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#and an artist who understands the medium of musical theater

percheduphere · 5 months

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Hey! At first, I want to say that really adore your essays. I found your blog shortly after I joined tumblr and it was a great beginning.

My question is not only about Loki. Few times you mentioned that queer subtext always existed in cinema. So I wanted to know more about it. Are there any common tricks which artists use? How can we know that it isn't just our imagination?

And if you could give some literature recommendations on this topic I'd be thrilled :)

Hi Anon!

This is a really important question. I’m so glad you asked it, so I’ve bumped you to the front of my inbox queue.

Superhell (Destiel). Superheaven (Aziracrow). Supertime (Lokius). It’s not an accident these types of tragic queer endings are a pattern in our TV media. Though of the three, Good Omens is the most likely to deliver a happy ending eventually, the resources I provide below contextualize why queer subtext and queer tragedy persists. I believe the paper on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a particularly important read as it sheds light on tragic queer tropes and utilization of queer subtext from the 1950s that persist to this day.

I do need to clarify a few things:

1.) I’m not a formal scholar. I don’t have a Master’s, let alone a PhD. I would love to continue my education, but I only just finished paying off my student loans. This is to say, most of what I’ve learned is from self-guided reading, watching documentaries, and talking to literary and cinematic professionals and members of the LGBTQAI+ community.

2.) Subtext exists in all forms of art: literature, music, painting, sculptures, film, and so on. There is no 1-to-1 definition of what subtext could be because subtext, by its very definition, is the communicating of information and/or a feeling without communicating it directly. It’s also important to remember that we use subtext in everyday life without realizing it.

3.) It’s necessary to share foundational resources in order to provide a greater contextual understanding in response to your question. The resources I'll be sharing, which will go from broad foundational to specifically queer subtext in cinema, are as follows: A.) Using JSTOR, B.) Linguistics & Subtext, C.) Film History, D.) Queer Subtext in Literature, Theater, and Film.

USING JSTOR

JSTOR is an incredible academic journal article resource. You can sign-up as a user and have access to up to 100 articles per month online for free! If you don’t feel comfortable creating an account, you can also visit your local library, who more likely than not have a JSTOR membership.

When searching for articles, I recommend using these keywords: queer, homosexuality, subtext, literature, film, history.

LINGUISTICS & SUBTEXT

Pragmatics

-- Jerome Bruner’s “Pragmatics of Language and Language of Pragmatics” (Available on JSTOR; Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press)

-- Kristin Borjesson’s “The Semantics-Pragmatics Interface: The Role of Speak Intentions and Nature of Implicit Meaning Aspects” (Available on JSTOR; Published by Armand Colin)

Iceberg Theory and Theory of Omission

-- Silvia Ammary’s “Poe’s ‘Theory of Omission” and Hemingway’s ‘Unity Effect’” (Available on JSTOR; Published in the Edgar Allan Poe Review)

-- Charles J. Nolan, Jr’s “‘Out of Season’: The Importance of Close Reading’” (Available on JSTOR; Published in the Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature)

-- Paul Smith’s “Hemingway’s Early Manuscripts: The Theory and Practice of Omission” (Available on JSTOR; Published by Journal of Modern Literature)

Implicature

-- Catherine Abell’s “Pictorial Implicature” (An important read as it provides academic context on interpretation of the visual medium, which is connected to interpretation of film; Available on JSTOR; Published by The American Society for Aesthetics)

-- Eric Swanson’s “Omissive Implicature” (Linguistic study on implied communication through omission) Available on JSTOR; Published by University of Arkansas Press)

-- Jacques Moeshcler’s “On the Pragmatics of Logical Connectives” (Published in the book: “Aspects of Linguistic Variation)

Exformation

-- David Foster Wallace’s “Laughing with Kafka” (Yes, the same writer of the book, Infinite Jest! A quick 4-page read that explains exformation in literature using Kafka as an example; Available on JSTOR; Published in Log by Anyone Corporation)

-- Stephen J. Burn’s “Reading the Multiple Drafts Novel” (23 pages; can be a slog to read, but it addresses the issues of “canon”; Available on JSTOR; Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press)

FILM HISTORY

Generally, I recommend looking up Hollywood History pre-code (Hays Code aka the Motion Picture Production Code from 1930-1967). Notice that the code’s abandonment was gradual in the 60s, which was when the U.S.’s sexual revolution occured. The MPAA Film Rating System went into effect in 1968.

Sin if Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood by Mark A. Vieira

Available in hard cover on Amazon (looks like there’s only 1 copy left); no digital version that I can find. You may be able to find this at your library.

Forbidden Hollywood: The Pre-Code Era (1930-1934): When Sin Rules the Movies by Mark A. Vieira

Available on Kindle. Similar to Vieira’s first book but considered inferior.

The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies by Vito Russo

Published in the 1980s, a groundbreaking work and the first of its kind. It’s dated but still considered critical reading.

Screening the Sexes: Homosexuality in the Movies by Parker Tyler

Available in hardcover and paperback. This is also considered critical reading to be paired with Celluloid Closet.

Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video by Raymond Murray

Available in paperback on Amazon (1 copy left); likely to be in the library as well.

QUEER SUBTEXT IN LITERATURE, THEATER, AND FILM

Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities

The first book of its kind, published in 2019. A must-read as contributing articles include analysis on Supernatural, Sherlock, and Merlin, among many others. I highly recommend reading the entire book, but it is expensive. You may be able to find this at your library.

My recommended articles from this book:

-- Joseph Brenann’s “Introduction: A History of Queerbaiting” is critical to understanding the Loki series specific place in queer fandom and media history.

-- Monique Franklin’s “Queerbaiting, Queer Readings, and Heteronormative Viewing Practices”

-- Guillaume Sirois’s “Hollywood Queerbaiting and the (In)Visibility of Same-Sex Desire

-- Christoferr Bagger’s “Multiversal Queerbaiting: Alan Scott, Alternate Universes, and Gay Characters in Superhero Comics”

Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World

About half the price of Queerbaiting and Fandom but significantly more broad in scope.

My recommended articles from this book:

-- Cornel Sandvoss’s The Death of the Reader? Literary Theory and the Study of Texts in Popular Culture

-- Derek Johnson’s “Fantagonism: Factions, Institutions, Constitutive Hegemonies of Fandom”

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Reading of epic poem recommended)

-- David L. Boyd’s “Sodomy, Misogyny, and Displacement: Occluding Queer Desire in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" (available on JSTOR; from Arthuriana published by Scriptorium Press)

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (Reading the novel recommended)

-- Jeff Nunokawa’s “Homosexual Desire and the Effacement of the Self in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’” (available on JSTOR; Published by The Johns Hopkins University)

-- Ed Cohen’s “Writing Gone Wilde: Homoerotic Desire in the Closet of Representation” (available on JSTOR; Published by Cambridge University Press)

-- Sandra Mayer’s “‘A Complex Multiform Creature’: Ambiguity and Limitation Foreshadowed in the Early Critical Reception of Oscar Wilde” (available on JSTOR; Published in AAA: Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik)

Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Reading the short story [“Three Players of a Summer Game” and stage play and watching the film adaptation highly recommended)

-- Dean Shackelford’s “The Truth That Must Be Told: Gay Subjectivity, Homophobia, and Social History in “‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’”. (A must-read, in my opinion. You see a lot of patterns that continue in our subtextual queer stories to this day, concerning since Williams’s play was written in the early 1950s. Available on JSTOR; published in The Tennessee Williams Annual Review)

I hope these resources are helpful and interesting to you! Happy reading!

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golvio · 1 year

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I can’t wait to actually get a better idea of what TotK/BotW Ganondorf is like so I can start going off on another tangent about him being an artist.

Like...art’s always been a personal interest of his, as a character, even if the game doesn’t really actively embrace that and use that to make a point about him as a character because the man is not allowed to have Traits.

We’ve seen him do stuff like playing the organ in OOT, and then there’s the basement full of portraits in the Forest Temple that were also very likely his own works. OOT3DS took this a step further by adding assets that turned the hallway leading up to Phantom Ganon’s room into a little gallery of impressionist paintings that don’t jive with the style of the portraits outside of the basement, suggesting that they were a later addition brought in by you-know-who.

And then there was that whole bit in Wind Waker, where his primary passion was theater and performance. He performs multiple soliloquies for Link, which are among his most famous and oft-quoted lines among the fandom. He puts on a puppet show with this giant marionette that expresses his own frustration with his destiny. Even his fighting style looks like a dance.

And in Cadence of Hyrule, where he picks up music after being inspired by watching Octavo through the window, building his own instrument and refusing to come out even after the door to his home is unblocked so he can devote himself solely to practicing.

Yet…he doesn’t get to define himself as “an artist” the way other characters do. Ganon’s own interests outside of the boss room are unimportant. At best, they’re treated as set dressing to hype the player up for the boss fight.

Yuga gets to define himself as an artist. His self-esteem is wound up in his own work. His work is his only love and is used to say something about him as a character, even if that something is just “he’s a pretentious jerk who thinks he’s better than everyone else.” Ganon’s own love for art and how his relationship with it compares/contrasts with Yuga isn’t brought up at all. ALBW Ganon is barely even a character. All the passion and creativity comes exclusively from Yuga, while Ganon himself is a mere tool, a medium through which Yuga sculpts himself.

Octavo, too, is allowed to define himself through his art, his relationship with his music, his personal passions. His climactic boss fight is a literal recital, performed before an adoring audience of monster soldiers. Ganondorf, on the other hand…the audience is given the impression that he sees his art merely as a tool with which to dominate others. He’s just a big mean thug with a weapon that happens to be musical for you to stomp down to prove how far you’ve come and save the world. His personal feelings about his work, his development as an artist (including his foray into experimental electronic music and building his own synthesizer), the profoundly autistic way he expresses his passions, how his beast form that’s used as shorthand to depict him giving in to his worst impulses is defined not by traditional animalistic warlord behavior but by him devoting himself entirely to his music and forsaking all else, and how other people feel about his art is completely unremarked upon by the other characters by comparison. When you fight him, there is no audience. He’s not allowed to perform or want to perform. He’s not “supposed” to hold recitals or want people to understand and appreciate his music. He’s not expressing interest or passion in the “correct” way, and therefore his internal life is completely ignored. As the BBEG who exists solely to be killed in a test of strength, he’s not supposed to have an internal life in the first place.

TotK has this strange, dissociated reprise of the “puppet show” in WW. He’s made all these puppets in his own likeness, has sent them aboveground to perform on the great stage of Hyrule in a display that’s impossible to ignore. But the artist himself is absent. He doesn’t lend his voice to the characters he’s created, and all they can do is growl and scream, maybe occasionally darkly chuckle to themselves. None of them have faces. Even Calamity Ganon, at best, only has a distorted, unrecognizable likeness of the man whose image he was made in.

TotK itself is a game about creation and creativity. Not only that, but it seems to be pulling back the curtain on Ganon’s artistic process, the media he used to create his myriad marionettes and hostile sculptures in his own likeness. But until we actually meet the artist himself, we have no way of knowing what his relationship with his whole body (bodies?) of work is, much less whether Nintendo is actually interested in answering this question and making this association with art and the act of creating a work a more integrated part of his character instead of mere set dressing that’s breezed past by the narrative to get to the exciting stabby part.

#long post #legend of zelda #loz thoughts #totk spoilers #ganondorf #ganon

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zdenvs3000w24 · 4 months

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Interpreting Nature: The Universal Language of Art

Amid today’s bustling modern life, it’s easy to overlook the subtle symphonies playing out in nature’s theater. When granted the chance to walk through a lush forest amidst our busy schedules, one might immediately notice the vibrant hues of flowers or the towering trees with vast canopies. However, the intricate patterns and gentle processes often go unnoticed. As Eliot Porter observed, nature’s true beauty lies not just in its colors but in the intricate disorder that shapes our world, from tumultuous waters to delicate entangled vegetation (Beck et al., 2018). Nature encompasses a vast canvas, embracing theater, poetry, music, dance, and visual arts. Artists, per Jay Griffiths, have the power to evoke sympathy and empathy within the heart of their audience, beyond their mediums (Beck et al., 2018). But, who are we to interpret nature through art? One can say we are humans, curious seekers of beauty and the unknown; nature guides striving to turn information into inspiration. Yet, interpreting nature through art extends beyond humanity alone. Birds communicate through music and dance, expressing joy, sorrow, and desires that we perceive as mere symphonies. Even beneath the waves, amidst the vast expanse of the ocean, dolphins and whales interpret music through intricate harmonies not just for communication but also for echolocation. So interpreting nature through art must go beyond simply being human. I think that we are interpreters with a combination of cognitive, emotional, and cultural contexts, who seek to communicate a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world to our audience. Beyond depicting landscapes, we aim to explore themes like biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability. Through art, we strive to evoke emotional responses, provoke thought, and inspire action to protect and preserve the natural world. This aligns with Tilden’s Gift of Beauty, which goes beyond aesthetic appreciation, and instead instills a sense of responsibility for the world we inhabit. Growing up in Toronto, my journey toward appreciating nature’s beauty has been a transformative one. Exploring the unknown woods initially filled my younger self with feelings of fear and danger. However, amidst those emotions, seeds of curiosity were planted, eventually blossoming into a profound appreciation for the wonders of the natural world. It’s perhaps why I find myself studying environmental science today. As the textbook suggests, urban children who once felt terrified of the mysteries within the woods often emerged as protectors of these very resources, once they’ve been exposed to its secrets through first-hand interpretive experiences (Beck et al., 2018). Therefore, I believe that the gift of beauty is about nurturing a love for nature and inspiring future stewards to protect and preserve its treasures. In pursuit of the gift of beauty, we are reminded that nature through art, in its various forms, is not a privilege reserved for humanity alone, but a universal language that binds us to our surroundings. Through our interpretations, we strive to make the voice of nature heard, from its whispering breeze to its thundering waterfalls. So, who are we to interpret nature through art? We are humble participants in a timeless dialogue with an invitation to listen, learn, protect, and appreciate nature’s beauty in all its forms.

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

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briasfreespace · 9 months

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Black artist exploration: Ruth E Carter

The Academy Award winner and Hampton Alum, best known for her costume design in The Black Panther film series and numerous Spike Lee films has been at it for over 40 years. Let's do a run-down of her decades-long career.

🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵The Phenomenal Ruth Carter🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵🪡🧵

Ruth E. Carter´s Beginnings

Ruth E. Carter was born and raised in Springfield, MA. Initially, Carter saw herself on stage instead of backstage, starring in numerous uni productions as a theatre major during her time at Hampton. She picked up her sewing skills as a teenager practicing with different sewing patterns and used that as a part of her way to express herself as she was the youngest of 8. It was during her time at Hampton that a professor asked her to help in the costume department, and she found her true passion in costume design. She had a small workshop where she created costumes for the theatre department, the travel dance companies, the campus musicals, and the steppers.

In an interview with American Matters she discussed where her love for costume design began: ¨...I realized that it was an artistic medium. And I got to see my work on stage and look at color balance and relationships between people by what they were wearing, and it allowed me to step outside of my desire to be on stage and inside the story, it allowed me to step outside the story and orchestrate what I was doing with all the characters. And that’s how I fell in love with it. I thought this is big. It felt bigger than just playing the one character.¨

After graduating, she went back home and interned at her local theater for a year. The next year, she went across the country to New Mexico to intern with the Santa Fe Opera. She was dedicated to growing her craft, and it was during this time that she truly fell in love with costume design and felt like she was stepping into something new. She moved to LA at 26, and later that year, she worked with the Los Angeles Theatre Center and worked her way up to an administration job. Carter realized over time that administration was not what she wanted and found an opportunity to travel with a dance company as their costume designer. It was at this time she met Spike Lee.

Meeting Spike Lee would redirect Carter to her true passion for creating costumes for film and TV. At the time, Spike Lee had begun production on She´s Gotta Have It and asked Carter to consider working on a student thesis film. It was during this time she understood how film wasn't so focused on bravado as theatre arts were, the focus was more dedicated to showcasing the details, or the subtleties of characters. She understood that even everyday people, in their everyday lives, are telling stories through the clothes they wear and how they wear them.

In an interview with NPR´s Fresh Air: ¨There is someone that you personify in that vision of yourself, in your mind, and there's also that vision of someone who we see, the representative of you. And that's where fashion stops and costume begins, because we create a mood for ourselves. We create a voice that we want to project to the world without us saying a word. And that's what costumes do. They communicate amongst each other. Either they're collaborative or they are in opposition. They say who you are or who you want to be or how you want to be perceived. And that's the part of clothing that can be so simple and yet so complicated.¨

Her Most Iconic Designs

Malcolm X directed by Spike Lee (1992)

To create the costumes for this project Ruth was blessed with the opportunity to interview Betty Shabazz about her time with Malcolm and who he was behind closed doors. She also was granted access to his prison letters allowing for a more intimate understanding of who this person was before he became Malcolm X. To build a costume for a real person, she looked into his personal history and textile history from the 1920s to '60s. The costume design for Malcolm X would grant her the first of multiple prestigious film nominations, garnering an Oscar Nomination.

Carter describes the costuming for Malcolm X: ¨...each stage in his life deserved a different color palette since his mindset was different in all the stages of his life. When he is Malcolm Little and Detroit Red, the color palette is playful with the zoot suits. When he is incarcerated, the palette is a blue like he is being cleansed. When he emerges as Malcolm X, there are black, white, and grey notes for his clean, strict, and unwavering devotion to the nation of Islam." This dark suit, was worn during the time that Malcolm X was fully immersed in the nation of Islam.¨

Black Panther (2018) and Wakanda Forever (2022)

Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would grant Ruth her first and second Oscar win for outstanding Costume Design. Her designs sit on display at the North Carolina Art Museum honoring her ability to tap into Afro-futurism in design. For these projects she studied not only the comics but kept a specific imagery in mind and remain dedicated to the artistry and storytelling of traditional clothing around Africa, specifically South Africa. Within the story there were multiple fictional tribes represented, a heritage of beading, pattern work, and specific garments were important in portraying the station at which the different characters existed, taking from real life examples instead of creating her own separate designs.

From Ruth E Carter´s website on designing the costumes for Black Panther (2018) When Carter was in the initial planning stages for the film, she printed out four words and pinned them to her wall: beautiful, positive, forward, and colorful. These adjectives guided her process and can all be used to describe the stunning Black Panther costumes, which merge technology and tradition. “I think people will be able to contextualize and look at African art and appreciate it so much differently. That’s what we did: We appreciated it, we reimagined it, we took it to another level, another place, and there were inspirations everywhere!”

School Daze (1988)

The 1988 film would be the first of many projects Spike Lee and Carter would collaborate on together. This film was inspired by Lee's times at Morehouse and touched on numerous -isms that exist within the Black community, specifically being exasperated in a college setting. For this project, they would collaborate with the iconic fashion designer known for his ¨street couture,¨ Willi Smith creator of Williwear who provided designs for all of the costumes for the homecoming scenes. Although her time at Hampton would prepare her for the type of costume designing needed for this project, Carter found herself incredibly overwhelmed. This was a small production, with a small budget but she found a way to manage. This project would set the tone for her career to come.

Advice from an interview I thought all creatives need to hear:

¨My advice is that you get a strong foundation of how you go about coming up with ideas and I think it’ll stay with you for the rest of your career. My foundation was research. I love to research.¨ Carter in an interview with American Matters: Creative spark Feb, 9th 2023.

Carter Discussing Costume Design vs. Fashion Design

¨Overall, fashion is about a development of a personality in the world, usually based around a real person that is a celebrity or a muse. Costume design is creating the psychology of the fictional character and the person behind the clothes. When fashion designers give you something, they don’t expect you to, like, dirty it up. They don’t expect you to make it look oversized or rumpled. But with costuming, the clothes are part of telling a story. That story could be that the actors slept in their car. So it’s often really hard to incorporate commercial design because we’re working with different goals in mind.¨

Thank you for reading! I hope you learned something new.

Signing off,

B, the Virgo

sources:

#ruth carter #virgo #wikipedia #black panther #black artist #costume design #hollywood #spike lee #school daze

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careeralley · 3 months

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Unlock the Spotlight: 5 Thrilling Entertainment Careers

Working in the entertainment industry often has a glamorous allure and for good reasons. Beyond the spotlight, numerous fulfilling roles provide vital support in TV, film, and theater. These positions are perfect for artistic individuals seeking to express their creativity while earning a good income. Many of these roles, including lighting, makeup, camera operation, and costume design, are essential behind-the-scenes functions that support performers, directors, and producers. Fortunately, for those pursuing an entertainment career, the industry offers a diverse range of opportunities. Overview - Careers in the Entertainment Industry - Actor: Actors perform in various mediums such as film, television, theater, and even radio. This career requires a strong ability to interpret scripts, create characters, and work collaboratively with directors and other actors. - Director: Directors are responsible for the creative vision of a film, TV show, or theater production. They work closely with actors and production teams to bring scripts to life, requiring strong leadership and communication skills. - Screenwriter: Screenwriters craft scripts for movies and TV shows. This role involves a deep understanding of storytelling, character development, and dialogue, along with the ability to work under tight deadlines. - Producer: Producers oversee the production of entertainment projects. They manage budgets, coordinate schedules, and collaborate with creative teams, requiring strong organizational and negotiation skills. - Musician: Musicians perform, compose, and record music. Whether solo artists or part of an ensemble, musicians need talent in their instrument, knowledge of music theory, and often, the ability to collaborate with others. - Sound Engineer: Sound engineers manage the audio for live performances and recordings. They need a keen ear for sound, technical knowledge of audio equipment, and the ability to solve audio issues creatively. - Set Designer: Set designers create physical backdrops for films, TV shows, and theater productions. This career involves creativity, a strong sense of visual aesthetics, and knowledge of architecture and materials. - Costume Designer: Costume designers are responsible for the outfits worn in a production. They need a deep understanding of fashion, the ability to sew and create costumes, and the skill to reflect characters through their attire. - Makeup Artist: Makeup artists enhance or alter an actor's appearance using makeup, prosthetics, and other tools. This role requires artistic skill, an understanding of lighting and camera effects, and the ability to work under pressure. - Film Editor: Film editors piece together raw footage to create a cohesive final product. They need a good eye for detail, strong storytelling skills, and proficiency in editing software. Explore the glitz and glamour! Unveil the top 5 thrilling careers in the entertainment industry that go beyond the spotlight. From stage to screen, find your dream role. #EntertainmentCareers #ShowbizSuccessClick To Tweet Drawing on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) within the "Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations" category, the median salary in this sector is $52,540, with the top 10% commanding annual earnings exceeding $100,000. Factors such as specific job roles, geographic location, level of education, and years of experience play critical roles in determining these figures. Makeup Artist For actors who achieve meteoric fame through a single character, escaping the shadow of that persona and avoiding typecast roles can seem nearly impossible. However, it's not entirely out of reach, thanks to a skill every makeup school graduate learns to master: facial prosthetics. This technique offers a transformative escape from being pigeonholed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), makeup artists earn an average salary of $53,000 per year, with the top 10% earning upwards of $122,000 annually. Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators If you have a passion for painting, drawing, or animation, a career in illustration or concept art in the entertainment industry could be your calling. Illustrators work closely with writers and directors, bringing stories to life through their art. Sculptors in this field may also create intricate miniatures of cities or scenes using materials like clay or wax. In the realm of cartoons, artists often sketch characters, contributing significantly to the creative process. Compensation in this field varies, with concept artists earning an average of around $81,000 annually, reflecting the value and skill of their contributions. Screenwriter Screenwriters create screenplays for films or TV from original storylines or sometimes written by others. Screenwriters work with a script development team to create a finished product. Screenwriters are typically freelancers (they don't work for a specific company). Sometimes they are hired by a Producer to create a screenplay from a true story or from a novel. The compensation varies wildly, depending on the experience and reputation of the screenwriter. Camera Operator (Cameraman) A camera operator, also known as a cameraman, is a key member of the camera crew, working in close collaboration with directors and production staff. Their primary role is to capture scenes for movies, TV shows, and sporting events. As professional operators of film or video cameras, cameramen typically shoot raw footage on location, adapting to various environments to create the visual narrative of the project. Pursuing a career as a cameraman typically involves obtaining a bachelor's degree in fields such as film, broadcasting, cinematography, or video editing. In addition to formal education, a deep understanding of digital cameras and editing software is crucial. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for camera operators is approximately $49,000. This role demands both technical skill and creative vision, contributing significantly to visual storytelling in various media. Costume Designer The median salary information for costume designers has been recently updated. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, as of May 2022, the median annual wage for fashion designers, encompassing costume designers, was $76,700. This figure marks a significant increase from the previously cited $36,000. Furthermore, Salary.com reveals that the average salary for a costume designer in the United States is around $43,193 as of November 2023, with salaries typically ranging from $38,870 to $47,189. These figures highlight that compensation for costume designers can vary greatly, influenced by factors such as experience, geographic location, and the specific requirements of the project or production they are involved in. Summary The entertainment industry offers a diverse range of exciting careers for those with a passion for creativity and storytelling. From the visual artistry of costume designers to the technical expertise of camera operators, each role plays a pivotal part in bringing stories to life. Screenwriters craft the narratives, while actors and directors breathe life into them. Each career path, with its unique challenges and rewards, contributes to the vibrant tapestry of the entertainment world. Whether you're drawn to the spotlight or prefer the magic behind the scenes, these top five careers in the entertainment industry offer endless opportunities for growth, creativity, and fulfilling professional experiences. Finance Your Film $24.95 How to Finance your Film Buy on Amazon.com We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. 02/24/2024 10:22 pm GMT Read the full article

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actenvs3000w24 · 4 months

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Nature Interpretation Through Art

As someone who is passionate about nature and craftwork, I find that the two are closely related. I believe that art is one of the best ways to interpret and appreciate the natural beauty of the world around us. For me, this means creating or observing different artistic mediums that capture the essence of nature.

Although I wouldn't consider myself an expert in the creation of art, I am constantly inspired by the world around me. As someone who appreciates practicing with visual art forms, such as painting and crafts, as well as written forms such as novels and storytelling, I can use these mediums to interpret the beauty of the world in my own unique way. However, my point of view of art may significantly differ from that of others, showing how versatile art can truly be.

To me, the gift of beauty is the inherent beauty and wonder that exists in the world around us. From the smallest details, like the morning dew on the grass, to larger ones, like the colorful sunset over the beach, these moments take my breath away and remind me of the magic that surrounds us every time I experience it. Being able to convey such beauty is to interpret nature through art.

However, I do find myself struggling with art forms I am less familiar with, such as dance, music, and theater. As someone who learns best through a tactile approach, I find it difficult to connect with these art forms in the same way that I do with visual mediums. I believe this to be true because artwork and writing are what I practice most personally. Nevertheless, I believe that every individual interprets art differently, regardless of their learning style, because of their own experiences, beliefs, and core memories.

In the chapter, "Learning through Artwork," it is explains that much of what is conveyed through art is an individual response, and this concept used to be encouraged by artists themselves as well (Beck, et. al., 2018). This means that everyone will interpret and convey the message of the artwork differently then that of what the artist may have intended. And this is what makes art so beautiful and unique – it is a reflection of the individual and their interpretation of their own world.

For me, practicing art is a way to further understand and appreciate what the artist is conveying, in my own terms. By engaging in my own artistic pursuits, such as painting, woodburning, storytelling, and educational writing, I am able to use my tactile approach to further interpret what the artist is trying to communicate and reflect it within my own life.

Art is a very powerful tool that allows us to interpret and appreciate the natural beauty of the world in our own unique way. Whether it's through a particular kind of art, or by all forms, we can all find a way to express what really matters to us and share it with the world. Additionally, art can be utilized to express complex topics in the world of environmentalism, to spread messages of importance across the globe (Curtis, Reid & Ballard, 2012). So go ahead, create something beautiful and share it with the world – you never know who you might inspire.

"the visual and performing arts should be harnessed to help extend increasingly unpalatable and urgent messages of climate change science to a lay audience worldwide" - Communicating Ecology Through Art: What Scientists Think (Curtis, Reid & Ballard, 2012)

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world. Sagamore Publishing.

Curtis, D. J., Reid, N., & Ballard, G. (2012). Communicating ecology through art: what scientists think. Ecology and Society, 17(2).

#art #nature interpretation #artwork #environmentalism

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arisawati · 7 months

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Explore the charm of the chosen work of Denny JA to 44 of the bells, always

Explore the charm of the chosen work of Denny JA to 44: "Round the bell, always" On August 17, 2021, the Indonesian people celebrated the 76th Independence Day. Not only celebrated with the spirit of patriotism, but also with enthusiasm in appreciating the diversity of Indonesian arts and culture. One of the most awaited celebrations was the awarding of Denny JA's selected work, known as "Bells, Always." In every celebration of Denny JA's selected work, we are always treated to extraordinary work that arouses feelings and provide inspiration to the people of Indonesia. This time, the awarding carries the theme "Round Bells, Always", which invites us to always respect diversity and foster a spirit of unity. In his elected work, Denny Ja explored various forms of art related to the theme. Through theater, music, dance, and visual arts, peaceful messages and unity are beautifully and meaningful. The audience will be presented with a story that inspires the heart and increase awareness of the importance of maintaining unity in daily life. One of the chosen works that should be considered is the theater performance titled "Melody of Life". In this performance, actors and actresses describe the story of the struggle of a young musician who is trying to find harmony and harmony in his life full of differences. Through messages delivered, the audience is invited to reflect and understand the importance of diversity in achieving social balance. In addition to theater, the art of music is also the main focus in the selected work this time. Denny JA presents a music concert that combines various traditional and modern music streams. Through this unique collaboration, Indonesian musicians produce stunning harmony and reminds us of the power of music in uniting differences. Tari is also an important part of Denny JA's selected work. Elegant and meaningful movements combined with beautiful costumes created a stunning appearance. In every dance movement, a message about the importance of togetherness and mutual respect is expressed emotionally and visually. In addition to direct performances, visual arts work is also exhibited in the awarding this time. This artwork includes various mediums such as essay poetry, statues, photography, and art installations. Each work has a unique story and message, inviting the audience to reflect and accept the beauty in differences. The awarding of Denny Ja's selected work to 44: "Round the bell, always" not only provides entertainment, but also instills the values of unity and diversity in each audience. Through the beauty of art, we are invited to see the world with more open eyes and a more loving heart. Not only that, Denny JA 44's elected work is also a place of appreciation for Indonesian artists. Through this awarding, the community can appreciate the hard work and creativity of artists in presenting interesting and valuable work. In this series of awarding events, various seminars and workshops were also held to provide space for artists and art lovers to share knowledge and experience.

Check more: Explore the charm of the chosen work of Denny JA to 44: "Round the bell, always"

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openingnightposts · 9 months

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jaafarshaikh2573 · 1 year

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The Al Jalila Cultural Centre In Dubai Contributes To The Development Of Children

The Al Jalila cultural Centre in Dubai was inaugurated in November 2016. The Centre is named after Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, the wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The Centre aims to contribute to the development of children and help them become responsible and productive members of society. The Centre includes a library, a theater, and a museum. It also offers cultural and artistic activities for children.

What is the Al Jalila Dubai cultural Centre?

The Al Jalila Dubai cultural Centre is a children’s museum that aims to contribute to the development of children through culture and art. The museum has interactive exhibits on Emirati culture, history, and traditions. It also has a library, a theatre, and a workshop space. The museum hosts various events and programs for children, families, and schools.

It is widely known that children are the future of any society. They are our hope and they hold within them the promise of a better tomorrow. Therefore, we must do everything in our power to ensure their development into well-rounded, productive citizens. The Al Jalila in Dubai is one such initiative that is making a positive impact on the lives of young people. The Centre offers a wide range of activities and facilities that cater to the needs of children from all walks of life. Some of the key features of the Centre include: A library with a collection of over 10,000 books A state-of-the-art auditorium A planetarium A number of studios for art and music classes A multi-purpose hall for sports and other physical activities These are just some of the ways in which the Al Jalila is contributing to the development of children in Dubai. By providing them with access to quality education and recreational facilities, the Centre is helping to create a bright future for all who use its services.

The different types of activities offered at the Centre

The Al Jalila cultural Centre in Dubai offers a variety of activities for children to enjoy and learn from. These activities include art and music classes, as well as cultural enrichment programs.

The art classes offered at the Centre allow children to explore their creativity and express themselves through different mediums. They can also learn about different cultures and their art styles through these classes.

The music classes offered at the Centre help children to develop their musical skills and appreciate different genres of music. They can also learn about the history and culture behind the music they are playing.

The cultural enrichment programs at the Centre provide children with an opportunity to learn about other cultures and their customs. This helps them to develop a better understanding of the world around them.

How the cultural Centre benefits children

The Al Jalila in Dubai offers a variety of benefits for children. The Centre provides a safe and welcoming environment for children to explore and learn about different cultures. The Centre also offers a variety of educational and enrichment programs for children. These programs help children develop important life skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and communication. In addition, the cultural Centre also helps children connect with their heritage and develop a greater appreciation for the arts.

What families have to say about the cultural Centre?

When it comes to the Al Jalila Dubai cultural Centre, families have nothing but good things to say. The Centre has truly contributed to the development of its children, providing them with a safe and educational environment to grow and learn.

Families have especially praised the Centre for its commitment to Emirati culture and heritage. Children have been able to learn about their country's history and traditions through interactive exhibits and programs. They've also had the opportunity to meet other Emirati children and make new friends.

Al Jalila Dubai cultural Centre has been a positive experience for families and their children. It's an important resource for the community, and we're grateful for its existence.

Overall, the Al Jalila cultural Centre has been a positive addition to the community, and families are grateful for all that it has to offer their children.

What other benefits does the cultural Centre offer?

The Al Jalila cultural Centre offers many other benefits to children, including:

- A safe and welcoming environment for children to explore and learn about different cultures

- A place for children to express themselves creatively through art, music, and dance

- Opportunities for children to interact with others from different cultures and backgrounds

- A chance for children to learn about and celebrate their own culture

The cultural Centre also provides a space for community events and activities, which can help contribute to the social and emotional development of children.

How does the cultural Centre contribute to the development of children?

The Al Jalila Dubai cultural Centre is a place where children can learn about and experience different cultures. The Centre offers a variety of programs and activities that help children learn about other cultures and develop an understanding and appreciation for diversity. The Centre also provides a safe and welcoming environment for children to interact with others from different backgrounds.

The cultural Centre contributes to the development of children by providing them with opportunities to learn about other cultures. Through the Centre’s programs and activities, children are exposed to different cultures and customs. They learn about the history, traditions, and values of other cultures. The cultural Centre also helps children develop an understanding and respect for diversity.

Conclusion

The Al Jalila Dubai cultural Centre is a great place for children to learn about different cultures and develop their skills. The Centre offers a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, music, dance, and more. The staff is very friendly and welcoming, and the children always have a great time. We highly recommend the Al Jalila cultural Centre to anyone looking for an enriching experience for their children.

#al jalila #al jalila cultural centre

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thecavavoice · 2 years

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The Art of the Stage Adaptation

by Ella P.

Photos from the musicals "& Juliet," "Clueless, the Musical," "A Beautiful Noise," and "Some Like It Hot" (Playbill)

An artist/creator’s creativity when making a reboot or remake is measured in how they are using the source material in their own work. One medium that continually has issues with reboots and remakes is stage musicals. People have turned pre-existing stories into stage musicals for decades, but it has been especially prevalent since the 2000s.

Most new musicals are based off of movies, books, and even other musicals. A lot of these musical adaptations are just ways to draw in audiences with an already well-liked story or already well-known music, sometimes both, in order to make money. A glaring example is the stage musical based off of "Clueless" from 2018. It not only was just a direct re-creation of the movie, but was also a jukebox musical, meaning it used music by regular pop artists instead of songs written specifically for the show. With almost no original content, the use of an actress in the lead role who was already well known in Hollywood was the cherry on top of a clear cash grab. The "Clueless" musical is just a symptom of this larger trend, however. At the time of writing this article, there are 18 non-revival musicals on Broadway. 10 of those 18 are either jukebox musicals, based on a movie, or both.

This is not meant to be a criticism of remakes or adaptations at large. The criticism here is of attempts to profit off of familiarity and nostalgia. This is not an issue exclusive to Broadway, either. A large portion of Disney’s output in the last few years has been the same thing. Broadway, so much of their struggle is relevance.

“Hamilton” premiered on Broadway in 2015 and caught the general public’s eye. Its cultural impact cannot and likely will not be recreated anytime soon. Same applies to the amount of money it has made. Not because the story was widely familiar among audiences, but because it was different from any other musical that had been on Broadway before, story wise and music wise. With so many of the musicals that have premiered in a post-“Hamilton” world, it is clear that they are trying to appeal to that same mass audience by showing them something they already know and understand. They are taking the approach of having music that incorporates elements of popular genres (sometimes even just using pre-existing popular songs), while still being faithful to musical theater, and losing the risk that came with writing a story about a lesser-thought about historical figure, by having the story be something that the audience is already fairly familiar with. It should be safe and appealing, and should therefore make a ton of money.

Uncreative remakes and reboots underestimate audiences. The general public is smart enough to know that just because something exists and is good, just doing it again doesn’t mean that it is still going to retain its quality.

#opinion #arts and entertainment #by Ella P.#Archive

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lifestylelaguna · 2 years

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Bringing music and people together. My City, My SM, My Music project partners will celebrate the joys of Philippine performing arts in communities around the SM malls. From left: World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) Team Philippines Country Director Gerry Mercado and Creative Director Annie Mercado, SM‘s Millie Dizon, the Philippine Star Executive Vice President Lucien C. Dy Tioco, Metropolitan Museum of Manila President Tina Colayco, Filipino Heritage Festival Inc. (FHFI) President Armita Rufino and National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) President Dr. Renato Lucas. This photo was taken at the Upper Lobby of The Manila Peninsula

SM LAUNCHES MY CITY, MY SM, MY MUSIC CAMPAIGN

Over the past few years, the My City, My SM series has showcased the different facets of our country’s rich culture – our tourist attractions, our cuisine, our artisan crafts, and most recently, our visual arts.

Beginning this August, our cultural journey takes us to another exciting route with the premiere launching of My City, My SM, My Music at The Block at SM City North EDSA.

A joint project of SM, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Filipino Heritage Festival, WCOPA, and the Philippine Star, with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and Tahanan Books, My City, My SM, My Music is a celebration of Philippine performing arts –music, dance, and theatre.

It aims to bring music and people together by showcasing indigenous, folk classical, and contemporary artistry in a roadshow around the SM Supermalls. Advocating music for all, we are working with communities to mount shows, exhibits, workshops, and contests in key cities around the Philippines.

But why music? While every country has its own language there’s only one language we can understand: the language of music. Music plays a very important role in bringing people together because it connects people in ways no other medium can.

More than that, it is said that Filipinos are born to sing, dance, and perform. Beyond the melodies of everyday life, singing is our way of celebrating. Indigenous groups continue to practice inherited music like songs for work, rituals, festivals, mourning, and courting. And today, music continues to move us, inspire us, and join our hearts in song.

“Like art, music has the power to connect and bring people together,” says Metropolitan Museum of Manila President Tina Colayco, who has collaborated with SM on many cultural projects. “ I think that every performance and every art exhibition is a celebration.” With that, “the Metropolitan Museum of Manila is very honored to continue again another campaign with SM for My City, My SM, My Music. We are proud, happy, and inspired to be able to participate in this kind of holistic approach where music, dance, and theater all come together for a different kind of experience.”

For Filipino Heritage Festival President Armita Rufino, who has worked with SM for many years to bring our rich culture to the malls. “ this project of SM is going to be very informative for us who love music and who love dance.”

“Music is the language of the soul,” says Annie Mercado, Creative Director of the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) Team Philippines, which has brought much honor to the Philippines since it joined the prestigious annual competition in 2005. “It connects hearts. It speaks to you. It knows no boundaries, religion, ethnicity, culture, or social class. I am happy that SM has given recognition to the performing arts and music, the recognition it rightly deserves.”

More than that, “music is a gift from God,” adds Gerry Mercado National Director for WCOPA Team Philippines, “ and we feel very blessed that through this project, Filipinos will be able to showcase their God given talents all over the country.” Team Philippines dazzled the world by winning a total of 390 medals, including 136 golds, in the 23rd Annual World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in 2019 in Long Beach, California. This is quite a feat as WCOPA is often cited as the official “Talent Olympics”, and the only event of its kind in the Hollywood area, the entertainment capital of the world.

For National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) President, Dr. Renato Lucas, who is also a cellist and conductor, “music expresses the unspeakable, describes the undemonstrable, and it reminds us of the memorable. Our music and our performing arts is a living monument of what we were, what we are, and what we could be.”

Since 1973, NAMCYA has been a driving force in discovering major music talents from all over the country in the fields of choral singing, piano, chamber music, family ensemble, and indigenous instruments. Some of the country’s brilliant artists like pianists Cecile Licad and Raul Sunico, Violinists Julian Quirit and Joseph Esmilla, tenor Noel Velasco, soprano Andion Fernandez, the UP Singing Ambassadors, the Loboc Children’s Choir and the University of Mindanao Chorale are among its distinguished winners.

“The Philippine Star has been all the way with SM in its My City, My SM series ever since its first incarnation, says Philippine Star EVP for Sales and Marketing Lucien Dy Tioco. ”I think this edition is really exciting because music covers everybody and it celebrates the culture of every region. With our collaboration, we will be able to bring Philippine performing arts more to the mainstream.”

Mallgoers will have the rare opportunity to have a glimpse of the life and work of National Artist for Music Dr. Ramon Pagayon Santos during the premier of My City, My SM, My Music event at SM City North EDSA from August 27 to 31. The award winning PWU JASMS Manila Rondalla under Noli DO. Rodriguez will be performing his compositions during the event launch; as will the amazing WCOPA Team Philippines medalists who have given us much honor in the prestigious international competition.

My City, My SM, My Music is a take-off from the My City, My SM campaign which promotes tourism; My City, My SM, My Cuisine, which highlights family heirloom recipes in the different regions; and My City, My SM, My Crafts, which celebrates traditional arts and modern Philippine design. Most recently, My City, My SM, My Art was a celebration of Philippine visual arts – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and filmmaking.

My City, My SM, My Music’s next stop will be at SM City Olongapo Central.

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rahul1994 · 2 years

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Acting School Career Guide - How You Can Join the Film Industry?

Building a successful career in acting requires equal parts talent and practice, which also involves a bit of luck. We can see actors work anywhere like TV, Events, Theatre, Reels on the internet and many more places. They unravel the history of the characters we portray and inspire new actors to be one of them. Some work in association with various mediums of entertainment, and some stick to the stage, using their voice to create new worlds or dedicating their lives to the media screen.

For those who are serious about acting, we will discuss step by step how you can fulfill your dream of becoming an actor and what you have to do to become a good actor. To master something, you need to have detailed knowledge about it. So let's move towards our content without wasting much time. And let's look at some important points.

What does an actor do?

The responsibility of an actor is very high, if I put it simply, an actor represents by portraying a given character in a film, TV show, theater, etc. The acting of the actors is more important than the story of a film.

Career basics in acting

Actors audition for roles and, if selected, perform those roles to bring the characters to life. Your work may be on a film or television set, in a theater, during a live event, or anywhere else a performance is needed. They can work at any level of the profession, from being an additional in a larger cast to appearing in leading roles.

Steps to become actor

Directly jump on a theater in high school

The path to an acting career may actually begin in high school plays and musicals. Drama classes can introduce students to stage and costume design as well as to different approaches to performance, different methods and schools of thought in acting, writing their own material, and characters. High school drama classes and productions allow students to develop their skills and experience performing in front of a large audience. They are also very important in preparing students for the inevitable countless auditions that await them once they enter the world of professional acting or a college or university drama program.

Take more experience

Look for small playhouses and theaters in the local area and audition for a variety of roles. even try wherever you get a chance to audition.

Be Educated

While college education is certainly not mandatory in order to be successful as a professional actor or actress, some aspiring actors may benefit from a formal college or university drama degree program. Post-secondary drama programs can be found at nearly every major public and private college in the United States, as well as most community colleges. These classes will not only develop skills, but help aspiring actors understand what happens behind the scenes, such as contracts and business deals.

Classes may include the history of theater, stage production, dance, music, and more. College productions can also provide aspiring professionals with the chance to be seen by agents and producers who may be looking for new talent.

Practice makes perfect

Keep going to auditions and getting into the acting world as much as you can. Acting workshops and small theater companies keep artists in top form by providing an environment in which they can stretch their creative muscles and practice their craft. They also provide one of the most effective networking opportunities available. Join the theater team, keep networking and be patient; It can take years to get a big break, but it is possible for some actors to get a steady stream of work.

Join acting school

A good acting school teaches you all the models of acting, how you can present your character in different emotions. And you can create an image in the mind of the audience. There are many such institutes which give acting classes. If you ask me, there is one institute whose all courses are ISO certified, it provides offline and Online acting course. The biggest advantage is that they also provide placement support after the course. Believe me there Offline & Online acting class is on another level. You know many more things about acting after taking their course. Their modeling course also counted as the best Modeling course in Delhi & Mumbai.

#online acting class #online acting course #acting course #modeling course #acing school

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hostess-of-horror · 3 years

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Danse Macabre

Finally! After so many days of writing, I have finally finished my biggest fanfic yet! It's another Phantom x Peach fanfic and it is a bit of a sequel to my previous one "Encore at Midnight". I had this really cool story concept for a little while and I felt like I just could not do anything else unless I write it down. It was a bit of an experiment since I had to do a little bit of research just to pull some things off (however, it is far from perfect, so please forgive me). Also, I have officially made some OCs for this fanfic, yay! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy what I have created!

Number of Pages: 17

Word Count: 9358

[Content includes: Themes of Death/Mortality and Some Suggestiveness (not smut though!), OC “Death”, Graphic Body Horror, and Slight Profanity]

For @salamifuposey, @kindpopstar, @jawaii-chan, and everyone else who wants to read this fanfic!

____________________________________________________________

My Dearest Princess,

Forgive my absence these past few days. I have been preparing the final touches in my newest masterpiece, and I have been dying to show you what I have created. It is something I have not done before; consider it an experiment of sorts. My excitement cannot be contained any longer! Tonight, I invite you to a performance unlike anything you have seen before. I have arranged a carriage to arrive at your castle at around midnight. It will take you to Spooky Trails, where I have made refuge, and you will be accompanied along the way. She will be your guide, and I assure you she will not lead you astray. I pray you receive this letter and that you accept the invitation.

Your Humble Host,

---

Princess Peach reads and rereads the letter. So many questions run through her mind. What does he mean by “experiment”? What kind of performance will this be? And who is this guide? She looks up from the letter, and across from her is an unfamiliar face. Sitting across from her is a woman looking out of the carriage window, admiring the night sky. Or, at least it seems like she is, for the bright reflection on her tea shades completely covered her eyes. Her guide is abnormally slender and taller than her, however she could not tell exactly how much. Her alabaster skin pops in contrast of her dark attire, which consists of a frilly ivory blouse and high-low trail skirt, a velvet violet corset, leather pants, and a long onyx black coat embellished with jewels. Her frizzy, unkept silver hair is pulled up into two buns with small strands of hair shimmering like a diamond. Peach had never seen anyone quite like her before; it’s like she came from another world entirely. The guide turns her attention from the view towards Peach and smiles. Peach averts her eyes and looks towards the window – it was rude to stare, especially at a stranger. “So, you must be the one my master has been interested in all this time? He has told me so much about you.”, the guide spoke. Peach brings her attention back towards the guide. “I am, miss.”, she responds, “And, he has?”

“Oh yes! He is simply infatuated with you! I dare say, obsessed, even. And now that I have a chance to see you up close, I can definitely see why.”

“Infatuated is a good word to describe him. He has shown his affection quite often since our first reunion.”

“Has he now?”

“Mm-hmm. He’s been nothing but a gentleman towards me, even if he does get pretty… excitable from time to time.”

“Consider yourself lucky, your highness. Having an enthusiastic partner makes the relationship a lot more interesting!”

“Well, yes, I agree… I- um…”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Phantom and I have only met a little while now; almost a month I believe. I’m not sure if I want to start referring to him as my partner.”

“Just yet, you mean?”

“Oh, please don’t get me wrong, I do like him! I just like to… take things a little slow.”

“Ah, I see. I completely understand. You want to get to know him a little bit more before you make any decisions. A rather smart move on your part.”

“Exactly.”

“Don’t tell anyone this, but my master isn’t one to do such a thing. That is not to say he’s completely reckless, but whenever there’s something – or someone – he’s interested in, he becomes determined. Stubborn even. And personally, it is not his best quality sometimes. It makes him look like a moron. A blind one at that.”

“I guess you can say he becomes inspired. Phantom is an artist, after all. Art is meant to invoke emotion, no matter the medium. It would make sense that he himself is the same way.”

“Insightful! And right you are.”

“Not to mention, Phantom is an opera singer. Opera, of course, is highly emotional and very dramatic, and so is he.”

“That too. I know this might be a personal question, but your first reunion with my master…”

“Yes?”

“What happened that night? I ask because I remember seeing him wallowing in shame after his trip over to the Mushroom Kingdom. When he returned, he threw himself onto his fainting couch, murmuring curses, almost about to cry.”

“Oh my! Well, Phantom was in the ballroom inside my castle that night. He was singing this beautiful melody. When I found him, we talked for a bit and discovered we both have something in common.”

“And what would that be?”

“Companionship.”

“Ah…”

“As we talked, he told me about his life after that battle at Spooky Trails a few years ago. He was so lonely, unable to find friends to call his own. Soon he became… anxious. I cannot describe exactly what came over him, but it was obvious he was in pain. Then, his eyes turned red, and suddenly darkness. I fainted.”

The guide stares at Peach, her mouth slightly agape. Although her tea shades cover her eyes, her expression is readable. It is a look of shock – that look of knowing exactly what had just happened with Phantom on that very night. She sighs, “I see. That is not the first time he has done that. My master can be terrifying when he has his moments.”

“Everything was just so overwhelming. I was scared, yes, but afterwards I was more concerned of his well-being. I cannot bear to see someone in pain; being alone can take a toll on anyone… Oh, that poor thing! He must’ve thought that he harmed me when I fainted!” Peach exclaimed. Silence takes over the conversation. Peach’s eyes wander towards the carriage floor while the guide’s attention never breaks. Her eyebrows furrowed, Peach fidgets with her gloves. The guide adjusts her position, leaning over towards the worried princess. She reaches out and holds her hand; Peach stops fidgeting. “I’m glad that you care about him, your highness. Very few do.” she gently smiles, “There have been many times I believed that the only people who care about him is me and the others.”

“The others?”, Peach asks.

“The rest of my master’s theatre troupe. Just like him, we are all one with music.”

“…may I ask what is your name?

“My name? Oh-! my name, how could I forget my manners? How rude of me! I am Dolores, your highness.”

“And if I may ask as well, if you don’t mind, where do you come from?”

Before Dolores has a chance to answer, a flash of shadows sped by the carriage. Dolores motions towards the window, her head peeking out, looking over the view. Her pearl white teeth shows as she grins from ear to ear. “We’re almost there! Ah, soon you will experience the greatest show yet, Princess Peach!”, she exclaims with glee. Peach takes a look at her window. Memories flooded her mind like a rushing river coursing through the barren earth. Spooky Trails.She remembers now; it was all coming back to her. This was all leading to the very location where her battle with Phantom took place. She, alongside Mario, Luigi, and a few Rabbids, witnessed Phantom’s creation and fought him as he flaunted about on the old, decrepit stage. To think, he was an almost entirely different person. Phantom wasn’t as gentlemanly as he is as of recently, but since their first reunion, he has been wanting things to change.

He wants her. Her heart. Her soul. Her beauty. Everything.

To think it has come to this. To think the princess, who has been known for being saved by her plumber in shining armor and being in love with him, would fall for such a character. But has she truly fallen for Phantom? Or is it all just nonsense? If it was just nonsense, then why would she accept the invitation? Peach takes in the environment as the carriage rolls across the cobblestone path, driving through the dead trees and the old, seemingly abandoned village. Despite having never returned after the battle, Peach regains her memories of Spooky Trails, almost to the point of knowing exactly where Phantom resides. Dolores returns to her position, her shining grin still on her face. Peach turns her attention back at Dolores and asks, “What was the inspiration behind this performance?”

“I would tell you, but it would ruin the surprise! My master has ordered all of us to never reveal his masterpiece until it is time.” Dolores answers.

“Oh…”

“All I can say is that this is no ordinary performance. My master is quite the visionary, you know!”

“Very well, then. I won’t ask any more questions, if it’s going to ruin the surprise.”

“Are you excited, your highness?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be? It’s not often that I get invited to such events.”

“Really? But you’re royalty! I thought you would be invited to all sorts of performances.”

“I do, but it just doesn’t happen that often, and I honestly don’t know why. I adore the theater!”

“We all do too. Our lifestyle is nothing but the theater… quite literally!”

“Gosh, that must be so wonderful, to be part of a theatre troupe. To perform for all to see, to entertain others through amazing plays! I’ve always wished to join when I was a little girl.”

“Oh! Would you look at that! We’ve finally arrived!”

After what it seemed like more than an hour, the carriage, at long last, finally stops. Dolores gets up from her seat, slowly crawling her way out of the carriage. Her elongated body almost struggles through the small door, but she succeeds with grace. She then offers her hand to Peach with a softer smile, “Your midnight show awaits, Princess Peach…” Taking Dolores’ hand, Peach steps out of the carriage and immediately she is greeted by a massive silver gate. The very gate that stands guard the entrance to Phantom’s stage. It is beautifully sculpted, shaped into swirls and patterns holding up an illuminating full moon, with two music notes placed on each side as the borders. Yes, Peach remembers now. Dolores walks up to the gate and peers through it. She waves at something or something – Peach could not tell – and opens it, allowing themselves to enter. Peach follows behind. She didn’t know how tall Dolores was when they were in the carriage, but now she could get a good look at her stature. Dolores was tall – taller than any human she has ever seen before. If Peach could guess, her guide was three to four (maybe five!)feet taller than her and was practically towering over her. Ever since they met, she had this feeling of uneasiness. Who is this woman? What is this woman? Where did she come from? So many questions. There was something off about Dolores, and it wasn’t necessarily her abnormal physique. There was something, but Peach couldn’t put her finger on it. Whatever it was…. Perhaps she doesn’t need to worry too much about it.

Approaching the decrepit stage, the two ladies are met by a small man wielding a large, glowing lantern. This man is the opposite of Dolores in terms of height and physique. He is a short and stout dwarf, donning a regal yellow robe over his slightly mismatched clothes. The light emanating from the lantern reveals his nicely trimmed beard, his long, curly chocolate brown hair tied back into a ponytail, his fluorescent amber eyes giving them a warm welcome. His smile grew bigger once Dolores waves again; he waves back. “Dolores, there you are! And you brought our special guest! Wunderbar! It is a pleasure to meet you, eure hoheit.”, the dwarf greets them, bowing in courtesy. “Are the others ready, Stefan?”, Dolores asks.

“We’ve been ready for a while now. Just making sure everything is perfect for tonight.”

“And what about our master?”

“He will not show his face. In fact, he wants me to tell you that no one must see him until he has shown himself to us all.”

“Ah, well that makes things interesting.”

“I agree. Anyway, enough chit chat! Let us proceed! We must not keep our master’s little freundin waiting.”

“Por favor, Stefan! Don’t tease… that’s my job.”

Stefan chuckles as he ushers them to go into the stage. Dolores follows Stefan, and Peach follows Dolores. They all walk deeper through the torn platform and dusty curtains. Damaged props, broken wires, hanging ropes, and mangy fabrics scatter the place. The further deeper they went, the larger the backstage seems to be. Peach looks in awe as she continues to follow her guides. Who knew that this abandoned stage held such secrets? After a few minutes of walking, Stefan places his lantern on the floor, lighting up the entire floor, and begins to crawl on his hands and knees. His fingers trace the nooks and crannies of the floorboards, mumbling to himself. He searches until he finds a small hole and grabs it. The hole turns out to be a handle, and Stefan pulls and lifts up the floorboards. He reveals a decent sized door leading to a much darker pathway – a long stone stairway stretching far into a secret tunnel. Stefan’s lantern gave light to the darkness, making the trip down into the underground refuge much less intimidating. Dolores holds Peach’s hand as they go down the stairs. This was such an odd way of attending a performance. Peach could not imagine what kind of performance involves having to venture underground in order to see it. What could she possibly expect from all of this? Part of her mind began screaming for help, pleading to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Part of her mind wanted normalcy, no surprises. It wanted her to stop and return to her chamber, to her castle, to Mario and her friends. However, the other part was curious. It was that familiar curiosity – the same curiosity she had when first reunited with Phantom. She could never forget that night. Never in a lifetime. Everything about him, whether it be music or shadow, is just so…. Alluring.

Alluring… Beguiling… Captivating… Enchanting…

Her mind finally gives in. She goes for the latter. How could she not? She has ventured too deep into this tunnel to start leaving. For once, she is able to take a break from her royal duties. To forget her troubles. To finally experience something new. For once. As for curiosity, she was more concerned about Phantom. Why would he not allow anyone to see him? Of course, it must be for the performance, but what exactly does Phantom have in store? The more Peach thought about him, the more impatient she became. Phantom. Oh, where are you, Phantom? Her mind falls into that familiar trance. She wants to see him again. She wants to hear him again. Perhaps Peach has become just as obsessed as he is with her. This must be an addiction. It must be. If it wasn’t, then she would never be where she is right now. Whether it be curiosity, obsession, or madness, Peach will continue to walk into shadow if it meant she will meet her friend again. Stefan, Dolores, and Peach finally reach the end of the tunnel, finding a wooden door decorated with gold etchings, which looked out of place amongst the cobweb-shrouded stone walls. With a strong push, Stefan enters through, allowing the door to creak wide open. Behind the door is a humongous hallway, adorned from wall to wall with a vast multitude of paintings, flyers and posters of plays and musicals, candles, and curtains. To think a dusty tunnel would lead to a beautiful makeshift palace! It’s like discovering a treasure chest inside of a dank, murky swamp. Is this where Phantom was residing all these years? Peach gasps. Dolores turns around and smiles, “Welcome to our humble abode, your highness. In this place, music is our lifeforce. We eat, we drink, we breathe, we sleep in music. Just like our master, we are not only creators of art – we are art itself. And tonight, we shall once again breathe life into another masterpiece. I cannot describe how immensely happy we all are. We are so glad that you accepted our master’s invitation, you will not regret it! Now, come along with me, let us go into the Ladies’ Dressing Room. Natasha has designed a wonderful costume for you to wear, and Ophelia will help you with your hair and makeup. I assure you they will make you absolutely gorgeous. Of course, that is not to say you’re not already beautiful.”

Stefan leaves the two ladies and heads towards the Gentlemen’s Dressing Room, which is across from the Ladies’ Dressing Room to the left, placing the lantern onto an iron hook built into the wall. “Well, I’m going to get myself ready and meet up with the others. I’ll see you all at the Gallery! Bis bald!”, he says as he closes the door. Dolores enters through the door to the right and holds it open for Peach to walk into the room. There sitting inside are twin sisters, both garbed in fine, flowy silk and chiffon gowns, working on their latest projects. To the left is a somber young lady sitting near a vanity, dressed all in Aegean and periwinkle blue, her pale pink hair intertwined into exquisite dreadlocks that reaches down to her shoulders. Wrapped around her head is a flower crown composed of lavender, Baby’s Breath, Fairy Foxgloves, and Forget-Me-Nots. To the right is a cheery young lady wearing a similar gown but in shades of fuchsia and rose, checking over the details of an extravagant costume, which is porcelain and peach in color. Her pale blue hair is also made of dreadlocks, as well as composed with the same flowers with the addition of small vines, but is pinned up into a lovely cornrow braided bun. The twin in pink looks up from her work and gasps, “Dolores, you’re back! And the princess is here! Ophelia, look! They’re here!” Ophelia turns around, her saddened expression softening into a weak smile, “Oh, hello again. And it’s nice to finally meet you, your highness.”

Dolores greets them back, turning her attention back to Natasha’s project, “Is the costume ready?”

“Yes, it is! I was just making sure everything’s perfect!”

“It looks amazing! Buen Trabajo!”

“Aww, thank you!”

“Alright, now we must hurry. I need to be in costume. I’ll meet you all in the Gallery, and don’t dottle please.”

“Don’t worry, Dolores, we’ll be ready as soon as possible.”

Dolores leaves Peach with Natasha and Ophelia, entering through a darkened room to get ready for the performance. Once she leaves, Peach witnesses what is perhaps the most amazing thing she has ever seen. The speed in which Natasha and Ophelia got her ready for the performance was astounding. What should have lasted for about a few hours or so ended up lasted for a few mere minutes! No human possesses this level of speed, especially with makeup. Any makeup artist would take their time getting every detail right. There would be no possible way anyone could apply eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, concealer, lipstick, and every other detail really fast without messing up. But Ophelia proved that such an ability was possible. Natasha was no different. She helped Peach get into the extravagant costume without any struggle at all, as it fit perfectly onto her frame. How did she get her size just right? And it’s so comfortable too! “And… done! Oh, look at you! You are just beautiful, your highness! Don’t you think so, Ophelia?”, Natasha exclaims happily, proud of her job well done. “Oh yes, I agree…”, Ophelia smiles weakly again. Peach looks over to a nearby mirror. They were right; she is beautiful. Perhaps even more so, she thinks to herself, for she had never worn anything like this before. It is true that, being of royal blood, she is accustomed to an extremely elaborate (and expensive) wardrobe. But this… this is different from any other dress. It is a ballroom gown, completely encrusted with diamonds and pearls, with lovely black roses making a long trail from her waist down to the skirt. The white skirt is massive, flowing down towards the floor like a mass of billowing fog. Her shoulders and bosom are exposed completely, giving room for a glistening choker made of the same jewels. Her hair is done up in a high bun, lightly sprinkled with silver glitter, and tied together with another black rose.

She looks heavenly. Like an angel.

With everything all set and done, Natasha and Dolores begin preparing themselves. As they do, Ophelia pauses for a moment. “Oh, your highness! I almost forgot something. Before we go, our master wanted me to give you this.”, Ophelia says, handing her a small card. It reads: For the Princess. Before heading back to primp herself, her expression slowly turns gloomy, barely keeping up with her smile, “You are so lucky to be chosen…” Peach turns over the card as she waits for the twins to get ready and continues to read:

Tonight’s performance is a one-of-a-kind experience. You, my dear, will not only be the audience, but also part of the story! Everything and everyone around you will be interactive, so please do not be shy. Converse with your newly found friends! Eat, drink, dance with your heart’s content! And please, do not wait for me. I hope you enjoy my masterpiece.

- P

Ah ha! So, this is what Phantom’s performance is! It is a role-playing experience, and based on what the card says, it must be a party he’s hosting. What delightful news! Although, Peach must admit that she has never role-played before, especially in something like this. But wait – didn’t she say to Dolores earlier that being part of the theatre was her childhood dream? Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to try out her acting skills! Peach beams. She could not believe Phantom would make something like this. Whatever this role-playing party entails, she thinks to herself, she’s going to do the best she can. “We’re ready!” Natasha exclaims in a sing-song tone, “Are you ready, Ophelia?” Ophelia nods. Natasha excitedly takes both her and Peach’s hands, leading them out of the Ladies’ Dressing Room and into the Gallery. Peach almost could not keep up with the twins, for they have remarkable speed, as shown by their natural talents on makeup and costuming. How fast can could they possible go? If this is how fast they can walk, then how fast can they run? Natasha’s ecstatic giggling echoes through the hallway, and with every step they take, the upbeat tempo of music could be heard from behind the Gallery doors. The closer they went, the louder it became. The melody drifts in the air like a calm perfume for the ears, capturing Peach’s attention with its harmonious essence. A delicious delicacy for the senses. Just like Phantom’s voice. He must have composed this melody, for there is no way Peach could have been so immersed and entranced by its sound if it wasn’t. The three ladies approach the Gallery doors, the music muffled behind them. Natasha takes a glance back at Peach and Ophelia, unable to contain her excitement anymore.

She pushes the doors wide open.

What words could possibly describe the sheer extravagance of the Gallery? To think that all of this is completely underground! To think Phantom created this gargantuan chamber, big enough for him and perhaps one hundred guests! Maybe even more than that. Peach could tell, just by admiring the Gallery, Phantom is quite the fan of marble, silver, and velvet. Marble floors and pillars framing the chamber and silver-framed mirrors and portraits decorate the walls. Deep black velvet curtains cascade from the middle of the ceiling and down towards the floor, giving the appearance of one massive Bohemian tent. In the middle hangs a glamourous jeweled chandelier, giving a dim light to the darkness. Looking around, Peach notices there are seven rooms divided by the curtains, each one color-coded, with three rooms on both towards the left and right. To the left are the colors blue, purple, and green, and to the right are orange, white, and violet. The seventh room is located right in front of the ladies, right across from the Gallery entrance. Inside is completely shrouded in shades of red – wine, scarlet, crimson, garnet – and there sits in a shiny throne a crowned gentleman – a prince – with a glass of Amontillado in his hand. His wavy, champagne blonde hair falls delicately around his party mask and square facial structure. His rosy lips gently purse as he raises his glass to drink. He is accompanied by two other women, who are garbed to the nines in the richest finery, blushing and laughing amongst themselves. Every now and then, the prince would turn to one of them and whisper in their ear, making their faces turn into deeper shades of red. As Peach follows Natasha and Ophelia, she finds more guests, all conversing amongst one another in the color-coded rooms. The costumes they wear are vibrant in color and theme, ranging from jesters, to creatures, to knights, to fairies and pixies. These guests, including the prince himself, must all be part of Phantom’s theatre troupe. Peach begins to count: one… two… four… six… nine… eleven. Eleven members of the troupe. She wonders if there are any more, considering how large the Gallery is.

The prince turns his attention suddenly towards Peach, and so do the two women. Soon, almost everyone begins to stop for a moment and do the same. Simultaneously, Natasha and Ophelia bow, gesturing to Peach, “My Lord, we have brought you your special guest, Princess Morrigan of the Stygian Border.” The prince sets down his glass on a nearby silver platter, and stands right up from his throne, adjusting his vest and coat. “C’est magnifique, my loyal subjects! Now the masquerade can truly begin! Come, come! The night is young, gather around everyone! Let us celebrate all of our blessings and forget our grievances!” he declared, “May we prosper in these trying times, and may we never run out of wine to drink.” The crowd laughs and cheers, some of them raising their own glasses. He turns to Peach, his eyes wandering up and down, and smirks, “My, my… Enchantee, your highness. I must say, you look… ravishing tonight. I am Prince Fortunato, at your service. Why don’t you join me, my dear, in the Red Room? Surely, we can have some… fun together, what do you say?” Greeting her, Prince Fortunato places a soft kiss on her hand, his emerald eyes admiring her beauty. Or perhaps something else. Although Peach has to be polite, she immediately had no interest in him. Too cocky, she thinks to herself, too full of himself. It reminds her too much of Bowser. Then again, Phantom was that way, too, at least in the past. But she learned that he was not licentious. He never looked anywhere else but into her eyes. He never searched for anything other than her eyes. He ever seemed like he was after a particular goal other than seeing her whenever they meet. That is the one thing Peach was sure about. Ah, but remember! This is only roleplay; nothing is real. Prince Fortunato, as well as everyone else, is only pretending. In that case, this gentleman is an excellent actor!

Prince Fortunato leads Peach back to his throne, the two women still standing to accompany him. Envy fills the air. Their expressions turn sour as they watch Peach get even more attention than them. Peach could already tell that this is no ordinary masquerade. She has been to many royal revelries throughout her life, and all of them were filled to the brim with sophistication. Every guest, staff member, and host had class – anything that was considered less than classy wasn’t allowed. This masquerade is different in terms of the usual standards of hosting such parties. It was as eccentric as its Gothic décor, consisting of tables filled with silver platters of fruits, meats, bread, and desserts, goblets of beverages, and candles. Every once and a while, a few guests would stuff themselves and each other with this feast, disregarding etiquette for sheer pleasure. Peach isn’t used to the cacophony of this kind of merrymaking. All of this was nothing but pure, unadulterated debauchery – something she was taught never to delve into. She is a princess, after all, and princesses never do those sorts of things. However, did she not accept the invitation to let herself loose? Did she not agree to join this performance – this masquerade – to experience something new for once? For once? Feeling out of place just standing idle amongst Prince Fortunato and the guests, Peach goes over to one of the tables and picks at a plate of grapes. She watches as the guests gather around Natasha and Ophelia in one huge circle, clapping to the music’s rhythm as they frolic together. The fabrics of their dresses fly with their movements as if they were colorful wings dancing in the darkness. As she plops the grapes delicately into her mouth, her eyes continue to wander over the décor. Suddenly, she stops at a grim sight. There as the centerpiece sits three skulls, two of them from a different species, ones Peach isn’t familiar with. The skull placed in the middle, however, is human. She could not tell if these skulls were real. She hopes they aren’t real. Taking a closer look, an engraving is found on its forehead: Ars longa, vita brevis.

Without warning, the Gallery doors burst open! The music stops – the crowd jumps in surprise! Prince Fortunato rises to his feet, alarmed by this sudden interruption. Peach turns around. There standing in the doorway is an aged peasant woman in old, torn rags, her hair glowing bright red like a burning inferno. Her complexion is dirtied, her makeup is smudged, her eyes red-hot with fury. She scowls as she approaches the partygoers, her hands clenched as if she is about to attack. “For shame!Have you no shame?!” the peasant chants, flailing her arms with rage, “Have you no compassion for your people?! The plague lays waste throughout the land! And yet, here you are, surrounding yourself with wealth and whores! They are suffering! They are dying! There is no hope for us! For shame! For shame! Have you no shame?!” Peach watches as everyone else steps back, avoiding her filthy presence. Twelve. Twelve members in Phantom’s theatre troupe. Prince Fortunato steps forward, confronting her, ��Who dares… who dares interrupts us?! Who dares trespass Fort Fortunato and speak against the Crown?!”

“It is your undoing that dares enter your home! This, all of this, will be your downfall!” she responds back angerly, gesturing to the masquerade.

“Leave this instant, or else I’ll have your head for this!”

“I have seen it, Prince Fortunato! I have seen your fate in the deepest of dreams! Doom is upon you all!”

“Ah, it’s one of those so-called soothsayers my people love so much… how lovely. They love having their fortunes told, don’t they? Superstitions and all that. Hmmm. Well, in that case, go on. Amuse us with your… dreams and visions, fortune teller. We do love to be entertained.”

“It will come, Prince Fortunato, in retribution of your indulgences. You and your party may hide all you want; it will still find you! Mortals cannot escape from what is inevitable. In the end, it shall visit us when our time comes… and your time is nigh.”

“Qu’est-ce que tu racontes? What is this ‘it’ you’re talking about? Whatever ‘it’ is, I am sure it will not ruin this masquerade. Princess, do you hear all this? She’s simply mad!”

“Our time is nigh!”

“Tu es timbre!”

“For shame! For shame!”

“Quitter cet endroit!”

“Have you no shame?!”

The peasant stops. Her eyes shift towards Peach. A look of horror falls upon her face. “You…”, she whispers, slowly raising a pointed finger at her. Peach watches as she approaches her, still pointing, terrified. Her expression contorts as if she is studying, searching for something. “You… are to be Death’s Bride… Yes! You are Death’s Bride!” she exclaims, falling to her knees, clutching Peach’s skirt, “Oh, you poor soul! So young… innocent… all to be swept by its dark embrace! I beg of you, your highness, leave this place! Forget these fools! Forget all of this! Save yourself!” With a swift grab, Prince Fortunato pulls the peasant away by the shoulder and pushes her aside. “Unhand her this instant! You trespass my fortress, you waste our time with your superstitions, and now you insult me and my guests?” he yells, “Everyone! Let us show this insolent wretch what it means to insult those higher than her! Bring me a chair! Bring me some rope! Let’s play a game with her, shall we?” Peach could not believe it. A prince sacrificing the well-being of his people for an elaborate masquerade! And now, he and the other guests have decided to torture this poor woman! She cannot stay silent any longer – she must act! “Wait!” Peach cries, making everyone stop in unison, “Have mercy on her! Please!” Prince Fortunato scoffs in amusement, “Why, and for what? She insulted us, you heard her!”

“Yes, but none of that would have happened if you attended to your royal duties as Prince and took care of your people!”

“E-excusez-moi?”

“This poor woman is in dire need of assistance, and you have all the wealth to help her! Maybe you should consider.”

“Ha! My dear, you jest! I have no need for peasants! Why should I dabble in their affairs?”

“Because their affairs are yours as well. They have relied on you for so long, and you rely on them. Without your people, you’re done for!”

“Do you not see the extravagance of this masquerade? The bountiful feasts presented on the tables? Our costumes? The wine in our glasses? I am rich, Princess Morrigan! Wealthy beyond imagination!”

“Wealth that came from people like her! Please, my Lord, have mercy.”

“Are you mad? Ha, you must be! Just as mad as the fortune teller!”

“If I am as mad as her, then I must be! Yes, that’s it! Perhaps your foolishness is just another wild hallucination, for what respectable royalty spoils themselves to the point of gluttony and greed?”

A crowd of gasps shatter the silence. The crowd glance at Peach, then at the prince, then back at her, awaiting another response. Prince Fortunato stands silent, completely stunned by her audacity. His face becomes flushed, his teeth gritting, his emerald eyes bright with anger. His fists clench. “Oh…. I’m a fool, am I? Am I a fool?! I am not a fool! I am Prince Fortunato, the next in line! Heir to the throne! I am as respectable as royalty can be!” he furiously shouts, “I will not be insulted like this! I will not be degraded like this! I need not your judgment, or hers, or anyone else’s! I am no fool, do you hear me? I am not a fool! I am a Prince, full of riches and beauty! I am perfect! I am powerful! I am untouchable! You think I’m a fool? You call me a fool, eh? Ha ha! Well then, let me entertain you all! Come, gather around, my lovely guests! Let me show you what a true fool really is!” With a whip of his cape, Prince Fortunato rushes from the crowd and goes behind the throne. Everyone watches as he switches his coat and cape with another coat and removes his crown with another accessory. In a matter of seconds, he reappears, this time donning a shiny blue coat and a mask in the shape of a rabbit’s face. Raising his arms, he presents his new costume to the crowd, “Here! Here! I am now a fool! But Prince Fortunato? Oh no, no, no! He is no fool! You imbeciles! He is a national treasure!” Has Prince Fortunato finally lost his sanity? What could he possibly gain from this? Peach is stunned, as much as the rest of the others. However, she is not as terrified as everyone else. She sees Natasha and Ophelia cradling each other, comforting one another despite both being in distress. She sees Stefan in costume backing away, almost seeming to run away and hide somewhere safe. She sees Dolores frozen in utter fear.

Peach remembers what she had said: “My master can be terrifying when he has his moments.”

No one could help but watch as Prince Fortunato danced along the ballroom floor, singing random songs in a mocking fashion. He flails his arms, waving his hands wildly as if no one is watching him. Is this even part of the roleplay? This moment feels too spontaneous to even be scripted. Peach could not imagine Phantom having his own theatre troupe mock him, regardless of whether or not it would be intentional. Whoever is playing Prince Fortunato must truly be a fool. Prince Fortunato sings in a sardonic tone:

🎶“Look at me!

Watch me float and gloat and show off my coat!

Watch me as I sing about plumbers – oh, how I hate them!

I hate them so much, oh what a bummer!

Watch me as I make sweet, sweet love to my precious spotlight

Under the moonlight!”🎶

Although the song is less than perfect, Peach admits to herself: he has an amazing singing voice! And he sings opera, just like his master! She wonders if all of the members of the theatre troupe can sing as well. Ah, no! Enough of that! Don’t get distracted now! As he sings, Prince Fortunato runs and leaps onto a nearby table, knocking over huge plates of food, skulls, and candles on the floor. Everyone else watches as he spins and taps his feet on the table, his arms still flailing around. No one in the theatre troupe tries to stop him – they’re all too shocked and afraid to even do so. They did not want to get involved in such mockery. Peach could. However, what would happen if she did? As much as she would like to stop him, she just couldn’t. For whatever reason, whether it be out of shock, or out of fear, or out of curiosity, she did not move at all. Still, the Prince continues:

🎶“Imbecile, imbecile, imbecile!

Everyone’s an imbecile but me!

Listen to me, listen to me!

My ego is as big as it can be!

Come, my Princess, marry me please

Or else I’ll cry, cry, cry!”🎶

Then, the sudden drone of a large bell rings! It brings everyone into a hush, sending an immense chill down their spine. No one moves. The drone continues. And continues. And continues. Is this what the peasant woman was talking about? The impending doom that is to fall upon this masquerade? The fate of everyone who stands here on this very night? This inevitability that will claim those who still walk on this earth? Whatever is coming for them… has arrived to make its debut.

The Gallery doors creak open. Seeping through the entrance is a cloud of fog, billowing across the floor like a massive white sheet. It surrounds everyone, almost rising up to their knees, and soon the entire chamber is filled to the brim with gloom. Prince Fortunato finally steps down, his eyes staring in fear at the entrance, and retreats behind Peach. As fate approaches them, soft murmurs of terror arise from the crowd. One by one, each and every actor and actress trembles in anticipation. Peach awaits as well, but more out of curiosity than the shock of terror. This feeling; she remembers it all too well. She has to know what happens next. She has to know what kind of resolution this entire roleplay performance is coming to. Although the resolution is frightening, it was the satisfaction of discovery that keeps her within the Gallery. She will not leave. Fear will not take over. Only curiosity. Only awe and wonder. Only fascination.

And lo and behold, there stands the face of Death in his newest and blackest masterpiece.

He stands tall, bejeweled and shrouded in crimson, emerging from behind the murky darkness. The sheer size of him is intimidating enough, but the opulence in which he had adorned himself gives him an almost divine presence in the masquerade. Out of all the costumes Peach has seen, this one is more magnificent – more vibrant and elaborate – than the rest. Blood red veils cascade down from his large cavalier hat and alongside his cape. His vest a skeletal ribcage, patterns of bones scatter his scarlet greatcoat, and in his paws is a colossal gold cane. Hidden underneath the shadow of his hat is a golden mask, formed into the shape of a skull. Everyone slowly backs away as this masked red-clad stranger approaches them. But not Peach. Instead, she stays, completely in awe. She has become too enamored by his Gothic glamour to even be remotely scared. Finally. After so many days, they finally meet once again. She could see his sapphire eyes peering through and meeting hers with a sign of notice. He stops for a moment. That look… that tender gaze! Although they had only met for a little while before this moment, Peach confesses to herself: she could never have enough of those bright eyes. Those gleaming sapphire eyes. Even through that skull mask of his, she could stare into them all night long.

Alluring… Beguiling… Captivating… Enchanting…

Phantom shifts his attention to Prince Fortunato, his eyes wide with fury. The partygoers cower as he floats over to the foolish prince, towering over him as he looks down. Prince Fortunato scrambles, quickly taking off his blue coat and rabbit mask, full of sweat, almost hyperventilating. His face is revealed with a terrified expression. His eyes look up at Phantom, awaiting whatever fate – whatever punishment – shall bestow upon him. Phantom twists his cane and slowly he pulls it apart, revealing it to be a scabbard with a long, sharp sword inside it. Peach gasps as he unsheathes his weapon, raises it up in the air, and points it down at a quivering Prince Fortunato. “Please, monsieur!” Prince Fortunato gasps and swallows, “Spare me! It was only a mere jest! I was only having some fun entertaining my guests! I-I am the host, after all! Monsieur, please… Have mercy…!” Everyone watches in horror as he pleads for forgiveness. Phantom takes in a deep breathe; music begins to play again. It is in minor key, deep and dramatic – the orchestral equivalent to an imposing force. Peach holds her breath. Finally. With a smooth, baritone voice, Phantom sings his haunting solo:

🎶“Fortunato!

Surrender to me,

Look upon the face of Death!

It is meant to be,

Now savor your last breath!

Fortunato!

Your time has come at last,

Take your final drink of wine!

For your sins in the past,

Oh Prince, your soul will be mine!”🎶

“No!” the prince cries out, “You cannot take me! I will not let you! My guests need me! My people need me!” What hypocrisy! What foolishness! Peach watches intently. What is going to happen next? Will this masked presence spare Prince Fortunato? Will Prince Fortunato’s mockery be forgiven? She anticipates what comes next, whatever that may be. But although she tries to expect the unexpected, there is one thing she is certain about: the masquerade was doomed from the very beginning. Phantom lowers his sword, just by an inch, almost as if in contemplation. A few moments of silence passes. Everyone watches him in anticipation. Peach. Prince Fortunato. Dolores, Stefan, Natasha and Ophelia. Everyone. Anticipating. Anticipating. Anticipating.

Phantom smirks, letting out a soft chuckle. His sword lowers even more, and finally inserts it back into the scabbard. A sigh of relief fills the Gallery…

Then sudden horror! It happened so swiftly. So much so that if one were to blink at that moment, they would miss it completely. A scream pierces the silence! It was Prince Fortunato, now on the floor collapsed to his knees! He screams in agony as his covers his face! Phantom had made a sharp wave of his hand, almost as if he were to slap him across the face. But no! It was much, much worse. A terrible fate had fell upon the prince.

Blood…!

Oozing from his face is a gush of crimson blood! His eye sockets, his nostrils, his mouth, his pores – all drenched in blood! Horrid blemishes begin appearing on his flesh, leaving opened, pus-filled wounds as they pop one by one! Tears and yellow fluids mix with the blood, staining the floor with a pool of secretions! And the screams! Oh, the screams! Prince Fortunato tries to hide his face once more, only to find that it hurts too much! His hands pull away from his face – and, oh God! His flesh, his flesh – it is rotting away! What was once the pristine beauty of a spoiled, gluttonous prince is now the face of nightmares. He coughs and chokes; he cannot scream anymore – blood has filled his throat! He falls onto the floor, panicking, suffering! To think that this is what his people had to endure while no one was there to save their lives. With eyes stained with tears and blood, he rushes over to his guests and reaches for help, but in vain, for who could ever touch a diseased man? With a final cry of fear, Prince Fortunato falls. There lays on the floor is a twitching corpse, the face mutilated by the worst of illnesses…

This display of gore puts the guests into a state of frenzied panic! More screams and sobs fill the Gallery, as well as the sound of footsteps running and chairs and tables knocked over. If they don’t do something, Phantom will come after them next! Anything to get away from this face of Death. Chaos ensues! All except for Peach. Peach stands still amongst the disorder of the partygoers. Her widened eyes are fixated on Phantom. Is it shock? Is it fear? Is it something else entirely? Of course, anybody would be frightened by the sheer grotesqueness of the prince’s death and the possibility of meeting the same fate. But strangely, it seems to not bother Peach at all, almost as if she isn’t aware of the situation. Perhaps she is still mesmerized by Phantom’s extravagant appearance? Perhaps she is somehow desensitized? Whatever is going on, Peach still remains, as well as the peasant woman. The two ladies stare as Phantom slowly turns to watch over the terrified crowd. He observes the scene quietly. All in unison, the panicked guests rush toward the Gallery doors. With a wave of his hand, he blocks the entrance, slamming it tightly shut. Ophelia throws herself on the doors, slamming her fists frantically, “Open the doors! Open the doors! Oh please, open the doors!” Everyone begins to do the same. But alas, their attempts of escape are futile, for their master – the Red Death – had already claimed their souls. Once again, Phantom sings:

🎶“Crowned with privilege and villainous

Bathe in the blood of your wickedness

Tonight, retribution is at hand

For this masquerade shall be damned

Mask yourselves to hide your shame

But in the end, they know your name

Into the earth, your corpses will sink

May your blood be the wine they drink…”🎶

And one by one, each guest fell, forming a massive pile of bloodied bodies in front of the entrance. Peach takes in what had just happened. She had never seen something so macabre before. Roleplay, she thinks to herself, this is all just roleplay. This is all just pretend. No one is hurt. They are all just acting. This is all just roleplay. But by the stars, it looks so… real! There is blood everywhere. Not just the red pool on the floor, but also smeared handprints on the doors too. How did Phantom do all of this? This must have taken so much effort and hard work to even pull off such a remarkably gory scene! Peach couldn’t help but wonder what exactly went through Phantom’s mind when making this performance. This was something she never expected, let alone how absolutely graphic it was going to be. But regardless, the entirety of the roleplay screamed Phantom. It was bold. Dramatic. A complete subversion from a usual masterpiece. There was grandeur, there was beauty, there was mystery, there was tension. Then finally the payoff – an act of karma against the avaricious Prince Fortunato and his hedonistic friends. Now only she and the peasant woman are left. Peach cannot imagine what this powerful reaper is going to do next. Ah, no – she suddenly remembers!

Death’s Bride. She is to be Death’s Bride…

Her thoughts are interrupted by another cry, this time from the peasant woman. She turns to find Phantom approaching her, his hand lifting up to claim another soul. But why must the good die? Death is inevitable, it is true. Life is short. Peach knew this. But what did this poor woman do to deserve such a fate? Why do bad things happen to good people? Perhaps it is meant to be, just like what Phantom said. Roleplay. It is all just roleplay. Should she stand by and let things take its course? Or maybe… what could she do? Roleplay…. Ah, of course! Peach dashes over and stands in between them. “Wait!” she says, defending the peasant woman, “Have mercy on her!” Phantom pauses, taken by surprise for a moment, but then resumes in character. “Young or old, poor or rich… Death waits for no one. Her time has come.” Phantom calmly responds, his voice low. “Can you at least give her enough time to live another day? Can you see she has suffered enough? Please, I beg of you.” Peach pleads.

“You stand in front of the face of Death… and yet you are not frightened. Are you… not afraid of me?”

“I do not fear what is inevitable. I just want to give her another chance.”

“Such compassion… and all of this for a stranger. However, as painful as it may be, you cannot persuade me to spare her.”

“If that is not enough, then I will offer a gift to you.”

“And what is this gift you speak of?”

“For this woman’s life, I offer you myself. You can have my soul. You can have everything, all of me, and I will not refuse you.”

Phantom is rendered speechless, despite staying in character. Do his ears deceive him? No, it couldn’t be. It couldn’t possibly be! Deep down inside, he could not believe what Peach had just said. He watches as Peach ushers the peasant woman to flee the masquerade, and so she does, retreating to a small secret entrance hidden by the large curtains. Silence. As much as he tries, Phantom seems to be unable to speak. Now only he and the princess are alone. Together. Just like that one night. “I believe that is enough to persuade you?” Peach says with a soft smile. That smile. Oh, that sweet smile! He could stare at it forever! “I can be yours, and yours only. I will not leave. I will be not be frightened.” she continues, “It must be lonely, going around the world and reaping souls for those who’s time has passed. You don’t have to be lonely. You can have a companion! Someone who will join you by you side. Don’t you want that?” Companionship. Is Peach talking to Death or to Phantom himself? The lines between roleplay and real life begin to blur before his very eyes. He could not differentiate which is just acting or an actual confession. She must be playing a trick – she must be! This could not possibly be real! This is just too good to be true! Taking in a deep breath, staring deep into Peach’s pretty eyes, Phantom sings one last solo:

🎶“Oh, Sweet Maiden!

Surrender to me,

Look upon your paramour!

It is meant to be,

Together forevermore!

Oh, Sweet Maiden!

Your time has come at last

Take your final drink of wine

For this spell I shall cast

My Bride, your heart will be mine!”🎶

With a wave of his hand, two shiny, black feathered wings sprout from Peach’s back! Peach glances over in surprise, admiring her new wings. They sparkled under the light of the chandelier with iridescent glitter. Natasha must have added these in while making her costume. Once again, she continues to be impressed be Natasha’s work. Then her eyes glance over towards the Gallery entrance. Peach stops. Something has changed. Her eyes squints as she tries to make out what she is seeing. Confusion floods her mind until realization hits her.

The bodies… are those…. Mannequins?

Phantom places his paw on her cheek, delicately turning her face towards him. The softness of his caress fills her senses, and she is greeted by his tender gaze. What a tender gaze he has! As her eyes are locked in his gaze, Peach feels herself being gently embraced around her waist and leaning back into a dip. Her heart begins to race. Beat after beat it quickens its pace, her breathing becomes more and more shaky. It must be adrenaline – all of this is so new to her. Peach finds herself reaching out towards Phantom and, ever so gently, she takes off his skull mask, revealing his face. At long last, she finally sees him. Oh, how she missed him! “Did you enjoy the show, your highness?” Phantom grins, “I must admit, there were some things that weren’t… intended to happen, but as long a—” He is stopped, as Peach catches him off guard. Locked in a tight hug around his neck, he feels his lips being locked with hers. It was passionate yet gentle and warm. Peach, the princess he has adored for so many years, is giving him a kiss. A kiss! Is this a dream? Is this actually happening? So many thoughts went through Phantom’s mind. He could not process all of them at once; his head could possibly burst from excitement! His eyes flutter and close, letting himself melt into Peach’s embrace. If they could pull each closer than they already are, they could. But no matter how much closer they can be, it just wasn’t enough. They wanted each other. They craved each other. The unbridled desire for connection and companionship broke loose, and immediately they find themselves losing all control of their yearning. Their lips break apart, their hot breaths mingling with each other. They open their eyes; Peach grins and so does Phantom. They kiss again, neither of them wanting to stop. “Ah…!” Phantom gasps in between her soft lips, “Mon ange de la mort…!”

Overwhelmed, Peach swoons as Phantom dips her even further and surrenders herself to his kiss of death.

---

She woke up the next morning. The first thought that would have come to her mind was how she even managed to return to her castle without any notice. But no, the very first thought that came to her mind was what happened last night. She laid in her bed and, as stares up at the ceiling, touched her lips softly with her fingertips. Then up her rosy cheek, then down to her neck, and across her bare shoulders. She could still feel his touch. She sighs deeply – what a performance that was! Peach stretched her whole body and curled up, sinking back into sleep. A love stricken grin appeared on her face as she whispered to herself, “Until we meet again.”

#my writing #OTP #fanfiction #shipping fanfic #Phantom x Peach #phantom of the bwahpera #OCs #princess peach #mario rabbids #mario rabbids kingdom battle #tom phan

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franki-lew-yo · 3 years

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I really hate 2d purists. No, not 2d animation. Not 2d animators.

2d purists.

The sad thing is it’s gotten to the point that I really cringe hearing any pro-2D sentiment at all. I hate the arguments I agree with because how often they're misused and weaponized by idiots.

Let me make my stance here clear - 2d is NOT appreciated and 3d is used for everything! The layman Karen-mom who doesn’t have an artistic bone in her body looks at stupidsmooth 3D Grubhub ads and assumes quality cause it “looks more real” (aka ‘rendered’). I know as much is true because I literally have a member of my family who told my sister and I that she thinks 3d is better (and also that she “tolerated THOSE movies for us kids”. Touching words. My sister was taking an animation course by the way). Combined that with the studios either using 2D for cheap stuff or finding good 2d animation too “costly”, I get it and I’m not even any animator. I'm just a worm an illustrator.

but holy HELL -

There’s a backlash from the artistic community that's it's own kind of insufferable and deserve to be addressed.

“(insert2Danimatedfilm) is better BECAUSE it's 2D!”

followed by: "Animation is a visual medium and the quality of the art affects how much the story means !!!!”

Yes. Totally. Animation is a visual medium and the look and style is important. Sadly, people use this excuse to really obnoxious ends, insisting that design being pretty is '' everything ''. When you treat a movie more as a special effects demo I get why you talk about the artistry at hand; but I’m sorry, visuals are not the only thing important and it’s why I’m also getting sick of the sameElsafacesyndrome rants too! There’s this attitude that's reads as "but it LOOKS better fromaproductionimage/teasertrailerwhichapparentlyisindicativeof all themovieactuallyis so it MUST BE better".

-“3D should only be used to make things look realistic!”

I think I know the logic this criticism is made in response to, and that’s the Sony + Illumination films which look just as good in 2D as they do in three dimensions. I know it feels like people are twisting this medium to try and make it like a classic cartoon when by all means people can and would love a classic cartoon being a classic cartoon. That I get- From the unsung 2D animator’s perspective, that’s more than valid !

But it’s a huuuuuuge slap in the face to 3d in saying it should only be used for "realistic animation" because

1: It’s not like realistic animation could age badly or look uncanny in the next few years. It's almost like technology is constantly improving, which I guess 2d animation never did and it was always the same technique and quality as every film that came after it.

2: The industry does treat 3d as a magic-moneymaker for this reason. Just listen to these people call the 2019 LION KING “live action” as if they’re embarrassed to call it animation. It IS animation! It would be impressive if you acknowledged that what it is, but like the CATS, you basically are treating it as just a neato tool to better your live action and not it's own artform - which it is!

3: By this “three-deeonly gud when real liek in da toystories” non-logic I guess 2d should ONLY be for flowyflowy SPACE JAM cartoons and maybe some Disney*. Just that though. You can’t do anything more with 2d. It’s never supposed to be realistic I guess. Good thing Richard Williams only did 'toons' and just toons that’s why we need 3d in the world I guess.

Wait no - that’s stupid.

"I HAVE to see the “Land Before Time 14″ when it comes out! I mean it’s a 2D animated film!"

Lost in the aether that is Youtube comment chains removed from kid's videos is a stream of this very VERY stupid argument supporting the buying of the 14th LAND BEFORE TIME film because it’s supporting 2D. My sister and I can be found on that chain arguing against this stupidity. All you have is my word, but trust me: it really did happen.

I’m sorry but...no.

Unless you have a friend or a family member who worked on these movies there’s no reason to see this and ESPECIALLY no reason to insist it’s a win for the 2D community if you buy up this crap - and I'm not judging if you do like it, but come on! LAND BEFORE TIME 14 isn't where your money should go if you really like this medium.

What’s so infuriating about this argument is you can tell it’s made by nonanimators. Real animators will tell you to support their movies cause they want some respect for their artform which is why there’s such a push from the PRINCESS AND THE FROGcrowd that you SEE and LOVE every 2d thing out there, regardless of how good it is because any recognition for it is k i n d o f what they're after!

Kiddy sequel schlock isn’t even in the same ballpark as KLAUS or WOLFWALKERS; these films DID have very limited theatrical runs (Klaus so it could be nominated; Wolfwalkers in places where theaters opened up after Covid) and should have been supported because they were labors of love made by people who love animation.

As other people have already pointed out, one of the reasons for the lack of interest in 2000sera2D animation is that the only films released alongside critical+financial 3D hits were cheaper 2D films that either coincided with daytime tv shows or should have been just direct-to-video. It’s not to say art couldn’t come out of these flicks, but dayum if it wasn’t abused as much as the texture software that era's CG used... Point being, should the world ever go back to normal: If you hear about an out-of-town showing an acclaimed 2D animated film, make time to trek out and see THAT!

Don’t give your money to see yet another made-for-tv movie on the big screen because all that tells the studio is: “yeah 2d IS cheap and only good for cheap stuff let’s just keep it cheap. Only 3d is important 8D 8D 8D !!!"

“I don’t understand how it works. So it sucks.”

This text is from an ANIMATOR btw.

“I don’t understand how it works” and “it’s just some computer rendering” is the exact same wave of logic the people who prefer cgi use.

The plebian Karen I mentioned earlier? She understands the basics of 2D animation as much as you did from one of those cruddy flash classes you took in middle-school. She 'understands' the basics cuz she watched how it was made on the DVD features or maybe back on the WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY. To her, the illusion is broken and she’s not impressed by 'just some drawings on paper'. You, an animator, know the process is more complicated and is intrigued by knowing how it’s made - not bored or disinterested -

Neither you nor Aunt Karen have really good cg-animation software at your house and unless you ARE a 3D animator you probably DON’T know all the ins-and-outs of how these movies are modeled, rendered, and animated.

Aunt Karen is bedazzled by them cause she doesn’t know how it works and the technical aspect makes her brain hurt so it might as well be magic and she can feel like a cool kid sharing Minion-memes. Aunt Karen is the nonartistic type who just wants to feel safe. You're not. You want to feel challenged.

I get it: you’re pissed off cause you’re in a field no one, including Aunt Karen, appreciates; told to work in cg which it's an artform you didn’t devote your life to and told to learn it cause THIS style sells! 3D is everywhere and is starting to look like 'garbage' even if you don’t animate 3D models yourself you just KNOW, I guess. Besides, you know all there is to know about 2d!! You know all there is to possibly know about this artform and have to fight this 'war' against "r e a l" animation! And I mean even when 3d software is there to use, it's not like you can actually make anything worth while in it, especially not anything that transcends the medium. Right Worthikids?

TL;DR: This argument is basically just " BWAAAAH I’M NOT GONNA USE IT I HAVE STANDARDS (a chip on my shoulder cuz art should be what I deem it to be) "

“PRINCESS AND THE FROG is-”

There’s a reason I can’t say I truly like PRINCESS AND THE FROG even though it's not even a bad movie! Like, stop reading this and watch PATF if you haven't it's good. It's my 'FROZEN', in that; I see a lot of potential in it I just think it needs some serious rewriting and that bugs me. Always have felt that way, tbh.

I dislike this movie because the response from the animation community seems to be it was perfect and the Academy was just Pixar-crazy with UP ((ftr, the Academy IS Pixar’s bitch and I personally advocate a sequel be made to WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY about Mike Eisner’s sabotage of the 2D department at Disney which is still in place now!- but that’s a story for another day)). I’m sorry but UP was just a better story. So was CORALINE. So was FANTASTIC MR. FOX. Honest to god it feels like poor PATF is brought up as just a talking point and never for it's own worth as a labor of love - which it was! I'd like to honestly know: had PRINCESS AND THE FROG come out now and been cg if it would have even half the defenders for it because now it doesn't "look" like how a Disney movie "should" look...

If you like PatF more than the currant Disney lineup because of it's culture, it's music, it's feminism, it's black representation? Awesome. Great. Those things should be appreciated and I never want that taken away from you. But if you seriously think PatF is better just for how it was animated and looks - I lowkey may hate you.

“ALL OF DISNEY’S LATEST MOVIES SHOULD HAVE BEEN 2D! THEY ALL LOOK AWFUL IN 3D!! ALL OF THEM!”

TANGLED, FROZEN, and MOANA? Yeah. Sure. But um, e x c u s e y o u- WRECK IT RALPH sooooo doesn’t work in 2d! It could have used different between the various worlds but it’s about hopping through different video games. I’m also of the opinion that ZOOTOPIA and BIG HERO 6 are fine the way they are. Their 3d is awesome.

The latest fairy tale Disney films are really big on their place alongside the 2D canon esp in marketing. They keep trying to mimic 2D to varying results though I don't think it works as well as the movie's I'd previously mentioned. Me personally, I would love a mix of 3D and 2D technology, like if the backgrounds in FROZEN still got to be 3D but the characters were handdrawn and shaded ala KLAUS ((sweet sigh)). But even then are they truly unwatchable just based on how they're animated to you?

MOANA would have been incredible in 2D but for the record - I don't think it feels out of place in it's style. It reminds me more of a Pixar movie with the heart of a Disney classic which is it's own just as good.

“2D is the oldest form of animation and it’s being replaced.”

Actually, if we’re talking animation in film, stop motion is the earliest form of animation. The stop motion animated THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED and TALE OF THE FOX predate Disney’s SNOW WHITE. And yes: stop-motion IS still a form of animation even if it’s a serious of pictures taken of real life things and not drawings, so don’t you dare come at me with the "but that's not animated"/"Technically it’s LIVE ACTION" crap or I’ll envoke the spirit of Sandman to get you at night.

“Every animated film would look better in 2D! Even PIXAR would look better in 2D!”

Again, Stop Motion.

No, I mean it.

Lemme ask: Would ISLE OF DOGS or FANTASTIC MR. FOX carry any of the same effect if they were generic 90s toons? I know NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS wouldn’t. Christ, don’t even get me started on Svankmajer!

Sometimes the problem is that a movie is envisioned with a specific artform in mind. Pixar started out with toys and bugs for a reason and that’s cuz they were always gonna be a 3d studio and they needed to first overcome the placisity of the models. Over the years they’ve gotten really good at effects and blending unrealistic proportions with real textures (and also not so much- ONWARD and THE GOOD DINOSAUR really needed some different character designs and yeah, I do think would have looked better with a 2d artstyle, but not the ones they had in their films. THE GOOD DINOSAUR needed more realistic-speculative looking dinos and ONWARD needed a grittier HEAVY METAL/BLACK CAULDRON appeal to its designs.) My point being that the problems with these movies aren’t even inherently the animation as much as it is a problem of style. As someone who runs a group speculating different styles and designs for movies and tv shows I’m all for envisioning a 2D ZOOTOPIA or Bluth-inspired FNAF. That’s amazing!

But that’s also the talk of fan artists and nerds and not the professional artists working on visualizing their stories!!

Since I ate, slept, and breathed NIGHTMARE in my youth I’ll use it as an example: All the concept art ever done for TNBC was on paper and 2D was used in the final film. However, even when Tim Burton was thinking of making it just a tv special it was always going to be stop-motion. NIGHTMARE’s puppet cast do work very well in two dimensions, believe me, but the film was made as a love letter to Rankin/Bass and the art form of stop-motion. Skipping to another Henry Selick-helmed project (haha), JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH was also always envisioned as a multimedia film to give it a truly dream-like atmosphere. If you know anything about Henry Selick you’ll know he’s 1) a perfectionist, and 2) loves mixed media and different types of animation and puppetry at once. That’s why he was the perfect pick to direct TNBC at the time, why JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH and CORALINE are so beautiful and why MOONGIRL, his only fully 3d film, doesn’t have the same appeal.

As for what films I couldn’t imagine NOT being 3D? Probably; 9, Padak, Next Gen, Soul, Finding Nemo, the Toy Story films, Wreck-it-Ralph (as previously mentioned), Wall.E, Waltz with Bashir, Robots, Inside Out, Arthur Christmas, The Painting, Happy Feet, Shrek, Enter the Spiderverse, Megamind… just naming a few here.

“I want a traditionally animated film [and by that I mean a 90s-Disney/Don Bluth looking movie] of ‘x'-popular live action/stage thing!”

Okay I’m cheating a bit but it’s my blog and so I’m gonna stick this one in because it’s related.

When I see musings about wanting live-action or CGI shiz to be in 2d again a lot of the time this argument actually boils down to " I want this to look like a 90s Didney movie ". Or, if it’s about animals - " I want it to look like a Don Bluth film! "

Like...there ARE other styles of animation out there...you know that right?

Frack, Disney themselves tried different styles throughout the 90s it’s just that the peak of the Disney renaissance films (LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, THE LION KING) and the many imitators that followed tended to have the same look to them where only film/animation nerds kept watching into the era that was TARZAN, HERCULES, and ATLANTIS along with the kids. Aunt Karen wasn't singing Part of your World in the carride with you every day.

The Don Bluth argument is especially irritating because...what exact feeling do you WANT from a movie if it looked Bluthish? Each of the four ‘quintessential’ Bluth movies (NIMH, AMERICAN TAIL, LBT, and ALL DOGS) have such a different feel to them that’s complimented by that style; SECRET OF NIMH is a drama about wild animals trying to understand humans; LAND BEFORE TIME is even more squarely about an animal’s perspective as there’s literally no humans around; AMERICAN TAIL uses animals stowing away on the ship to tell a story about refugees; and ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN is ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN.

What the frack are you even asking for with that because I think there’s a certain flavor to the Bluth-styled oeuvre as well as the 90s Disney catalogue that would clash too much stylistically with some films.

Also come on! Like some Bluthian-style 2d would really fix THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS or SCOOB!, bite me.

I think this fixation solely on these two hand drawn styles and nothing else is based on nostalgia goggles, refusing to step outside the norm and discover different films and feelings than Disney and Bluth, and just preference. Goin back to NIGHTMARE there will always be a special place in my heart for Henry Selick’s stop motion, but I couldn’t imagine CHICKEN RUN or ANOMALISA in it's unique style.

Also I’m tired of every time there’s a "lets make an animatic to ‘x’ musical theater song" it’s reliably just Disneyesque or realistic. WHY envision an animated version of the show at all if it doesn’t have A STYLE to it??!?! I’m sorry but 90s-Disney does NOT fit CABARET!

“3D is so CHEAP now! Why can’t they just do 2D again?”

I think - on the cusp of the 2020s and the Grubhub hatedom, there ARE changing times ahead for 3d and 2d. The general public are starting to get tired of the same looking 3d films and wanting some 2d back, but they don’t have the best resources or opinions on animation to know what it is they want. Meanwhile, the animation community + industry is trying to figure out what to do and you have a lot of turmoil between the monopoly that is the industry, the high standards of the artists, and the mixed wants of the animation fanbase deciding what art needs to be.

It’s a tough business. And in the spirit of that tough business - maybe DON’T act like the means of a film’s production is solely your control, that you know best, and know definitively what the artists should have done....cuz you don't. Sorry my fellow criticalfanomanalysist-folks we DON'T and in an age of standom where fans and critics think it's okay to hackle indie animation studios about not getting their pitched cartoon out fast enough - we need to reserve these discussions to our circles and not treat them as gospel.

3d animation and 2d animation have to share this world. Stop acting like they’re either interchangeable in terms of budget, means of production, or artistry or that one has to be superior to the other.

The industry already says one art form is better (spoiler: it’s always live-action), we don’t need anymore of this purist garbage. Just stick to what you like while trying new things on the side. Be critical while also being compassionate. And remember:

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#animation #animation on tumblr #2d animation #3d animation #traditional animation #hand drawn animation #Franki's Features

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dweemeister · 3 years

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Oklahoma! (1955)

Composer Richard Rodgers was in search of a new songwriting partner in the early 1940s. His previous partner, the lyricist Lorenz Hart, was devolving into an alcoholism that would soon claim his life. Wanting to transform Lynn Riggs’ rustic play Green Grow the Lilacs into a musical, Rodgers would find a new lyricist in Oscar Hammerstein II, who had not been involved in any Broadway successes for some time. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 adaptation of Rigg’s play was Oklahoma! and – despite widespread predictions that Broadway audiences would only flock to modern, urbane works – it became the longest-running Broadway musical for another dozen or so years. It began one of the most fruitful, important, and accomplished musical theater partnerships in the medium’s history.

Interest in a cinematic treatment from Hollywood’s major studios for the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical came almost immediately after the initial reviews for Oklahoma!, but the rights went not to a movie studio, but a film equipment start-up known as the Magna Theatre Corporation. Magna’s owners intended Oklahoma! as a test for the Todd-AO widescreen process (a rival to Cinerama), but more on that and the film’s unique distribution history – which involves RKO and 20th Century Fox – later. Most importantly, the lack of studio executives to appease meant that Rodgers and Hammerstein could have full control over the film’s structure and musical/narrative changes for this adaptation. Directed by Fred Zinnemann (1952’s High Noon, 1953’s From Here to Eternity) – an unorthodox choice, given his expertise for morally complex dramas and no musical experience – 1955’s Oklahoma! is a harbinger for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical films to come, and an inextricable part of the duo’s legacy.

Somewhere in the Oklahoman countryside, amid corn as high as an elephant’s eye, is the clean-cut cowboy Curly McLain (Gordon MacRae). Curly is en route to the farmstead of his crush, Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones in her cinematic debut), and Laurey’s aunt, Aunt Eller (Charlotte Greenwood). There, Curly invites Laurey to the box social scheduled for later that evening. Annoyed that it took him this long to ask her out, Laurey decides instead to go the box social with the Williams’ antisocial and intimidating farmhand, Jud Fry (Rod Steiger). Elsewhere at the train station, another cowboy, Will Parker (Gene Nelson) might be singing about how much he was entranced by Kansas City, but he is searching for his sweetheart, Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame) – herself entranced by traveling salesman Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert in brownface).

No members of the original Broadway cast reprised their roles for this film, which also stars Barbara Lawrence and character actors James Whitmore, Jay C. Flippen, and Roy Barcroft.

As Curly, MacRae is like a Broadway stage version of the characters Gene Autry or Roy Rogers might have played in another decade. MacRae, who started his career as a Broadway and radio singer, had just run down the end of his contract with Warner Bros. (signed in 1947) when he appeared in Oklahoma!. At Warners, he starred in a number of musicals including Look for the Silver Lining (1949) and opposite Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951), but he had only starred in a film adaptation of stage musical once before. MacRae, despite a long hiatus from the Broadway stage, is a natural here: charming and exuding a natural chemistry with co-star Shirley Jones. This exterior, however, is not without malice – as seen in the scene where Curly tries to influence Jud to commit self-harm. Cut from the same baritone cloth like contemporary Howard Keel (Frank Butler in 1950’s Annie Get Your Gun, Adam Pontipee in 1954’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), MacRae never achieved the popularity that other stage-to-screen musical stars of the ‘30s and ‘40s did (and, of course, Julie Andrews much later on).

The film’s surprise package for audiences in 1955 was in Shirley Jones. Jones, rather than subjecting herself to a vetting process by a director, casting director, or studio executives, was hand-picked by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Stunned by her 1953 audition for the premiere of South Pacific but wanting more experience for the then-nineteen-year-old, the songwriting duo kept Jones in mind for future productions and signed her on a contract (Jones was the first and only singer to be contracted to Rodgers and Hammerstein). With a few years of Broadway productions under her belt, Jones still came to Oklahoma! lacking an understanding on how to tailor sharper emotions to a film camera. With Fred Zinnemann’s assistance, she navigates Laurey’s light romantic comedy scenes and tumultuous friendship (if one can call it that) with Jud maturely – one could scarcely believe this is her cinematic debut. For Laurey, she accentuates the character’s naïveté, especially in respect to how she acts around men and romantic idealizations, without feeling grating or overacting (a common problem when approaching characters without much life experience) the part. Jones’ excellence in Oklahoma! would land her the lead in Carousel (1956), with other Hollywood hits in Elmer Gantry (1960) and The Music Man (1962) to follow.

As their artistic collaboration progressed, Rodgers and Hammerstein did not shy away from asking heavier questions in their musicals. Their first two projects, Oklahoma! and the musical film State Fair (1945) are relatively airy, flighty compared to their successors – the darkness of morality in Carousel, the racist beliefs of the lead character in South Pacific. Foreshadowing that later drama in successive musicals is the misanthropic (not just misogynistic) character of Jud Fry. Played by Rod Steiger, Jud is a villain without any redeeming qualities in the original musical. Steiger’s Jud remains a reprehensible character, but Steiger – as have most other actors who have played Jud in on stage in the decades since – positions Jud as more of a loner whose social ineptitude results in an unchecked covetousness over Laurey. To some reading that last sentence, that distinction between portrayals of Jud may not make any meaningful difference in one’s negative opinions about the character and his actions. Yet, Steiger’s portrayal of Jud – as sloppy, maladjusted, knowing little else about life other than farm work – is nevertheless a refinement on the character Rodgers and Hammerstein originally did not give much thought to.

Zinnemann’s dramatic tendencies needed moderation, as they sometimes threated to overshadow the musical features. Although, to Zinnemann’s credit, as a dramatist first, he imbues Oklahoma! with a dramatic fervor that came to define all Rodgers and Hammerstein musical film versions after it – something that one never received from the somewhat assembly line-like musical from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Fox. Oklahoma! was Zinnemann’s first widescreen film, as well as the first time he shot in color. The emotional intensity of his earlier movies would be antithetical to the sweeping rural cinematography that he and cinematographer Robert Surtees (1959’s Ben-Hur, 1971’s The Last Picture Show) and Floyd Crosby (1931’s Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, 1960’s House of Usher) needed to capture. Zinnemann, Surtees, and Crosby offer sumptuous images of the Arizona countryside (Oklahoma’s oil wells proved too plentiful and distracting for the production) and the inviting blue sky that overhangs the cornfields sweeping across the land. With widescreen cameras rather new around 1955, the cameras wisely stay further back in interior scenes (shot at MGM’s studios in Culver City, California) with numerous people, directing our gaze centrally with brilliant blocking from the actors. The staging nevertheless feels like a stagebound musical during some interior scenes, like a lower-budget MGM musical with a trivial plot.

The widescreen cinematography, of course, was purposefully a showcase – see the shots of Gene Nelson spinning his rope directly towards the camera in “Kansas City” and the shot of an overly-excited auctioneer hammering their gavel and having the gavel nearly break the camera in another. Magna Theatre Corporation intended Oklahoma! to be a demonstration of their new Todd-AO 70mm process, in hopes of competing against Cinerama (which used three synchronized projectors at once on a curved screen). Because some theaters could not support the widescreen prints, two different versions of Oklahoma! exist: one in Todd-AO and another in CinemaScope (the latter a 20th Century Fox invention). This review is based on the Todd-AO print – which I recommend over the CinemaScope print – that currently is streaming on Disney+. Another note about the Todd-AO print: the first two films shot on Todd-AO 70mm – Oklahoma! and Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) – were shot in 30 frames per second (FPS) rather than the standard twenty-four. Thus, the Todd-AO print will appear slightly smoother in motion than most all other films, including modern ones.

Why 30 FPS for film screenings in 1955? Higher frames per second result in less noticeable light flickering and more dynamic colors (these effects for movies shot at higher FPS rates only apply to films shot on film stock, not digital). However, film projectors with a Todd-AO print would run hotter, requiring simultaneous cooling of the film while it ran through the projector. All subsequent films shot on Todd-AO reverted to the standard twenty-four frames per second.

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Diehard musical fans often consider Fred Zinnemann’s Oklahoma! the most faithful – narratively, musically – of all the Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations. Deleted from Oklahoma! are two songs: Ali Hakim’s chauvinistic “It’s a Scandal, It’s a Outrage! [sic]” and Jud’s brooding “Lonely Room”. The former has among the least musical interest in the entire musical, but “Lonely Room” might have been a helpful source of characterization of Steiger’s Jud (the limited vocal range required for the song would suit Steiger). Otherwise, some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most iconic songs are present, starting with “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”. Sung solo by MacRae on horseback (as opposed to being sung completely offstage in the original stage version), it serves the same purpose as the title song from The Sound of Music (1965) does. It establishes Curly’s character (mostly), and establishing the vast environs where the film takes place. The atmospheric opening shot of the camera moving through the corn and opening up into a grassy landscape might seem corny inane, but what a visual message it sends for one of the early widescreen American movies. Curly’s solo leads into “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”, as he attempts to woo Laurey into accompanying him to the box social. A brief visual aside to allow viewers who do not know what a surrey looks like is a touch that a stage musical cannot provide, but this song – along with my choice of the best song in the musical, “People Will Say We’re in Love” (which gives MacRae and Jones a lovely duet with the production’s most romantic melodies) – exemplifies the rapport between MacRae and Jones and their two characters.

There remains charm aplenty across the musical score. Gene Nelson’s rendition of “Kansas City” is by no means essential to the plot of Oklahoma!, but it is a diverting number with some fancy footwork by not only Nelson (essentially the film’s comic relief and using a perfect, non-jarring voice for such a role), but Charlotte Greenwood and the scene’s extras as well. And then, arriving late, there is also the lively title song, delivered by MacRae with a similar energy as he employs for “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”. “Oklahoma” became the official state song for Oklahoma in 1953, replacing a lesser-known song, “Oklahoma – A Toast”. Credit must also go to the extras and chorus for spearheading the song for its second half, as well as Robert Russell Bennett for his gorgeous (and definitive) vocal arrangement.

As its theatrical release drew near, details of the distribution of Oklahoma! would depend on which print a theater received. If a movie theater screened the Todd-AO 70mm print, Magna handled the distribution; if they showed the anamorphic CinemaScope 35mm print, the responsibility fell to RKO. RKO – the studio that gave audiences King Kong (1933), Citizen Kane (1942), and distributed all Disney movies until Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1954) – had fallen into turmoil by the mid-1950s and, by decade’s end, would be the first of the Big Five Hollywood studios to cease operations. The studio’s tyrannical owner, the eccentric Howard Hughes, disemboweled the studio from the inside out, and is a story for another day. Due to Hughes’ mismanagement, RKO withdrew from distribution and, in their place, came 20th Century Fox. Todd-AO and Fox shared theatrical and home media rights until Fox’s purchase by Disney in 2019; Todd-AO and Disney retain the split-ownership arrangement over Oklahoma!.

Though Oklahoma! is not usually part of most cinephiles’ and musical nerds’ pantheons of great Hollywood musicals, its contributions to the subsequent Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations are unmistakable. The duo’s closeness to numerous parts of the film’s production, the stunning widescreen cinematography, and the casting of actors with proven musical ability are hallmarks to be replicated, even in lesser adaptation such as South Pacific (1958) and Flower Drum Song (1961). For Rodgers and Hammerstein, they were so pleased from working with Fox that they continued to provide the rights to their musicals for all of their works’ adaptations with the exception of Flower Drum Song (which went to Universal). Like their work on Broadway, their best music and best movie adaptations of their musicals was yet to arrive. Oklahoma! marks a solid, healthy start to that run of adaptations, a hallmark of mid-century American moviemaking.

My rating: 7.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Oklahoma!#Rodgers and Hammerstein #Fred Zinnemann #Gordon MacRae #Shirley Jones #Gene Nelson #Gloria Grahame #Charlotte Greenwood #Rod Steiger #James Whitmore #Richard Rodgers #Eddie Albert #Oscar Hammerstein II #Robert Surtees #Floyd Crosby #My Movie Odyssey

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