Week 9 - Storyboard Creation, Colour Palettes & Main Prop Concept

As production designers, we have also been assigned the task of drawing out the storyboards to aid the concept of our directors as well as creating the main prop of the film - the camera glasses. The camera glasses aim to visually represent the method in which Joe begins to perceive reality as a result of the dream sequence portrayed beforehand. The dream quickly depicts her struggles to see everything around her at a given moment and thus, due to the inability to keep up with the speed of reality, the glasses are introduced as she wakes up. To create this prop, we attended an EMS session on 3D printing before scheduling an appointment with Connor, EMS Technician to go over the printing process and costs. I created a series of rough sketches of what the glasses might look like based on Anastasija’s description and we settled on using a steampunk glasses base to which we were to stick lens blades onto to give the illusion of a camera and its aperture movement.

Initial Concept Sketches of Camera Glasses Prop

As none of us were experienced in terms of 3D modelling, I decided to use Thingiverse to find components that could be printed to assemble the glasses. As we already had the base, we only had to look for the blades, closure mechanisms and an outer frame to give the impression of a camera lens coating.

Thingiverse Models Proposed

We then scheduled a meeting with Connor to go over the specifics of the project and I sent him a few photos of the glasses concept. The meeting was incredibly helpful as we were able to schedule printing in time for our first shooting day.

In the meeting, we discussed the blades and their placement on the base. Connor took a step back to show us where the blades to be placed within the mechanism. We then had to decide how to attach the blades to the lenses. The 3D model we decided to use for the lens itself does already come with pins needed for assembly. Sara took over the assembling and gluing process, thus her blogs may go more in depth than I will be able to.

Pieces Required for Aperture Lenses

Final Concept Sketches of Camera Glasses

Storyboard Creation

Storyboarding is a process in which you take a scene from the script and visually record it on a storyboard through sketches, photo-bashing or other methods. This is done to aid the director in terms of framing shots, directing actors, and to give the director a better understanding of how the scene will play out visually. Storyboarding also serves as a reference for the director and other crew members as they create the final look of the film. I have previously looked into existing storyboards for acclaimed films in order to get a better understanding of the methods other storyboard artists have used to convey light, shadow, set design and movement. Below are a few examples of the storyboards that have heavily influenced my work in this module.

Psycho Shower Scene Storyboard - Angles & Movement Reference

Forrest Gump Storyboard - Lighting Reference

Moulin Rouge Storyboard - Costumes and Set Dressing Reference

After having the shot list written by Anastasija as the main frame of reference, me and Aiza began to draw out the storyboard, filling it with a visual representation of the scene. This helped to get a better understanding of how the scene will play out and allowed the moving image crew to start thinking about how to shoot the scene and position lighting/props.

In order to quickly draw out the scenes, I relied on references from relevant media in order to frame the drawings and get a better understanding of perspective. For the beginning shot, as Sara brought up, one of the main inspirations was the opening shot of Netflix’s Russian Doll where the protagonist is also in the bathroom during a party. Furthermore, I was inspired by the films Swallow and A Ghost Story for the living room scenes as I decided to take advantage of the large window in Beth’s home and use it as the backdrop in my drawings - which the films I referenced had plenty of scenes with. As I had no frame of reference for Joe’s appearance at the beginning of the storyboard creation, her appearance may shift depending on the day I was drawing the respective scene. I also attempted to portray some lighting ideas through my storyboards by using negative space and heavy contrast of the monochromatic tones. Although not consistent, most drawings in the storyboard have an identifiable light source. The prop placement can also be seen in some of the wide shots and in a few close-ups requested by our directors. Some of the scenes I used as references throughout my storyboard can be seen below:

In order: Swallow (2019), The Love Witch (2016), A Ghost Story (2017), Possession (1981), Black Swan (2010), Carol (2015), Glow (2017), Promising Young Woman (2020)

The storyboards along with the finished script can be viewed below:

Production Bible

​​As the storyboards were being drawn out, I was also working on the colour palette and style of the film. I was inspired by the colour palette of films such as Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho, Sean Baker's Tangerine and Gaspar Noé's Climax for the brightly lit scenes and use of colour gels. Similarly, Todd Haynes' Carol uses colour grading to get across a similar colour palette to the one I had in mind initially for the film.

The two primary tones we decided to maintain throughout the film are saturated reds/pinks and greens/turquoises. The mundane and dull everyday repetitiveness of Joe’s life can thus be put on full display with the dreary, monotone greens which are also seen in her wardrobe.

To contrast the earth tones, its complementary colour - red - will be used to symbolise Joe’s ambition to break through the film industry and passion for filmmaking. Additionally, as Joe retracts more into her mind palace, we see her love interest and muse - Joanna - adapt the red colouring into her wardrobe as Joe’s perception of her is altered.

Colour Palette & Lighting Inspiration