Journey to the Center of the Earth 2008 film

I have also recently watched the modern adaptation of Journey to the Center of the Earth to see how the advancements in techology have changed the representation of the environment spaces compared to the original film, which will provide me with different inspiration points for my concepts. The plot is completely different from the book and the original adaption because the characters follow in the footsteps of the character's in Jules Verne's book as well as the codes the character's brother makes about the observations of the enviroments and creatures to discover that all that was written in the book is actually real.

The chambers of the cave were much darker and the light used reflected the colours of a paticular scene to show they are seperate spaces, for example one the shots shows the cave with a lot of brown colours, whereas the earth core space has variations of blue and purple. The forms of the staglatites were more obstructing because they grew down longer and were a lot thinner, giving them a sinster apperance. The Earth core space was the best environment because on one level it is exactly as the centre of the Earth should look but there is also something really breathe - taking in this space because of the reflected purple colours and the water fall in the background. The intensity of white light immediately draws you to the core as it opens up this dark space and invisions how wonderful and beatiful the environment below ground could look.

The lava was more bright and deadly, this particular scene is where part of the cave exploded to release water to create steam for the characters to shot up out of the volcano. The view point in this space works because it puts the 'don't look down' quote into perspective and how dangerious this space is.

I felt the coast wasn't as strong in this scene because the forest behind doesn't fit into the coast scene as it is not inclosed by a cave. The mist in the distance was effective because it restricts the amount of space seen from eye view, the clouds and light reflected on the water created the atmosphere that the space is outside instead of underground. There are no cliffs but instead has dried broken wood and bones scatered along the surface which makes the space organic because it hasn't been altered but left to change naturally.

The film had various forms of plant life that we are used to seeing above the surface but they were at a bigger scale. The dandelions were clever because as instinct we blow the plant to release the seeds as demonstrasted by the main character, the space dramatically comes to life with thousands of these seeds hovering around the characters up to the ceiling of the cave. The introduction of the venus fly traps worked well because they are a typical plant that you associate with a jungle and clever how they reacted to the characters trapping them with their vines and opening and shuting their heads to become a meancing mouth.

These are screenshots of the crystal cave and what makes this space successful is how the light reflects from the precious stones in the darkness. It immediately drew the characters in to get a closer look at these stones but were stuck when they realised that the ground surface was thin and would break if they applied too much weight. The ground colapses piece by piece to reveal a space below that the characters fall into, it is a long way down so we are unable to see where this long tube leads until they land into the lagoon. It shows how a space can suddenly transform due to fragile surfaces.

Screenshots of the characters entering the cave and they have made the space a lot darker so that only a small section of the edge can be seen, which creates mystery of how deep the pit is or if the sides are climbable. As the characters climb down, a spot light is shown down to reveal the ridgid layers of rock that randomly stick out. The characters absail down the side which is more believable as they stagger at certain points where the rocks are loose.

The iceland volcano was much wider especially internally in the tube which made it appear more realistic. The characters seem to fall for miles after the ground breaking in the crystal cave, which was effective because the audience along with the characters were discovering that the vent became deeper and deeper the further it went.

The concept of the magnectic field was amazing with the rocks themselves being magnectic and stayed in a set path but moved in different directions with added weight. The space has a lot to offer with a long drop and green light at the bottom and a passage way with a white on the other side. The magnectic rocks are all different sizes making them random and believable, the rock formations at the sides of the cave are also visble. This is an iconic space that could consider as an idea for my concept.

These are screenshots of an abandoned mine shaft that takes the characters through some of the chambers of the cave. The tracks were worn and in some places broken adding to the dangerious atmosphere of the environment. All this looked man made which questions who built it and is there another civilization around. When the carts separated there was different perspectives being seen as the tracks were continuing at lower and higher levels.

 

The mushroom forest was a big improvement from the orignal and is how I imagined the space to look dominated by big opposing forms growing inbetween columns and scattered inamounst eachother. The mushrooms were much bulkier so really gave an impression of their scale and the soft light sweeping in from the side shows how the forms are bent and twisted over so many years. The bottom imge shows the inside of one of the mushroom stalks and liked the concept of 'a space within a space' and shows a small cave - like space, which shows that the internal structure is just as complicated and organic than it's outer appearance.

These screenshots focus on the skeletons in the wastelands and how characters use the objects for another purpose. I thought the jaw as a boat was exetremely clever because it fitted in with the space around it and it is such an interesting object. Especially when wedged in the volcanic vent and the characters are looking over the side at the lava below. The light highlights the jaw's teeth and the character swinging below it. When the steam causes the jaw to rise we experience the scene from an above perspective as it slowly comes into view, showing deep the space is below.

The ocean had a lot more colours reflected on the surface concerntrating on the bright blues. The sea creatures creating scale in this space and filled up some of the open areas to make the composition more exciting than the ocean in the original film. Both the original and new adaptions have generated a lot of excitment into their compostions and environments creating amazing worlds in which the characters can react and move around in, they have inspired new ways to take my concepts further in my recent thumbnails and as I develop my ideas further.