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@creativespecialism
Clown Research: Fear And History
I had originally planned to post this research a long with the research I did around fairies but the original files got corrupted. Luckily I had research saved in a word document so I just redid it all.
Friday 11th June, Character Design Adaptation: Looking Back On Older Iterations and explorations
This post is dedicated to all the colour charts, and designs that I ended up not going with.
First up Berry Tart! My Hyde character.
I had the design you see above you in my mind as the final design for a while. It’s this sort of dark pixie, harlequin sort of idea with a face that acts more like a mask. I think this worked really well and I did like it but I feel as though the newer design is slightly better in presentation. However, revisiting it has made me realise how much I like it. perhaps in the future i may find a way to marry the two designs.
The sketches however had one thing in common, they were all too complicated and extravagant. Not really designed with animation in mind.
And now for Angel Delight.
Angel Delight took less iterations to get to where I got. I mostly played around with colours and I whilst at the sketching stage I had the feeling that they were almost there but not quite what I wanted.
Friday 11th June, Character Design Adaptation: Puppet Construction and Other Bits
My Puppet was actually one of the first things I finished on this project but I hadn’t had a chance to blog about it until now.
SO, here’s the process.
This was the template I drew out for Angel Delights top. It was easy to use and did it’s job.
I constructed the body using a piece of twisted wire, milliput and foam. I photographed this base next to the wand prop for scale and I was pretty hapy with how this was looking so far. I thought the hands were very successful and I wanted to make the legs thick because it was important for the trousers to be puffy.
A close up of the hand. I put a wad of milliput for the palm and then placed 5 single wires in it for the fingers. Then covered it with foam. It works quite well and since clowns usually wear white gloves, I decided to leave them like this down the line.
I struggled a bit with the head. I tried to make it the same shape as my drawing but found that incredibly difficult to do. I used a FIMO porcelain look polymer clay but I think I over baked it because it went a bit orange on some parts. Nothing a bit of paint couldn’t fix.
Little sneak peek of the top. Ruffles and all!
Yes that is blood. As you can see. I tried to make the feet out of hard foam but the material showed to be too brittle and I actually gave myself a bit of a gash.
I learnt from this and decided to make the feet/shoes out of bulsa wood instead and this worked much better.
AND WHALA!
THIS is the result!
On the face I used standard acrylic paints. the top was made from one of my mums old tank tops, as was the hat, and for the hair I used a bath sponge. This made the hair super big. I like how puffy it is and up close it gives a really interesting texture that could possibly be likened to curls.
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I’m not sure whether this turnaround really works but it gets the point across. Unfortunately I was unable to produce an animated turnaround due to the pandemic and personal issues.
As you can see, my puppet doesn’t look exactly like my original character design and I did take some creative liberties, such as making the shirt ruffles the same colour as the collar and trousers. Not only because it was easier to construct but I think it actually makes it pop more.
Aaaaand This Is the cast Line up! Unfortunately I have lost the individual files of each character. They some how got corrupted. As long as they’re on the cast line up I think its ok. I’m overall happy with how this turned out. I think the scale is good an realistic and I think it’s believable that these characters are part of the same story. From Left to right; Angel Delight, Bunt Cake and Candy Floss.
I also came to a decision regarding the final design of my Hyde character.
For this design I took the colours from Angel delights design and just made them darker. This was to illustrate that, although Berry Tart isn’t real and is not Angel Delight. They are an extension of their subconscious and the colour palette should reflect that. for the design of the attire, I took inspiration from classic harlequin jester designs as well as features from the design of Maleficent and Cruella De Vile from Disney.
Tuesday 8th June, Character Design Adaptation: World Building
Through my research into fairies I uncovered many folklore and mythological stories of the creatures that many believe to be part on the world inhabited by fairies and other faefolk alike. I decided to have fun with this side of my research so I formatted it into a field guide of sorts.
This part of the project became bigger than I intended. I had a lot of fun with the designs of the creatures and beasties. I would Maybe like to expand more and there was a couple of pages I wasn’t able to finish. For that reason I feel as though the world may seem a bit small but overall I think it’s a successful sort of field guide. I was mostly inspired by the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Thursday 3rd June, Motion Graphics: Final Outcomes
Our task was to create two gifs with a limited colour palette. For the first gif I took to After Effects and made 4 different animations, which I then composed together to form one animation, for the theme of diversity.
I think I went with the Blue version in the end. I believe that this gif is a good example of diversity because it’s four different animations coming together. It’s an abstract interpretation, yes but I think it works.
For the second gif I went down the root of the well-being theme.
I feel as though this one reflects the feelings I’ve had towards this project and y frustrations at the problems I faced. It’s messy and not all that technically brilliant but it was kind of last minute and so I don’t really have time to develop it further, though I may want to in the future.
Motion Graphics, Monday 31st: Kaleida scope
This was a fun little experiment that I enjoyed doing.
I think I could have maybe pushed it a bit more but I’m happy with the result.
tutorial if you want to try it for yourself!
Friday 28th May, Character Design Adaptation: Fairy Research
I decided that I previously didn’t go into enough detail in my research so I decided to expand on it and format it a bit better.
Thursday 27th May, Careers and Employability: CV and Cover Letter
I I thought this was a good opportunity to re do my CV. It felt nice to take a more creative approach to it an I enjoyed making it look sort of jazzy and more interesting than a bog-standard CV that’s just text, no personality whatsoever. I believe that a CV like this will stand out more and may make it more likely that I will get a job I’m applying for so I’d say this has been a very useful experience as it’s allowed me to think more critically about how I present myself to future, potential employers.
I have to be honest, I struggled slightly with writing my cover letter. Mostly because I didn’t really have a job in mind, outside of what I plan to do after my animation course. I also couldn’t really find much of anything that interested me but then I took a hypothetical approach to it.
I found a trainee puppeteer program run by Little Angel Theatre in Islington. I’m pretty sure It’s past the deadline to apply but as I’m not actually applying that was ok. I thought being a puppeteer in musical theatre would be a good way to mix my two passions of musical theatre and stop motion animation.
links
https://littleangeltheatre.com/news/opportunity-trainee-puppeteer/
https://littleangeltheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Puppetry-Trainee-Recruitment-Pack_V3.pdf
Cats: A Comparative Essay Part 7
Daylight we are now coming to the end of the story. Old Dutaronomy is about to make the jellicle choice and jemima sings a short reprise of memory
Memory
This is the most important and most famous song from the muscial. It's Grizabella's ballad jemima sings with her to show Grizabella that she understands her plight. This is nice as through all of Grizabella's apearances, Jemima was one of the kittens who attempted to make contact with Grizabella, before being steered away by the older cats. Grizabella is given a chance by Old Dutaronomy. This is her moment. she pours her heart out and eventually the tribe undersatands the pain and suffering she's endured. Before the climax of the song Grizabella gets on the floor in defeat. Then Jemima sings two lines which picks Griz back up and WHAM! ELaine Page abslutely belts out the lyrics " Touch me It's so easy to leave me All alone with the memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me You'll understand what happiness is"
This is incredibly beautiful and moving. The tribe have this custom, a greeting that involves one cat placing the back of their had in the palm of anothers. Essentially what Grizabella is saying here is that if a member of the tribe were just to touch her. Just do her that common courtesy, then she would be overcome with happiness because acceptiance and to feel the touch of another cat is all that she wants because she can't let go of the past and how good things were. Being accepted into the tribe is a way to connect with her past and the happiness she felt there again.
In 2019 I think Jenifer Hudson is a good singer and I think she performed the song pretty well although I think the vocals were too nice. I didn't really feel the same raw emotion as I felt with Elaine Page. Also the climax of the song is rendered a bit pointless. Grizabella still gets on the floor but this time Victoria helps her up by taking her hand. The whole point is that she doesn't get touched until the end of the song when the tribe has heard her out. It makes no sense for Griz to be singing about wanting to be touched after Victoria has literally just touched her.
The Ad-dressing Of Cats
Whilst Grizabella floats away to the heavyside layer to begin her new life. the tribe gather round their leader. Old Duetaronomy Sings of everything we have learnt and seen and how to address a cat properly and sings directly to the audience in a wonderful, strong voice. The tribe echoes integral parts in a hym-like melody with orchestral flare. It is the last song of the musicial and it is quite the contrast to it's predecessors as there is very minimal dancing in the number.
In 2019 this number takes place during the day in times square? The setting isn't as interesting as it is at night and the Bovril sign is distracting but really what strikes me as most odd throughout this version is Judi Dench doesn't sing her lines. They are spoken. I understand if Dame Judi Dench was not a strong enough singer but then she shouldn't have gotten the role. The song is still spoken directly to the audience. The parts of which are half body group shot of Old D, Misto, Victoria and Munkustrap. When it's time for the hym-like parts it cuts to a wide shot, probably to take in that wonderful CGI scenery. The point I'm getting st is it's just not as effective as it is in 1998 because its not as much as a grand finale or send off and the spoken word and sung word mix is a little jarring in this case. Especially with the cuts.
In conclusion. It's very easy to say that Cats 2019 is bad because of the bad, sometimes unfinished, CGI but if you really take a look it goes far deeper than that and there's also a lot of other issues as well. The desire for star power is quite detrimental to 2019. On stage Old Duetaronomy is a male cat who typically has a baritone voice. Now this wouldn’t normally effect the story too much however, part of the reason why Grizabella’s story is so tragic is because she’s supposed to be this older cat who is supposedly past her prime, rejected by the jellicle cats because she was once in the spotlight but is now fallen from grace and living in the gutter. Making Old Duetaronomy an older, female, cat herself completely takes away from this as that aspect of the narrative just doesn’t make sense with this change. It also doesn’t help that Jennifer Hudson is younger than Judi Dench. In 1998, due to the limitations on stage, the set is one place- a junkyard. I actually like how enclosed it is. The set is to-scale and keeping the same set throughout the whole performance adds consistency, a consistency that isn’t present in 2019. It’s nice to expand on the cat’s world beyond the junkyard but this exploration comes at the expense of not really knowing the true size of a jellicle cat. In the jellicle cat song we are told a jellicle cat ‘is of moderate size’ but the scale changes throughout the film and to be honest it’s a bit distracting. When you take away the set changes we can just focus on the cats and the dancing and performances. A simple spotlight is all you need in this type of story. No extravagant or lavish set designs are necessary because the cats are supposed to be the amazing and loud, extra characters who stand out from the background which is why in 1998 the lighting is limited. The low budget works in the productions favour. What I also like is in ‘The Old Gumbie Cat’ and ‘Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat’ The cats use scraps and objects lying around the junkyard to illustrate what’s being said in the songs. We don’t need the set changes because instead of expanding on the cats’s universe we’re let into their world and it feels incredibly authentic. 1998 is incredibly dance-focused. Gillian Lyne, the choreography combines ballet, tap, jazz and mime-style movement to tell the story. There are also instances where the musical numbers have dance breaks in them and Veronica the white cat has a small dance solo centre stage. In 2019, there is a lot of dancing however not nearly as much as in 1998, It’s certainly not used to tell the story and the story doesn’t really need to be told in dance because they added dialogue and tried to add more plot and structure to the story, making the dancing that is present sort of out of place and adding to the absurdity that 2019 already is. And because of their choice to make victoria the point-of-view character and protagonist, she is no longer a dancer and we don’t get that beautiful and controlled ballet solo. Cats on stage are criticized for having no plot but really the plot is just in the background because it’s not what’s important. Every cat who has and sings an I am song is bearing their soul to us. The plot is irrelevant because in these instances the story is about the cats and who they are.
Cats: A Comparative Essay Part 6
Macavity the mystery cat. 1998- the number is split in two halfs. The first being a duet between bobomlurina and Demeter and the second being a fight between Macavity and Munkustrap.
In this version Macavity's entrance is much more dramatic because before this point he has only been eluded to. He is also much more magnificent in 1998. his fur looks like lightning and his face is full of menace. Bombalurina and Demeter sing of both the mundane and nefarious crimes Macavity has commited. It's a song of warning for the younger cats. when Macavity arrives the cats are placed under his spell. Macavity has his hench-cats kidnap Old Duetaronomy. There's no apparent reason why Macavity does this. He just does it because he's bad.
2019- In this version Bombalurina descends on a crescent moon and disperses glittery catnip which mystifies all the cats. The song becomes a solo and is less a bluesy warning and more a celebration of his feats and reads as though Bombalurina is in cahoots with Macavity. He's less elusive and mysterious because he appeared a couple times before so the 'big reveal' is not really a big deal. He does still kidnap Old Duetaronomy but in 2019 it's because Old Duetaronomy wont choose him to be the jellicle choice which makes him seem desperate and not menacing at all.
in 1998 Macavity reappears under the guise of Macavity and has all but Demeter fooled. She exposes him and the fight begins. To begin with, Munkustrap starts the fight but when MUnkustrap sustains an injury, Alonso steps up. Outnumbered, Macavity flees in a shower of electrical sparks that lea\ve the jellicles in the darkness. they are left to mourn the loss of their leader.
in 2019 because of the narrative decisions they made, this fight scene is absent instead we get a barge setting where Macavity has been keeping the cats he's kidnapped, including Old Duetaronomy.
Magical Mister Mistoffelees the cats are feeling dejected and lost without thier leader so, in order to pick the spirts up, Rum Tum Tugger suggests they call upon the Magical Mister Mistoffelees. He sings a solo in an attempt to convince the tribe of this magnificent cats' magical feats. Mistoffelees decends on the stage wearing a glittery blazer and whilst Tugger is acting as his hypeman, Misto is demonstrating his powers. Including shooting lighting and pulling a rainbow out of a small mug which he uses as a hat. Misto also brings light back to the stage It's a showcase. A beautiful display of what makes mister Mistofelees amazing. Mister Mistofelees, after bringing back Old Duetaronomy, does some acrobatic splits in the air whislt Tugger does appreciative vocal riffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua5tuVXdXSw
in 2019 the song is sung as a solo by mistoffelees himself. Throughout the film we have instances with Mistofelees where we are shown that he is a bit of a disaster and meek. In 2019 Victoria is the one who introduces Misto as the answer and when he starts singing it sounds awkward and he doesn't really sell himself well as some of the tricks he does don't quite work out the way they're probably supposed to. There isn't really as much acrobatic feats in this version. Instead of the rainbow, and the jumping splits, Mistofelees showers the tribe with cards. Its quite a cool display, depite the spotty cgi. in 1998 and most other versions the chorus has the lyrics "Oh! Well, I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr Mistoffelees?" and what I like about 2019 is they change it to Mistofelees singing "as me!" and it's just so wonderful to see this little magic cat thrive.
End of part 6
Cats: A Comparative Essay Part 5
The Moments Of Happiness
1998- This numbder starts off Act 2 and it's designed to be a contemplative piece where Old Dutaronomy reflects on on what happiness means. The mystical twins Coricopat and tantomile channel the wisdom of Old Dutaronomy into Jemima who explains happiness by singing 'Moonlight, turn your face to the Moonlight,' a version of memory. This rendition is performed in D major which gives it a slightly more uplifting sound when it is usually sand in the key Bb major.
Gus The Theatre Cat
1998 part 1
part 2
1998- Gus is introduced by Jellylorum. He's old and frail. Gus, along with the rest of the ensemble, is present on stage during moments of happiness but he sits quietly with Jellylorum. As the song progresses Gus becomes more outspoken and takes on the typical grumpy man persona. One would even say bitter. This number is routed in nostalgia and at one point Gus appears proud but as the song comes to an end the sadness of his lost past seems to overcome him. In this way Gus is quite similar to Grizabella Both are old cats who have had a life of grandiose and glamour. The difference is Gus is still part of the Jellicle tribe. He's sad that he's no longer young and no longer on stage, longing to be back there.
2019- In 2019 Gus introduces himself, making the song a solo. This fortunately doesn't effect the message of the song too much as Ian McKellen performs it with the emotion it needs. one thing to note is that the backing flutes seem to have a slight trouble with keeping up with the improvised tempo changes that McKellen initiated. However I believe this adds to the number because it shows how disconnected Gus is and it shows us that he's lost his way.
SkimbleShanks: The railway cat this number provides a nice contrast to 'Gus The Theatre Cat' it's brilliantly upbeat and is about a cat who, from his perspective, runs the overnight train from London to Glasgow. In both versions he has a Scottish accent.
1998- As Skimbke recounts his days on the railway the other cats contribute to the illustration of his story by collecting various scraps of junk and making a formation to resemble a train. the reprise is interrupted by Macavity' leitmotiff and his eventual eventful entrance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcy2tPM3PP8
2019- This is one of the ones they got right. The tap dancing number was absent from 'The Old Gumbie Cat' and was present here instead. it really adds to the number. The tab dancing starts with just a couple of taps and it eventually builds and builds until all the cats are tapping along with Skimple shanks. In a transition wipe the cats are now tap dancing on a rail way track and the tap dancing sounds like a train. AMAZING. As for the train. We are taken to an actual train. They did this right.
End of part 5
Cats: A Comparative Essay Part 4
The Awefull Battle Of The Pekes And The Pollicles
this number is absent from 2019. It is a play perfomed by the jellicles, lead by Munkustrap, to entertain Old Duetaronomy. The story is of a big dog fight that was averted by the rumpus cat. The cats use pieces of junk to make costumes and its a perfecty charming number but it doesn't really add to or propel the plot forward. It is very much the definition of filler so I can see why it was cut from the 2019 remake. It wouldn't have made sense witht the narrative they have in the film because of the plot and perspective changes. The only important part of this number is we get another lightning crashing sound and Demeter exclaims 'Macavity' again.
The Song Of The Jellicles
After the Macavity scare the tribe scatters and only Munkustrap and Old Duetaronmy are left on stage. It ends up being a false alarm and so Old Duetaronomy starts to sing the number and this song is all about the customs and mannerisms of a jellicle cat. in both 2019 and 1998 this number is sang in a chant style much like in 'The Naming Of Cats.' in 2019 though there does seem to be a couple problems with breath control and Gus The Theatre Cat makes weird noises.
The Jellicle Ball
2019- Grizabella looms in the shadows of the egyptian thatre. and the jellicles have their big dance break. the movements they make are minimalistic. I think they're trying to be more cat like but it creates a bit of an unsettling atmosphere as their movements are stagnated and choppy. The reson why is sounds unsettling is because the music that accompanies this dance break includes previous melodies. One of them being 'Overture' however it does become more uplifting and we also hear Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats", "The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball" And 'Old Duetaronomy' The composure of music is true for both 2019 and 1998 but what is strange is that in 2019, there is a section in the break where Tugger and Cassandra a sort of break-dance battle. We also get to see some cats wearing shoes and Victoria has a solo but it's shortlived and not really comparable to the white cat solo. In this version there are also alot of cat sounds like purrs and scratches. a couple of cats notice Grizabella and confront her.
1998- it is also unsettling at the start but right away we can observe that it is more dance focused and less cat focused. Victoria is at the front of the formation and she her design, if it wasn't obvious already, was made to stand out. I like to think of her as both the foil and saviour to Grizabellas character. Her dance solo was symbolic of her coming of age and she kind of is Grizabellas opposite. when the cats dance at each other here it reads more as a question and answer or a duet rather than an attack and defense. There Is also a section that is a mating dance of sorts. Vicotoria dances with a male cat of a similar age. The dance is called Pas de Deux and Victoria's partner varies from production the production. As 1998 was filmed in London, her partner was Admetus. The dance is intimate with belletic lifts and it falls in the middle of 'the jellicle ball' at this point they all prepare for a nap which is absent in 2019 due to the way Grizabella is discovered as it differs from 1998. In 1998 the magical cats notice the skulking Grizabella and try to chase her out by springing to life in dance again and this is when we get the more upbeat and uplifting part of the dance sequence. it's intense, it's energetic and evryone is giving it everything. The movements are less sporadic and are a form of contorlled chaos. Here is a break down of the sections in this dance Hip Wrench Attitude Padding Feet Pushing Walls Fling Pop-ups Firebird (cut in 2003) Step Look Look Bums Minuet Pirouettes British Airways Fugue/Don Quixote Girls Mungo Entrance Boys Jump Tours Bombalurina Section/Honky Tonk Girls Join Boys Join In Slithers Boys Ballet Spikey Sways Whirlygigs (Old Deut returns to the stage) Ricochet Sensuals (mating dance) White Cat Lift Pop Ups (Grizabella appearance) Judders Copland (1st Step) Prowl (2nd Step) Headrolls Jeté Cartwheels Boys Step/Big Boys Girls Upstage Girls Relevée/Ladies Latin Build Up 1 Tugger Step/Tugger Boys Hovers/Tight Pants Princess Louise Punches Paws Attitude Slow Paws Arabesque Warsaw/Ecstasy (slower last movement) Drags Pass Behind Roll Backs Hip Wrench Sixes Descriptions This section is still a work in progress
Hip Wrench: Attitude: Padding Feet: Pushing Walls: Fling: Pop-ups: Step Look Look: Bums: Minuet: Pirouettes: British Airways: Fugue: Girls: Mungo Entrance: Boys Jump: Tours: Bombalurina Section: Bombalurina interrupts with a sensual solo. Girls Join: She is joined by the other adult female cats. Boys Join In: Slithers: Boys Ballet: Spikey: Sways: Whirlygigs: Ricochet: Sensuals: Victoria and a young male cat, usually Admetus/Plato/Tumblebrutus, tentatively approach each other. White Cat Lift: Victoria and the young male cat perform a series of balletic lifts, while the other cats gather around them to lay down and rest. Pop Ups: One by one, the cats suddenly pop up from their resting positions as they sense Grizabella's presence. One of the cats, usually Mistoffelees or Alonzo, goes to chase her away. Judders: Copland: Prowl: Headrolls: Jeté: Cartwheels: Mistoffelees and Carbucketty/Pouncival cartwheel, while Bill Bailey/Tumblebrutus does a tumbling pass from stage left to right. Alonzo and Admetus/Plato follow up with more cartwheels, while Bill Bailey/Tumblebrutus does another tumbling pass from stage right to left. Big Boys: Girls Upstage: The younger female cats, usually led by Victoria, enter upstage and interrupt the "Big Boys". Girls Relevée: As the girls dance, some productions have Mistoffelees do a variation of his Conjuring Turn in the back. Build Up 1: Tugger Step: Hovers: Princess Louise: Punches: Paws: Attitude: Slow Paws: Arabesque: Warsaw: Drags: Pass Behind: Roll Backs: Hip Wrench: Sixes: So 2019 seems to have taken liberties with the dancing in an attempt to have a more modern take on the break. The number is 9 minutes and 30 seconds in full and is purely unbroken dance its all about the jellicle ball, an annual celebration of the cats' individuality and talent.
Memory
At the end of the ball, after she's been chased off, Grizabella returns, accompanied by a short reprise of Grizabella The Glamour Cat. The Kittens are confused and even try to reach out to Griz but the adults block them off and some of the older cats even tease her in a cruel way. The stage clears and she is left alone, only to have Old Duetaronomy watch her from the distance. Grizabella tries to capture the joy and magic of the Jellicle Ball but her smile fades and she's to old. She tries to imitate the dance she saw the cats do earlier but dancing is painful and tragic. Here she is accompanied by a loose version of the instrumental opening to 'Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats' it is played mostly by clarinets and it sounds off, symbolising how Grizabella feels and how he is percieved. She then sings a prelude to Memory. The first two verses and a bridge section. It is a lament of her soul and a glimpse of what's to come . She shakes her self together and slinks off sadly, reaching out as if she knows that Old Duetaronomy is reaching out toward her but she doesn’t look back and simply just leaves.
In 2019 this is cut from the film. This beautiful moment of vulnerabilty is not present and insted we get the song 'Beautiful Ghosts.' A new song writen for this version, performed by Victoria and directed at Grizabella. It completely undermines Grizabellas struggle and so tarnishes her character. Grizabella's dance scene is essential because it sets up her internal struggle and it really showcases the distaste that the other cats have for Grizabella. Yes she still get chased away and she still sings the prelude to memory but because of 'Beautiful Ghosts' she just seems like a sulky cats who's ungrateful for the life of glamour she once had. It does'nt help that Jenifer Hudson is too young to play Grizabella as she doesn't realy look haggard and haunted by the past. More snotty-nosed and dejected.
Beautiful Ghosts
Seen as this song is only present in 2019, the only thing to compare it to is the rest of the score and other songs. It's odd. If you were to listen to this song on its own would you know or think that it was from the musical cats? The point i'm making is it doesn't really fit with the rest of the music. Its a beautiful song but the problem is it sounds like an actual song and takes away from the power and effect that memory has. In 1998 all of the songs except from memory could be described as 'I am songs' meaning they are songs designed to showcase who a particular character is. Their aim is not to show us what the characters want and a character with an I am song and no 'I want' song is often times a villian. This backs up the idea that Grizabella is the true protagonist of this story as its her journey of redemotion and acceptance which is what she wants which is what we get told in the song memroy. However. With ' Beautiful Ghosts' Victoria gets an I want song. She hadn't even had an I am song before. in 1998 one could argue that her I am song is the 'white cat dance solo' as this is said to be her coming of age but as this is absent in 2019, Tom Hooper needed another way to show her developent of maturity I guess. I think really I just find it unecessary and confusing. Yes, in 2019, Victoria is rejected by her human owner and she's cast out in the street but she's also pretty much accepted straight away into the tribe. they don't shun her for being an outsider. As she is protrayed as Grizabellas oposite of sorts it doesn't make sense for her to 'want to be wanted' because she is accepted and the other cats clearly want her as part of the tribe. The little introduction of rejection we get also isn't enough to set this up and it overall just feels totally out of place. Andrew LLoyd Webber says this about the song "What she's saying is, 'Ok, It's all very well for you. But you're looking back on a life where you did something wonderful in your life. You were glamorous. You had beautiful ghosts. I've nothing at all. I've been abandoned.' Victoria is saying, 'Maybe one day I'll dance like you did with beautiful ghosts.' " The problem with this is Victoria was dancing and I think it's a little insensitive toward Grizabella and calls to question why she should get the jellicle choice when that wasn’t really a concern in 1998 because then it was clear she deserved it.
End of part 4
Cats: A Comparative Essay Part 3
Bustopher Jones
The song effectively shuns Griz away and provides a very stark contrast as the song is very cheery and friendly, jovial.
Bustopher Jones is presented much differently in 1998. He has a strong, assured voice and is a proper cat with a proper coat who, loves food yes, but also seems to be a very high class gentleman who is very well respected and dignified who seems to also have a sense of pride about him. The tribe are on their best behaviour to try and impress him.
In 2019 he is shown as a gluttonous pig whose actually quite disgusting and food has become his only personality trait. He loses his dignity because they show him rooting through the garbage.
The lyrics for this song were taken from an Elliot poem of the same name. Elliot parodies club culture as in this instance it merely refers to social clubs, rather than being an innuendo or gentlemen clubs. In Elliot’s time it was against club etiquette to be a part of more than one club; Bustopher labels himself a ‘bounder’ an immoral, wild, decadent character, similar to modern "off the rails" celebrities. This is quite the exaggeration as Bustopher is really just a portly cat who enjoys food. ‘Bustopher Jones in white spats’ is a lyric that’s repeated a few times and it basically means that Bustopher is a black cat with white paws. ennyanydots, Bombalurina and Jellylorum open the song as a trio, introducing Bustopher in a lighthearted way with a moderate tempo of 104 beats per minute. A trio of tom cats join in on the chorus. This part of the song is composed in the key of E major and set in common time (4/4). The middle section is sung By Bustopher himself and is a slower temo of 92 beats per minute, sounding more pompous. The key is F major in common time. As the music builds up, the key changes to Bb major. After Bustopher’s verses we return to the more upbeat tempo that the trios sang before, this time it’s Jennyany dots singing and she’s clearly very fond of him.
Excerpt
In 2019, aside from the whole undignified, not very gentlemanly aspect, James Cordon sings almost all of the song. He does a better job than Rebel Wilson I’ll give him that but it kind of just takes the heart out of the song. Especially when he is trying to sing and eat at the same time. Jennyanydots is also not present at all in this number. Why? Because she was taken away by Macavity A cat we saw quite clearly at the start of the film, whose wanted poster parodied that of moriarty’s. In 1998 Macavity isn’t even foreshadowed until the end of Bustopher jones. So in 2019, instead of JennyAnyDots we have this random meek, butler-looking cat called Maître D’. It’s theorized that he’s Butopher’s younger brother. Also what’s worth mentioning is we get this moment that I think is supposed to be comedic where D’ tries to propel Bustopher upwards by jumping on a plank as we get a whole bit about his weight and it’s just un needed. The glint of comedy we get in 1998 is when Bustopher nearly falls backwards off his top hat chair and it’s enough. Tuba sounds and everyone is singing to they’ve beat/ on time which makes this number feel better and more together . This number is not dance heavy- showcasign Bustophers lack of physical fitness. His prop is a spoon that he uses as a cane of some sorts. It also seems that Andrew Lloyd Webber himself is displeased with James Cordons performance. He explains that T.S Eliot's intention was to present Bustopher as a 'wonderful observation' and remarks that the original poem was about a kind of Edwardian gentleman found on St. James Street in central London back in the day. Webber even reminisces about a real man called P.chadwyck-Healey he had met once who would have made a good Bustopher jones. Webber also wasn't happy with the added comedy moments that interupt the song. Speaking of, I find it weird that in 2019 Jennyanydots appears as though she is less than impressed by Bustopher, one could even say disgusted, by the way she comments on his reason for wanting to be the jellicle choice which I'd argue in itself is out of character.
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer
This number is preceded by lightning strikes and Macavity's leitmotiff.
This is an intereting number because there's actually 3 different iteratons of it. This matters because in 1998 we get the third version that is more upbeat than the original 1981 London version which is more languid. both are sung and danced by Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser themselves. In 1998 it's quite charming and the two characters show off thier arobatic skills including the signature and iconic 7 cycle tandem cartwheel. It's lively and impressive.
In 2019, whilst there is nothing inherently bad about this version of the song as it comes down to personal preference. where it lacks is in execution. Because of the expanded world, the number takes place in a random human house that the mischievous pair convince Victoria to break into. The acrobatic feats are replaced with bouncing on beds and playing with food and jewellery. It helps to illustrate their song but not the cats themselves and without the synchronised movements and tandem cartwheel you don’t really get the sense that this is a troublesome duo. The song is still catchy but I find my self singing the 1998 version more as I personally prefer it.
Old Dutaronomy
This song is about the titular leader of the jellicle tribe. They are greated with repect and admiration. They are clearly adored. Even Rum-Tum-Tugger drops his devil-may-care attitude. Munkustrap starts the song and then Tugger joins in, making it a loose duet of sorts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D5JpUYgyMg
Because old Dutaronomy is played by Judie Dench in 2019 a line in the song is changed. the line "Old Deuteronomy's buried nine wives / And more I am tempted to say ninety-nine" was changed to "Old Deuteronomy's lived many lives / No, I am tempted to say ninety-nine". I don't think this really changes much of the song, in terms of the wider scope. the song is slow and sustained and it has the feel of a gentle lullaby.
Cats: A Comparative Essay Part 2
The Old Gumbie Cat
This is the first individual 'I am' song. It is about the Gumbie Cat, Jennyanydots. The number features a spectacular tap dance routine, and sees the other characters dressing up as mice and beetles/cockroaches to play along with telling Jennyanydots' story. The song also acts to transition from the atmosphere created by ‘The Naming Of Cats’ to the more peppy and jazzy side of the music. In 1998 the number opens with a trumpet fanfare a fan fare that is absent from 2019 or its at least very quiet. It is mainly sung by Munkustrap, Bombalurina, Demeter and jellylorum or, the Gumbie Trio as the latter 3 are typically known as. Munkustrap narrates Jennyanydots quiet daytimes that are spent just sitting around and does the same in 2019 The Gumbie Trio sing of Jenny’s busy night life. The music changes to match these narratives. Munkustrap's verses are smooth and gentle, matching Jenny's Lack-luster daytime routine. They juxtapose with the lively refrains by the Gumbie Trio who recount Jenny's busy nightlife in a cheery, tight, Andrews Sisters-style three-part harmony. Jenny herself occasionally interjects. The song is set in the time signature of 4/4 with a tempo of 104 beats per minute. Munkustrap's verses are composed in the G major key, while the Trio's refrains and the tap section are in the C minor key.
Key Change
It makes it an incredibly fun experience. In 2019 the Gumbie trio is completely removed. Rebel Wilson sings the trio parts and Gumbie cat interjections all herself. Not only is it a problem to try and sing a three part harmony on your own but too also not sing in key is quite damaging to the song and It just seems weird and off putting. They also changed how she enters. In 1998 Mistoffelees uses his magic to open a car boot which Jennyanydots then rolls out of. She wears a very elaborate house coat that looks like a ball gown and has her long tail wrapped around her body. The kittens dress as mice to sit and learn needlework from her. In 2019 the first we see of Jenny is this normal looking tabby cat scratching herself in an unflattering way. She’s also in a house to add the that ‘world building.’ You don’t really get that ‘mother hen’ type of vibe that you did from the Jenny in 1998. The mice are also made to be real mice or add scatting to the song. The part that would normally be sung by the Gumbie trio just isn’t as perky. It hits different. Apparently all of the wires they were hooked up to made things uncomfortable. In fact the whole song hits different really. The parts that are supposed to be fast, quipping interjections are now slowed down and drawn out. Making them seem sadder. In 1981 before the dance break, led by Jenny, the Gumbie Trio remove Jenny’s heavy attire to reveal a flashy, and much more bright and lively, fringed tap outfit. The Tap routine that follows known as ‘Beetles Tattoo’ and it features cats dressed as cockroaches following Jenny. In 2019 Jenny unzips her fur the reveal that she has the same coat underneath with just a sparkly outfit on. It’s not as clever as 1998 because in that production the outfit change still looked like cat fur because it had a tabby-esque pattern and was just really cool to see the change. It also just looks more natural.
like you cant tell me these two cats are the same character.
In 2019 we also get some unnecessary scatting. It’s also clear that JennyAny is being played up as one of the comedic relief characters. She’s shown as being clumsy and lazy which isn’t what her character really is. She also seems like a stage hog with the way she pushes victoria down during her ‘big finish’ In both versions the ‘thankyou my dears’ line is present but in 2019 it’s out of place because, as mentioned before, Jenny really doesn’t have that maternal vibe to her that she does in 1998. She’s also saluted to in 1998 so there’s even more of a reason to include the line. In 1998 the orchestra attempts to strike up the opening verse again but they’re suddenly interrupted by the first notes of ‘The Rum Tum Tugger’
The Rum Tum Tugger
This song is high energy, hyper sexual funk-rock number. It’s flashy, suave and exudes confidence. Tugger is introduced to us as this mega cool rockstar who’s charismatic to boot and really really loves a hip thrust. It has intense rhythmic gestures and a heavy pop beat. It’s amazing and Rum Tum Tugger of ’98 really sells it. He loves the attention and revels in the spotlight he took from Jenny. The kittens adore him and copy his moves. At one point he’s just moving his hips around and the kittens are just following them with their eyes. The older cats, including Mistofelees and Munkustrap, hang back in disapproval. Tugger is rebellious. In some productions Tugger would interact with the audience in improvised mischief.
The 2019 Rum Tum Tugger is actually one of the better performances but is still off base. It’s just not got the same punch as it had in ’98 and it gets interrupted couple times by Rebel Wilson’s improv. The Orchestra Begins to play a reprise of the song until being interrupted by the entrance of Grizabella who instantly kills the mood.
Grizabella The Glamour Cat
We get the first instance of Grizabella’s motif and the mood is changed completely. It’ a dirge-like cello ground bass, representing the dark cloud that hangs over her. It is composed in an A minor key and it just sounds so sad. In 1998 a spotlight is shone on her showing that, despite the hostility towards her, she is important and she’s the focus. This is Grizabella’s I am song. It is her story and is mostly narrated by Bombalurina and Demeter.
Grizabella’s motiff
As Grizabella walks on stage we really do feel like she’s an outcast. She may walk with her head high, hanging on to what little dignity she has left but the cats claw and hiss at her and they pull away the curious kittens who don’t understand her exile and who try to greet her. She is portrayed as an older cat, although her decrepit state may make her look older than she really is. She usually moves slowly and carefully, suggesting stiffness or an injury. Literally being crippled by her loneliness, regret and rejection..
Grizabella’s character is key to the narrative framework of the musical. The jellicle ball is really just a plot device for our primary protangonist, Grizabella to seek the ultimate forgiveness and gain redemption. Forgiveness for what you ask? In both productions the first four lines of this number are sung by Grizabella herself. They are taken from the Eliot poem "Rhapsody on a Windy Night" from Prufrock and Other Observations (1917) it tells of a prostitute walking the streets in the early hours of the morning. It is therefore implied that Grizabella was a prostitute. Tottenham Court Road was strongly associated with prostitution at the time and as the lyrics ‘She haunted many a low resort Near the grimy road of Tottenham Court’ connote, Grizabella can be regularly seen there. Grizzabella’s 1998 costume also has subtle nods to this as she’s wearing stockings and in some productions she even has make up running down her face.
It has a very bluesy feel to it and the good thing is this is also present in 2019. However I personally feel as though Jennifer Hudson is too young to play the role and because of the CGI design we don’t really get that disheveled look that is achievable with hair and makeup.
The sombre atmostphere that Grizabella creates lingers on the stage. That is until the next number starts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypI8LqJWieU
End of part 2
Cats: A Comparative essay Part 1
I have a passion for musical theatre and after watching the 1998 film, the 2019 film vexes me. So I thought that for fun I would write a piece comparing both films. looking at each of the songs and choices that were made. This may be hard to follow at times and a bit jumbled together but for the most part I tried to be together with my thoughts.
All of the information I got about the music key changes and compositional facts I got from this website https://catsmusical.fandom.com/wiki/Cats_Musical_Wiki
The analysis and opinions though, that’s on me. So, lets get into it.
We, open with an overture of sorts. One that is based on the Jellicle Theme in it’s various forms at the start it is in E minor, 132 bpm and agitated, creating an uneasy setting. It leads into the first number ‘Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats’ and here’s where 2019 and 1998 start to differ.
During the overture, in 2019, we see Victoria’s human owner drop her off as though she is garbage. In 1981 the arrival of the cats is built up by multiple cat eyes, with dancing pupils, coming together in total darkness. They really stand out and It’s quite ominous.
Then ‘Jellicle Song For Jellicle Cats’ starts. In 1998 Demeter is the first cat on stage, who gets startled by car headlights. There are no humans, just a suggestion or slight nod of such. The other cats gradually appear and lend their voices to the song. There are a lot of looks directly to the camera in this number especially. This fourth wall break is the technique that the musical uses to include the audience.
. In 2019 the other cats are singing to Victoria so this inclusion is lost because she is the bland protagonist character that we can use for a self-insert but it doesn’t really have the same effect.
Munkustrap Always sings the opening line but all of the cats sing the chorus together. They act as an ensemble and the ensemble sings the chorus together, with the lyrics varying slightly each time but always with an "engaging rhythmic syncopation". Each subsequent verse builds in momentum, and the choruses similarly gain harmony. The volume of the entire number builds as more voices and instruments join in. Neither the verses nor the choruses repeat in exactly the same manner; each varies in melody, rhythm, voicing, instrumentation, and lyrics. Halfway through the number we get a new hymn section and the cats stop dancing to gather as this choir, singing in a four-part harmony, accompanied by an organ. This section is in Bb major key with a slower tempo so it sounds more happy and uplifting.
verses section is Jellicle songs
chorus section in Jellicle songs
It is also within one of these hymns that we get a suggestion of the existence of humans as a boot gets thrown at them. In 2019 these hymn parts are almost all absent. We don’t get all the cats singing together wearing their chorus costumes because not all the cats are present. They also don’t sing the chorus as a choir but at least Munkustrap sings the opening line.
1998 recycles segments of ‘Jellicle Songs’ at later points in the show and during other songs and it really helps tie the whole story together. Another point about 2019’s version of this song is it seems that the actors had a hard time keeping breath control. A lot of the time for musicals performers will studio record and lip sync so they can still dance elaborately or be dubbed over if they want their accent to be changed like what 1998 did for Skimbleshanks. It’s not a major issue, just something that could have been improved upon. It mainly happens in the parts were they talk about trapeze. 1998 handles this by pairing it with a cat literally swinging on a trapeze swing instead of multiple characters doing multiple flips. It kind of takes away from the believability that 1998 otherwise has but it sounds good. I also don’t like the fact that in 2019 they set Mister Mistoffolees up to be this lovable goofball of a character who’s awkward and a bit of a mess because he’s not like that at all in 1998.
It’s interesting though. In 2019 we get some of that exploration I mentioned earlier. We are taken into the square where various buildings are lit up with neon signs. The cats are dancing and leaping as they sing the chorus. Over and over. The background is kind of distracting and because of the scale of the cats and colours chosen, the cats just kind of blend in to their surroundings. Not something you want for a tribe of creatures who are supposed to be these loud and amazing, out-there performers.
The group singing is also less together than it is in 1898 and the individual voices clash more and are singing at different pitches.
The Naming Of Cats
The Naming Of Cats 1998
The Naming Of Cats 2019 (visual of scene unfortunately unavailable)
This is the Next song. Asparagus sings “there’s a man over there with a look of surprise. As much as to say, well now how about that? “ And then Munkustrap adds “Do I actually see with my own very eyes A man who's not heard of a Jellicle Cat?” Both cats directly address the audience and they do this in 2019 as well but it kind of doesn’t make sense because we have Victoria. There’s no human audience member to address. This song is used to tell us that a cat must have three names: the family uses daily, a more dignified name and a secret name. The contemplation of these secret names keeps the felines deep in thought. The song presents itself as a hushed chant. It’s spoken in unison so there isn’t really a set rhythm to it but it still has musicality because of the fragmented ‘Jellicle song’ playing alongside it.
In both musicals, after they finish chanting about names the cats disperse until Victoria is the only one on stage. In some productions the cats interacted with the audience, really getting close and personal with them. This really includes the audience and makes them feel part of the cats’ world.
Invitation To The Jellicle Ball
This next musical number is short and has 2 parts. The first part is a ballet solo performed by Victoria.
. She is gracefully poised with a spotlight shinning on her. Beautiful and controlled. It truly is just an amazing performance and it just isn’t included at all in 2019. Although it is very short, it’s actually quite important. Victoria is one of the younger cats. This dance is about her discovering herself and coming of age. Lynne comments that the dance represents “a beautiful young cat becoming a young woman.” After Victoria is finished we get abrubtly introduced to the next part of the number, lead by Mistoffolees and Munkustrap. Mistoffolees sings the first part and then dances with victoria whilst Munkustrap sings the other. This short musical number explains the plot of the musical by letting the younger cats and the audience know why they’re here. So it’s quite important . The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball" is underpinned by the Jellicle Theme. This recurring theme accompanies Victoria's White Cat Solo, played through twice in its two-phrase form. The tranquil mood is then broken as Mistoffelees enters and begins to sing his stanza, which is set to the four-phrase version of the Jellicle theme.
It was probably this dance duet that inspired Tom Hooper to pair Mistofellees and Victoria together. I think what Tom Hooper and company did was they looked at this number, didn’t put it in the film and instead made the plot out if it but also tried to do the grizabella stuff as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WsNyKcu0l4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ0YvqYtIpQ
End of part 1
Sunday 4th December, Life Drawing: Hands and feet week 2
I think I got a good amount of detail this week but what let me down was the double pen sketches. I like what the technique has done for the foot drawing but the hand came out looking quite bulky and awkward.
Thursday 1st December, Motion Graphics: Circle circle
For this Weeks Experimentation I decided to step away from tunnels and explore other motions.
I first started off with a little warmup of two pulsing circles. I like how this turned out, I got to see what playing with the opacity of shapes can do.
This is the end result. Despite using the loop expression the loop still isn’t seamless which I’m quite disappointed about but I don’t really know what I did wrong as I found the tutorial quite easy to follow and the process fun.
video: