2017
Student film project
Duration 17:09
Team
Producer: Joonas Mattias Sarapuu
Director: Ulrike Brett Uukkivi
Screenwright: Anne-Maarja Olei
Director of photography: Erik Õunapuu
Production design: Elizabeth Matkiewicz
Production design assistant: Joanna Juhkam
Composer & Sound director: Juhan Vihterpal
Film editor: Brit Maria Tael
“The main character of this film is an 8-year-old boy (Oliver). Mother (Kärt) is a workaholic and her job has taken over her till the point where she can’t support her family and switch off from work that is why the parents are slowly drifting apart. Father (Toomas) is interested in spiritual self-development and at the same time wishes to reconnect with Kärt, but somehow can’t achieve that. Oliver’s parents have reached the point where communication became hard because of the commence of no-communication, as a consequence they can’t take each other into consideration. Living in the same house but in self-created worlds. With both worlds colliding consequences started to drift the parents apart...”
– Ulrike Brett Uukkivi
The film tells the story of parental conflicts through a child’s eyes. This conflict is shown not only through acting but also through decorations and costumes.
The Living room, through time, has changed into the father’s space (we do not see the progress, but only the result). There is a place for tea ceremony in the right corner, where on the table things are in a messy order and by the wall, there are started but unfinished paintings. In the right corner next to a nail matt are left aside hobbies. A TV is taken away as it disturbs the father’s sleeping spot. Through these details father’s character is also shown – spiritual, but seeking his path. His territory is bordered by a couch. A Kitchen is a place where all the family has to spend some time together. Despite this, both parents avoid being there at the same time.
Mother is opposite to father, she has a concrete goal, she is always tensed and always works. She is quite passive at home, so her character is mostly shown through the actress’ play and costume.
Their son is modest but deep and that type of child, who often spends time in his own world. His room is a place where he can calmly be in his world and thoughts. As he is more like his father things are a mess all over his room.
In general, despite the difference and tension between the parents, the colors in the film are pretty calm and natural.
The process began with reading the script and writing down the first ideas and impressions, followed by a discussion with the director. After that, the primary colors of the film were chosen with both the director and director of photography and some possible inspiratory images were found on the Internet. Knowing the colors and having the finalized script at hand, I could begin the process of creation of costumes and set design began.
With the great help of my assistant, I prepared at least 2 options for each costume in order to see how each of them would look like through the camera. Later these options were overviewed together with the director, the director of photography, and actors to make sure the costumes not only depict the inner world and development of the character but also look appropriate in the camera.
While most of the props for the set were found by me, one prop was made by hands - the flower father gives to mother. It was created by me from an origami pattern found online and as it is known that white can act very differently on camera depending on the light as well, I created several flowers using different shades of white paper.
Each costume reflects not only the character of the main heroes but also their development throughout the story. Costumes' colors are picked based on the main color scheme of the movie.
Oliver is more like his dad, that is why his color is light blue. His similarity to both of his parents is shown through costumes and hair. In the last scenes, the clothes are the same color as the whole family to show their unity.
Toomas is an open-minded person, who is quite spiritual but still searching his own path. However, he is a bit clumsy. He does not care much about his looks, but due to his wife’s attempt to find something suitable for him, he does not look completely awful. In the end, he is wearing the same sweater as before, which symbolizes that Toomas has not actually really changed through the film. The color of the whole family in the end scenes is the same.
Kärt is a business-minded person. She is always tensed and working. She has to be always clean-cut, that is why her clothes are always tidy and appropriate. She is wearing a black turtle-neck, which symbolizes her tense state. The only thing which changes until the 5th scene is her haircut: she comes home after work and continues to work from home, however, the haircut becomes more comfortable and simpler. In the last scene, Kärt is wearing a blue dress, which is in harmony with Toomas’ and Oliver’s colors. In these scenes, the family is united and wearing the same colored clothes.
Judge’s clothes are more cliche so that the audience could clearly understand that this imaginary character has influenced Oliver’s fantasy from somewhere else.
The drunkard is wearing old dirty clothes. Colours are similar to natural colours, dirt colour, to be exact. In the film, his character is someone who is blending in with the environment.
The house itself is a cozy yet modern family nest located in the Estonian suburbs. The interior combines Kärt's tidiness and practicality and Toomas' spirituality and open-mindedness.
The Kitchen is a common area where the whole family meets. It is also located between Kärt's office room and Toomas' living room and unites both their worlds.
The Living room, through time, is changed into the father’s space bordered with a couch. There are a lot of left-aside hobbies, items for the tea ceremony and meditation - all evidence of Toomas' pathfinding and spirituality.
Kärt's office room is shown very vividly, it is quite cramped and has a lot of paper-work items.
Oliver's room is located upstairs and is a place where he can calmly be in his own world and thoughts. Because he is more like his father things are a mess all over his room.
