the home on scr... more This book uses in-depth case studies to explore the significance of the design of the home on screen. The chapters draw widely upon the production designer’s professional perspective and particular creative point of view. The case studies employ a methodology Barnwell has pioneered for the analysis of production design called Visual Concept Analysis, which can be used as a key to decode the design of any given film. Through the nurturing warmth of the Browns’ home in Paddington, the ambiguous boundaries of secret service agent homes in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the ‘singleton’ space occupied by Bridget Jones, Barnwell demonstrates that the domestic interior consistently plays a key role. Whether used as a transition space, an ideal, a catalyst for change or a place to return to, these case studies examine the pivotal nature of the home in storytelling and the production designers’ significance in its creation. The book benefits from interviews with production designers and artwork that provides insight on the creative process.
An AVA Book Distributed in the USA & Canada by: Watson-Gup till Publications 770 Broadway P... more An AVA Book Distributed in the USA & Canada by: Watson-Gup till Publications 770 Broadway Published by AVA Publishing SA New York, New York 10003 Rue des Fontenailles 16 USA Case Postale Fax: + 1 646 654 5487 1000 Lausanne 6 Email: [email protected] ...
... Page 5. PRODUCTION DESIGN ARCHITECTS OF THE SCREEN JANE BARNWELL WALLFLOWER Page 6. ... Howev... more ... Page 5. PRODUCTION DESIGN ARCHITECTS OF THE SCREEN JANE BARNWELL WALLFLOWER Page 6. ... However, I would prefer not to frame the discussion in terms of screendesign as the poor relation, electing instead to embrace it back into the family where it belongs. ...
Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Jan 1, 2011
Laurie Ede's book is a welcome addition to the gently rising tide of writing on the subject o... more Laurie Ede's book is a welcome addition to the gently rising tide of writing on the subject of production design, an area that is slowly coming to prominence within film studies. As such the field is still relatively fresh and under explored—making this book a fantastic ...
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