Tag: fantastic beasts

Part 3. Project 2. Ex 3: Film Posters

In this exercise I am to choose a film and its corresponding poster and reflect on how the image, colour, composition and typography are used to reflect the nature of the film.

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Walmart.com. (2019). Pop Culture Graphics MOVCB41845 Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them Movie Poster, 11 x 17 – Walmart.com. [online] Available at: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fantastic-Beasts-and-Where-to-Find-Them-Movie-Poster-11-x-17/103055342 [Accessed 26 Aug. 2019].

This poster for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them immediately sums up the recurring theme of the film, light into darkness. 

The way that the main character is positioned on the right-hand side framed by a blaze of light against the dark gloomy backdrop of new York city illustrates the characters journey through the storyline. The body language of the character communicates that he is a modest and unassuming man, a traveller as can be seen from the briefcase. The wand in his hand has a glowing tip, an echo of the brighter light behind him and potentially hinting at its source. He is well dressed yet the building he is standing on has been ravaged by either a beast (as hinted at by the film title) or events as yet unknown. The colouring of his backdrop, bules and greys, reflects the atmosphere that the character finds in the USA, his destination. Magic is strictly regulated there, paperwork for every visitors wand permit and regulations on interactions with non-magic citizens.

The character arrives in new York from the more enlightened 1920’s England, he brings with him modern thinking, new ways of doing things and new attitudes towards many aspects of life including animals. One of the themes of the film is that he is on a quest to educate fellow human beings to better understand and live alongside animals rather than being scared/attacking them.

This film poster is reminiscent of the film City of Angels in which angels are all around us, invisible but keeping an eye on events. Within the film they are usually pictured on high rise buildings in long brown greatcoats, this is what springs to mind for me when I see this poster, the character is an angel sent to help the creatures and possibly people that he  finds at his destination. 

The typography links directly to the Potter franchise. It has the same basic font shape and flourishes despite the nature of the letters being a lot more organic and less jagged.

Part 2. Project 2. Exercise 1

Exercise 1 – Choose a novel or a film or a play you love and map it to The Hero’s Journey

I have chosen to use another J.K Rowling creation as I know it quite well, I would have chosen Harry Potter if the course textbook hadn’t used it as an example!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Act 1

Endangered animal enthusiast and lone wizard, Newt Scamander, The Hero, arrives in New York with a suitcase full of creatures. He travels the world saving endangered animals, restoring them back to their natural environments and gently educating his fellow wizards about them. Carrying out this vocation is hisOrdinary World.

  Newt receives his Call To Adventure on the steps of the bank at which the Salem League is protesting against witches. He is asked if he is a seeker after truth, he is further asked to comment on the idea that witches live amongst the normal humans. Newt refuses to answer and makes a hasty exit in pursuit of one of his escaped creatures. This refusal to interact is Newts Refusal Of The Call.

  Inside the bank he meets Tina Goldstien (Meeting with the Mentor) who will be Newts guide to wizarding America. He is arrested by Goldstien and taken into MACUSA, Crossing The First Thresholdtowards interacting with other wizards, not just animals.

Act 2

As Newt, Jacob and Goldstien travel New York recapturing his escaped creatures their paths begin to cross with MACUSA’s Augustus Graves. Tests Allies and Enemies.

  In his Approach To The Inmost Circle, Newt is questioned by Graves who inadvertently starts to show signs of nefarious intent.

  When Creedence is revealed both as the Obscurous and as a scared boy, Newt tries to save him both from self destruction and from the plotting of Graves who wishes to use Creedence as a weapon. Battling Graves for Creedence’s heart is Newts Ordeal.

  Towards the end of the battle, Newt is losing and will be killed. Creedence intervenes to save him from Graves and at Newts urging, shows mercy. The saving of Creedence’s soul is Newts initial Reward. Graves is unveiled as villain Grindewald further rehabilitating Newt in the eyes of MACUSA.

Act 3

The Road Back for Newt begins with the thanks of the American MACUSA President. He is able to use one of his creatures to wipe the memory of the city thereby enabling the Resurrectionof the magical worlds shroud of secrecy.

  He Returns (to the UK) with the Elixir of the promise of new love.

I am now to use the same stages of A Heroes Journey to create my own story.

Act 1

Ordinary World – A shy bear who is scared of going outside, lives in a playroom.

He likes watching planes through the window, sits in a plane and imagines flying.

Call To Adventure – Invited to a toys picnic in the garden

Refusal of the Call – Says no because scared of outside and doesn’t really know anybody.

Meeting with the Mentor – He meets Bolt the rabbit engineer. Mad Scientist.

Crossing the First Threshold – Leaves his shelf for first time, into Bolts workshop, helps him with inventions?

Act 2

Tests/Allies/Enemies

  • Meets Captain Cassidy and his men (toy soldiers) who go hunting for bits and pieces for Bolt. In exchange Bolt fixes their tanks/rifles/catapults/bodyparts. The soldiers look a bit like worker ants when they drag back the assorted parts.
  • Sees The Cat (enemy) who tries to catch the soldiers and their loot
  • Bear is brave and chases the cat away
  • Gets picked up by The Dog and dropped in the garden – realises it’s a nice place full of sunshine and flowers – nothing to be scared of

Approach to the Inmost Circle – Toys picnic gets chased off by cat, cat eats sandwiches. Bear deploys in Bolts plane with Captain Cassidys men, airdrops soldiers to secure picnic area

Ordeal – Plane breaks, too much weight, Bear parachutes out of plane with picnic, as ‘outside’ as outside can be

Reward – Saves the picnic, lands to a heros welcome, realises everyone likes him

Act 3

The Road Back – Toys get found in garden by child, put in cart and taken back inside….literally giving them a lift

Resurrection – New life as Bolts test pilot

Return With the Elixir – No longer scared of outside, dreams of flying now real, lots of new friends