Tagged: film
A Man Full of Trouble
Film and preservation often work hand in hand. Mad Men brought renewed interest to Mid-Century Modern. Downton Abbey helped save Highclere Castle and other English estates. Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby has already inspired countless Art Deco retrospectives and it hasn’t even opened yet! And right now in Philadelphia, a local film student is using his thesis project to marry comedy, history and preservation.
Writer/director and Temple University student Michael Johnston’s dark comedy about a suicidal Alexander Hamilton re-enactor not only promises to be a wickedly funny and clever indie short, but it is making strides toward preserving a Philadelphia landmark, The Woodlands Historic Mansion, Cemetery and Landscape.
A still from a test shoot at The Woodlands. Image via A Man Full of Trouble
A Man Full of Trouble explores the life of Alexander Hamilton, Founding Father and part of the first American sex scandal, through the eyes of Nick Crane, a career Hamilton impersonator who is cut from the Constitutional Convention re-enactment because he berates tourists who misidentify him (which is often in a city dominated by Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson), and he attacks his fellow impersonators when they stray from the facts! Nick soon finds comfort in a beautiful woman with an Alexander Hamilton fetish and unknowingly re-enacts Hamilton’s infamous sex scandal .
Johnston says of his inspiration, “I wanted to write a film that explored and expressed Philadelphia’s history and architecture. Hamilton’s famous sex scandal with Maria Reynolds took place right down the street from my apartment. The story and the film’s visual style enable me to show off Philadelphia in a way I never could previously. The locations, interior and exterior, provide beautiful pathways (sometimes treacherous, ankle-twisting cobblestone streets) into Philadelphia’s colonial past.”
Researching at Temple University. Image via A Man Full of Trouble
The majority of the project will be filmed at The Woodlands, an elegant eighteenth-century neoclassical mansion on the west bank of the Schuylkill River. Originally a classical villa with a two-story columned portico overlooking the waterway, it was enlarged in the style of British architects Robert and James Adam in 1786. It is perhaps the earliest full realization of the Federal style in the US. Johnston calls it, “the perfect location for the film.”
The Woodlands is intrinsic to the project. Not only is the film highlighting this National Historic Landmark by shooting on location but it is actively raising funds and awareness for The Woodlands ongoing restoration and preservation. It is featured prominently on the film’s website, Facebook page, and in media coverage. Location fees are going directly toward restoration/preservation projects. Additionally, the premiere party for A Man Full of Trouble will be held at The Woodlands and will double as a fundraiser for the historic landmark!
The Woodlands Mansion, Cemetery and Landscape. Image via Hidden City Philadelphia
The Woodlands is just one of several historic locations Johnston plans to film. Other locations include Independence Hall, the Powel House, the Second Bank of the United States, and Society Hill. When asked about the “take away” for the film, producer David Leith Fraser remarked, “The film examines one man’s conflict and the ending of the film will elicit different responses from different people. If I had to choose one, I would say the film asks that we study and preserve our history.”
If you’d like to support the making of this film, visit its Indiegogo page and contribute! After all, as Johnston says, “By supporting our film, you’re not only helping us rent our location, you’re also contributing to restoration and preservation of a gorgeous piece of architectural history.”
This Week
A weekly round-up of my favorite preservation related stories from around the web and in the news. Click on the title of each story to jump through to the original article/blog post.
Never-before-seen photos from 100 years ago tell vivid story of gritty New York City – Daily Mail
“Building roads: Workers lay bricks to pave 28th Street in Manhattan on October 2, 1930.” Image via Daily Mail
“Almost a million images of New York and its municipal operations have been made public for the first time on the internet… Culled from the Municipal Archives collection of more than 2.2 million images going back to the mid-1800s, the 870,000 photographs feature all manner of city oversight — from stately ports and bridges to grisly gangland killings.” This photo database has the potential to be an amazing resource for researchers! Not only will it be easy to find images of buildings and streets, but the photos also contain clues about how people lived: the food they ate, the prices they paid, the clothes they wore, how they moved from place to place, how they entertained themselves, and on and on! And for the non-researcher, they are just fun to look at! Click on the link to see more images!
Put A Bird On It – True Adventures of an Art Addict
40,000 Year Old Rock Art Site Depicts Extinct Bird. Image via News Junkie Post
Artist Sharmon Davidson explores the current cultural obsession with birds in art and its deep historical roots. Did you know that what may be the earliest rock pictograph ever uses a bird image?! Click on the link to learn more!
A Man Full of Trouble – Indiegogo
Image via A Man Full of Trouble
You may have seen this quirky dark comedy on Bricks + Mortar’s Facebook page yesterday. The film, Temple University student Michael Johnston’s thesis project, follows the story of a suicidal Alexander Hamilton re-enactor as he’s entangled in a love affair and gears up for a duel. According to Johnston, he wanted to make a film “that explored and expressed Philadelphia’s history and architecture.” To that end, the film is using several area locations for shooting, including the Woodlands Mansion and Cemetery. Shooting fees and donations raised at the film’s premier party/fundraiser at the mansion will benefit on-going restoration of the National Historic Landmark! Check out the link to learn more about A Man Full of Trouble and how you can help Johnston and his team make this film and restore Woodland Mansion!
The Lavish Sets of the Great Gatsby– Architectural Digest
Jay Gatsby’s opulent ballroom. Image via Architectural Digest
Look at the photograph above… do I really need to say more? Click through for more photos of Gatbsy’s mansion, the Buchanan’s house, Nick’s cottage and more!
Part II: The Sounds of Lincoln
My interest in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln was first piqued when I heard a story about the sounds used for the film on NPR. Okay, that’s not strictly true. My interest was actually peaked when I heard Daniel Day Lewis was cast in the eponymous role. A Brit as Lincoln? Quel horreur! But let’s get real, Lewis is one of the greatest living actors of our time, not to mention the choosiest (he’s only made 5 films in the last 15 years!) so the screenplay for Lincoln must have some meat to it. And seriously, just look at him! Spitting image.
Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. Image via NPR
But I digress… back to the sounds used in the film. From the ka-chunk of a carriage closing to the thud of boot steps, the sound sound designer for Lincoln went above and beyond to make the film sound authentic. Creating authentic costumes and creating authentic sets and/or using historically accurate sites so that a film looks right is one thing, but I’d never heard of going to so much trouble for sound.
Sound designer Ben Burtt, whose accolades include whipping up the iconic sounds of light sabers for the Star Wars franchise, dispatched a team of sound engineers across the country to record the sounds Lincoln did/might have heard in DC, South Bend, IN, and Frankfort, KY. Why? He told Guy Raz, “I felt, well, here’s a chance to get in touch with actual history. I always do research when you’re collecting sounds and making sounds for a film, and authenticity is normally not necessarily the prime directive in doing sound design. You’re always searching out sounds that have the right emotional impact and they may not even be authentic at all. But for this film I didn’t want to make guesses. I wanted to essentially capture the spirit of what might have been.”
The Sounds of St. John’s and the White House, Washington, DC
St.John’s Episcopal Church. Image via Wikipedia.
In DC, the sound crew recorded at St. John’s Episcopal Church, where Lincoln worshiped, and at the White House.
According to historical accounts, St. John’s figured prominently in Lincoln’s life in DC. He would often walk to the church in the evenings. “He was always alone,” said Hayden Bryan, executive director for operations at St. John’s. “The president would arrive quietly and leave before the services ended to walk back to the White House. He would sit by himself. He had no aides. No security. Before the service ended, he would get up. The worshipers didn’t even know he was here.”
Lincoln’s Pew at St. John’s. Image via Juicey Ecumenism
At St. John’s the crew recorded noises from head to toe, so to speak. They climbed into the bell tower to obtain the unadulterated sound of the bell tolling – a sound Lincoln would have heard from the White House just across Lafayette Square from the church They also recorded the creaking of the “Lincoln Pew” as Byran sat and stood and the sounds of footsteps on the floor boards. “These are the actual floor boards Lincoln walked on to get to this pew,” Greg Smith, film professor at American University and sound engineer for the film, said.
At the White House, they recorded a French clock purchased during Andrew Jackson’s administration that was on the mantel in Lincoln’s executive office. The sound is used in the movie in many scenes filmed in Lincoln’s office. Other audio effects collected from the White House included the sound of the latches as doors opened and closed, and the sound of someone knocking on those doors. As well as the sound of heavy boots on the White House floor.
The Sound of Lincoln’s Pocket Watch, Frankfort, KY
Recording Lincoln’s Watch. Image via KHS
“I could have recorded a watch that belonged to my great-grandfather, and the audience would have accepted it,” Burtt said. “But there is something sacred about working on a film about Lincoln.” Kentuckians would agree. As I mentioned yesterday, Lincoln is a big deal here in the Bluegrass State.
To record the ticking of Lincoln’s personal pocket watch, which is in the collection of the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS), Smith traveled to Frankfort, Kentucky. Where, according to museum director Trever Jones at the KHS blog, historyburgoo.com, “We set up in the ‘vault’ – the quietest and most secure room in the building – and began recording. Greg [Smith] has worked on numerous films and had chosen his equipment carefully. I attached a small microphone to the watch while Bill [Bright] positioned everything just right in a box to muffle ambient noise while Greg recorded. We recorded the watch open and closed in various ways until Greg pronounced that he had everything he needed.”
Lincoln’s Pocket Watch. Image via The Lexington Herald Leader
The circa 1860 watch had not been used in decades, but watch expert and KHS curator Bill Bright, reported it to be in perfect working order after examining it. The timepiece is a “yellow gold key-wind hunting-case pocket watch” with a porcelain dial from Tiffany and Company. It is believe that the watch was purchased by or gifted to Lincoln after he became president. It is speculated that Lincoln may have been carrying the watch the night he was assassinated at Ford’s Theater.
If you want to see and hear Lincoln’s watch, it is on display in Frankfort at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.
The Sound of Lincoln’s Last Ride, South Bend, IN
Lincoln’s Carriage at the Studebaker Museum. Image via A Little Touch of History
The carriage used to transport President Lincoln and his wife to Ford’s Theater the fateful night of his assassination is on display at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana.
The audio work was done by Donnie Rogers, owner of South Bend-based Grassroots Media. The audio session at the museum took about 30 minutes, Rogers said. To eliminate background noise, the museum shut down the air handlers on the air conditioning system and closed the overhead doors in that section of the museum. “We used a sound blanket to build a small room around ourselves,” he told the South Bend Tribune. The sounds of the carriage doors opening and closing and the the sound of it’s metal springs and suspension were captured for use in the film.
The carriage was built in the early 1860s by Wood Brothers of New York, an upscale carriage manufacturer of that era. It has a collapsible leather hood and fabric-covered padded seats. It is believed to have been a gift to Lincoln.
It’s in fragile condition, the carriage went through a careful process to stabilize it in 2007. During conservation, workers discovered the carriage originally wasn’t black, but rather painted dark green with burgundy, gold and white details with an elaborate cursive presidential monogram — A.L. — on each door. After Lincoln’s death, the carriage was purchased by a DC area doctor and used in his practice.
Bricks + Mortar 