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Sophie

Bortolussi

 

Director - Choreographer - Performer - Teacher

American Airlines safety video - choreography proposal

 

All videos below are protected with password AA1234

 

OPENING SHOT/ MIRROR EFFECT

 

Several  people rolling across the frame on skateboard-like platform (low to the ground) reinforcing disorientation effect of the opening shot.

 

Characters can either be pushed or pulled across the shot, allowing a play between static positions (i.e. someone waiting on a suitcase, standing up on the telephone, meditating or reading the newspaper), and people in movement (i.e. walking, flying/floating motion)

 

Starting with a few static characters in the first shot, then animating them when other sliding people move across the space.

As the camera flips upright away from the reflection, we will have the same characters walking or standing as our main F.A. goes across the terminal.

Our main F.A. can also cross the terminal rolling, slightly seated on a suitcase [suitcase needs to be a bit bigger than cabin luggage]. This format will allow for the possibility of an interesting yet simple physicality, as we introduce our main character.

 

I believe we could bring throughout the video a surreal physicality that has nothing to do with the pop style of Virgin America. More elegant. More subtle yet quite stylized.

 

 

INSIDE THE FUSELAGE

 

  • As our F.A. arrives in the fuselage and closes the door of the aircraft, I am envisioning her being swooped up by two other F.A. (male?) with an easy lift. Our main F.A. will be flown through space, while the seats slide into space (as in the previz). Facing the camera and still held by the two other F.A. (or actors), our main F.A. can demonstrate the safety belt. The two persons holding her can play a role in the demonstration.

      I don't have a video of this yet as we are only two at the moment and would need a third person.

      If the idea sound interesting to you I will find a way to shoot the idea.

 

  • The first time I saw the previz, I had the vision of having a person disappearing while pushing her bag under the seat .

     This could happen among a row of passengers putting away their belonging under the seat (following instruction from F.A.) but one       person would suddenly slide underneath   the seat with her belongings. (see video below)

  • With a similar mind, when the F.A. talks "about being careful while opening the overhead compartment as things might have shifted during the flight", we could have a person falling off the overhead compartment into someone's arms.

 

Not sure if this the right spirit for AA, but I decided to share all ideas at this point, as something may trigger someone else’s imagination ;-)

  • Video below is a physical idea for inside the fuselage with demonstration of  various instructions like: no smoking, turning off mobile devices, seat back upright...

AFTER SAFETY CARD DEMONSTRATION /

ILLUMINATED PATHWAY

 

After our main F.A. slides down the raft, we will have 8-10 people joining her with illuminated wands and line up behind her (they could also slide behind her on the raft)

 

(see video beside)

 

 

At the end F.A. can walk through the path created by the people seated with the wands. The 8-10 people will be lined up in a way to create a perspective illusion. Once the F.A. passes through, people with wands could possibly simulate playing the drums with wands (?)

 

 

POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR OXYGEN MASK AND LIFE VEST DEMO

 

For the second part of the video, I am interested in playing with going in and out of a main cabin like configuration with the use of swiveling chairs (there were this kind of chairs as references at some point)

 

I believe we can create fun/simple group movement with the use of rolling/swivelling chairs.

 

This video sample here shows how we can play with chairs formation. We are only two on the video but I hope you still get a sense of the various possibilities. 

 

Some chair movement (in the spirit of the last video) could bring us to a formation similar to 3:08 – 3:24 in of the reference video below (please look specifically at the 16 seconds between 3:08 and 3:24)

 

MIRROR ILLUSION/  ETHAN IN A CHANGING ROOM

 

 

We can create  this illusion having people spaced in a similar configuration to the visual effect above and reusing the mirror from our opening sequence.

 

It would be magical to create the slick illusion of a fractal mirror effect, and then completely dissolve it by having people rolling in different direction, or just by having the center line of F.A. walk forward or backward. 

 

In the video, Rob and I  worked specifically with the life jacket idea (but the concept could apply to the oxygen mask demo instead).

We are also playing the different roles successively but the four F.A. and all passengers facing forward and backward will all be moving together and at the same time to create the fractal like mirror illusion (the demonstration could be repeated if necessary)

 

The picture reference shows the spatial configuration required. Basically the vase are our passengers.

MORE IDEAS

 

  • This video shows variations of movement based on 4 simple gestures. We focused specifically on exploring different qualities possible for a range of gestures from utterly realistic to bigger movement.

       I think some simple gesture choreography could be used in the fuselage          for extras and  passengers.

 

 

This is a very rough sketch and I would like to develop the gesture language if it is a direction you are interested in.

 

  • At the very end of the video when the camera is "flying" above to show more and more of the set; we could also create a big “choreographic” number with people rolling on chairs.

 

  • I also wondered if it would be nice to have everybody flying paper plane at the end?  (inspired by reference - see photo)

 

  • I don’t have any mirrored glass to work with currently but there are certainly some interesting physical effects we could potentially explore. To fully reveal their potential, Rob and I will need to spend a bit of time on set to play with them.

 

  • I also had the vision that the gas mask could be floating on clouds.

We could use our four F.A. + four passengers (or more pairing)

In our case, passengers would create the outer circle, our four flights attendants, the inner circle and camera would still be at the center.

This configuration could be interesting for either the life vest or oxygen mask demonstration.

Four F.A. create a center line with our main F.A. as the lead. They demonstrate with the actual life vest (the actual prop hasn't arrived yet so Rob is miming on the video) as they would do in a plane, while the passengers  will be showing the action in a more abstract physical way.

The style of the movements are "big" on the video and can easily be scaled down: smaller, more realistic. I personally like the contrast of style between FA and passengers.

September 8, 2015

September 15, 2015

We can go for the "Chicago" mirror effect after the Oxygen mask demonstartion in a mirror box.

 

We follow our main F.A.. from the back and watch her demonstration of the life vest from the reflection in the multiple mirrors. The movement can be slightly stylized but simple. We have the choice to have her demonstrate with a life vest or "miming".

 

Scenario 1:

F.A. "mimes" the demonstration.

When  the mirrors "open" (flip- change configuration), we reveal passengers standing and all together they show the life vest demo with life vests. We can have a V Shape configuration with people all facing the same direction or different direction or reproducing the fractal mirror effect (see picture from last week) creating the illusion through appropriate spacing (distance between couples and shorter people at the far end of the diagonal)

 

In this scenario, I like the absurdity of multiple passengers backing up the main F.A.. I like transforming the "sexyness" of the shot of F.A. with the mirror "cabaret" look into something quite amusing. We will end up with a great number of people with life vest on.

 

Scenario 2:

F.A.: demonstrate with life vest

When the mirrors flip, our passengers appears miming the demonstration. Meanwhile two other F.A. can join our main F.A., and demonstrate the life vest demonstration scenario with prop.

 

Scenario 3:

F.A.: demonstrate with life vest

When the mirrors flip, all passengers repeat the demo with life vest.

 

We can also have a mix of passengers with life jacket, other miming, some in slow motion... There is an infinite combination possible. I unfortunately can't show them all with just two people and no mirrors. 

 

I believe we need to show at this point where the life jacket are located. For this we can have some passengers or other F.A. on rolling chair or in a row of chairs similar to the way the chairs appear in the previz. We can then demonstarte clearly where the life jacket are located  (side/ beneath...). 

 

We can definitely create something nice, simple yet attractive with the reveal of the passengers and movement of the  mirror. 

 

In video below, I tried to simulate main F.A. with the "Cabaret" shot in mind.

We will see her from the back but her front will be reflected in the multiple mirrors. This is the reason I choose to film back to the camera and front to the camera. I am trying to give you a sense of the demonstration with life vest or without (miming)

  • See below an exploration based on slow motion demonstration of the life vest

  • Choreographically we can play with the sound of clicking the belt of the life vest.

     We can create a canon effect that can be used in the music.

     We show in the video below with the two of us pretending to be six people (you will hear six clicks, and two pull of the straps (couldn't      do six). This trick could be used for the seat belt demonstration instead.

  • Below a" life vest version" of the multi hands idea.

In this video, I like the shift of intention of the passengers: from distracted to alertness  (precisely what the safety video is trying to achieve)

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