Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter most famously known for The Great Gatsby (2013) and Moulin Rouge (2001). As well as directing films, he has also created an infamous advert for Chanel (No 5: The Film) featuring Nicole Kidman. His work is highly recognisable and iconic due to how dramatic and flamboyant every aspect is and the highly saturated colours which are essentially his trademark. I have chosen to look at his work as although he does films they show strong aspects of fantasy and give me a lot of inspiration. 



This advert relates to my theme of fantasy as it represents the ideas of love and of Chanel seemingly taking over New York. I chose to include this as I like how elegant it is, and how it merges the two different ideas (effectively two different sides of Nicole Kidman's character) together seamlessly showing a juxtaposition between her dream and her reality. What really caught my eye was the compositions used in this, as they show both the bigger picture, and just the individual characters which go against each other. I also like the colours used, as they are mainly quite dark, which means the lighter colours - such as the feathered white dress -  and the red carpet stand out more dramatically.
This was created to advertise Chanel perfumes. The most important thing about this is the intimate way the two main characters are shown even amongst busy crowds as it makes it seem more personal and in a way more realistic.


This trailer relates to my project as it is portraying the classic William Shakespeare love story. I chose to include this as I really like how the trailer shows contrasting ideas, at the end and begining you see a classic and poetic side of the film that appears to stay very true to the original story but then in the middle there is a modernised, energetic and rebellious twist to the film which is what makes it stand out against other interpretations. What I like most is how these two ideas are merged together to create an entirely different state mixing classic love story and more violent themes which has been done well due to visuals and language. For example, the beach and stage setting which is evident throughout the film combines old fashioned mise en scene with more modern, rough elements as does the masked party where Romeo and Juliet first meet.
I think the purpose of this was to show a modern day adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. The most important thing about this trailer is the medium between the violent, gang war issues and the softer issues revolving around love and the classic way the story is told.


This trailer relates to the idea fantasy as it shows a highly elaborate, glitzy and fabricated lifestyle. I chose to include this due to how constructed it is and how it effectively creates a juxtaposition between deeper, darker issues and a glittery and glamorous lifestyle. In terms of how it is constructed, the main things that stand out are mise en scene and how theatrical it is. These two points combine together to give a very staged effect in some places which works well in telling the story and showing more drama. This is something I really like and what to take on board with my photography work. This also helps enhance the juxtaposition, but this is also shown well through use of colour, with the happier more luxurious carefree scenes are brighter and more colourful whilst the more emotional scenes tend to contrast and be a lot darker and shadowy.
The point of this trailer is to advertise the film The Great Gatsby. I think the most important thing is the way mise en scene is constructed.


This relates to my theme of fantasy as it shows ideas of adventure and new experiences. I chose to include this trailer as I like how it well it has been put together in terms of what is shown - some war related horrors and more peaceful and happy moments as well as showing a strong class division. What I like most is how the class division is shown and broken down. This has been shown in the trailer alone by a series of different clips showing the two main characters (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman). The way the clips have been put together is what attracted me most to this trailer as it shows a range of different actions and emotions in a series. This is something I want to look at in the form of creating a photography series telling a story.
This film was made to show the strength of love and how class divisions can be broken down.
I think the most important factor of this is the colouring used, very saturated mainly with red/orange tints to give the impression of heat and add intensity.

Influence

 Baz Luhrmann's work has influenced me quite a bit throughout my project, and his evidence is strong in a few places. For example, I created my exam shoots in a way that tells a story with a linear narrative. I have also took on board his technique of using highly saturated colours and  showing the composition as a stage with the camera being where the audience, which Luhrmann does very vividly. One of the shoots that shows this is one of my exam shoots where I constructed a setting with the model looking at the camera mainly to engage with the audience. This also shows influence of his choice of colour in terms of vividness.Another similarity to Luhrmann's work is the twist on classic stories, with the Queen of Hearts showing more sinister ideas.

Summary

In summary, I have really enjoyed looking at Baz Luhrmann's work, especially due to the fact it it gives more than just visual inspiration but the storylines, sound used and how classic stories have been adapted has given me inspiration on adapting and challenging existing stories and fairy tales. I will continue to look at his work in the future.