"The Witch of Love" is very peculiar. Its retro nature is bursting. From photography, lighting to shooting methods, it is highly restored in the late 1960s and early 1970s. British and American satanic witchcraft films and Jesus Fever It is a cult film by European Cult film directors such as Netac and Jean Lorraine. Its retro tone is deeply rooted in the bones, mainly due to the meticulousness of the service, and if you don't say this is a 2016 movie, it is difficult to recognize unless you see the phone at the end of the film. In this day and age, it is definitely a skill to make a movie that has the texture of an old movie.
First, get familiar with the genre of film you want to make, and use the shell of that era to reflect current issues. We can first familiarize ourselves with the contemporary American movies about black witchcraft, Satan and mysticism, the most famous of which is Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" (1968). Since the film was released and caused a sensation, exploitation films related to satanic witchcraft such as "The Dunwich Horror" (1970), "Season of the Witch" (1972), "King Simon's Witches" (1971), etc. Most of these films are directed by men, with eyeball effects such as female carcasses and violence permeated through the films. The subgenre began to fade in the 1980s, and Polanski's later The Ninth Gate (1999) was a resurgence.
First of all, this film was shot on 35mm film with Kodak Vision3 250D 5207, Vision3 200T 5213, Arriflex 35 BL, Zeiss Super Speed Lenses. (Information source: IMDB)
Art is the top priority of "retro movies". If the environment is well done, the actors can naturally be immersed in it. "Witch of Love" has achieved the ultimate from the exterior scene to the interior scene, as well as the small details of various furnishings and props, and they can be filled to the fullest, and none of them are put in casually. The preparations are by no means overnight, and that alone is quite touching. The only thing that annoys me is that the cops and the police station, like something from the 80s and 90s, have a little drama.
To be familiar with the classic props of the genre at that time, tarot divination was a classic prop of the gypsy witch in the early 1970s (the other prop was the crystal ball), whether it was the same type of movie "The Devil's Bloody Orgy" (1973) Or "007 of the life and death" (1973), tarot cards have played an immeasurable role in witches.
The altar of the witch's divination is also a classic prop, which I have seen in Jesus Franco's movies. Although each festival has different decorations, usually the one below is the most common. A round altar cloth with a pentagram, three candles, two on each side and one in the middle.
Then there are actors. It is necessary to find actors who are in line with the atmosphere of the times. Their appearance and temperament are particularly important, and then adjust them through makeup and performance. French director Michael Hazanavicius is very handy in this regard, whether it is "The Artist" or the "OSS117" series, there are matching actors. Except for a few characters in "Witch of Love", most of the actors fit the characters of the 1960s and 1970s, and the heroine even has a feeling of the Italian actress Edwige Fenech. Once such an actor is put into such a scene, and then matched with the actors who play the role, the atmosphere of the era will immediately blow, including the old waiter at the bar in the film, which is unique in old films character status. There must also be expert guidance behind the actor's performance.
The directing skills are naturally indispensable. The director must be a diehard loyalist of the genre, and will use the unique techniques of that era. For example, the scene where the heroine drives the car is completely handled by rear projection in the old film.
The rear projection screen is a translucent screen with a solid bottom frame erected in the shed for the background image. The projector is placed behind the screen, and the foreground objects (actors, sets or vehicles, etc.) and camera. When shooting, it is necessary to synchronize the shutters of the projector and the camera, and then shoot the actor's performance in front of the rear-projected dynamic or static images. The photographer appropriately uses a large aperture to make the rear-projection image slightly blurred in the positive film to deepen the audience. visual illusion. It is also necessary to ensure that the color temperature of the rear projection image is the same as that of the negative in the camera, so as not to match the front and rear.
However, in the 1970s, the synthesis technology of driving scenes has made substantial progress. "The Witch of Love" still uses this old-fashioned rear projection effect, more for the purpose of letting you see that it is intentionally "retro" Effect.
There are also several scenes in the film used to express illusions and memories, using the "out of focus" + "vignetting" edge effect, and using a main color to create the kind of old Italian giallo. The bold colors that will appear, usually red, yellow, green, blue.
When the heroine was intimate with the university professor, the colorful neon lights and kaleidoscope prisms were used in the photography to express the mental state of the professor at this time with bright psychedelic effects. In terms of visual presentation, it is in line with the "Pop Art" treatment of that era. Of course, that's what Roger Corman played with the rest of his pill-boiling "Journey" (1967). It can be seen that it is also important to refer to the shooting skills of famous directors during that period.
Using the traditional transition method, there are two montage transitions in the film that impressed me deeply. The transformation from action to object has turned the decay into magic.
The quick zoom in and the exclamation of the cry for help in the picture below are the usual methods of Italian horror films in the 1970s. You can refer to Mario Bava's lead-yellow film. Then, it dissolves into the colorful blood symbol of the second scene, giving it an almost expressionist style, providing a visual imagery of pure entertainment.
In the film, there are also a few scenes that fade in and out, and the selected soundtrack ends just right, all of which are unique transitions in American dramas in the 1960s.
Of course, while conveying the retro tone, it is unavoidable to "pay tribute" to a favorite old film out of feelings (you know, this is my dish), which of course depends on the development of the plot and cannot be abused. For example, it is very similar to the opening scene of "Psycho" being followed by a police car:
Another example of the rituals and madness of the people in The Heretic (1973):
At the core level of borrowing from the past and the present, you also need to know what the main point you are expressing is. "Witch of Love" is largely a woman's fear of men's pursuit of sexual desire. The starting point of the heroine is actually kind. She wants to use witchcraft to subvert sexism. She is a woman who seeks liberation. Although it is still the same as the sexual liberation period in the late 1960s, it has been added to the current context. .
Often, it can be made clear with a single line: "The entire history of witchcraft is intertwined with fear of female sexuality, and witches are burned at the stake because people fear witches for unjustified sexual desire. Later people Bonding witches with marriage, forcing them to be maids, whores, and fantasy dolls. No one cares what they want.”
"They tell us that a hyper-rational and taciturn man is normal, and that a woman's emotions and intuitions are patients who need to be treated. They believe that men and women are different, and that true equality lies in that difference. "
Once the soul of the moment is reflected in the traditional body, it is a success. Otherwise, your retro sex is meaningless no matter how well you do it.
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