Garden of Eden

sfoster said:

In bram stoker's dracula I believe they painted onto some glass and then put that in front of the camera to create a grand landscape in the background.

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Called Matte Painting it was a common method used before bluescreen
in filmmaking. A great glass matte shot is a beautiful thing.

sfoster said:

Help, how do I show a garden of eden on the screen?
What does the garden of eden sound like?

Is there some type of dream element to help sell the illusion of eden?

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Look at paintings. There are thousands. Most depict a lush green
setting with waterfalls and animals.

I suspect it would sound like a serene forest; birds, wind through
leaves, water flowing.

The typical (and cliche) dream element is soft focus.

sfoster said:

Nearby I could film in a forest and possibly a meadow but it's not lush.
More like rocky patches instead of grass.

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Then you need to film somewhere that is not nearby. Sometimes
a filmmaker needs to make that extra effort to get the shots they
need.

sfoster said:

Other ideas I've had.. get some type of animals.
Maybe a puppy for the topless women to play with.

horses or birds would be nice if they could feed them.
maybe hang ornaments or fruit from the trees.

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All terrific ideas.

What Directorik says: look at paintings.
Not just google 'Eden' but also look into 'Arcadia' and Barok and Rococo paintings (although the latter is less paradise and more full of big dresses and decadence).

Greek follies like they used to build in English Gardens could be a nice tough, but is probably hard to get. Unless you can put it in the background in post.

I would stay away from greenscreen for this. Or only use it to help with matte painting in the far background.

Why not just film in a park? I have a scene that involves a garden of Eden type setting, so I was thinking of cutting costs.

Coincidentally, it's also a dream sequence of sorts.

Aspiring Mogul said:

Why not just film in a park?

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I figured it's illegal to have topless women running around in a park. Plus noise factors for audio.
Although technically the place I mentioned in my first post is a state park, it's really just some tick infested woods that no one ever goes to.

sfoster said:

I figured it's illegal to have topless women running around in a park. Plus noise factors for audio.
Although technically the place I mentioned in my first post is a state park, it's really just some tick infested woods that no one ever goes to.

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Right, didn't see that part. It's Monday.

I do hope you're having naked men too
Just saying...

mlesemann said:

I do hope you're having naked men too
Just saying...

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I'll be topless out there with them on camera.

I've been looking around at locations and may have found a place that works. Then I want them to go somewhere else.

I think perhaps under these giant power lines



That's safe right?

sfoster said:

My script has a dream sequence with topless women in the garden of eden.

What does the garden of eden sound like?

Is there some type of dream element to help sell the illusion of eden?

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It's a dream sequence of a mythical place, it can sound however you want it to sound, within the basic framework of; serene and pleasant. As it's a dream sequence of a place which is not real, therefore the sound does not necessarily have to be believably real either. It all depends on the context of this sequence, of how you intend to transition in and out of it (both visually and in terms of the story) and of what's in the sequence. For example:

The scene could contain sounds of: A water feature, wind chimes, a gentle breeze, bird song/calls (of a tropical/exotic kind, maybe peacocks and others for example), the gentle buzz of the wings of a humming bird or dragon fly/damselfly, the Foley of bare feet on soft grass, as well as dialogue/vocalisations to help sell the idea (happy giggles for example). These sounds can all be processed and mixed together to create a real/believable soundscape, a completely surreal soundscape or anywhere in between, depending on the context of the sequence and how you want your audience to perceive it. The transition to your power lines scene could be handled with some continuity, for example: The gentle breeze could continue through both scenes essentially unchanged, the gentle buzz of a dragon fly's wings could morph into the harsher buzz of electric lines, etc. Although of course this is making ignorant assumptions about how your Eden sequence relates to your power lines scene. Maybe you want a far more jarring, dis-associative transition? BTW, some, many or all of the suggestions above would need visual support.

Some (or none) of my suggested sounds might be appropriate, what I'm trying to get across is not the individual sounds themselves but how you use them to help tell your story (whatever your story is). In other words, instead of thinking in terms of what sounds should be there (in Eden, to support your images), think in reverse: What sound/sounds can most effectively help tell your story and then, how do you design your sequence to support that sound. For example, I worked backwards, starting with your power lines scene, which suggested sonic relationships with your Eden sequence (electric buzzing/humming and humming birds for example).

G

Some great suggestions there, thanks.

Also I should say thanks to rik for encouraging me to scout around more.

I do want a relationship with the power lines so everything you suggested is appropriate. I'll spend some time thinking metaphorically about sound now after your suggestions.

topless women in the garden of eden.

Need a Crafty?

Prolly too late to get on this, but I shot a sequence like that once, and we did it in a state park in Upstate New York. Had a waterfall, stretched as far as they eye could see, and was incredibly scenic.

I just had to call the state department of Parks and Rec a few times. They initially needed me to have a hefty coverage plan in case I planned on burning the park down or something, but a little explanation of what the scene was like and the size of the crew, budget, all really helped. The guy ended up letting me film there for peanuts, and it looked great on film. So yeah, where normal parks might have issues with topless people running around, a state park off-season did do wonders.