In Unit X, our group want to explore and delve more into the concept of the underworld and all that it represents through the 1841 ballet Giselle. Although there is plan on manipulating and changing the narrative of Giselle, my main focus is on the visual representation of our own interpretation, hopefully to provide a successful and fresh visual expression to our image of the classic Giselle story. Due to the collaboration of our group, consisting of Filmmakers, Photographers and Animators, we want to display a project that expresses the theme of the underworld through our strengths; shifting and changing roles in order to explore other forms of media. Thus adding a contemporary effect to our project.
Through research, our main goal was to grasp a consistent and creative visual interpretation which we wanted to display all through the theme of the underworld. To create a new expression of what the underworld might represent. To preserve the atmospheric dark turn of Giselle we wanted to explore themes of the underworld mostly through the second act, which would allow to us explore the physical and spiritual effects of death whilst also maintaining the love element as it proves most vital.
Establishing a strong sense of atmosphere is something I feel is essential in order for the narrative to be heightened and to prove successful. Although this is very much a love story, I think the thought and the process of death should very much still be explored, and for such a concept to be a prominent aspect of the story. Much like The Sixth Sense, I feel as if a blatant visual representation of Giselle's demise is important to the story which I feel would be correctly displayed through the colour red. I want to present the death of a broken heart through a red stain that the women of the underworld will have, that the stained dress they wear symbolises the unfortunately of their death.
Further research led a myth of the underworld in which before someone reaches the pit of the underworld they first must go through seven stages, featuring drowning and being cut with blades. Although these are quite drastic and probably wouldn't suit the ballet's tone, I think lightly expressing these elements through characters appearance after they have entered the "underworld" in which they could appear almost wet looking with slight and injuries on arms and legs. The possibility of that sort of depiction is yet to be concrete, but that kind of exploration of the underworld is what we plan on trying to depict.
The concept of Giselle's rise from the grave and her return to almost become one with the environment; that she enters and leaves and scene through the silhouettes that are created by the twisted and dark surroundings of the characters. This is all quite evidently unrelated to narrative structure which would be typically required off a filmmaking student, but the concept of portraying themes of death through the ballet's image without forcing a shift in the ballet's original structure is something we as a group is interested in, in which I look forward to exploring.
