INSPIRATION AND AESTHETIC

As this movie is about child abuse it was only fitting I started by looking at anti child abuse videos such as the adverts presented by NSPCC.
Thinking back to NSPCC advert I had seen on the telly the one that stuck in my mind the most had to be ‘Cartoon Boy’ produced in 2002 which features the punchline ‘Real Kids don’t bounce back



link to the advert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V-zxWY3vsY













My movie needed to have a dark undertone; it should be dark and foreboding in order to tie in with the subject matter. It had to have something that didn’t quite sit right with the eye and made the viewer feel uncomfortable but compelled to watch it.
I looked to a range of movies for inspiration with this such as The Shining, with its stark pattern designs on the carpets, Sweeny Todd for its dark and dingy Victorian feel and Tim Burtons Vincent



Looking at this poster of Sweeny Todd got me thinking about stripes in horror movies. This is not a pleasant patten to look at, especially within a small space. Strong patterns like this can be claustrophobic and these stripes to me, give the impression of prison bars, a creepy prospect. This gave me the idea for the design of the living room in my set.

With Tim Burton's Vincent, I have found that the atmosphere is enhanced by the lighting, and the large stark shadows. The set is daunting and insane, like the mind of a crazy man had designed a room just by thing about it.

I have also noticed with this animation that a childs perspective is presented by the fact that the mothers face is never shown, she is too tall and out of shot.








To produce a set as wacky and insane as that set used in Vincent, would surpass my current skill set, however I aim to create a similarly disconcerting atmosphere. After watching this movie I knew that black and white would also be appropriate for my film. I also decided that dialogue sound is not needed, as I want the visuals to speak for themselves but I will use haunting music.

Now that i hade a idea of what my living room would look like it was time to think about the hallway decor. I did not want the hallway to look roomy or light. I wanted it too look closed in and small so that it was almost funneling you out or into the house. I remembered that scene in The Shining with the two twins standing in the corridor. This a very creepy scene.