Abstract
This chapter addresses new approaches for design and production practices by applying film as a medium and production design techniques as a method in (interior) architectural education. In various courses and formats with international students on Bachelor and Master level, the author is exploring cinematic tools for phenomenological analysis, scenographic reinterpretation, and architectural storytelling in order to expand the range and toolbox of contemporary academic teaching in the architectural context. The common ground of architectural and cinematic space goes back much further than the history of film itself. But despite comprehensive literature on both the topic of sequence in architecture and fundamental film theoretical writings on cinematic space, we are still the men who stare at static representations. Off the beaten path of tried and tested design methods and beyond Gottfried Semper's “haze of carnival candles,” cinematic methods are providing valuable tools for the creation, evaluation and representation of spatial designs in (interior) architecture.
TopIntroduction
This Case Book Chapter is dedicated to new approaches for design and production practices by proposing the application of film as a medium and production design techniques as a method in interior architectural education. It comprises a series of case studies conducted with students of architecture and interior architecture of Technical University of Darmstadt, University of Kaiserslautern, Technical University of Dortmund, Technical University of Munich and Technology University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart. In various courses and formats on Bachelor and Master level, the author is exploring cinematic tools for phenomenological analysis, scenographic reinterpretation, architectural design and storytelling in order to expand the scope and toolbox of contemporary academic teaching in the architectural context. The common ground of architectural and cinematic space reaches back much further than the history of film itself. But despite comprehensive literature on both the topic of sequence in architecture and fundamental film theoretical writings on the relationship of architectural and cinematic space, it is observed that this field is subordinated by contemporary design. Therefore, it needs to be studied in detail.
The dogma of the tried and tested two-dimensional drawing and static image as the ultimate instance of architectural design decisions still prevails in the architectural mindset, despite the continued rise of digital technologies during the first two decades of the 21st century. In this context, the digital three-dimensional model represents a powerful resource and since its advent in the professional practice has evolved from an auxiliary primarily used for computerized-numerical-control manufacturing and digital visualization towards a tool of computational design, for instance for the parametric, generative and algorithmic definition of geometries. In more recent years, Building Information Modeling is gaining momentum as a method of networked planning, execution and management of buildings in a growing number of offices. The majority of these digital applications is emphasizing aspects of efficiency and precise control. However, the subject of interior architectural design is the creation of a complex entity which is by definition imprecise, hazy and not necessarily “efficient” in the common understanding during the design process. Teaching experiences frequently show that students are getting lost in abstraction and that good intentions result in a blatant discrepancy between the desired or alleged architectural phenomenological qualities and the actual project outcome. As an alternative methodology for understanding the architectural experience as a sensual and time-based event which is key to the design process, the author proposes the implementation of various tools from the field of cinematic production design. This allows for creation, evaluation and representation of spatial designs in interior architecture off the beaten path of traditional design methods.
In his magnum opus „Der Stil in den technischen und tektonischen Künsten oder Praktische Ästhetik” (Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts, or, Practical Aesthetics), Gottfried Semper concludes ”I think that dressing and the mask are as old as human civilization, and the joy in both is identical with the joy in those things that drove men to be sculptors, painter, architects, poets, musicians, dramatists, in short, artists. Every artistic creation, every artistic pleasure presupposes a certain carnival spirit, or to express myself in a modern way – the haze of carnival candles is the true atmosphere of art.”
Despite some common ground with recent digital design practices which are emphasizing the role of the digital model and timeline simulations in the design process, the proposed approach is focused on both analog and digital tools inspired by professional cinematic practices. Aiming beyond the mere “haze of carnival candles”, i.e. beyond architectural representations and visualizations ranging from photorealistic to spectacular surreal effects, students are sensitized for a more profound understanding of architectural qualities than static conceptions of space are capable to deliver.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Animatic: Based on the images of a storyboard, the animatic is used as a simplified mockup of the final sequence, in animation and film. Simple zooms and pans simulate camera movement. Displayed in real-time and in sync with rough dialogue or soundtrack it provides a simplified overview of the visual and auditory conjunction of elements.
Architectural Promenade: An architectural promenade derives from Le Corbusier and his idea of a controlled sequenced journey through a building that can act as an architectural device. It provides an order, axis, and direction to the architectural idea.
Mood Board: The visual presentation or a collage consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. A mood board may be physical or digital and can be used as an effective presentation tool to convey a general idea or feeling about a particular topic. Creative artists use mood boards to visually illustrate the style and as a visual tool to quickly inform others about the overall “look and feel” of an idea.
Cinematic Space: The film scholar Éric Rohmer distinguished three types of space in film: Image Space (the spatial conditions and characteristics in a single shot), architectural space (the ensemble of landscape, buildings and objects as it was arranged before filming) and cinematic space (the virtual space that the viewer composes in his imagination with the help of fragmentary individual parts that the film provides him). Cinematic Space is the primary unit of filmic spatial representation and is commonly referred to as ‘scenic space’. Beyond Rohmer’s distinctions, cinematic space comprises three types and reference values: the space that is represented in the individual shot, the assembled space of the montage and the spatial imagination stimulated by sound. Moreover, the cinematic conception of space is driven by the access of spaces that are only indicated or implied off screen.
Scenography: Originally Skenographia , the description of stages or scene buildings. The term is commonly used in continental Europe and is a synonymous with the English-language term ‘theatre design’. More recently, the term is used in museography and refers to the curation of museum exhibits. Scenography is a practices of crafting stage environments and atmospheres.
Concept Art: As a form of illustration, concept art is used to visualize ideas for use in films, video games, animation, comic books or other media in the pre-production phase. Concept art is developed through several iterations. Multiple solutions are explored before settling on the final design. Concept art is not only used in the design process, but also for the presentations of a project's progress to clients.
Storyboard: As a sequential collection of illustrations or images, storyboards are used in the pre-visualization of time-based media. The technique is used to explain a narrative or story as a series of images or stills. In architecture, it is also a useful planning device for the visual presentation of a journey through a series of spaces.
Thumbnail Sketch: Art directors, storyboard artists, graphic designers and other kinds of visual artists apply the term “thumbnail sketch” to describe a small drawing on paper that is usually part of a series or group to quickly explore visual variations of an idea. Thumbnail sketches are similar to doodles, but may include as much detail as a small sketch.
Production Design: In Film and television, production design is the creation and organization of the physical world surrounding a film’s narrative. The exact responsibilities of a production designer vary from film to film depending on the visual style of a director and can range up to complete responsibility for the overall look of a film. The production designer's primary task is the design of the film with the goal of imparting it individual visual distinction.