Dune, Blade Runner, AI, Aeon Flux, Lord or the Rings, Edward Scissor Hands, Wall-E, etc. What are some of your favorite fictional sets or specific buildings of film or literature?
I really enjoyed reading The Dark Tower Series by Stephan King. I have not seen the movie associated with them because the books were so awesome that there is no way the movie could ever do it justice. As with most King books....the movies are always subpar.
Few years ago I was really fascinated by story of some ancient stone city in snowy mountains in "At the mountains of madness" by H.P. Lovecraft. While I enjoyed most of his novels and he's probably my favorite fiction writer, architectural descriptions in that book were very captivating.
I enjoy when a set/structure also acts as a co-star. One case I can think of is Panic Room. Though all dimensions are exaggerated to give sufficient breathing/ elbow/ filming room, the plan and section of that rowhouse set is pretty accurate-- and important. And the relationship between floors and rooms was highlighted cinematically to pretty good effect--even using structural and mechanical systems strategically. Not a bad story, either.
Rear Window is a similar case for me, though it was building facades and exteriors that were featured. The relationship to reality of interior apartment layouts suffered, if I recall.
There were a couple of relatively low budget horror flicks that toys with the idea of a building within a building - the serial killer lives in an abandoned townhouse around which a new condo was constructed, and whose occupants he preys on by traversing the two buildings through ductwork. I think one of them was called The Toolbox Murders and the other called Walled In.
Then there's Ghostbusters and one unfortunate sequel to Hellraiser, where architects designed buildings that channel malevolent forces. Not much set design to ogle at but it's nice to see architects wielding some (evil) power!
One complaint about fan fav Denis Villenueve's sets - I love the sheer scale in his recent sci fi films but the raw concrete aesthetic is getting old real quick! Another complaint I have is Wakandan interiors - the cityscape looked intriguing but Shuri's lab was right out of some car showroom.
Parasite integrated spatial hierarchies into its story - the basement is pretty important to the plot!
The grand daddy of sci-fi set design has got to be Metropolis way back in the 30s.
In animation, GITS had very detailed urban dystopian backgrounds - it owes some debt, like all in the cyberpunk genre, to Blade Runner. But that aesthetic could end up cliched, like in the Total Recall remake starring Colin Farrel. Minority Report had a more interesting take on the future DC - those vertical highways strapped to skyscrapers looked great.
Oh, and a subtle one, albeit on an urban scale - future LA in Her. I think Spike Jonze consulted with Liz Diller on creating a city that is at once familiar and futuristic without the standard sci fi trappings, augmenting the isolated vibe experienced by Joaquin Phoenix's character. They added Shanghai into the design of the city, mixing its urban spaces and skyscrapers with LA's sunshine and hustle.
Dredd and The Raid both played with Hero-Battling-Through-a-Skyscraper genre recently. Die Hard was the grand daddy of course, with the Nakatomi Tower featuring heavily in the storyline as Bruce Willis crawls and jumps his way through the building innards. In contrast, The Rock's Skyscraper doesn't really do much with the spaces themselves, opting for set pieces on bridges and that weird holographic deck.
or Vancouver. It's cheaper, but
not necessarily more futuristic.
Jan 12, 22 12:11 pm ·
·
tduds
If you haven't seen it before, I highly recommend Every Frame a Painting. They retired the series a few years back but the old episodes remain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojm74VGsZBU
Singapore doubling as some futuristic metropolis has been pretty amusing recently.
I can't remember if it was Every Frame a Painting but there was a breakdown of the opera scene in MI: Rogue Nation that explained how the choreography was instrumental in setting up the sequence and its payoff. It was a complicated set piece featuring three points of view (and agendas), multiple locations in space, and overlapping time - all done with minimal exposition. The dexterity of the camerawork in navigating the complex space to shoulder the burden of storytelling was fantastic.
Those new Escape Room movies have a similar premise - where the spaces that the characters have to navigate are rife with traps. But nothing compares to Cube!
Can't remember any specific titles, a lot of newer martial arts movies have great sets, particularly the fantasy ones. (you know, swords, demon realms, magic... and subtitles, not dubbed).
K2 on Broadway. The set was a wall of snow, the day was the change of light from dawn to dusk. The characters entered the set awakening at dawn from beneath the snow and exited the set climbing up or down.
Greatest Fictional Sets
Dune, Blade Runner, AI, Aeon Flux, Lord or the Rings, Edward Scissor Hands, Wall-E, etc. What are some of your favorite fictional sets or specific buildings of film or literature?
I really enjoyed reading The Dark Tower Series by Stephan King. I have not seen the movie associated with them because the books were so awesome that there is no way the movie could ever do it justice. As with most King books....the movies are always subpar.
Few years ago I was really fascinated by story of some ancient stone city in snowy mountains in "At the mountains of madness" by H.P. Lovecraft. While I enjoyed most of his novels and he's probably my favorite fiction writer, architectural descriptions in that book were very captivating.
Any of the 'news' that you consume and the conclusions you make is rather epic fiction x-jla.
i admire your humility to admit that you're wrong 10% of the time
The other 1,000+ things x-lax was also wrong about, but let's focus on these ten, yeah?
Way to bring down a fun topic.
Meh, x-jla is dishonest and without credibility. I can't respect anything the man says and refuse to polite to such a liar.
Just once, can we not?
Meh - x-jla can think what he wants. I don't care.
What's funny is that I was going to say JRE, and Alex Jones, those two fuckers are epic creators of fiction, next to PTL, and the other grifters.
I enjoy when a set/structure also acts as a co-star. One case I can think of is Panic Room. Though all dimensions are exaggerated to give sufficient breathing/ elbow/ filming room, the plan and section of that rowhouse set is pretty accurate-- and important. And the relationship between floors and rooms was highlighted cinematically to pretty good effect--even using structural and mechanical systems strategically. Not a bad story, either.
Rear Window is a similar case for me, though it was building facades and exteriors that were featured. The relationship to reality of interior apartment layouts suffered, if I recall.
Fun topic!
There were a couple of relatively low budget horror flicks that toys with the idea of a building within a building - the serial killer lives in an abandoned townhouse around which a new condo was constructed, and whose occupants he preys on by traversing the two buildings through ductwork. I think one of them was called The Toolbox Murders and the other called Walled In.
Then there's Ghostbusters and one unfortunate sequel to Hellraiser, where architects designed buildings that channel malevolent forces. Not much set design to ogle at but it's nice to see architects wielding some (evil) power!
One complaint about fan fav Denis Villenueve's sets - I love the sheer scale in his recent sci fi films but the raw concrete aesthetic is getting old real quick! Another complaint I have is Wakandan interiors - the cityscape looked intriguing but Shuri's lab was right out of some car showroom.
If occupants hurling vile profanities at bad design is any indication, then architects' decisions are channeling malevolence all the time!
The Harry Potter series has some really amazing designs even excluding the fantastical stuff. Parasite is another obvious one.
Parasite integrated spatial hierarchies into its story - the basement is pretty important to the plot!
The grand daddy of sci-fi set design has got to be Metropolis way back in the 30s.
In animation, GITS had very detailed urban dystopian backgrounds - it owes some debt, like all in the cyberpunk genre, to Blade Runner. But that aesthetic could end up cliched, like in the Total Recall remake starring Colin Farrel. Minority Report had a more interesting take on the future DC - those vertical highways strapped to skyscrapers looked great.
Oh, and a subtle one, albeit on an urban scale - future LA in Her. I think Spike Jonze consulted with Liz Diller on creating a city that is at once familiar and futuristic without the standard sci fi trappings, augmenting the isolated vibe experienced by Joaquin Phoenix's character. They added Shanghai into the design of the city, mixing its urban spaces and skyscrapers with LA's sunshine and hustle.
Dredd and The Raid both played with Hero-Battling-Through-a-Skyscraper genre recently. Die Hard was the grand daddy of course, with the Nakatomi Tower featuring heavily in the storyline as Bruce Willis crawls and jumps his way through the building innards. In contrast, The Rock's Skyscraper doesn't really do much with the spaces themselves, opting for set pieces on bridges and that weird holographic deck.
One of my favorite movie tropes is when "Future US" is just filmed in present day Asia.
or Vancouver. It's cheaper, but not necessarily more futuristic.
If you haven't seen it before, I highly recommend Every Frame a Painting. They retired the series a few years back but the old episodes remain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojm74VGsZBU
Singapore doubling as some futuristic metropolis has been pretty amusing recently.
I can't remember if it was Every Frame a Painting but there was a breakdown of the opera scene in MI: Rogue Nation that explained how the choreography was instrumental in setting up the sequence and its payoff. It was a complicated set piece featuring three points of view (and agendas), multiple locations in space, and overlapping time - all done with minimal exposition. The dexterity of the camerawork in navigating the complex space to shoulder the burden of storytelling was fantastic.
I miss Tony.
What about Cube? The set is the main character...
Those new Escape Room movies have a similar premise - where the spaces that the characters have to navigate are rife with traps. But nothing compares to Cube!
Cube is fantastic. The sequels, while nowhere near as good, are worth watching too.
Very good movie!
So much tension set by that first slice 'n' dice scene.
So much just watching and going ????????
Clue did a fantastic job translating a board game floorplan into a realistic-enough set. The house is practically its own character.
And of course, what future architect didn't pause on this screen to study the McAlister home?
I found the world of SEE really interesting. The idea of how the world would change if almost everyone lost their sight was fascinating to me.
2001 A Space Odyssey
The Shining
Mother!
Rear Window
And although more of a documentary ahead of its time, I’d put the dystopian sci-if masterpiece The Truman Show on that list as well…
Brazil, anyone?
Is that an invitation? Or a movie shout-out? =O]
Why not both?
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Alien yet.
I'm glad somebody finally mentioned Cube.
The Fifth Element
Inception tried to be architecturally interesting but fell very flat imo.
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
Most 007 movies use interesting sets
Jumanji (?)
Dawn of the Dead (the set isn't really interesting but that's kind of the point, and 90% of the movie takes place in one building)
Gangs of New York
lebbeus wood's designs for 12 Monkeys
Logan’s Run should also be on the list, nice article here about the set design: https://ascmag.com/articles/logans-run-and-how-it-was-filmed
And the original Paul Verhoeven Total Recall:
https://ascmag.com/articles/memories-in-total-recall
Another Verhoeven gem, Starship Troopers: “I borrowed from the films of Leni Riefenstahl to show that these soldiers were like something out of Nazi propaganda. I even put one in an SS uniform. But no one noticed” https://amp.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jan/22/how-we-made-starship-troopers-paul-verhoeven-nazis-leni-riefenstahl
The first two Tim Burton Batman movies.
I produced a fictional set once. We got paid for design & nothing was ever built. Sort of an ideal project from a liability standpoint.
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Planet
Dark City
Farscape
The Illustrated Man
Final Fantasy
Things to Come
Sky Captain and the World of Tommorow
Citizen Kane
Road Runner
The Jetsons
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Dick Tracy(movie)
Fireball XL5
Total Recall(original)
Bad Day at Black Rock
Viva Zapata
Starship Troopers
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Die Hard
Can't remember any specific titles, a lot of newer martial arts movies have great sets, particularly the fantasy ones. (you know, swords, demon realms, magic... and subtitles, not dubbed).
The Tragedy of Macbeth, the sets are brilliant.
K2 on Broadway. The set was a wall of snow, the day was the change of light from dawn to dusk. The characters entered the set awakening at dawn from beneath the snow and exited the set climbing up or down.
That sounds wonderful.
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