2. Synopsis
An experimental and short film in a montage style, about a girl portraying the nine
different mythological muse goddesses, this will be background theme to the short.
The film will have juxtaposed contrasting short scenes, the same subject will be in each
scene but will change in each - her character, aesthetic, traits, focus and surroundings
will change. For example she will be portraying who represents tragedy in a short
scene which will then switch to another muse, and so on. Each short scene will loosely
based on each muses attributes, emblems and back story in a modernised and
experimental approach.
3. Initial idea
- Short experimental film based on the mythology of the nine muses.
- The film will be in a montage, starring a single female subject portraying a muse in
short scenarios/scenes
- I want this short film to be experimental and visual, rather than a drama/ dialogue
driven film.
- For my dissertation I am writing about postmodernism and Auteur directors - a
filmmaker or director with an instantly recognisable style. So far, I have looked at
directors such as Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosawa,
Wes Anderson and the French New Wave directors Jean-Luc Godard, François
Truffaut, Claude Chabrol and Jacques Rivette. Looking at their different attributes and
individual aesthetics. I am therefore interesting in focusing on the aesthetic and style
of this short film.
4. A Muse : As a verb, to muse is to consider something
thoughtfully. As a noun, it means a person — especially a woman
— who is a source of artistic inspiration.
In mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses who symbolised the
arts and sciences. Today, a muse is a person who serves as an
artist's inspiration. Often filmmakers talk about a certain actor
being a muse — meaning the actor inspired a movie. Writers,
painters, musicians, and other artists have muses. Muse can also
refer to thinking deeply. If you muse about something, you're
giving it serious thought. You can't muse in five seconds. People
muse on certain ideas for years.
Each Muse was assigned expertise in a particular area of human
abilities, these were depicted through art in props, or emblems
which became identifiable, meaning that you could immediately
recognise the Muse and the art with which she had become
associated.
Theme
5. Calliope - Epic Poetry
Clio - History
Euterpe - Flutes and Lyric Poetry
Thalia - Comedy and Pastoral Poetry
Melpomene - Tragedy
Terpsichore - Dance
Erato - Love Poetry
Polyhymnia - Sacred Poetry
Urania - Astronomy
The Love Witch (2016) directed by Anna Biller
The nine muses of
Mythology
6. Neon Demon (2016)dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
Aesthetic / Character
film references
Buffalo ‘66 (1998)
dir. Vincent Gallo
The Love Witch (2016)
Twin Peaks (1990-92) dir. David LynchThe Doom Generation (1995)
Salvare La Faccia (Psychout For Murder) (1969)
dir. Gregg Araki
dir. Anna Biller
dir. Rosenau Brazzi
7. Visual Style
The visual style and cinematography will be contrasted colours within a chosen colour
pallet, lighting and camera movement will also be considered carefully.
As I wanting to make this short film a montage style, I feel as if this would be a good
way to portray different aesthetics throughout the switching scenes in which the girls
character changes - achieved by changing the lighting, props, set, colour schemes.
However through doing this I will still stay within the overall visual style, theme,
representation and story telling of the film.
Neon Demon 2016 Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
