MMU Homepage on Location

The brief this time required that I take a photo in the style of selected film genres, on location with my summer project.

So, out of the choices given I selected three genres with films to correspond:
SCI-FI: "Moon" (2009)
X-RATED: "A Clockwork Orange" (1971)
GOTHIC/SUPERNATURAL HORROR: "Jacob's Ladder" (1990)

Yes, "A Clockwork Orange" is/was an X-rated film due to the violence and sex portrayed in the film. It was also surrounded by controversy due to acts of extreme violence that was apparantly cited by scenes in "A Clockwork Orange". After receiving death threats, Stanley Kubrick, the director, pulled all copies of the film from being shown in the UK. It was rereleased in the UK under cult-film status.

I picked the film "Moon" due to the interest with GERTY. I wanted to use the scenes that featured GERTY substitued wtih my computer from the summer project. The thought of attaining fishing wire to suspend my piece in mid air or something similar to the way GERTY is suspended came to mind, but I was unable to find where I could purchase items that would help suspend my computer, nor are there any really suitable locations around Manchester or locally to me that seemed sci-fi enough. There was a possibility of creating a set myself in the garage, but considering the time restraints, it didn't feel realistic to attempt.

GERTY vs. my Computer... no similarities whatsoeveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer...

"Jacob's Ladder" had an interesting aesthetic in parts of the films, especially during the protagonist's hallucinations. The film was chosen due to what I knew about it from a video game series that was heavily inspired by it, the Silent Hill series. However, the stills I chose were more simple to achieve, unlike some of the shots from the more disturbing imagery; which is a shame, but the decision was more achievable.

I picked my stills from each film:

Luckily AV and TK made some free time to come aid me in the project, so we met up on the saturday (02/10/2010). But but but, I asked them to come in later and earlier in the day I scouted locations throughout Manchester. I tried to keep the locales within the town centre in order to make things convenient and practical for everyone, it was especially interesting that I ended up keeping the areas within the northern quarter mostly (an excellent place for urbanscape).

I finished up with these locations as possibilities:

Sci-fi:

• Krispy Kremes (on Mosley Street)
• Arndale Centre (13th floor)

X-rated:

• Noise Lab (Market Street)
• Nexu Art Café (Northern Quarter - next door to the "Travelling Man")

 Horror:

• Small side streets throughout the Northern Quarter
• Alley ways in China Town
• Side streets in Deansgate
• A tram
• A train

After making a decision, my models arrived and we got to work:

 A big BIG thanks to AV and TK for coming out in their free time, as well as special thanks to the people at Nexus for allowing us to photograph in their café, seriously people should check that place out, it's great.