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Collaborative
Representation
of Julius Ceasar
By: Director- Huy Vo, Light Designer- Robert Vidal,
Set Designer- Merilyn Vila, Costume Designer-
Dwanna Jones
Group 66
Julius Caesar Script
As director I wanted a traditional and authentic
representation of Julius Caesar to show how story was
told originally.
The Cast
Javier Bardem plays Julius Caesar
Aaron Eckhart plays Octavius Caesar
Colin Farrell plays Marcus Antonius Robert
De Niro plays M. Aemilius Lepidus
Michael Fassbender plays Marcus Brutus
Christoph Waltz plays Cassius)
Cate Blanchett plays Calpurnia wife of Caesar
Angelina Jolie Plays Portla wife of Brutus
Mark Ruffalo plays Flavius
Edward Norton plays Marullus
Ed Harris plays Casca
Kevin Spacy plays Cinna
Jeremy Renner plays Lucius
Gary Oldman play Decius Brutus
Jeff Bridges plays Trebonius
Steve Buscemi plays Artemidorus of Cnidos (Soothsayer)
Martin Sheen plays Metellus Cimber
Spine
The spine of the play would be the death of Julius Caesar. I
have chosen this as the spine because all of the actions that
transpire throughout the play are a result of the
assassination of Julius Caesar and only when Brutus and
Cassius are killed is the death of Caesar is resolved.
During the play all the characters refer back to his
assassination. In the beginning of the play there is a build up
to his assassination and at the climax it occurs and the
denouement there are the repercussions.
Themes
A prominent theme in the play is inflexibility vs. compromise. Brutus and Caesar are both very stubborn and this quality in their personality ends up being their downfall. Brutus believes so strongly in assassinating Caesar and Caesar believes so strongly in his god complex that they end up dying for their actions. This show the need for adapting and being able to compromise when needed instead of rushing to action.
More Themes
In the play, one of the themes is of a tragic hero .
Brutus is a clear example of this theme because
he is trying to do good for the Republic but ends
up getting killed for his part in the assassination of
Caesar.
An additional theme in Julius Caesar is the
argument of fate vs. free will. This is prevalent in
the play because the Soothsayer played by Steve
Buscemi predicted Caesar’s death that would
take place on the 15th of March. However, Julius
choses to ignore this prediction and decided to
not to take the warning . His actions represent
notion of free will.
Purpose
As director I am responsible for deciding on the overall
purpose of the play. Different directors may decide to
translate old stories in a new fashion like Romeo and
Juliet as the Titanic.
However, I wish to give Shakespeare his true credit and
show his story of Julius Caesar in its true light, the original
interpretation of this great story.
Style and Historical Period
Style- Our production will consist of mainly ancient Roman
architecture and clothing to convey an authentic visual
representation of this time period.
Historical Period- The play Julius Caesar takes place
about mid March in 44BC and spans to about early April
after all of the fighting has concluded.
Directorial Concept
I wanted my interpretation of the play to be traditional and
resemble the work of Shakespeare. I also wanted our
production to be a faithful reenactment of the script.
So I wanted to include most of the scenes from the play
like the intro of the play and Caesar’s stroll into the capital
while also including his assassination and the Battle of
Philippi.
I however had to cut out some of the unnecessary
characters and extras that seem to be redundant.
Set Designer- Merilyn
*Throughout this process we coordinated our ideas to make sure that the set design and costumes and dialogue was not overlapping or
interfering with the other elements*
Preliminary Phase
For good communication
with the director and for
ideas not to overlap
Tone: Serious, Calm, Rational, and Earnest*Building set and color scheme based on tone*
Time: 44 B.C.
Place: Ancient Rome, toward the end of the
Roman republic
● The set gives clues as to the specific time and place of the action
The Stage
With the type of
stage that I chose
it allows for the
audience to
interact with
Julius Ceasar or
whoever is the main
character of the
scene.
The drapes in the
back allow for the
audience to see
that the others are
conspiring against
them.
The furniture, the space
-Having furniture, draperies, pictures, lamps, and rugs for
decorative quality and appearance: minimal
-There will be a lot of negative space on the set because it also
allows for the audience to make their own judgements and
expand with their own imagination
-It allows for no major set changes throughout the play
Proscenium Theatre:
Type of Stage Production:
-This allows for the frame of the stage to separate the
stage and the auditorium- Stage will create that fourth wall so it can take the
audience and place them in this fantasy back to 44 BC.
Proscenium Theatre:
Effect:
Helping distinguish realistic from non-realistic theatre:
There will be that fourth wall created that will
distinguish realistic from non- realistic
Alot of black and red to portray the tragedy. The dark colors
emphasize the darkness and the seriousness of the play.
Hue: primary colors will be red, yellow, and blue
Saturation: will be strongly present for the dramatic effect
Value: will be closer to zero in the dark and violent parts of
the play and closer to 50 or 60 on the less intense parts
Temperature: reds, oranges, and yellows which are all warm colors
to portray the emotional qualities of the play
(Though the play opens with a little joke, the subject matter of the play remains serious throughout)
Color Scheme:
Brutus
Brutus- He was character that stood for the greater good of Rome and put the people ahead of himself and Caesar. Brutus’s idealism was both his greatest virtue and his most deadly flaw. Brutus was a dignified military leader and prominent representative for the people. Brutus will wear the image on the left early on in the play and later wear the military apparel in battle.
Cassius
Cassius was a famous
general in Roman during
this time and was the
primary engineer in
Caesar's assassination. He
leads Brutus to believe that
Caesar has become too
powerful for the good of
Roman. Being a decorated
military official he would
wear a traditional uniform
to exemplify his
achievements.
Antony
Being Caesar’s closest
friend he avenges his
death to restore glory back
to his name. Antony is a
power hungry politician
who takes advantage of
Caesar’s death in his
search for power. As
Antony was an average
politician we will wear
traditional robes.
Caesar
Caesar and his godlike
complex proved to be his
downfall. Caesar would
have the most lavish
costume because we was
the leader of Roman.
Calpurnia and Portia
Calpurnia was the wife of Caesar who warms her husband
not to go to the senate on the 15th of March. Because she
was royal she would wear formal Roman attire.
Portia was the wife of Brutus who sided against Caesar
and supported Brutus’s assassination against Caesar. She
was a prominent social figure because of her relationship
with Brutus, although she was not as high on the social
ladder as Calpurnia.
Costumes for Calpurnia and
Portia
Calpurnia would wear the more extravagant costume on the left
and Portia would wear the more simple attire on the right.
Servants and Civilians
The minor characters like the servant to Cassius, Caesar
and Brutus who do not play a rather large role will wear
clothing to represent their low status on the social ladder.
Costumes
As the costume designer the clothing that I have chosen
will meet the needs of our actors to allow them to move
freely in order to achieve the necessary tasks for the
production.
Lighting
Visibility
As the light designer I will provide luminosity to allow the audience to see the faces of our actors and also to allow our actors to be fully engaged with one another.
In different scenes alternative types of light will be used to show a contrast in mood or feeling.
I will try to use light in the form of torches and open flames to depict the time period and show authenticity.
Types of Lighting Used
Torches to show authenticity.
Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlights- to allow
for a more focused light on our actors.
Strip Lighting- these lights allow me to
color the back wall of the stage different
colors like red or blue to show changes in
emotion.
Shapes and Forms
Illuminating shapes and
forms is one of the most
important jobs of a light
designer.
In our production I must
reveal objects as
interestingly as possible to
give the illusion of an
extraordinary set.
Mood Changes Throughout the
Julius Caesar
In the beginning of the play when the festival is going on as Caesar returns, with the help of blue, green and yellow light I would show how happy and festive Rome was to see Caesar come home victorious.
The mood changes near the middle of the play when there is a great thunderstorm which I will show with the help of flashing white lights and a dark perception of the set.
Towards Caesars death the set would change to a more dark and mysterious mood with the help of dim lighting to show the shadows of the assassins as well as a deep red light along the back wall to represent blood and danger.
This feeling uneasiness and instability after Caesars death would remain constant throughout the end of the play as his death is not resolved until after Brutus and Cassius are dead.
Style with Lighting
Our director has said that he wants to use authentic ancient Roman architecture and clothing to give an original feeling to the audience.
Therefore the basic lighting that I will use will come from torches to simulate lighting mechanisms of 44BC.
This will allow me to uphold his style and also contribute to the accurate representation ancient Roman life.
Time and Place
Julius Caesar takes place in 44BC in ancient Rome.
As the lighting director I will help the audience notice changes in time like night and day by using brighter or dimmer lights.
Also I can show changes in scenery from indoor and outdoors by using different colors like a green overhead light to show the grass. Or perhaps a generic gray light to show them inside a building.
Rhythm of Visual
Movement
As the light designer my job is to shift the audiences
attention from one thing to another by shifting the focus of
stage lights. I can do this by illuminating one thing or actor
on stage in contrast to another to show a change in
viewpoints.
Reinforcement of the Central
Image
Lighting, in combination with the other elements of at
production like the set, costumes and sound are vital in
making a cohesive play.
Therefore it is important that I remain consistent with
whatever is happening on stage. If there is a great storm
like in Julius Caesar I would show that through flashing
lights to represent lighting.
And with our production of Julius Caesar an attempt to be
authentic, I must remain constant to this idea by showing
old fashioned visual types of lighting like torches.
Citations
http://www.sales-and-marketing-solutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Came-saw-conquered-On-Julius-Caesar-and-his-legacy-to-business-marketing_DONE.jpg
http://axisstudiosdesign.com/jcrough.jpg
http://www.fashion-era.com/images/all_greeks_romans/grecianmirrore6.jpg
http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/gallery_images/0707/0000/0050/drawings_mid.jpg
http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9780486113661_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG
http://www3.northern.edu/wild/jr_6.jpg
http://www.osa-opn.org/opn/media/images/articles/0908/features/FeatureImages/feature1-fig1.jpg
The Theater Experience
http://www.fashion-era.com/images/all_greeks_romans/romancuirass.jpg
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/c7/b6/b9/c7b6b965537abec1d0bed0986b5f2586.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k0Y4eIo9SH8/VFkkElEMKmI/AAAAAAAANss/x9dzLSfIPPw/s1600/FolgerJuliusCaesarTW.5.jpg
http://www.hanscopper.com/images/products/torch.jpg
http://www.lisabohn.com/Design/Types_of_Stage_Lights.html