Influences

Influences

Overall Film Influences

'Ramona and Beezus' (2010)

Synopsis: 'An adventurous young girl uses her imagination to escape her reality, that is quickly spinning out of reach.'

Ramona and Beezus was the film that primarily inspired our project. The idea of imagination and childhood wonder was a motif we strongly wanted to represent in our film opening and Ramona and Beezus tells a story about that very idea. Ramona as a character is quirky and endearing and we wanted our characters, Amelia and Henry, to be just as charming and likeable. On this note, we wanted to include a strong sibling relationship between the characters, which we believe we achieved as the actors, Sadie and Vinnie, claimed that the dialogue was similar to the way that they 'usually' spoke to each other. We were also inspired by the playground Ramona is seen playing in at the beginning of the film; we too filmed our opening in a park, however instead of a school playground we filmed in a park within the woods, to add to the atmospheric setting and sense of childhood wonder and immersion within an imaginary world.

'Bridge To Terabithia' (2007)

Synopsis: 'A preteen's life turns upside down when he befriends the new girl in school and they imagine a whole new fantasy world to escape reality.'

Bridge to Terabithia is a film that takes the idea of character's seeing the world differently a step further and explores the sense of a blurred line between reality and imagination. We wanted to create a notion, much like the way that Leslie creates her characters within the film and the way in which she and Jesse make themselves rulers of Terabithia, that Amelia and Henry were re-inventing themselves as fictional characters. We also wanted to highlight that the characters made the world together and that it was their adventure to bond over and expand.

'Shark Boy and Lava Girl', alternatively known as 'The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D' (2005)

Synopsis: 'A young boy is recruited by his imaginary friends Sharkboy and Lavagirl to help save their planet.'

Shark Boy and Lava Girl, though exaggerative and somewhat goofy, focuses very heavily on the idea of imagination becoming reality through the main character Max's stories and creativity, as well as mixing people who are real into the fantasy or duplicating them as alter-egos. This was similar to the concepts we had for our film, however this film relies havily on the use of animation, which we did not have the technology for, so we tried to make the distinction between what the characters were actually doing in reality and what they were imagining through the use of costume.

Young Justice (2010 - upcoming revival) and Teen Titans (2003 - 2007)

Young Justice Synopsis: 'Teenage superheroes strive to prove themselves as members of the Justice League.'

Teen Titans Synopsis: 'A team of five teenaged superheroes save the world from many villains around their city while experiencing things normal teens face today.'

Both of these were cartoons that featured young superheroes and strong familial bonds, as well as the idea of overcoming seemingly impossible personal obstacles. We were inspired by the characters' costumes, speech and adventures, as well as the protective but witty way that they interact. We also wanted our film to portray similar inspiring messages to the demographic audience. Young Justice begins with the idea of finding your own identity and becoming your own person through trials and tribulations. Teen Titans had a comparable message in that it portrays the opinion that friends can be a family and that trust is something that needs to be earned. We wanted similar poignant messages to be foreshadowing and referenced in the opening and main bulk of our film, giving it a moral and making it a sort of learning experience for younger viewers. Teen Titans in particular had a significant influence on the costumes as well, as the character Raven's cloak (seen in the second picture, second from the left) has a distinct similarity to Amelia's cloak when she is imagining herself as Midnight; even the buttons on the clasp of Midnight's cloak are similar to the gemstones on Raven's cloak, belt and gloves.

Moodboards

Additionally, the following films and television programmes featured on our moodboards influenced the development of our film and concepts in a variety of ways: Ramona and Beezus (2010), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), Home Alone (1990), Cheaper By The Dozen (2003), Spirited Away (2001), Jumanji (1995). The Book of Life (2014), Epic (2013), Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (1971) and Moana (2016), Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends (2004 - 2009), Mona the Vampire (1999 - 2003), The Addam's Family (1991), Coraline (2009), Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), Enchanted (2007), Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy (2014), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016). The Incredibles (2004), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The LEGO Batman Movie (2017), Nanny McPhee (2005), The Cat in the Hat (2003), WALL-E (2008), Meet The Robinsons (2007) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

 

Character Influences

Midnight

Midnight is main character Amelia's fictitious heroine persona. We wanted her costume to connote aspects of her character, i.e. she is calmer and more in control than her brother and finds logical solutions to problems rather than rushing in headfirst, hence why her costume is blue - the colour most associated with serenity. We took inspiration for the design of the cloak and aspects of her personality from DC super heroine Raven, a member of the Teen Titans. We wanted to make it clear that Amelia/Midnight was the main character as well, by having her be more strategy orientated to show she has strong leadership qualities.

Vermilion

For Vermilion, we wanted his personality to be more jovial and comical, whilst also being somewhat rash and cocky. In this way, we wanted his to contrast to his sister, similarly to the sibling relationships shown in 'Ying Yang Yo! (2006 - 2009)', 'The Simpsons (1989 - present)', 'Gravity Falls (2012 - 2016)', and the iconic 'The Incredibles (2004)'. In terms of costume, we tried to imitate the iconic Superman cape, but we made an effort to find a cloak that also had a hood to keep design style the same as Midnight's.