2017
Short film project assignment
Duration 6:33
Team
Producer: Shaka Helaia and Mirjam Korsten
Director: Viktor Marvin
Screewright: Janar Saaron and Viktor Marvin
Director of photography: Mario Ansip
Production design: Elizabeth Matkiewicz
Sound director: Siim Skepast
Film editor: Andres Hallik
“In the film’s final epilogue Thomas Mann’s words are brought out: “Because beauty, Phaedo, is the only thing that is divine and at the same time visible, and so it is the way of the artist to the soul.” Brodsky said that human is at the same time what he looks at, sees. Developing this thought, an artist firstly sees beauty in everything and even in something absolutely ineptly, he tries to find something beautiful and magnificent.
The film is an attempt of research, to see what happens if
to take not a beautiful girl as just a beautiful girl or a very beautiful girl, but to take the beauty itself, as a form of something as a whole, absolute beauty. And beauty itself meets blindness, an inability to see this beauty and collide these two understandings. What is going to happen, and сan beauty be a beauty if one cannot see it?
Сan beauty be a beauty if one cannot see it. Or it loses its main trait, as beauty is supposed to be watched, enjoyed. And in Zabolodsky’s poem about a girl, being ugly and having an unpleasant appearance, but is absolutely pure and bright inside, he asks: “what is beauty
And why do people make it sacred?
Is it a jar in whiсh there is an emptiness,
Or a fire, flickering in a jar?”
This is the question. And for example a blind person, how does he see beauty, what is beauty for him.”
– Viktor Marvin
The film explores the notion of beauty through the eyes of a blind man Alexandr. He looks quite elegant but does not irritate the viewer's eyes, as he fits quite well within the environment. His personality is deep and calm and since we are telling the story through his eyes, the surrounding is very undisturbed, without anything being out of place.
Anna, the heroine, fits quite well into his vision of the world. Costumes and makeup are compatible with the color scheme of the surroundings and change as he imagines her looks based on their conversation. The only element out of place is the purple wig, which reminds him that this is his imagination of how she looks like.
As it was a short film assignment, there was not much time for pre-production. I worked closely with the director and actors. As usual, I had several options for costumes to try and choose from. As I did not create any sketches this time, I had to think fast and rely on my past experiences working with film.
Alexandr's costume is quite elegant and visually not disturbing. Deep colors represent his deep character and slightly blend him with the surrounding.
Anna's costume changes as they talk. It starts with an elegant black dress to match Alexander's elegant black costume. It continues with a more official and strict costume and ends with a rebellious punkish one.
The waitress is dressed semi-formally, to show that the place is not too posh but at the same time, not a fast-food restaurant either.
The restaurant can be placed as a middle price ranged place with a peculiar interior. Although we do not know much about Alexandr, dimmed atmosphere resonates with his depth of character, this peculiarity in the interior choice also shows his open-mindedness with a twist of creativity.
When it comes to the set, my main focus was to create a visually pleasing space with nothing disturbing the eye as well as to make enough space for the camera to move around. Luckily, the location itself was very rich in props and interior in itself, so all the styling was done on the location and there was no need for extra furniture to be brought for the production.
