Chunsu Ouyang | Gesthimani Roumpani | Yanrong Yang
UCLA AUD IDEAS ENTERTAINMENT STUDIO 2019-20 Natasha Sandmeier & Nathan Su
CONTENTS
SUBJECT
PAGE
PROJECT BRIEF.....................................................................................................5
chapter i: A LOS ANGELES INTERPRETATION......................................................................6 ...& one story
chapter ii: WORLDBUILDING.................................................................................................16
chapter iii: INITIAL CONCEPT & EXPLORATIONS.................................................................26 storytelling within a room
chapter iv: STORIES ARE BEST SERVED IN LAYERS..............................................................42 the final cut
3
PROJECT BRIEF Los Angeles is the established world capital of filmmaking. Embracing its identity, the urban fabric has learned to facilitate all functional needs of the entertainment industry, and manages to contain smaller, constantly transforming worlds within its world, all at various scales. Everything is seen as a potential movie set. In this context, we discovered the story of Pink Motel, a 1949 motel in Burbank, whose identity is now being preserved only for the needs of the movie industry. Inspired by LA’s identity as a perpetual
movie set and the motel’s story, we stayed within the room scale to examine how an environment as mundane as a typical motel room can be treated as a blank canvas to accommodate different movie genres, moods, and ambiences, as an introduction of ourselves to worldbuilding. All these elements that visually and emotionally contribute to the fictional worlds we are creating, define a scene’s aesthetics and transform even the most seemingly rigid spaces. It is by utilizing these tools that we can create well-crafted fictions that resemble reality.
chapter i:
A LOS ANGELES I N T E R P R E TAT I O N ...& one story
T H E M O V I E C A P I TA L Los Angeles is the established world capital of filmmaking. Embracing its identity, the urban fabric has learned to facilitate all functional needs of the entertainment industry, and manages to contain smaller, constantly transforming worlds within its world, all at various scales. Everything is seen as a potential movie set. In this context, we were inspired by the story of Pink Motel, which embodies part of our interpretation of LA’s character. The motel was built in Burbank in 1947 by Joseph Thomulka. In 1949 he added the Pink Cafe (now known as Cadillac Jack’s Cafe), and in 1959 the fish shaped swimming pool.
8
The aesthetic of the motel has always been very characteristic throughout and is still maintained as such. As the name suggests, it is indeed mainly pink. As a matter of fact, the Los Angeles Conservancy declares it the pinkest building known. It is a single story structure with many mid-century architectural elements. Overall, it is a classic postwar type of building. In the pictures we can see what the motel looks like today, when one walks or drives past it. Whether day or night, the looks of it certainly make an impression.
Motel make-believe
Chapter i
9
10
Motel make-believe
Chapter i
11
H O L LY W O O D ’ S FAV O R I T E The motel site is on San Fernando Road, an auspicious location back in the day. The road used to get many travelers, as it was an early connector between Los Angeles and Northern California. However, the construction of I-5 caused San Fernando Road to lose its dynamic and motel business dramatically dropped. Many of the other motels along the same road had to close. What made Pink Motel stand out? Its cinematic exterior, that film producers had noticed early on. Thus, aside from renting out rooms to guests, the owner would also allow film productions to use his property as a set, all at the right price.
EPISODE OF “FLAKED” (2016-)
EPISODE OF DEXTER (2006-2013)
12
Realizing that capitalizing over the film industry was much more profitable than operating as a motel, the owner eventually decided to just use it as a film set. Hence today, despite its deceiving looks (and name), the Pink Motel only operates as a movie set, and is quite popular among a variety of productions; movies, TV series, music videos etc. The images below are just a small sample of productions that have taken place at the location. Overall, we are talking about hundreds of them.
CHRISTINA AGUILERA IN “YOUR BODY” (2012)
VEVO GO SHOW (2012) WITH ONE DIRECTION
Motel make-believe
CHER LLOYD IN “WANT U BACK” (2012)
POSTER OF “PINK MOTEL” (1982)
“DRIVE” (2011), WITH RYAN GOSLING & CAREY MULLIGAN
Chapter i
13
“VANDEPUMP RULES” (2013-) TV SERIES
10/7/2019
Pink Motel | Cadillac Jacks | Retro 1950 1960 Movie Set | 818-767-3605 | Home
Home
Cadillac Jacks Cafe
Pink Motel & Rooms
Classic Cars
Junk Yard
Cadillac Jacks Cafe & Pink Motel: Retro Movie Set & Props Cadillac-Jacks has everything you will need for a scene set in the 50s or 60s. There is a fully functional diner, several restored cars and a 50s motel.
Cadillac Jacks Cafe is fully dressed and has one Rockola juke box, a full kitchen, counter seating as well as several booths with juke box access. Outside, the diner is decorated with era-specific neon lighting. There is also an outside car hop. We have approximately 28 fully restored and functional classic 50s and 60s vehicles for your use as well. Click here to see more pictures of Cadillac Jacks Cafe.
Classic Cars We have 28 fully restored and functional classic 50s and 60s vehicles for your use. A small sampling of these vehicles are shown on this site.
The Junk Yard has several 50s/60s cars and is authentic to the era. In addition, our clients have updated the junk yard with vehicles of their own. The entire junk yard can be modified to suit your changing needs. Click here to see more pictures of the Junk Yard. The Swimming Pool is typical of the 50s/60s era. It is shaped like a fish and surrounded by palm trees. It has a wide deck and can be filled, or empty, to suit your needs. In addition, we have a variety of 50s/60s era pool furniture for your use. It is extremely popular among the skateboard community. Customizable Set The entire property can be customized to suit your needs. In the past, we have had entire rooms opened and extended or modified to accommodate a variety of camera angles and other needs.
The Pink Motel has seven rooms which have been professionally designed and customized to recreate the 50s and 60s era. In addition, we permit complete remodeling of any of the rooms to fit your specific needs. Click here to see more pictures of the Pink Motel.
Give us a call to schedule your shoot. Tonya: (818) 767-3605
In all likelihood, you have seen the Pink Motel or Cadillac Jacks Cafe in any of several movies and TV programs. The Pink Motel and Cadillac Jacks Cafe have been used in hundreds of films over the past 25 years. Filming of Dexter,
Season 8
For booking information, contact: info@Cadillac-Jacks.com Phone Tonya (818) 767-3605 Fax: (818) 594-5019 Home | Cadillac Jacks Cafe | Pink Motel & Rooms | Classic Cars | Junk Yard | Swimming Pool | Contact Us | About Us Copyright 1999-2019 Cadillac Jacks & Pink Motel. All rights reserved.
PINK MOTEL WEBSITE
Only after one visits their website it becomes clear that the property is being meticulously maintained solely for the purposes of the entertainment industry. Besides the exterior, the cafe, the pool, and the rooms, the motel also boasts a junkyard and a colhttps://www.cadillac-jacks.com lection of classic cars. They allow modifications on
site per shooting needs, to the extremes of even demolishing interior walls to extend a room. When our group visited the location, it was the day after a shooting for “Lucifer” (production of Netflix), where they had modified the entire courtyard to 1/1 suit the series’ requirements.
Chapter i
15
chapter ii:
WORLDBUILDING
A SMALL EXERCISE
The story of the Pink Motel within the context of LA’s ability to transform to a movie set, brought the question of what it is that constitutes the world (or microworld) of a scene, if the basic element remains the same - in the case of Pink Motel, the form of its rooms. Naturally, this question had us take a glimpse into worldbuilding. Worldbuilding is the ability to construct a fictional world that is oftentimes part of an entire fictional universe. It addresses all sorts of questions about the geography, sociology, history, physics etc of this world / universe and serves the purpose of a coherent and believable narrative. The aforementioned ability to transform a single space for different purposes is just a small part of the broad topic of worldbuilding. For the purpose of this project, we only focused on the scale of a scene within a room, as opposed to the whole world that surrounds it.
As architects, we have the privilege of understanding space and form in a way that allows us to modify them convincingly so as to resemble reality, even if that reality does not exist. As part of the exercise described above, we attempted to uncover the elements that visually and emotionally contribute to the fictional worlds we are creating, and manage to transform even the most seemingly rigid spaces. Using scenes as examples and excluding the acting factor, we showcase how colors, textures, lights, and props define the aesthetics of a scene. In combination with camera techniques, this is how we create well-crafted fictions that resemble reality - even if that reality is not the one we live in.
diagram by World Building Media Lab
18
Motel make-believe
SCENE STUDY BEDROOM SCENES
JOKER (2019)
AMELIE (2001)
MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN (2018)
THE MATRIX (1999)
BATHROOM SCENES
AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999)
THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)
AMELIE (2001)
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
Chapter ii
19
JOKER (2019)
AMELIE (2001)
20
Motel make-believe
LIGHT
SHADOW
JOKER HOSPITAL SCENE
The intensely cyan hues are what first strike us when looking at this scene. This color conveys tranquility and cleanliness, which is in line with the hospital space. Isolating other elements, we notice how even at a bed scene, the props are thoughtful and convincing. The most important observations are about lighting and shadow. The main light source is central,
SYMMETRIC LIGHTS
cool, and soft, coming from over the patient’s bed and contributing to the calmness. However, we also have an exterior light source that is much warmer and hence contrasts the interior. Additionally, it creates much harder shadows - such as those of the window blinds. This contrast is reflected on the main character’s face; only half of it is in harmony with the rest of the scene.
STRIKING RED
CONTRASTING COLORS
AMELIE BEDROOM SCENE
The prevalent colors in this scene are mixed red and orange hues. Amelie seems to be the quiet type, but we follow her through the enthusiastic pursuit of her love interest and peculiar passions, both elements tied to these colors. The details are important, as even the characters portrayed in the frames on the wall play a part in the movie as her imaginary friends.
The symmetry shot as well as the symmetric lighting reflect the order in her life. Constrast is achieved with the use of color (a single item of striking green), as well as variety in texture.
Chapter ii
21
AMELIE (2001)
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
22
Motel make-believe
LIGHT DIRECTION
CONTRASTING GREEN
AMELIE BATHROOM SCENE
Yellow is a color that represents imagination and optimism, both characteristics of Amelie’s personality. Besides the wall and tile color, the wood dresser also has yellow undertones. The warm light intensifies the effect, as it reflects off of the porcelain fixtures. This reflectivity implies cleanliness and tidiness despite the girly clutter seen on
GREEN HUES
all surfaces but the floor. The light comes from above which adds a little drama to the soft shadows - after all, this scene kicks off Amelie’s journey in the movie. Once again, we notice a single green element to contrast the homogeneous composition, just like in the bedroom.
LIGHT DIRECTION
FIGHT CLUB BATHROOM SCENE
The fluorescent light is what colors all elements in this scene, as every object ranges within the blackwhite color spectrum, including the characters’ clothing. What is important to note is the use of the mirror in the scene. Not only does it make the room appear larger and reveals multiple points of view,
but it also facilitates the lighting of the action. Because the main source of light comes from above the mirror, thus behind the characters, if the action was shot looking directly at the characters and seeing the mirrors and the sinks at the back, it would make our main subjects appear quite dark. All that is avoided by using the mirror as the medium to deliver the action.
Chapter ii
23
Animal Chin old school
COLOR STUDY As seen through the short scene studies, color is a very common medium to deliver information about the film’s identity. Whether expressed Animal Chin or light and reflections, one can through texture, Animal Chin Into the Dark old association school spot the between color and feelings. scary old school Below we have put together a few color studies of films or TV series, some of which shot at the Pink Motel.
Into the Dark Into the Dark scary GLOW scary theatre
INTO THE DARK (2018-) - FEAR
GLOW GLOW theatre theatre Lolita fresh
GLOW (2017-) - THEATRICALITY
Lolita Lolita fresh fresh America Beauty love AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) - INFATUATION
America Beauty America Beauty love love
The Great Gatsby splendid
24
Motel make-believe
Animal Chin GLOW old school theatre
Lolita fresh ANIMAL CHIN (1987) - OLD SCHOOL
Into the Dark scary
Lolita fresh
America Beauty love LOLITA (1997) - YOUTHFULNESS
GLOW theatre
America Beauty
The Great Gatsby
love
splendid THE GREAT GATSBY (2013) - OPULENCE
Lolita fresh
The Great Gatsby splendid
America Beauty love
The Great Gatsby splendid
Chapter ii
25
chapter iii:
INITIAL CONCEPT & E X P L O R AT I O N S storytelling within a room
CO-EXISTING WORLDS; A F I R S T PA S S As described in the previous chapters, our interpretation of LA’s identity and Pink Motel’s dualism inspired us to imagine ways that multiple disparate elements could coexist in one space. Thinking of a typical motel room that has been the set for various film genres, we wanted to explore the possibilities to express all these different scenes together, as if time in each little corner had paused at a certain point in the room’s life. A first pass of this idea led us to the composition of a room with multiple identities. Although when visually isolating different pieces of the picture we could vaguely get the sense of separate stories, the full image was not convincing. The elements could not coexist holistically, the light was too uniform, and objects & colors were not sufficient to narrate a story, which led us to reconsidering this approach.
28
Motel make-believe
Chapter iii
29
30
Motel make-believe
Chapter ii
31
S T O RY B O A R D # 1 Our initial approach of a storyboard was about a guest checking in at a motel. After getting in their room, the guest starts noticing all the various details that come from different stories/movie genres. We quickly noticed that the way these elements were introduced was not as intentional as it would need to be to create a cohesive story. Instead of a compelling narrative, it felt more like a rushed way of introducing the various clashing instances within the room, and was not dealing at all with transitions from one environment to the other.
32
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Motel make-believe
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Chapter iii
33
ROOM EVOLUTION Trying to assess the observations from the first attempt in creating a room and a storyboard, it became clearer that we would have to address questions regarding shifting views, transformations within the same space, and smooth transitions that would allow the various worlds to coexist seamlessly. This led us to creating a room that looked more coherent despite some deliberately clashing elements. This was also a first attempt at some more dramatic lighting that makes the scene moodier. However, the fact that it could potentially read as one room raised the question of whether our goal of containing many microworlds within one room was being achieved.
34
Motel make-believe
S T O RY B O A R D # 2 Dealing with transitions within a space also meant looking at these transitions through the camera lens. Did we have to stay within the room? Could we utilize some of the room objects as means to temporarily escape the confining space and open up the possibilities of secondary scenes within our main scene? This is how we developed the next storyboard, that explores the idea of blending reality and fiction in multiple layers. Moreover, it brings to the table the idea of volumetric transitions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Chapter iii
35
36
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
Motel make-believe
TRANSITION METHODS When trying to achieve transitions within a space, there are multiple ways one can go about it. As part of our explorations, we examined the following methods: A) Small scale optical illusion geometries. B) The entire space being made of geometries that change depending on one’s point of view. This type of illusion can be enhanced with projection mapping. C) Projection mapping to fake geometric illusions.
D) Transforming 2D surfaces (eg a TV screen) to volumetric instances we can enter. E) Obvious change of materials and textures while in our sight. F) Use of a light source to distract viewer from changes happening around the light source.
A)
B)
Chapter iii
37
C)
First look at space
Actual geometry outline
Overlay
Reality 38
Motel make-believe
D)
TV screen
From surface to volume
Entering new world
Immersion
E)
Starting with pink wallpaper & cool light
Going to green wallpaper & warm light
Chapter iii
39
F)
40
TV is off
TV turns on, focus on subject
Background picks up colors of TV content
Background and TV content colors change
Motel make-believe
TA K E A W AY S
Exploring the above various methods and revisiting our observations about worldbuilding in chapter ii, we came to the conclusion that selecting complex methods to deliver our narrative would take away from conveying our intent. After all, seamlessness is achieved when information is delivered in a smooth, non obtrusive way. Light is one of the most successful ways in shifting one’s focus, and learning how to manipulate that would assist in stitching together the various worlds contained within our room.
In regard to the storyline, we quickly realized that when worldbuilding is done correctly, the story or stories are conveyed primarily through the selection of materials, textures, objects, lights, and camera movement. Characters and their actions are complimentary to those scenes. Therefore, our objective became to make these elements in each scene tell their stories, rather than having a main character whose path or actions are telling one continuous story.
Chapter iii
41
chapter iv:
STORIES ARE BEST SERVED I N L AY E R S the final cut
SCENE CONSTRUCTION The final cut of our movie containes a multitude of little worlds hidden within it, all delivered in a photorealistic way. As an example of how the various scenes were constructed, we will present a few steps in the development of the bathroom scene texturing and lighting steps taken to achieve the final result. i. Defining basic materials - tile, plaster, porcelain, etc. Uniform and smooth lighting.
ii. Adjusting textures to reference common motel textures. Warm up hues for cheerful scene. Insert light source that adds character, as well as more details. Mirror to reflect glimpse into other worlds that coexist.
iii. Intensify contrast with making accent lighting the primary light source. Refine texturing details.
44
Motel make-believe
i. Defining basic materials. Inserting elements that create the distinction between horror and cheerful scene.
ii. Adjusting textures to reference common motel textures. Adding layers to imply heavy use, age, and character. Insert light source from previous scene and exterior environment light. Maintain glimpse to previous, contrasting scene.
iii. Adjust reflections from exterior light. Imply exterior world with stronger light source. Refine texturing details.
Chapter iv
45
MINI WORLDS Although scenes are meant to be delivered through video, we extracted a few stills to showcase some of the different worlds one could observe in our movie.
46
Motel make-believe
Chapter iv
47
48
Motel make-believe
SOUND EFFECTS
Just like all elements that construct each scene were approached as overlaying layers, the approach to our final cut’s sound was done in a similar way. Thus, we made a distinction between the following layers:
• Sounds delivered by objects as mediums. e.g. twitch casting through computer.
• Sounds caused by objects moving or having an action performed on them. e.g. a door creaking when closing.
• Indoor general ambience. e.g. machine humming at hospital scene.
• Exterior environment sounds, when applicable. e.g. birds chirping by the open window.
• Music to enhance scene when needed. e.g. relaxing music during bed scene
• Specific sounds that communicate information. e.g. dialogue during the last scene.
• Sounds referring to invisible actions taken by a potential subject existing in the scene. e.g. eating popcorn while watching TV.
Chapter iv
49
50
Motel make-believe
Chapter iv
51
Pages 50-51
The big image summarizing our film is a rendered still comprised of elements from several scenes within the video. Look carefully, and you might spot some surprises too!
IMAGE REFERENCES Pages 4-5 Full spread image, source: https://www. mentalfloss.com/article/64165/why-did-hollywood-sign-originally-say-hollywoodland
Page 13 All images taken from movies / videos mentioned in their captions, unless otherwise noted in the references.
Pages 6-7 Full spread image, source: https://la.curbed. com/2017/8/11/16135148/pink-motel-netflix-glow
Page 14 Images, source: https://www.bravotv.com/vanderpump-rules/photos/inside-surs-stylish-photoshoot#10643286
Page 8 Image, source: https://www.facebook.com/ThePinkMotel/photos /a.975166369171256/1087161011305124/?type=3&theater Page 9 Top left image, source: https://www. facebook.com/ThePinkMotel/photos /a.915976161756944/915978738423353/?type=3&theater Top right image, source: https://www.purephoto. com/tomfowlks/art/91570#.XctvHVdKiUk Bottom image (map), source: https://www.google.com/maps Pages 10-11 Full spread image, source: https://hiveminer.com/ Tags/camera%2Ckitsch/Timeline Page 12 All images taken from movies / videos mentioned in their captions, unless otherwise noted in the references. Bottom right image, source; https://www.imdb. com/title/tt0086107/
52
Page 15 Screenshot, source: https://www.cadillac-jacks. com/ Pages 16-17 Full spread image, source: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/manipulate-emotions-with-color-in-film/ Page 18 Diagram, source: https://www.kosmorama.org/ en/kosmorama/artikler/pd4c21-production-design-21st-century Pages 19-25 All images taken from movies / videos mentioned in their captions, unless otherwise noted in the references. Note: All images not included in the reference list above are original creations by the authors (Chunsu Ouyang, Gesthimani Roumpani, & Yanrong Yang).