Construction of small props (embroidered picture)

One of the smaller props I wanted to construct for Ivans study is a picture depicting a quote from the novel. "Il faut que jeunesse se passe" is located in the second chapter of the book, translated from french to english it means Youth must have it's fling. I highlighted this in the book as a very important quote. It is Ivan's motto in life. It is very significant when deconstructed as the word fling means something that lasts a short period of time mirroring Ivan's own short life. Life for Ivan is mearly a fling, as his fling with youth ends his fling with death begins.

The picture would have the text embroidered with a traditional floral pattern surrounding it. Instead of taking a very long time embroidering from scratch I found an old embroidery in my attic around 50 years old so it had appropriate aging on the canvas. The photo above shows the embroidery with some various sized lace butterflies that I purchaced from a haberdashery they were originally cream but using a black fabric marker I coloured them black/dark grey (symbolising death through the black butterfly). The colours had faded a little from the original embroidered flowers and the colour shades were more pastel. I wanted the picture to be darker so used a fine line brown felt tip to add definition to the threads.

Buy typing out the phrase onto the computer in the Old Gothic typeface as printing it off I was able to arrange how the worrds would be on the canvas. Then using tracing paper the words were copied onto the canvas. Using a black fabric marker I drew onto the canvas to allow the black to show through under the stitching making the letters darker and clearer. Then using black embroidery silk I stitched over the letters to include them in the rest of the embroidery. The butterflies were stuck on the canvas with small dots of copydex fabric glue. The canvas was stretched over card and taped to the back. Black velvet ribbon purchased from C and H fabrics lined the card the picture sat on in the frame meaning it would them mount the sides.

The frame is a plain dark wood with a gold trim. This seems appropriate for the dark nature of the room it is placed within but until I show it to the rest of the group we will them decide whether it needs a more fancy gold baroque style frame. If this is so I can build ontop of this current frame with plaster or paper mache...

Distribution of Construction

Sceen - Sarah/Rob Small Table - Heather/Lauren Chaise Longue - Nichole/Sarah Desk - Nuria/Chloe Desk Chair - Nicola/Kirby Bookshelf - Chloe/Dan Both Rooms Lighting - Rob/Kirby Curtains - Lauren/Nicole Doors - Fiona/Callum Windows - Jenny/Vicky Panelling - Dan Drawing Room Whatnot - buying this Sofa - Rhyan/Vicky Table - Abbie/Nicola Pouffe - Abbie/Steph Comfy Chair - Steph/Heather Cabinet - Nuria/Dan Chimney - Callum/Fiona Rug - Buying or borrowing this

The Whatnot

A few days ago Rhyan and I spotted an old whatnot/corner cabinate in the Shelter charity shop in Chatham for just £15. It wasn't authentic 1882 furniture but it gave us good foundations to build on or take away and modify. for £15 it seemed a good idea as we are on a budget of just£200 and the wood to make it would have most likely cost more than that. After listing out all the pieces of furniture that are needed to be made we all agreed that if we had some that were already mainly constructed and just needed 'tarting up' then it would save on time so Rhyan purchased the whatnot and we brought it up to the uni in her car.

Constructing the Flats

On Tuesday we were tutored by Henry on how to construct a basic 8x4 flat. The lengths of wood were pre cut needing two 8ft pieces and then 5 4ft (minus the widthx2) to brace between them. It was important to marl one end of the two lengths with a scribble to ensure you always consistantly drill from the same end down. Then on the two 8ft lengths marks were made every 2ft point we had a large engineers set square to hand so could mark many at one time. There were two holes drilled at each end of the wood to ensure the wood would not split when the screws were driven in. Starting at one corner the middle braces were individually drilled in place with two large screws. When screwing with the drill it was important to keep the drill level and straight to the screw so it didnt notch. Pressure was also need to drive the screw in or it would not break the surface of the wood. Some areas were particularly tricky especially where we hit a knot in the wood where it is much denser and considerably harder to push the screw in. When applying the second 8ft length the wood would bow at some points so with weight applied by another team member it was easier to make the pieces of wood sit flush together. When adding the plywod skin PVA covered the surface of the brace frame. Then using an electric or air pressure nail gun the skin was lined up and punched in place aroud the edge working from one length to another. All bows in the wood were punched down. It was important to wear appropriate PPE at all times. goggles, tied back hair and steel toe caps. by using another small brace of wood to mark where the under braces go across we were able to punch nails across the flat holding it firmly to the under frame.

New Floor Plans

Below are the new floor plans to the rooms outlining all the new dimentions and how many flats we are needing for each room.

The number of each flat needed (feet)

17 - 4 x 8'

1 - 3 x 8'

7 - 2 x 8'

1 - 31/2 x 8'

1 - 11/2x8'

headers and footers for windows and doors

footers

3- 3x3'

headers

2- 4x11/2'

Tutorial and Changes to the Rooms

During a tutorial with Andy and Simon it was discussed that the rooms were too crowded with furniture and needed to be downsized slightly. Some pieces of furniture were taken away such as small chairs and the secondary heater in the study. The screen was also one of the pieces initially taken away but the group fought for it to remain in the corner of the room to portray Ivan's nightmares and fears of mortality. The room sizes were finally converted to a 16x16 drawing room and a 10x8 study with a small alcove for the bookcase to fit in. The photos below show the changes to the foam board model.

The Manchinist Review

The Machinist is the 2004 psychological thriller directed by Brad Anderson. The film revolves around the character of Trevor Resnik and industrial machine worker who is in the process of a mental breakdown. He suffers from severe insomnia and mild OCD. These are minor mental problems that encourage further decay in his state of mind. During the development of the film Trevor becomes increasingly paranoid over a new employee he sees at work. After an accident his caused at the factory due to this distraction Trevor is convinced that someone is out to get him. This paranoia drives his illness he turns on his one source of emotional support, Stevie a local call girl. A twist in the plot reveals that Ivan (the mysterious employee) is actually a mental representation of himself, who drives his old car. At the end of the film it is revealed that years earlier Resnik murdered a small boy in a hit and run accident... The source of his anguish and pain that destroys him physically, mentally and emotionally.








Resnik's physical appearance is one of the first features depicted to the audience, and an element of why the audience becomes disturbed by his story. Actor Chri

stian Bale lost 60 pounds for the role leaving his body practically skeletal. His physical appearance is tragic. Pale and malnourished as if the life is being sucked out of him. Along with the characters tiredness the hollows of his eye leave his face dark and lifeless. a key quote from the film repeated by both Stevie and Maria (the waitress) is "If you were any thinner you wouldn't exist." As an audience member it is assumed that secretly this is what Resnik wants, to slowly disappear from existance. His overall appearance does display him as a pitiful, tragic character, helping to gain some empathy towards this character which means that viewers become more engrossed in his suffering story.





His physical distortion is enhanced through certain elements like lighting. The above photo shows how lighting makes his apartment seem dark and very clinical, a reflection of his OCD behaviour (cleaning everything even his own hands with bleach). The clinical nature strips his surroundings of personality, it is cold and inhospitable mirroring the atmosphere of a morgue and so connotating death and despair. The photo to the left uses dense shade. Dense shade creates an uneasy atmosphere, darkness represents paranoia in both the character in the scene and the audience as there is that inevidable question of 'is there something behind you?' what is there that you can't see.








The overall plot contains many symbols and linkages from Resnik's past hit and run experience that are then mirrored in his present life. The car that Ivan drives Resnik later finds out was infact his own car that was written off two years ago, (after the accident). One of Resnik's love interests is a waitress at an airport cafe, Maria. She has a young son called Nicholas who Resnik takes to a fun fair. At the end of the film it is revealed that Maria and Nicholas dont actually exist in the lives that Resnik has dreamed them into but they are infact the haunting memory of the mother and child affected by the hit and run accident years ago. One of the rides he took Nicholas on at the fair was a ride called 'Route 666' a reference to not only the devil or Resnik's impending road to hell but also the road he was driving along (route 66) when the accident occured.


It is all of these linkages that build up throughout the plot allowing for the tension to build up to the climax of the narrative twist at the end which allows the audience to finally understand what has caused Resnik's sudden decline in mental and physical health.