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 Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:27 pm
I'm not deleting my work yet but I really do not have the material to work on my original film. Instead of transforming the book into a feature, I'm gonna take an art film perspective and try to tell Christine's point of view. I've had a few ideas, and I want some feedback on them. This will be a shorter movie than my first one too. My ideas were either:
Christine's Diary, found by Leroux.
A series of letters from Christine to Daroga, given to Leroux.
Starting with the rooftop scene and using that to backtrack through the story. May or may not progress beyond that point.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:39 pm
Christine
The major parts of her personality I want to play up are-
Strong-willed: When Christine wants something done, she gets it done, mostly seen through her assorted fights with Raoul. Also during the Masquerade scene she makes up her mind to keep Raoul and Erik apart and does. Also her suicide attempt to keep from choosing between the death of her lover and a life without him.
Emotionally drained: I forgot who said it but up until three months before the start of the book she was a "singing machine", she was so devistated by her father's death and that drain stayed with her. That is why she let her mind succumb to the thought of the angel of music and why even once she knows the truth she is still under his 'spell'. I think it frightens her.
Empathetic/Sympathetic- She knows what it feels like to be alone after her father's death. I think that is why she doesn't want to totally abandon Erik. She knows the feeling of being alone and she associates him with thoughts of her father who she misses. She is NOT a two-timer.
More to be Added soon
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:45 pm
Erik
I have not done much on him yet but here is what I think.
Mentally challenged (and/or Insane)- Seriously, I know many mentally challenged people and worked with mentally challenged children. Erik just seems to fit the bill. He cannot really connect with the world around him. Autistic people can be geniuses, like this one boy in my school. He is a musical genius but he can't comprehend most of his actions (like when he semi-threatened to shoot the kids in my music class). Also mentally challenged sometimes tend to be disfigured in some way.
Posessive- Okay we all knew this one coming but it's not JUST about Christine. It's about things he thinks he owns. The opera house for example, he helped build it, why shouldn't he demand how it's run and charge the buffoons for using his work? That's just how I feel about it.
More Coming Soon
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:50 pm
Raoul
Yes fun to make fun of but I empathize with him.
Hopeless Romantic- I think that sums him up pretty well. That is probably why I feel protective of him, because I am a sappy romantic. He is head over heels in love with Christine and even if he kinda ******** up along the way he wants to protect her. He's charming and kind and he has been raised mostly around women (and his brother, but there is a very large age gap between them) so it's pretty clear as to why he has effeminate qualities.
Not a total wuss- He's about to go on an Arctic expedition for crying out loud, he is a sailor... let's not forget... even if he is (See above)
Just a tad slow on the uptake... no discussion needed
Amusing- Yeah, if you see my stuff so far I have him getting hit in the face by doors, talking to a coatrack, and asking his brother not to sniff his mail. Raoul amuses me... he does...
Just to clarify- (Thanks Erin) Raoul isn't only there for comedy relief but he struck me as easy to laugh at in certain parts and for such a dark story there needs to be some humor. It's all in good taste. Like the door, it was when he was listening in on Erik and Christine, she rushes out of the room and Raoul gets thwacked with the door. Serves him right really...
But I really want to make him a likable character...
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:52 pm
Minor Characterizations
Haha, s**t, I didn't make one for Daroga... I guess he has to go in here too!
-Meg, although very minor, likes to stir up trouble and egg people on
-Madame Giry- bitchy widow... yeaaaaahh... friendly with Erik
-Richard- Angry...almost all the time
-Moncharmin- a little bit calmer, a little more confused...
I haven't thought much about Daroga yet... so HELP needed here badly
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:53 pm
Shots/Sequences
---My opening is a little choppy. I begin with a black and white scene, flashback to when Raoul rescues Christine's scarf from the ocean. Then it cuts to the opening titles, which takes place in I guess 1910, you see a figure (Daroga) sitting down and writing a letter to Gaston Leroux and his words are heard in voice over. Then finally it goes into the gala performance in 1880 or 1896.. depends on whether I go with the book or historical events.
---The scene where Carlotta get's her note from OG, I'm making it... a few minutes long.. but I'm going to do the entire scene in Spanish and subtitled... It starts with an amusing interaction between her and her maid... "Asleep! I am asleep! Listen to my beautiful snoring."
---As Raoul reads Christine's letter telling him to meet her at the Masquerade, Christine's voice will be heard in voice over as Raoul reads the letter, visually it will fade to the masquerade and through the party until the letter ends and you see Raoul waiting... following with the line "I look like a fool... I feel like a fool... I am a fool." Something like that.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:54 pm
Plot Help!
Issue Resolved- It's remaining a forehead kiss.
The moment I'm sure so many of us love: the E&C kiss.
Now as the book tells it, he kisses her on the forehead. Now, I think I want to change it to a lip kiss. Why? Because it's a defining moment really and I think a lip kiss would be more powerful. I see this moment as the moment where Erik has had some form of closer human contact and is able to see past his obsessiveness which enables him to see Christine's unhappiness. So, forehead kiss like book or lip kiss?
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:55 pm
Casting
Did I ever tell you how amazing I am at picking up actors along the way? I like to work with people I know and since I am making the movie for the sake of art and not for money I feel like it's better. I may hold auditions at some point for open spots but this is what I have for now.
Here are my current cast members:
Christine- My girlfriend Lexi. She's a good actress and a very pretty singer and I knew before I started this that she wants to play Christine on Broadway (and I'm hoping she can ^-^) and then I offered her the role in my film.
Pending-
Daroga: My friend Zaid. He's a fabulous actor and a fabulous person and very versatile. I've done a lot of scene work with him... in fact so much that our teacher banned me from working with him. o_O; I dropped that class.
Other pending filled roles:
Meg
Jammes
Two of the three dancers in the opening scene
Carlotta
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:57 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:58 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 9:05 pm
First post!
I only have one comment right now, and thats about Raoul: don't make him too much the comic relief! He has to be someone Christine could fall in love with. I don't know, something I felt about Raoul is that hes charismatic. All of the characters (excepting Erik of course) like him/admire him/love him, so hes obviously got something.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 9:09 pm
Erin Sovenya First post! I only have one comment right now, and thats about Raoul: don't make him too much the comic relief! He has to be someone Christine could fall in love with. I don't know, something I felt about Raoul is that hes charismatic. All of the characters (excepting Erik of course) like him/admire him/love him, so hes obviously got something. Yeah, I mean I like the guy so I'm not going to make him look like an idiot. I do think he is charming (plays in with the hopeless romantic part) but I mean... the comedy is all pretty much in good taste.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 6:23 am
Twee! I like this idea! Happy to help in any way possible.
Just a few thoughts to kick around...
Re: Christine - I agree with you that she's very strong willed and even independant. (And it'd be great to actually see that portrayed in a film.) She doesn't let Erik or Raoul walk over her, really she doesn't capitulate to either of them at all, unless Erik has hostages.
She gets what she wants done, though often it's in a subtle, more subversive way. She gets Erik to let her go by convincing him she'll come back, she keeps Raoul away by telling him she doesn't love him, etc. In that respect she sort of has a Daroga Complex... She doesn't care so much what happens to her, as long as those she loves are safe. And she's very compassionate, not just to Erik. She takes care of Mama Valerius, and in Apollo's Lyre they talk about her being friends with all of these people who worked or lived in the opera, and helping them with their tasks. And I don't think it's just because she lost her father, though that certainly helps. I think she's just one of those naturally kindly people. It's my unsupported opinion that this is the reason Erik was in love with her, and her voice was only secondary.
Mah, gotta go... Shall post more later...
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:01 pm
Okay, I posted a question in Plot Help, I think you all will like this one
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:20 pm
I always liked the forehead kiss because it really is such a little, unimportant thing. It shows how Erik had been denied even the smallest bit of human kindness, and how very little it took to make him happy.
A kiss on the forehead isn't very big or powerful, but taken in the context that he probably hasn't had any real physical contact with Christine, aside from dragging her around, it's a big thing.
Then again, if you really had to you could do both... Have him kiss her on the forehead and then she kisses him on the lips. *shrugs* But I definately prefer the forehead kiss for it's poignancy.
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