PHILICIDE
A STORY OF UNSPOKEN GRIEF
DIRECTED BY JILMIL
USC JUNIOR THESIS FILM- LOOK BOOK
LOGLINE
Overcome by the grief of losing her children, a woman goes to extreme lengths to become a mother
at the expense of her husband and her perception of reality.
INSPIRATION
Most of the color palette and texture of the film is inspired by this still from Guillermo del Toro's Shape of Water (2017). Specifically, his signature use of turquoise and gold which creates a complex harmony as they interact independently with green tones.
Stairs from the Hallway Scenes with the inspired lighting effect
An additional reference of texture can be seen in BBC's Great Expectations (2011). The worn, ragged texture on the set dressing helps emphasize the character's neglect and their lack of touch with reality. This is a critical storytelling tool as it helps communicate their unstable perception of the world around them.
The inspired use of fallen curtains which can be seen in Cate's nursery was used to evoke the look of a 'womb-like' cave to reflect her obsession with her childrens' birth. The room acts as an extension of her womb, where she can protect her children, free from truth and judgement.
CONCEPT ART
INT. NURSERY
INT. BATHROOM
INT. BASEMENT
PROCESS WORK
These six feet tall vats in the basement were handmade from waterbarrels, aluminum air duct pipes, styrofoam, nails, bolts, and 0.1 mm sheets of polyurethane plastic. After paint and aging, battery operated lights were placed inside, and clay fetuses were rigged from inside
Along all the walls of the basement, a treatment of insolation, chicken wire, electrical tape, and reproductive medical posters was used to add texture, context, and depth. In addition, set dressing included test tubes, medical books, microscopes, and other live experiments.
The nursery was created using repainted scrap furniture, fabrics, and used toys. The focus was to create a dark palette while also displaying elements of her lost children through colorful toys, bottles, etc. By overdressing the nursery, it served to convey her inability to move on and to juxtapose her barren family.
With an extensive background in sculpting, Jilmil handsculpted over 8 fetuses (as seen above) and a life sized newborn for the prop baby. These sculptures accrued to over 30+ hours of work and were inspired by the works of @mytangiblepeace
STORY BOARDS
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