SYNOPSIS
Told through a surrealistic memory, this story focuses on Daniel and Ben, who live in a Japanese internment camp during WWII. Daniel, swayed by his memories of home and fear for his brother’s safety, must convince Ben to refrain from fighting in the war. Ben however, feels a need to perform his duty and prove his loyalty to the United States. Daniel’s concern and overprotection for Ben stems from a fear of losing his little brother. However, these sentiments manifest as a lack of belief in Ben, pushing him further away. When two brothers from the same upbringing identify with separate definitions of “home” and “duty”, how does one come to let go of the person they hold most dear, knowing they could lose them forever?
Paper Crane is a historical drama set during World War II. As a result of this, large amounts of research and reference photos were used to help craft the authenticity of the time period.
With that in mind, it was also critical to the story to showcase this film as a representation of Daniel Sanada's memory which provided room for creative choices to be made.
To the left are some references that inspired our work particularly when building the interior of the Japanese-American internment camps. Key visuals such as the wooden barracks, militarian cots, minimalistic dressing, clotheslines, and textured walls played a large role in our adaptation of the space.
INSPIRATION
INT. BARRACKS
LOCATION SCOUTING
Above are the original location pictures (top left) which are the interiors of a residential home garage. This location stood out in particular due to it's wooden interiors and exposed ceiling structures that loosely mirrored the interiors of Japanese internment camps during World War II. Once we flew in some rough set dressing to outline potential blockings (top right), we were able to better decide which walls would require dressing. Lastly, we preferred this location due to the exposed structural beams that ran parallel to the back corner wall. It was essential to the director and cinematographer that there was a window to motivate cold light bleeding through the space, and with the beams, we were able to temporarily install an LED light panel behind a worn window frame (bottom left and right) to emulate the proper atmosphere.
SET DRESSING
The set dressing was heavily influenced by research as well as the crew's personal Japanese heirlooms that have been passed down through generations. The overall intention behind the set dressing was to suggest a subtle but sure connection to the brothers' heritage through the belongings in their space. In addition, it was important to preserve the liveliness and makeshift sense of community that existed in the internment camps during these times. Ultimately, by doing so, it represents Daniel's sense of comfort within the barracks and his inability to understand why it's necessary for Ben to venture outwards for a cause larger than himself. Another important factor when set dressing this particular location was to balance the amount of texture and keep it consistent throughout the entirety of the frame. To do this, we dressed from floor to ceiling with rugs, furnaces, clotheslines, posters, furniture, and more. Down to the very details, the space needed to feel lived in- as if time has washed over the family these two brothers once were. To achieve this, dressing was carefully blocked and items such as burnt matches to light cigarettes and strewn game board pieces were used to craft a specific world around these characters. In addition the dark, muted, earth tones reflected in the color palette helped communicate the unspoken darkness and silence between the brothers.
EXT. NATURE
For this location, the main priority was depicting the passage of time through the aging process of the key props and main set pieces with the intention of showing Daniel's neglect towards Ben's memory after all these years.
Though most of the aging was executed using paint, mud, dust, and dirt; the pot was a key prop that required a special technique. The pot was treated with a mixture of watered down, metallic spray paint and salt (for texture). The treatment was applied in several colors with a wire brush and crumpled aluminum foil.
INT. DESK & DIORAMAS
REFERENCES
The diorama model played an integral role in setting up the film as a representation of Daniel's memory. It shows his attachment to his youth and how despite the passing of time, he is unable to find closure in his younger brother's sudden death. The barracks in the model are 3D printed and painted. The remainder of the model is created from foam core, textured paper, sand, stones,
and other miniatures.
FINAL RESULTS
