A Peek Behind The Curtain: Angels With Filthy Souls
Max Bialystock and the Prisoner of Aperture
Continuing with the lowdown on the production of Behind The Curtain for you lovely 84 new subscribers, I wanted to give a deep dive analysis on some of the personalities in our cast.
When Hailey and I began working on BTC, the first major hurdle I remember was the storyboard. The initial scenes were a bit too mild for the subject matter, and we had to really nail down the story being told and the characters that were required to tell it properly before we could finalize the scenes. There were plenty of archetypes to work with, so I began zeroing in on the motivations and historical context behind each one. Before I can talk about Henry and the Director (or as I like to refer to them: Cave Johnson if he was a Producer, and Popeye’s Army-enlisted cousin) we first need to talk about our Rita Hayworth, Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit inspired leading lady.
The Angel needed to be our female anima, the motivation behind Henry’s change of heart. While we were initially drawing a lot of inspiration from Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s iconic scene, when I saw Bette Davis in All About Eve, the star whose career was cut short by the cruelty of the human condition, I knew we’d hit the right tone with the Angel.
A sexy, confident lady of the screen who’s spotlight was taken too early - She knows she’s done, but sure as hell isn’t about to admit that to her adoring public. I imagined her effortlessly navigating the spaces between the horror and chaos that had become common place in this hellish studio. She knew who to avoid, who to keep at arms length, and who she could use, as well as when to step into the shadows and when to blaze into the limelight.
Then who so happens to waltz back into the studio but the very man who might’ve been able to prevent the whole mess… Had he not run away 30+ years ago. Angel knows she has to convince him to “Be a man, and take the credit for co-writing the scene” if she ever wants out of this studio-shaped prison, and thus gives Henry a challenge that any man in his right mind would loathe to refuse, because nothing motivates more effectively than rejection by a desirable woman.
Monpian’s input into Angel’s purpose, and the atmosphere required by the camera shots and transitions took her from sultry and sexy to ethereal and enchanting. She wasn’t “real”, so to speak. She was the motivating spirit behind Henry’s decision to “do the right thing”, and thus we needed to reflect that in not only her actions, but the way she was presented in the video. Framing, transitions, and the motion of the camera within the shots were all considered and refined to ensure no moment of this video was wasted space. Hence, Angel’s brief but very effective introduction, and Henry’s last glance behind before moving deeper into the labyrinth.
Next on my list was our main antag: Nega-Rogers. And the first sketches were not really reflective of what he needed to be in this video:
Hailey’s fantastic illustrations remedied this issue very quickly, and we then began to establish what sort of man would be able to drive a studio straight to hell, smiling through the entire flaming free-fall? Well as much as I love Nathan Lane, it was Zero Mostel’s fantastic performance in the Producers that added the right tint to a Cave Johnson’esque business man with zero scruples that ended up winning the influence war.
I have noticed a lot of people admonishing Henry in the video with sentiments like “Henry!! You’re blushing at your own cartoon creation?” Nah, not in this story. Max is the creator of the Angel, a story pitched shortly after the lil Devil cartoons languished following the departure of their progenitor. But surely, Max thought, HE could make a star character just as easily as Henry did! It can’t be that hard! Well Max’s sure-fire great idea just wasn’t hitting the way it should, and so she was given the Jackie Gleason treatment as the studio reluctantly returned to relying on their guaranteed income.
While Henry’s parallel in Behind the Curtain is pretty obvious, Ms. Angel’s is more nebulous and indirect. She represents the act of laying hands-on in a relationship, which Henry did to Max during the incident that led to his quitting the studio. As Monpian masterfully explained during a writing meeting: Once you do that, there’s no going back.
It’s the spectre of that incident that shames Henry into action, and puts him on the path towards the big decision he’ll have to make if he ever wants this self-induced torture to cease.
While there’s more insight to come, I’m a few days away from embarking on a summer road trip with the first stop in Asheville, NC for The Cosmic Summit! I’ll be making a post about it this Friday, and I hope to see anyone curious about the Pleistocene, origin of mythos, and general mysteries of our universe there for a fantastic time!
Another big welcome to all the new subscribers, I hope you enjoy not only the peeks Behind the Curtain, but all of the eclectic and entertaining subject matter that is to come!