Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)

[Eddie Sotto]

I recently attended the Stanley Kubrick show at LACMA, our big art museum here in LA. I cannot say I admire every film he made, but I wanted to better understand the process of this perfectionist. I found the show to be very interesting as it gives insight into his storytelling and problem solving abilities. He played chess and used that ability in his on set challenges. Not to be too quick to change things without thinking several moves ahead.

In storytelling, it seems that he favors the image over narrative in that some of his films lean on the environment as the storytelling tool more than dialog. He uses narration alot and the stark graphic tools found in of Film Noir. Optics matter and he will do whatever it takes to get the camera to convey a feeling. Barry Lyndon, an 18th Century Epic yarn (or some say yawn) moves very slowly and forces you to be stifled by the world it's set in and that pressures the main character into his transformation from innocent to evil. Interesting. It was based on 18th paintings and was as if you were in one of them.

It reminded me that we as lowly theme park designers we use our "lands", not to force narratives, but to imply a premise or feeling instead of dictating them explicitly. There is no dialog. All we give you on Main Street is a tiny plaque as you enter. A title card. You are given the dignity of being able to assimilate that story, however abstract or as simple as a premise and like the nebulous events of "2001 A Space Odyssey", is part of the joy for the audience and the artist. This may be why there was so much anxiety when WDI spelled out the Mark Twain River story and spoon fed us the details. There is no room for us to think. It can be a form of creative tyranny. So when you fight for the details it is because it is your voice to the audience, your way of fueling their thoughts, not telling them what to think. Kubrick knew that every frame of film mattered and had a cumulative effect even if it had no dialog.

Kubrick could make those leaps and trusted the audience, as in 2001, by showing the Ape throw the bone into the sky and having it become a spaceship. You get that leap. Theme Designers create the moods and emotional drivers, you assimilate it and enjoy the hidden reassurance in your own way.

A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.​

Stanley Kubrick​

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I enjoyed that aspect of the show. He worked very hard and inspired me to work much harder! ​

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[Californian Elitist]

I live about 15-20 minutes away from LACMA and I would have LOVED to have attended this event! I'm upset I didn't know a clue about it. I'm a huge film nerd and I love Stanley Kubrick, although I didn't particularly enjoy his film adaptation of Nabokov's Lolita.

 

[choco choco]

I recently attended the Stanley Kubrick show at LACMA, our big art museum here in LA. I cannot say I admire every film he made, but I wanted to better understand the process of this perfectionist. I found the show to be very interesting as it gives insight into his storytelling and problem solving abilities. He played chess and used that ability in his on set challenges. Not to be too quick to change things without thinking several moves ahead.

In storytelling, it seems that he favors the image over narrative in that some of his films lean on the environment as the storytelling tool more than dialog. He uses narration alot and the stark graphic tools found in of Film Noir. Optics matter and he will do whatever it takes to get the camera to convey a feeling.

Kubrick could make those leaps and trusted the audience, as in 2001, by showing the Ape throw the bone into the sky and having it become a spaceship. You get that leap. Theme Designers create the moods and emotional drivers, you assimilate it and enjoy the hidden reassurance in your own way.

A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.​

Stanley Kubrick​

Don't know if people know who Film Crit Hulk is...but he is the best movie reviewer currently on the planet.

Here is his review of Les Mis. As with all his reviews, it's only nominally about Les Mis, more about Tom Hooper, even more about cinematography, and really, truly about visual storytelling.

It's a massive essay, and eventually he'll get around to explaining how Kubrick may have been the best of them all, and then tie it around to how it influenced Hooper and Les Mis.

I'll also post his review of John Carter, which is my favorite film essay in many many years.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I live about 15-20 minutes away from LACMA and I would have LOVED to have attended this event! I'm upset I didn't know a clue about it. I'm a huge film nerd and I love Stanley Kubrick, although I didn't particularly enjoy his film adaptation of Nabokov's Lolita.

It runs till the end of this month.

 

[stevehousse]

I thought te new tomorrow land movie wasn't necessarily about the parks, but about aliens! That there. Is some sort of special government agency beneath tomorrow land that had to do with aliens... At least that's the last thing I read about it...

 

[celluloid]

On the surface it is going to seem like an Alien movie, but actually if you read in-between the lines of a few of the head writer's comments it seems to be more about time travel.

 

[stevehousse]

Either way it sounds awesome!

 

[Omnispace]

The world of Tron in it's color and energy is closer to the implied optimism of the old 67 Tomorrowland than they Jules Verne meets Art Deco mashup they have now. A noble effort, but not enough to create a lasting impact. Unlike "Iron Man" or other properties (except Star Wars), Tron is a world with every detail being determined, from the logic to the shoes. Seamless and cool. The Tomorrowland movie is likely a stab at fixing the area, but we'll see. Tron could be an EPCOT scaled indoor pavilion (Argon square) where you can control light and then do several attractions, food retail, or arcade on the inside. Note Tron and Progress City image. I'd go there right now. That's the key to all of this, you have to look at the image and say, I'd like to explore that place. Even more than experience the story.

Of Disneyland's current Tomorrowland, the revamped Space Mountain comes pretty close to how a Tron world could feel. In fact, I am surprised there are not more Tron-like "elements" along the ride path itself. It's not that everything has to glow but some close encounters with various not-quite-defined "objects" along the track could add another dimension to the experience. I remember riding SF's BART once with the operator's mic stuck open and the miscellaneous sounds from comm chatter, (got to have comm chatter), and doppler-like noises from the wayside equipment really took an ordinary experience into another realm.

I'm cautious about the indoor experiences you describe. The Blue Bayou and other similar venues work because they are unique and an escape from the regular world but I find extended indoor (dark) experiences to be depressing. The current Innoventions is like that, as is Epcot's version. All I want to do in those places is get back out into the sun again -- almost like coming up for air. Much more variation can be achieved by designing for the space to change in the daylight and become something magical at night -- not that it would work for a Tron attraction but it would be a valid approach for redesigning Tomorrowland.

 

[Omnispace]

It reminded me that we as lowly theme park designers we use our "lands", not to force narratives, but to imply a premise or feeling instead of dictating them explicitly. There is no dialog. All we give you on Main Street is a tiny plaque as you enter. A title card. You are given the dignity of being able to assimilate that story, however abstract or as simple as a premise and like the nebulous events of "2001 A Space Odyssey", is part of the joy for the audience and the artist. This may be why there was so much anxiety when WDI spelled out the Mark Twain River story and spoon fed us the details. There is no room for us to think. It can be a form of creative tyranny. So when you fight for the details it is because it is your voice to the audience, your way of fueling their thoughts, not telling them what to think. Kubrick knew that every frame of film mattered and had a cumulative effect even if it had no dialog.

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I agree. I've often heard the "creative tyranny" idea applied to much of WDI's work that involves forcing a story on what should otherwise be an escapist adventure through an immersive experience -- whatever that experience may be. I'm pretty sure what originally made Disneyland such a success is that it allowed unique experiences rather than elaborate stories. Unfortunately, several attractions are being remade to apply a strict story to them. In such cases the guest no longer has the opportunity to use their imaginations. Stanley Kubrick had an uncanny instinct of how much story to tell and how much to leave out -- it creates intrigue.

 

[Californian Elitist]

It runs till the end of this month.

Oh, great news! Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate that!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Of Disneyland's current Tomorrowland, the revamped Space Mountain comes pretty close to how a Tron world could feel. In fact, I am surprised there are not more Tron-like "elements" along the ride path itself. It's not that everything has to glow but some close encounters with various not-quite-defined "objects" along the track could add another dimension to the experience. I remember riding SF's BART once with the operator's mic stuck open and the miscellaneous sounds from comm chatter, (got to have comm chatter), and doppler-like noises from the wayside equipment really took an ordinary experience into another realm.

I'm cautious about the indoor experiences you describe. The Blue Bayou and other similar venues work because they are unique and an escape from the regular world but I find extended indoor (dark) experiences to be depressing. The current Innoventions is like that, as is Epcot's version. All I want to do in those places is get back out into the sun again -- almost like coming up for air. Much more variation can be achieved by designing for the space to change in the daylight and become something magical at night -- not that it would work for a Tron attraction but it would be a valid approach for redesigning Tomorrowland.

I would agree with you about being indoors too long but I think it's all in the execution.

 

[RedFurredCadet]

Well I don't think Star Tours was ever planned for WDW, so Body Wars was initially the WDW version, then MGM Studios desperately needed new attractions.

Anyway, I LOVE the WOL building, it's so nice inside....but they definitely stuck the interior design firmly in the 1980's

And yet ironically (in an unrelated note), the London 2012 games used some elements synonymous with such a design era. My case in point is, somewhere in England's capital city, the Riverbank Arena used for hockey events. They used a lot of bright colours, just like Wonders of Life did in their palette. Unfortunately, they were so bright, I bet some of us had to avert eyes from the screen to rest our eyes. Hold on a sec... *MY EYES!*

 

[Omnispace]

And yet ironically (in an unrelated note), the London 2012 games used some elements synonymous with such a design era. My case in point is, somewhere in England's capital city, the Riverbank Arena used for hockey events. They used a lot of bright colours, just like Wonders of Life did in their palette. Unfortunately, they were so bright, I bet some of us had to avert eyes from the screen to rest our eyes. Hold on a sec... *MY EYES!*

I always find it fascinating just how much a pallet of colors can create a sense of place or define a period in time. I remember the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles being a huge influence on the times. Pretty soon every shopping mall was sporting the LA*84 colors and whimsical graphics. Wonders of Life certainly jumped on the bandwagon, including the Postmodern "Festive Federalism" look of the architectural elements with its classical references. It was fun and approachable for it's time but it shows just how quickly a quirky design style can go stale.

Los Angeles Olympics 1984>>>

Funny note on who you never know you will bump in to, I didn't realize my boss was friends with Deborah Sussman so it was a bit of a shock when he called her up to give input on a project. I never thought I would be working with the person who's *84 colors influenced all our projects back in school but we ended up at the same table talking about color schemes -- it was fascinating.

 

[Omnispace]

I would agree with you about being indoors too long but I think it's all in the execution.

I completely agree with that. My thoughts on that were basically influenced by the discussion on Disneyland's Tomorrowland and the Innoventions exhibit that was designed there. I was trapped in there for a good 30+ minutes while my parents played the silly Who Wants To Be A Millionaire video games. We're in Disneyland! What are we doing inside a dark building playing boring video games for?? It's the same for Epcot's Communicore that was unfortunately turned into the dark Innoventions. Those buildings were designed for light and dramatic views, it was a shame to internalize them.

Related to that, the Tomorrowland from that time seems like it was designed solely for it's night time appeal with all the neon and theatrical lighting, and very little consideration for how "dead" those flat browns and aged copper would feel in the daylight. It makes me wonder wonder what went wrong since it seems to work in Paris, and the Jules Verne area looks incredible at Tokyo Disney Seas. Could it be just that the light of Southern California is completely wrong for such a color scheme? ...or is it because there was just too much brown in such a tight area??

I also wonder if there is a propensity for designers to want to exclude the sun because it's "easy" to control with artificial light. I remember reading excerpts of a Tony Blair discussion on Westcot and how they intended much of Future World to be indoors because it was easier to control the environment. But that goes against my personal vision of the future as I always equate it with bright and inviting spaces, most likely from visiting Tomorrowland '67 all those times.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

. . .

Interesting. It was based on 18th paintings and was as if you were in one of them.

. . .

All we give you on Main Street is a tiny plaque as you enter. A title card.

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One impressionist painter, who traveled into nature to paint, decided to dam up his farm and put in water lillies, "artificially" creating the natural beauty that he wanted to paint, in essence, bringing nature to him so he could live in his paintings:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giverny

And of course it takes a lot of work hours/gardeners to maintain Monet's garden, similarly to how Disneyland requires a lot of up keep to maintain its pristine idealized look.

Monet's garden says a lot about the man, and what he prized, being nature in all it's glory and a bouquet of bright flowers. He could have built a mansion, but he built a wonderous garden, a naturalistic one at that.

Disneyland's entrance, of course, says a lot about what Walt prized, the world he wanted to visit, his idealized main street. All Disneyland needs is a simple plaque because what Main Street, and Disneyland is, is self-evident.

I think DCA's 1.0 Sunshine Plaza didn't work because it wasn't anybody's idealized happy place, it was management's re-interpretation of a guest as an uninteligent tourist and a customer, somebody who gawked over postcards, cheap souvenirs and who didn't know the real vs. the fake Golden Gate bridge.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

It makes me wonder wonder what went wrong since it seems to work in Paris, and the Jules Verne area looks incredible at Tokyo Disney Seas. Could it be just that the light of Southern California is completely wrong for such a color scheme? ...or is it because there was just too much brown in such a tight area??

I know that due to a higher percentage of overcast days in Paris, as opposed to sunny southern California, Disneyland Paris utilized a palette of specially tested paints that were formulated to look vibrant under low light conditions.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

There a good BBC miniseries on the Impressionists if anybody is interested:







Though considered just beautiful art these days, Impressionism was quite controversial and revolutionary in its time, perhaps similar to how Walt's Disneyland was groundbreaking in many respects.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I always find it fascinating just how much a pallet of colors can create a sense of place or define a period in time. I remember the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles being a huge influence on the times. Pretty soon every shopping mall was sporting the LA*84 colors and whimsical graphics. Wonders of Life certainly jumped on the bandwagon, including the Postmodern "Festive Federalism" look of the architectural elements with its classical references. It was fun and approachable for it's time but it shows just how quickly a quirky design style can go stale.

Los Angeles Olympics 1984>>>

Funny note on who you never know you will bump in to, I didn't realize my boss was friends with Deborah Sussman so it was a bit of a shock when he called her up to give input on a project. I never thought I would be working with the person who's *84 colors influenced all our projects back in school but we ended up at the same table talking about color schemes -- it was fascinating.

I had never seen those pictures of LA '84... thank you. Almost eerie how much it looked like WoL! Sussman/Prejza was the firm that designed the purple road signs for WDW in the 80's after their work on the Olympics. That would've been around the time that they were developing WoL... I wonder if they consulted, or there was some cross-pollination while they were working at WDW, or just coincidence?

 

[Omnispace]

I had never seen those pictures of LA '84... thank you. Almost eerie how much it looked like WoL! Sussman/Prejza was the firm that designed the purple road signs for WDW in the 80's after their work on the Olympics. That would've been around the time that they were developing WoL... I wonder if they consulted, or there was some cross-pollination while they were working at WDW, or just coincidence?

No wonder all that WDW signage looks so familiar! It would be interesting to see if there is a link with the WoL design. My guess is that the festive-classicism design vocabulary was so prevalent during that time that it was inevitable it would influence WoL's designers. Someone else may know more...

 

[Eddie Sotto]

As I recall, the 1984 LA Olympics was an inspiration to the team that designed that pavilion. They were looking for a festive, but modern look, and that was a good reference at the time. Debra Sussman was a consultant as you point out, to the WDW property signage.