Review

In the matter of production design, I think I successfully created the environment of a realistic and naturalistic party environment. However, I would have liked to have been able to include wall hangings instead of repeatedly using posters. The guitars in the first picture were originally meant to be mounted on the wall, however it turned out to be more of a safety hazard than it was worth. Along with the other rooms, I would have liked to have more freedom with decoration and more notification about what the shots would look like. I didn't get a chance to see what was going on behind the camera at all during the shoot, so I was unaware as to how it the scene would look in the film. I think the location was suitable, especially since with other student flats, they are usually a lot smaller. I think the setting was quite successful, however the enormity of the apartment contributed to the films somewhat blandness when it comes to its walls, as the walls were a cream colour with high ceilings. 

I'm happy that I didn't include party decorations, with balloons and streamers like I had planned. The production design keeps with the casual nature of the environment, which contrasts against the dramatic events that unfold in the scene. 

Had I have done the production design again, I would have focused more attention on the second bedroom which the conversation between Charlie, Miles and Steph takes place. I also would have tried harder to distinguish the two bedrooms from one another, since they are supposed to take place in two different houses. Had I have known so little of Charlie's bedroom would be shown, I would have perhaps put up wall paper around the scene to make the room appear different. At the time, I thought that more of the room was going to be visible. 

I would have also added more of my opinion and touch on the lighting scheme, as I feel that it is too orange and too dark. I didn't realise at the time that lighting could fall under the production design umbrella, and I should have worked more with Kornelija on the lighting. 

Overall, I think the production design is naturalistic and relatable. I can imagine myself attending a party with the same kind of tone and environment. 

Bedroom Inspiration and Final Outcome

 

The house does not contain any picture hooks or mounting devises to hang any paintings or other decorations. The solution to this problem would be a collection of posters blue tacked to the wall. 

Charlie is interested in music, reading and also travelling. I included a musical poster and a bass guitar to show a different, unseen side to Charlie. His desk also is piled with books and notepads. Then, there is a big map of Europe above the desk. A portrait painting is included in the background of a blonde boy, this is a homage to the original vision of the character of Charlie. I also changed the bed sheets around, because as the two bedrooms are in the same house, the bedsheets are the same. I changed them to avoid confusion. I also had to remove a lamp from the scene because its the same as in the other scenes. 

However, on the shooting day, I was unaware that the shots had been changed, and the desk set up and essentially the entire bedroom that I had decorated was cut out of the shot. In the end, I'm slightly disappointed with the outcome. 

The sparse white walls jeopardise the aesthetic of the shots once again. However, I added in posters as well to break up the space. This room, in reality, is Harry's bedroom, the actor that plays Marcus. I tried to stick to that theme, that this is actually Marcus' bedroom and Marcus' party. I added pictures of Harry to the bookshelf, and tried to match some of the decorations that are the same in Charlie's room, to hint that the two are compatible. There are music posters, a guitar and a book on Europe also in Marcus' room. There is also a similar poster to the "Charlie" poster that is in Charlie's room as well. 

Prop list:

Charlies bedroom:
- Posters (music, paintings)
- Map of the world/europe
- Books
- Boxes
- Notebooks
- Stationary
- Lamps
- Bedsheets
- Bass guitar
- Fairy Lights

Party scene:
- Bottles (beer, wine)
- Glasses
- Cards
- Fairy Lights
- Balloons
- Streamers
- Pizza boxes

Bedroom:
- Posters
- Wine bottle
- Bedsheets
- Lights
- Europe book
- Charlie poster
- Guitar

Party Scenes in other movies or RomComs

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: Party

500 Days of Summer: Party

Animal House: Party

Party scenes in film usually have a quite crowded, dark but warm atmosphere. The style of environment depends mostly on the social class of the characters and their age or income. Because the characters in this film are all teenagers/young adults, the environment would appear quite low budget with not a lot effort put into the decoration or maintenance of the flat. I originally purchased party decorations, like balloons and streamers, however the bright colours contrasted against the neutral colours of the furniture, and ultimately appeared tacky. I chose to stick to a more naturalistic appearance, featuring fairy lights and general party "mess" such as bottles and glasses.

Location: Gilmore Place

The filming for “The Right One” takes place at 81a Gilmore Place, Edinburgh. It is a substantially large first floor apartment, in which two bedrooms, a hallway and a main lounge and kitchen area will be used in production. When arriving through the front door into the hallway, the first noticeable thing is a large pole in the centre of the hallway. It’s necessity for being there is to stabilise the roof. Ideally, the pole would not be there, however there is no way of removing it. It could potentially be a safety hazard if it wasn’t visible during the scene where Charlie walks through a group of people. Yet, if all actors and extras notified of the poles whereabouts, then a safety hazard would be avoided. The next thing is the bland white walls in the hallway. With a high ceiling and no pre-existing picture hooks, the potential for artworks or wallpaper being placed on the wall is low. However, an interesting lighting scheme may assist the shot in being more aesthetically stimulating.

Bedroom #1: Charlie's room

The next room is the first bedroom. The room is occupied by a large set of windows onto the road, a bed, a desk and a mirror. The character of Charlie is supposed to be looking at himself in the mirror, with two white walls, the desk and the bed in view. The wall would have to be decorated with some sort of poster design. The desk would have to be filled with little knickknacks that say something about Charlie as a character. The bed sheets, that are the same as the ones in the second bedroom, would need to be changed.

Living Room and Kitchen: Party 

The large main living room and kitchen area is very spacious. It also already contains two couches, a television, a mirror, a kitchen bench and kitchen cupboards. The blue and silver kitchen cupboards provide an interesting shot design, especially in comparison to the other plain white walls. However, the room lacks a “party” environment. Decorations would need to be added to develop that environment, perhaps fairy lights, balloons and wall hangings would assist in developing that atmosphere. The clear bench space would also need to be filled with necessary “party” props, such as beer and wine bottles, glasses and perhaps a deck of cards. Above the kitchen cupboards, however, is another bland white wall that is visible in some shots. Perhaps using some interesting alcohol bottles aligned on the wall would make the shot more exciting. There is another white wall on the right side of the television. However, again, there are no picture hooks to frame any paintings or posters. Yet, fairy lights could be used, matching with the rest of the party. The mirror on the left side of the wall creates an interesting party dynamic, as the characters on the couches and the camera can see what is going on behind them. The couches would need to be moved from their original position to create more space in that environment, as the positioning of the couches originally blocked off the space instead of making it bigger. There is another bland white wall between two doors, perhaps small enough for a poster.

Hallway #2: 

The hallway contains too many doors for a large image, however some small photos could be placed there. However, there are no picture hooks there either. The venetian blinds on the right side of the hallway covering the windows could be utilized in an interesting lighting scheme.

Bathroom: 

The bathroom inside the bedroom, which was originally written as the setting for the scene in the script, proved to be too small and cumbersome for three actors and a film crew to work in. The practical lighting was also quite fluorescent and the wall space proved too difficult to decorate with. 

Bedroom #2: Party

So the scene was consequently moved into the adjacent bedroom. This contains a bed, a bookshelf and a mirrored wardrobe. The walls are empty and white as well. There are two walls that will be significantly used in the scene, these are the most important to decorate. Also, the bookshelf could be more eloquently decorated as well.