Fantasy Discussion

After looking at the possible topics I could choose for Unit 4, I decided on using the idea of Fantasy. This was for a few reasons. Firstly. I have previously done work that falls under this category which turned out well. Secondly, it is what I found most appealing to me and I got more ideas from the topic than the others. I also like the freedom this topic gives me, as there are many things that can fall under the topic of Fantasy, and almost everything can be linked back to it in some way or another.

One idea I want to look into in this project is the idea of fairy tales and the different ways in which they can be represented. For example, bringing a classic Disney Princess into the modern age, showing her with tattoos, a mobile phone and in the city. Another approach to this idea is to is to recreate them in their classic form, similar to the Disney representations by Annie Leibovitz. This would then mean focusing more on aesthetics such as lighting to ensure the image had a soft glow rather than a harsh, heavy look which goes against how classic fairy tales are commonly seen. The last idea I have to interpret classic fairy tales is showing them in a more macabre, horror way. For example have fairy tale hero's as villains, and show well known characters as zombies.

Another area I want to look into is Horror. This is an area I have previously explored and what to develop upon. This idea gives me a lot of freedom to use locations for shooting such as forests and abandoned buildings. Some ideas I want to look at are the myths of how the legend Dracula started - a woman bathing in blood, and the ideas of death. This gives me a lot of space for creativity as well regarding makeup and special effects. Another way I can approach horror is in a more mental, rather than physical aspect looking at things such as the electric chair, straight jackets and old style insane asylums. This would be playing on more of a realistic horror, which can visually come across as more shocking and horrific, therefore making a  stronger impact with the audience.

Another idea that I think could work really well with my project is the idea of people dreams, and personal fantasy's. This could be approached in both a positive way and a negative way. For example, I could look at the idea of immortality, and fame which are generally seen as positive dreams and unrealistic aspirations. I could also look at in the negative way, where people want to hide behind a mask, feel threatened or  depressed. This would then be focusing on their reality in contrast to a unrealistic fantasy on a personal level.