Behind the Disney Brave Shoot

This would be my favorite unofficial photo for composition & lighting

A little bonus because I know there's a whole lot of you (us) who like seeing these things: here are some lovely behind-the-scenes photos that appeared the day after Jessica Chastain's Merida was released into the internet-wilds.

To remind you, here's the official pic (looks like the color is bumped up in this one but it works - that hair is definitely Merida-red now!):

And here are the other behind-the-scenes shots (my favorite is at the head of the post, but you probably read that).

                    

 

                     

Apart from the cars in the background ruining it somewhat, this is my favorite "most natural Merida & Angus".
Jessica most embodies the Merida spirit here & check the horses' ears & eyeline: he likes her!
(So now I like her even more)

Did you notice the horse got a little photoshopping of his own re the markings and the high gloss? I know he had to match Angus but still... seems a crime that such a beautiful animal should need his image altered. But when you see things like this, and also like Jessica rehearsing on the plastic model, her boot stabilizing her position by being on a concrete block, you realize how much more amazing it is when stories - and real life - have these elements in them - without the props and extra touches. (Hollywood's fairy godmothers have to work pretty hard to get their fairy tales just "so"!)

So what does this have to do with anything in fairy tales? Very little - apart from reminding you that Brave and Scottish tales are back in the public mind and eye.

Therefore, you will now be returned to your regularly scheduled programming.

Maleficent: Behind-the-Scenes First Look

Behind-the-scene shot, filming Maleficent in the UK

You've probably all seen the image of Angelina Jolie in her Maleficent horns that's sweeping around the internet, right?

 Just in case you haven't, here she is:

Well there's more, including a couple of tidbits I find interesting:

1) looking at the behind-the-scenes photos it's not actually clear that the horns are part of the outfit Maleficent has styled to intimidate and amp her evil presence. instead they actually look as if they're part of her. If it turns out they are "hers" I must admit I have LOTS of sympathy kicking in for the character already. (And for Jolie as she fields the bazillion "horny" headlines about to explode in the media.)


Since Ms. Jolie told EW a few months back to liken the plot treatment of Maleficent to that of  Wicked (in having sympathy for the traditional villain as you learn her story and see how she got to the place we know her best), now knowing there's a possibility the horns are supposed to be as real on her as they are on the cattle, my mind immediately goes to Greek myth. She may just be the most gorgeous minotaur the world has ever seen.


You must admit, when we saw Maleficent in the Disney movie we immediately thought "demon" (despite that the horned headdress was perfectly in fashion back in the day that particular film was [vaguely] set). Even for this film you'd think "demon" (or the intention to appear rather more demonic and therefore ultra scary) would be more obvious but with the cattle at her back she gives far more of the "tragic figure" air than of the initial "must-be-put-down evil spawn" vibe.




2) These behind-the-scene shots from Dread Central show her in the British countryside in full dress, surrounded by a herd of cattle. They look like Highland Cattle specifically (a very beautiful breed with serious looking horns). Anyone up on their ancient tales should be sitting up a little straighter with the appearance of a whole herd of cows backing Maleficent as she gets her magic on.



I have to wonder at the role of the herd and what part they play in her magic. (She looks like she's busy doing something magically intimidating in the shot at the head of the post, don't you think?)


I admit I am partial to fairy tales like The Black Bull of Norroway and I never quite forgave Jack for selling Milky White for some magic beans. When you see how cattle were revered in ancient times it's no surprise they can be magical in the correct context. It's all wishful thinking that this aspect is even hinted at in the film I'm sure, but script writer Linda Woolverton can surprise with her layering and she won't have chosen the cattle by accident or whim. I'm curious to see what the significance is.

Note the Maleficent stunt double in the background

Maleficent is set for release in theaters on March 14, 2014. (2014! I'm guessing they have a lot of special effects work to do.)

Note: If you've never hugged a cow, you're missing out on an amazing life experience. Put it on your bucket list. I highly recommend it.

Video: "Mirror Mirror" Stars On Adapting A Classic Fairy Tale

Behind the scenes of Mirror Mirror with director Tarsem Singh

 From the Washington Post:

The stars of "Snow White" adaptation "Mirror, Mirror" discuss reading Grimm's fairytales to their children and working with the film's phenomenal director, Tarsem Singh. (The Associated Press)

It's really an ad, with extra footage from the movie and a couple of teeny tidbits about the stars response to the Grimm's version of Snow White. The biggest surprise (to me) was that Julia Roberts seemed to have no idea how dark the Grimm version was (at least in comparison to Disney).

Behind the scenes of Mirror Mirror with director Tarsem Singh

Article & Promo Roundup On Pixar's "Brave"

Brave textural poster by Peter Moxom

With the release of a new trailer, new poster and a TV spot comes more from behind-the-scenes of Brave, as Pixar begin ramping up the publicity in time to get everyone excited for the June release (which is clearly working if you take a peek around at the fan art and Tumblr accounts already dedicated to Brave and lead-character Merida).

Here's the new TV spot:

And here are a few of the articles released in the last week or so:

* Super cool behind-the-scenes Pixar's Brave Concept Art And Sculptures (Images and Video, including storyboard shots) from the Disney's Hollywood Studios display, that's a must-see for anyone who likes to see how these films come together. It also gives you a hint of what went into the movie, even if you don't end up seeing it on the big screen. Here are just a few:

* On inspiration for the story, setting and how OK creator Brenda Chapman is with not directing her story. Also a note on Scottish folk tale influence: Inspiration for Pixar's fairytale Brave came from director's 'strong-willed' daughter

(On the folk tales:) Despite the makers of Brave claiming a passion for Scottish legends, insiders say the Caledonian influence is a bit hit and miss. One studio source said the only Scottish idea is the will o' the wisp who leads Merida to a meeting with a witch, below. But will o' the wisps, jack o' lanterns or hinkypunks are not uniquely Scottish, appearing in fairytales all over the world.

* On field trips and research for the film: Behind The Scenes Of Pixar’s Brave – Swords, Kilts And A Nice Lie Down

* Behind the Scenes of Pixar's Girl Story (slideshow from Time Entertainment)

* From the New York Post (which has more questions than answers): Is Pixar's 'Brave' the Disney Princess Movie We Need?

* You can watch a whole scene at Disney.com/Brave, which streams nicely and with excellent quality, or you can view it below. It shows the archery contest and a whole lot about the story premise and the relationship between Merida and her mother (all in one neat scene - nice!) I recommend watching this one if you haven't already.


* There's also some really neat stylized artwork on the site that we're bound to see more of in books and in the movie. The ones shown below tell the premise (and advertise the actors):

* As a bonus, archery geeks are very, very happy about how Pixar animated the all-important archery scene at Wired's New Brave Trailer Nails the Archery. Pretty high praise. Makes me want to pick up a bow again (not kidding!). Watch out archery clubs: you're about to be stampeded by Merida wannabe's.

"Mirror Mirror" Behind-the-Scenes Tour

This couldn't be more different to Snow White and the Huntsman, in case anyone still had any doubts. The above photo looks quite Pre-Raphaelite, although that isn't the tone of the rest of the released images.

I always like behind-the-scenes information - whether it be of a book, movie or theatrical production. The creative process combined with the grunt work and technical requirements can give quite a bit of insight into how a story (in this case a fairy tale) was approached. Although most behind-the-scenes videos released now are for marketing purposes I can usually find some little bit of information that's interesting.

From the interview/tour:

"This is the classic, iconic dwarves' house, as you can tell by the little things around," Lily said. "So much goes on in this house. Everything from the iconic waking up scene with the dwarves and I [to] Armie—imagine Armie, how tall he is, he is in here quite a bit."

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

The video, with short accompanying article is from HERE, which also links you to more promo pictures from the movie. Mirror Mirror is set to be released on March 30.

First Behind-the-Scenes Photos of "Mirror Mirror"

Lily Collins stands alone in the woods set of Mirror Mirror.

Here is a "first look" at Mirror Mirror, the Snow White film with Julia Roberts and Lily Collins.

It's really more of a "on the set of" set of photos as most of the photos include crew and peeks at the rigging holding the scenery. I love seeing all this, of course, but these particular shots don't give you any more of an idea of the movie than the original trailer did. One thing is for certain though: no matter what's going on with the plot (or the jokes) the visuals promise to be stunning. The design work and cinematography all show a strong and cohesive stylistic signature (as was expected of director Tarsem Singh) and I actually want to see the "making of" featurettes more than the movie itself.

Camera trainee Camille Baduraux crouches next to a fancy snow sled in which Nathan Lane is preparing to act.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Tarsem Singh (Immortals) hopped into the director's chair for the 14-week shoot when Ratner stepped aside, turning the movie into an "all stage" production. Singh crafted the movie's many environments exclusively on soundstages with the help of digital effects and elaborate costumes from Oscar winner Eiko Ishioka (Bram Stoker's Dracula). The result, producers hope, is a whimsical family film with modern sensibility.

"It's an animated movie come to life," says Goldmann. "You can only do that with the greenscreen effect."

Lily Collins stands by as a large clapper board is used to mark the beginning of a scene. (I really like this photo!)

There are 23 behind-the-scenes photos to browse through and you can find them all HERE.

Mirror Mirror now has a release date of March 16th, 2012, instead of June 29th.

Nathan Lane relaxes sans shoes.

Su Blackwell Designs Sets For "The Snow Queen"

Poster for The Rose Theater's 2011 Production of The Snow Queen, with designs by Su Blackwell.

Yesterday, fantastical paper-and-more artist Su Blackwell posted her designs for a theatrical production of "The Snow Queen" and, as you might expect, her magical touch with paper cutouts rules the set.

In an interview Ms. Blackwell talked about her approach to set design, something which she hasn't tackled before. Here are some excerpts:

"It starts off with an industrial, Victorian, brick town in Denmark, which is quite bleak and then as Girder travels through the seasons, it becomes a magical, fantasy world," says Blackwell. "My favourite scene is Mrs D's garden, which is quite surreal and topsy-turvy. I had fun playing with the scale of props for that and planning explosions of colour for the stage."

...When it came to the set designs, each one was made by hand, on a small scale out of paper first before being turned over to the production team to recreate, scaled-up in canvas. "It was quite a restrictive way of working because the Rose is a circular theatre, so everything is on view and you haven't got the advantage of hiding part of the set away," she says.

You can read the whole article HERE.

And here's a very important piece of fairy tale news from the same article:

She's also illustrating a book of fairytales that will be out next autumn.

I'm putting that on my fairy tale wish list right now! :)

You can read a full review of the production by The Guardian HERE, which, as you might also suspect, has some lovely things to say about Ms. Blackwell's design.

A nice theatrical addition to this production is The Snow Queen Christmas Trail. From the Rose Theater website:

The Rose Theatre presents a selection of free performances of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales on the streets of Kingston to celebrate our adaptation of his most loved work, The Snow Queen. (Dates indicated here) ...The Snow Queen Trail project is supported by the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund which aims to strengthen the vibrancy and growth of London's High Streets.

The Rose Theater has been posting some images from the traveling players on the "Trail" on their Twitter account too. For instance:

 The Snow Queen went out into Kingston last night

to find a child to fix her broken mirror.

 

 Our travelling players get to work in Kingston...

The Trail runs from December 7th through to the 23rd and look like a wonderful way to build interest in the production, the story and help people enter the fairy tale world. I wish I could see it in person.

Article: What Does NBC's Grimm Look For When Choosing Fairy Tales To Adapt For The Series?

 

I really like that the Grimm producers and writers are talking about how they use fairy tales right now. No matter who is being interviewed - actors, producers, writers or effects and production people - or with regard to which aspect of the series everyone points the way back to the old fairy tales of Grimm and many others.

What would be particularly fun would be to be a fly on the wall as they're sorting through and choosing which fairy tale to tackle next. The Executive Producers of Grimm recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter on the  basic aspects they look for with regard to any tale.

NBC’s new drama series, Grimm, combines the myth of fairy tales rehashed into a police procedural. On every episode, Brothers Grimm descendant, homicide detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), is charged with protecting others from real life fairy tale creatures, along with his partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby). There are hundreds of tales to pick from, but the show’s producers and writers have definite needs when it comes to which ones can be adapted for the series.

...The EPs say there are specific characteristics that they look for in the myths that ultimately make it on to the series. Here are four things that make a fairy tale ripe for adaptation.

I'll give you the summary (these are all excerpts - please read full article for complete text and series goodies):

1. Fairy tales that include a crime.“We look for something where there could be a crime and that we can really twist it,” says Greenwalt.  Being a procedural, each episode needs some foul play as its basic story line...  (see article for full text) But not all tales have one, though that doesn’t mean a fairy tale can’t be used. (Emphasis by InkGypsy.)That brings us to characteristic No. 2.

2. The tale lends itself to modernization. ...“There’s something fantastic [there - for example in The Pied Piper episode -] that can translate to our world today, like how would somebody get wronged and want to seek revenge using rats? How would you modernize that story?” says Greenwalt.

3. There’s a character or detail that stands out.“Not all the stories have crimes. But sometimes there’s a character that is interesting enough and other times it’s a setting,” Kouf tells THR...

4. A story can be retold from a different point of view.Many times, the series looks to myths, including popular ones, and tries to re-imagine them from a different perspective. “The Three Little Pigs,” which appears on Friday’s episode, is one example.... (see article for full text) So, it’s the fun of turning a well-known fairy tale on its head.”

I like that we got a sneak peek into one of their scripts-in-progress too. They've chosen the tale and are clearly fascinated by some aspects but are still nutting through the details of how to craft an updating and make it fit the series:

“One story has a bunch of suitors caught in a hedge of thorns,” Greenwaltsays. “And they die and they’re caught in this hedge. And we love the idea of doing the hedge that surrounds the castle that catches all the people that try to get through it. It’s a little tough to figure out how to move that into a modern context without getting too fantastical or too magical, but we’re working on it.”

Of course, if I personally had to choose, it would be hard for me to pick a tale that DOESN'T fit these requirements as explained by the "EPs". ;D But that's possibly just my fairy tale soaked brain. I've spent a lifetime finding the contemporary parallel stories and lessons in almost every tale I've read. LOL

Read the full article with all the insights into how the Grimm team are viewing fairy tales HERE.

Red Riding Hood in Blue

Yep. Red Riding Hood is wearing blue - at least in the photos we've seen so far. Cast-in-costume photos shot behind-the-scenes of the movie-currently being shot in Vancouver, Canada, include pics of co-stars Virginia Madsen (Red’s mom), Gary Oldman, Cole Heppell, Jen Halley, Billy Burke and Lukas Haas.

(Yes, that's the on-screen love interest, played by Shiloh Fernandez.)

You can see all 17 photos HERE.

But that's not all.

All sites posting and commenting on the photos agree the costuming for Amanda Seyfried, who plays the title role in The Girl With the Red Riding Hood (working title), isn't sporting the iconic Red Riding look. But I suggest you take a closer look.

Maybe I'm reading much more into this than is intended but is anybody else looking at the virgin blue, the red threads woven in, the 'horny' headdress and thinking that maybe the costume is perhaps closer to a red hood than it first appears? Of course I could totally be reading into it. I do love symbology and have a tendency to see it everywhere but if this isn't intentional I'll be very surprised. Any costume designer worth their salt builds story into their characters' costumes, even if it's story that's never directly addressed. This appears a little less subtle than that to me, but it's effective, nevertheless.

The plot remains largely a mystery at this point other than "a Gothic retelling of Red Riding Hood" (actually it would be 'Little Red Cap' as 'Hood' is the Perrault version) and the IMDB one sentence synopsis:

Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, a young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter, much to her family's displeasure.

... but the dress, particularly the one with the horned headdress (which would logically appear to follow the 'walking in blue with boots' one at the head of this post), says a lot. Particularly about transformation, magic, blood magic, lust (and hormones) and innocence.

Until the script and story come to light speculation is king but so far I haven't seen anyone connect the dots like in this particular way. iO9 mentions magic but even the 'sexy superstar' sites haven't twigged to the horned = lust = sexual maturation aspect of Red that I've seen.

Just my take.

Of course, you didn't really think they would do a 'Red' film completely minus the hood, did you? I found the other half to the top photo. Take a look at what Amanda's harried assistant (dresser?) is holding over her arm.
Note: Additional horned headdress costume images via HERE and Amanda-plus-assistant photo found HERE.