Inter Dependency of Architecture and Movies

INTERDEPENDENCY OF ARCHITECTURE
AND MOVIES
(A STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE IN MOVIES AND
MOVIES IN ARCHITECTURE)
NINTH SEMESTER
B.ARCH DISSERTATION
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

For the award of Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture
Of the University Of Kerala
Submitted by
RAJESH. R
Guided By
AR. SHEEJA. K. P
DEP ARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
DECEMBER – 2010
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that this Dissertation entitled “INTERDEPENDENCY
OF ARCHITECTURE AND MOVIES” is a bonafide record of the
Dissertation presented by RAJESH. R, under our guidance towards partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelors Degree in
Architecture of the University of Kerala, during the year 2010.
GUIDE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
AR. SHEEJA. K. P AR. SARAMMA MATHEW .K

ASST. PROFESSSOR PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF ARCHITECTURE DEPT. OF ARCHITECTURE
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
EXAMINERS DISSERTATION CO-ORDINATOR
1.
AR. AJU.R
LECTURER
DEPT. OF ARCHITECTURE
2. COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the Dissertation entitled “INTERDEPENDENCY OF

ARCHITECTURE AND MOVIES” was carried out by me during the year 2010
in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of

Bachelor of Architecture of the University of Kerala. This dissertation is my
own effort and has not been submitted to any other University.
Thiruvananthapuram
December 2010 RAJESH. R
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is my pleasure to express my sincere gratitude to the people who have

helped me in the completion of this dissertation.
First I would like to record my grateful thanks to Almighty God, by whose

grace I could complete this.
I would like to express sincere and unbounded gratitude to my guide Ar.

Sheeja. K. P, for the timely guidance and patience shown to go through the
various phases of my dissertation.
I would like to thank our dissertation coordinator Ar.Aju. R for his support
and guidance.
I am also grateful...
...to Prof. Saramma Mathew, Head of the Department and all staff members
for their help in giving ideas and guidance.
…to Dr.Binumol Tom, for her initial discussions of my dissertation topic.
… Abraham and Jose for providing me certain movies from their collection.
…to all my friends for their support and feedback especially Vivek, Keerthy,
Thomas and Akhil.
I don’t have words to convey my regards to parents for their affection and
love and encouragement throughout my career.
He is afraid and confused
And his brain has been inspired with
great skill...
All he believes are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies....
- The world of cinema

An attempt to unfold the mysteries
of the, make, believe world
ABSTRACT
When one thinks of crucial contributors to the filmmaking process, the

first professions to come to mind are usually the director, who is seen in overall
control of the production; the actors, who embody and animate the fictional
characters with which audiences will identify; the scriptwriter, who creates the story
and establishes narrative situations; and the cinematographer, who is in charge of
visually capturing the narrative and the actors’ performance. One figure, however,
who could be seen as one of the more crucial creative forces in a film, yet is
someone who is regularly forgotten or neglected is the person in charge of the sets,
who is billed under various names including those of set or production designer, art
director, or film architect.
Cinema's mimetic fullness (photography, movement, sound) permits the

creation of self sufficient world. Like the architect the film director weaves diverse
media into a new reality, dramatic ugliness and tensions, even the tragic end
occur within aesthetic distance and form part of an ultimately agreeable existence.
The character dies but the author and actors enjoy our vicarious experiences,
catharsis and enhanced understanding, Drama, like architecture improves the world.
And architecture in its own way implies drama. The interrelationship of mass
and space creates pressures and tensions. Architectures immobility makes it the
natural complement of the movie camera. The basic architectural experiences
standing in a space, looking around and walking along a corridor - find their
equivalent in the screen frame, in the panning shot (the camera turns its head) and
the tracking shot (the camera walks forward or backwards). Though the screen is flat,
the camera's reticulation of movements in space confers on the succession of images
(the sequence) a quality of space in depth controlled and orchestrated.
Architecture has been described as frozen music, when the camera

moves the roof line flows past us like a river. The camera tilts rapidly up, the
banister and staircase cascade down. Thus cinema is 'unfrozen architecture'.
Interdependency of Architecture and Movies Page |1
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 4
1.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 5
1.2 AIMS......................................................................................................................... 7
1.3 OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................... 7
1.3.1 Architecture in Film ........................................................................................... 8
1.3.2 Film in Architecture ........................................................................................... 8
1.4 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 9
1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS.................................................................................. 9
1.6 COMPARING ARCHITECTURE AND MOVIES ............................................... 10
1.6.1 Production and Construction............................................................................ 11
1.6.2 Presence of overall form .................................................................................. 11
1.6.3 Creating emotions ............................................................................................ 12
1.7 INFLUENCE OF ARCHITECTURE ON MOVIES.............................................. 13
1.8 INFLUENCE OF MOVIES ON ARCHITECTURE............................................. 14
2. LITERATURE STUDY................................................................................................ 15
2.1 MAJOR ARCHITECTURAL WORKS IN MOVIES ............................................ 16
2.1.1 Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House ................................................................. 16
2.1.2 Charles Deaton’s Sculptured House in Colorado ............................................ 19
2.1.3 Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye ........................................................................... 19
2.1.4 John Lautner’s Elrod House............................................................................. 20
2.1.5 The Malin Residence a.k.a Chemosphere ........................................................ 21
2.1.6 Varikkassery Mana ......................................................................................... 22
2.1.7 Olappamanna Mana ......................................................................................... 23
2.2 ARCHITECTURE IN THE MOVIE AEON FLUX .............................................. 24
2.3 ARCHITECTURE FOR REPRESENTING TIME. ............................................... 27
2.3.1 Architecture in Period films ............................................................................. 27
2.3.2 Architecture in futuristic films ......................................................................... 29
2.3.3 Distant Futures: The Architecture of Space ..................................................... 31
Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

2.4 ARCHITECTURE FOR REPRESENTING REGIONS ........................................ 32

2.5 ARCHITECTURE FOR ENHANCING EMOTIONS ........................................... 32
2.6 ARCHITECTURE AS CHARACTERS................................................................. 33
2.7 ARCHITECTURE FOR CREATING VISUAL INTEREST................................. 34
2.8 ARCHITECTURE IN EXPRESSIONIST MOVIES ............................................. 35
2.9 ARCHITECTURE IN MODERNIST MOVIES .................................................... 37
2.10 MOVIES IN ARCHITECTURAL CURRICULUM ............................................ 39
2.10.1 Visionary Architecture and Film ................................................................... 40
3. CASE STUDY .............................................................................................................. 41
3.1 RAMOJI FILM CITY ............................................................................................. 42
3.2 STAR WARS .......................................................................................................... 46
3.2.1 Plot overview ................................................................................................... 46
3.2.2 Naboo ............................................................................................................... 48
3.2.3 Tatooine .......................................................................................................... 49
3.2.4 .Coruscant ........................................................................................................ 50
3.2.5. Kamino ............................................................................................................ 51
3.2.6. Geonosis .......................................................................................................... 52
3.2.7 Kashyyk ........................................................................................................... 53
3.2.8. Felucia ............................................................................................................. 53
3.2.9 Utapau .............................................................................................................. 54
3.2.10. Mustafar ........................................................................................................ 54
3.2.11. Alderaan ........................................................................................................ 55
3.3 THE LORD OF THE RINGS ................................................................................. 56
3.3.1 Shire ................................................................................................................. 58
3.3.2 Rivendell .......................................................................................................... 59
3.3.3 Osgiliath ........................................................................................................... 59
3.3.4 Minas Tirith - Gondor ...................................................................................... 60
3.3.5 Lothlorien ......................................................................................................... 61
3.3.6 Isengard ............................................................................................................ 61
3.3.7 Mordor ............................................................................................................. 62

3.3.8 Rohan ............................................................................................................... 63

4. INFERENCE................................................................................................................. 64
4.1 INFERENCE........................................................................................................... 65
5. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 68
5.1 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 69
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 70
LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 71

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION
The Architect and the filmmaker have much in common. Their
professions demand a combination of courage, determination, and hubris that
allow them to impose a personal vision on an often unreceptive world. Both
practice synthetic arts, where collaboration and compromise are rules rather
than exceptions and where clients have financial—if not creative control.
Orchestrates of complex productions, they require a supporting cast of able
craftsmen who must carry out their tasks with creativity, intelligence, and
practicality. If they don't, if a project fails to live up to expectations, the principal
alone will take the blame. Conversely, it is the heroic auteur who will bask in the
adulation of any grand success, the role players fading quietly into the
penumbra. We should all know better.
Filmmakers, with the help of production designers, art directors,

location managers, and countless other members of cast and crew, insert
architecture into their films. On a practical level, architecture sets a scene,
conveying information about plot and character while contributing to the overall
feel of a movie. In more discreet ways, filmmakers call use their cameras to
make statements about the built or unbuilt environment, or use that
environment to comment metaphorically on any subjects, from the lives of the
characters in their films to the nature of contemporary society. Architects, for
their part, create not only the structures that appear in films but the structures in
which films appear—theaters—and the very infrastructure that supports the film
industry.
As arguably the defining art form of the twentieth century, film has had
a profound effect on both the way architects envision their work and the way the
public consumes architecture. Meanwhile, a number of avant-garde

practitioners hate sought more abstract inspiration front the medium of film,
finding in its use of montage, sequential progression, and spatial composition
devices applicable to their own work.
Both film and architecture operate as languages communicating

through a library of signs. These signs can be divided into two parts, the
signifiers, which are the physical states of signs, and the signified, which are
the thoughts, ideas and notions of what the signifiers embody. For film, these
signifiers succeed largely in signifying the signified, on the other hand,
architecture can’t always succeed to that extent of the film, as for architecture
there are different factors that get involved in the production process of a
building, and these factors don’t help all the time in revealing the messages
behind the architectural work.
Like the architect the film director weaves diverse media into a
new reality, dramatic ugliness and tensions, even the tragic end occur within
aesthetic distance and form part of an ultimately agreeable existence.
The basic architectural experiences standing in a space, looking

around and walking along a corridor - find their equivalent in the screen frame,
in the panning shot (the camera turns its head) and the tracking shot (the
camera walks forward or backwards). Though the screen is flat, the camera's
reticulation of movements in space confers on the succession of images (the
sequence) a quality of space in depth controlled and orchestrated.
Cinema has continually experimented with elaborating

architectonic objects and spaces, and now caters to a public always more
attentive with suggestions, interpretations and constructions. On the
other hand, architecture has recognized the cinema as an extraordinary

means for the investigation of lived space, an instrument with the capacity of
demonstrating what words, designs and photographic images cannot. All of
this, with the development of means of digital production and communication,
enjoys a new actuality.
1.2 AIMS
To study the relation between Film and Architecture and to prove the
interdependency of Architecture and Movies.
• To study the application of architecture in modern production
design of Movies.
• To study the use of existing eminent architectural works in movies.
• To study the use of Architecture as a background in Movies.
• To analyze the use of Movies in the architecture curriculum for easy
lecturing.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
Film is one of the most pervasive and accessible media forms of the
21st century. The architectural curriculum has long used films for support and
presentation variety for lecture based courses. These courses are normally
rooted in architectural history, modern architecture and contemporary cultural
themes. There are great opportunities to exploit the potentials of film in order to
enhance the critical dialogue regarding visions of architecture of the past and
future.
Cinema and architecture are distant arts, dynamic and static
respectively; whose complex relationship gives life to each other. Sharing a
mutual respect for the parallel processes involved in producing their works, the
creators behind these two expressions have an understanding that one will
always benefit the other. Architecture gives film its believability; setting the

mood, character, time and place for the action. Film provides architecture with
an outlet for realising visions that can never exist and entreats experiences that
in reality have not occurred
1.3.1 Architecture in Film
Architecture can be used cinematically in two different ways
• Expressionist films. When the technology was highly expensive and

limited to black-and-white and no sound, symbolic movements of characters
and canvas drawings of buildings and landscapes were used in order to bring
the action, as in Fritz Lang's Metropolis.
• Realistic films, both in contemporary architecture that we see in
Antonioni's films, and in surrealistic (artificial) films like sci-fi or horror, as in
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.
In either case of the above, the intent is to create an experience derived from
film by using the filming techniques in an interplay between architecture and the
characters.
1.3.2 Film in Architecture
Film is finding its own seats in the architectural room with the advent and
affordability of technology. Films do not have to be very technologically
advanced and sophisticated in order to make a successful presentation. For
architects, film is a very powerful medium because it allows them to walk
through a virtual model or a small mock-up of the building while the client is
watching, and enables them also to demonstrate the design ideas as if the
building was explored by the eyes of the visitors. In addition, Film can be used
academically to help explore (see) and document the effects of buildings on
society, and the urban setting.

1.4 METHODOLOGY
• Data collection from literary and other resources

• Interaction with eminent architectural and film personalities including
Directors and Production designers.
• Critical analysis of selected movies.
1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
Our world is subjected to lots of rapid changes, resulting from the

huge development of technology and capitalism, and the cinema industry plays
a major role in portraying these changes, depicting the upcoming future
through different science fiction movies, which act as an alarm for change.
Unfortunately most of this depiction views the future city as a dystopic realm,
and if we don’t manage how to fix our upcoming problems, these visions might
come true.
In professional life, architecture can’t always act as a real mirror for its
society or its context; this is due to the involvement of different factors in the
design and building process, (financial, political, ecological, etc…). Sometimes,
these factors blur the message to be sent to the viewer or the user of the
architectural work, resulting in a misunderstanding in the motives behind that
architectural work.
In the medium of film, architects can create ‘pure’ architecture, without
worrying about such things like weatherproofing, contract bidding, or building
codes. Cinemarchitecture is, thus, an ideal fulfillment of what architecture can
be about.

Interdependency of Architecture and Movies P a g e | 10
1.6 COMPARING ARCHITECTURE AND MOVIES
Comparing architecture and movies is a very broad term and hence

a lot of details can be put in, but due to limitation in time and space. So I'll be
concentrating just on the basic similarities and dissimilarities of both these
creative forms.
It is already mentioned architecture has a lot of similarities with
movies rather than dissimilarities. Both are perceived as visuals within a frame.
The composition of the visual is very important. The visual experiences caused
by both are very similar. They can invoke feelings and emotions in us.
Film begins and ends. It is basically a sequential progress of visuals.
But architecture may not always end. They may be continuous. Architecture
always has a function, but films may not always be functional. But there are
films with functions also.
The major difference between the two is that architecture is 3-
dimensional while movies are 2-dimensional. But in movies time acts as a 3rd
dimension. All movies are bound by a time factor. While architecture results in
the production of a solid finished object like Ron champ or Guggenheim
museum , films results in a product only perceivable by eyes and ears .
An architect has a greater responsibility towards the society. He is doing
something which will affect the whole community. What he designs will be
perceived by all. But that is not the case with movies. A person can refrain from
watching movies. A bad movie will not be affecting the spectator. But bad
architecture can hurt the sentiments of a whole community as such. It can even
change the context of an entire area. A film on the other hand never has such
dire consequences

1.6.1 Production and Construction
These are two terms that imply a same meaning in different fields, viz movies
and architecture. The basic processes involved in the making of a movie and a
building for example is very similar. The film making involves three basic stages
viz pre-production, production and post-production stages. Architecture on the
other hand basically involves discussion, construction and finishing stages
which is very similar to the above said three stages in movie making. Both have
a single person in charge of the whole process, whose ideas and inputs
conceive the whole project viz the architect and the director. A film has a script
guiding the production while a working drawing guides the construction of a
building. Both require the expertise of a number of specialists to complete the
project. The detailing involved is also very similar. A good director designs
every frame in a shot before shooting. This is quite similar to a good architect
who sees every nook and corner of the building before constructing it.
The similarities in the stage of conceiving can be explained even to a greater
extent, but again lack of space and time restricts the topic to this minimal level
1.6.2 Presence of overall form
Movies often have a form like buildings. A film is not simply a random
set of elements
. A film has form, and by, in its broadest sense, we mean the system created
by a given film. Form is the overall system of relationships among elements that
make up the whole film. This is very similar to the form we talk about in
architecture. Form in architecture is created by the combination of a number of
factors like openings, voids, projections etc.
In guides the spectator's experience. Our experience of architecture is
patterned and structured. Being made to leave before a building is fully viewed
brings frustration because of our urge for form; we realize that the system of
relationships within the Norms has not yet been completed. Something more is
needed to make the form whole and satisfying. We have been caught up in the

interrelationships among elements and want to understand how the patterns

develop and complete themselves. This is very true in the case of movies also.
Form guides our experience of a movie. Form creates the sense that
"everything is there." It is satisfying when a character glimpsed early in a film
reappears an hour later or when a shape in the frame is balanced by another
shape. Such relations among parts suggest that the film has its own organizing
laws or rules—its own system.
1.6.3 Creating emotions
When we hear the words "emotion" and "feelings" we normally get the idea of
films. Emotions represented within the film interact as parts of the film's total
system. For example, that grimace of pain might be reaffirmed by the
contortions of the comedian's body. Or, a cheerful scene might stand in
contrast to a mournful one. A tragic event might be undercut by humorous
editing or music. All of the emotions present in a film may be seen as
systematically related to one another through that film's form.
But emotions and feeling are generated by architecture also. Taj Mahal is the
best example we have in India. The path leading to the monument, its form,
proportion, everything about it arouses a very special feeling in the minds of the
spectator. People talk about how their spirits and mind are enlightened and
taken to new heights while in meditation places. Falling Waters is another
example of an emotional structure.
It is said that the walls have feelings. We develop attachments to buildings.
Human beings relate well to intimate spaces especially in their homes. We feel
emotionally attached to such spaces and cherishes being in those spaces

1.7 INFLUENCE OF ARCHITECTURE ON MOVIES

Food and clothing are the basic needs of human beings. After this
comes dwelling. Architecture depends on various factors like climatic,
geographic conditions etc. After this comes entertainment.
The mode of entertainment or recreation is again dependent on architecture. As
architecture is said to mould the character and thoughts of people, the style
and pattern of recreation depends to a large extend on the architectural
character of the place. Hence the type of recreation engaged by people in
different regions is entirely different.
In many foreign countries a system of "closed architecture" existed during early
periods. People used to sit inside their dwelling or closed environment due to
many reasons. The reasons may be climatic, military, natural disasters etc.Also
their dwellings had high Walls and they were cut off from other people once
inside their respective dwellings, so open spaces had a great role in their life.
As a result their source of entertainment and recreation were centered on these
open spaces.
E.g.: Colloseurn in Rome.
But if we take the case of Kerala, open spaces weren't that important as we had
systems like joint family etc. That reflected in our recreation spaces also.
Koothambalam is an important example.
When we come to modern times this fact holds good there also. This fact has
influenced the narration of stories also. Most of the Shakespearean dramas
were centered on open spaces.
E.g.: Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet.
In ancient China also, a closed system of architecture existed. In their system,
especially lade folk were confined to the interiors. This has influenced many
narrations from Chinese.
Architecture also influences the sound, light, shadow pattern in movies.
The sound of a door closing in our region hears good sound. But the door
closing in European region produces little sound, this again the effect of

architecture. In a Malayalam movie a man sitting inside his house will hear the
sound of birds leaves Guttering in the winds etc. but in a foreign movie a man
sitting inside his house may not hear a chattering of birds. This again caused by
architecture.
Same is the case with light pattern. Light falling inside an Indian house will be
different from that in European house. The shadow cast also varies according
to the regions. This is mainly influenced by the landscape pattern.
Temples in Kerala always have a strong focus. So while showing a temple in a
movie the director needs to make sure that the feeling of the focus is
maintained. He tries to achieve this by correct use of close-ups and long shots.
Similarly in foreign churches human beings are very insignificant, courtesy the
scale of the structure. So in movies when large churches are shown more than
the men involved, something else is important. It may be a function, an action
etc.
Architecture has really influenced movie making in a lot of ways. Eminent
directors have always adopted influences from architecture. Akira Kurosawa
and Stanley Kubrick are a few of them.
Stanley Kubrick used tall, long parallel walls in almost all of his films while
composing intense scenes. He has said in an interview that he got this idea
after observing real structures.
1.8 INFLUENCE OF MOVIES ON ARCHITECTURE

Architecture also has been influenced by architecture in many ways.
People like Walter Benjamin, Le Corbusier, Bernard Schumi, and Rem Koolhaas
have all famously used film to advance ideas about architecture and urbanism.
An artist can define new comfort levels, as already mentioned artists
can mould architecture to his needs, when it is perceived only on a 2-
dimensional plane. Hence the director or whoever concerned can explore his
creativity and introduce novel, innovative ideas for human comfort. This later
makes architect/engineer think of suitable solutions and finally form one.

2. LITERATURE STUDY

2.1 MAJOR ARCHITECTURAL WORKS IN

MOVIES
2.1.1 Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House

The Ennis House is a residential dwelling in
the Los Feliz neighborhood of Angeles,
California, USA, south of Griffith Park. The home was
designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel
Figure 1 - Enni's House
Ennis in 1923, and built in 1924.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House in Los Feliz,
Los Angeles, has probably appeared in more
Hollywood films than any other notable modern house
and has also been heavily used for ad and fashion
shoots, music videos and television.
The building is strange enough on its own –
Mayan temple meets Arts & Crafts meets deco meets
baronial – without the additional fact that it posed as
Deckard’s apartment in the movie Blade Runner
The exteriors of Wright’s houses are unarguably
impressive, but the style of the interiors, which Wright
Figure 2 - Enni's House Drawings
designed and decorated himself, seem stylistically
confused and – despite the entire natural light – weirdly
ornate and heavy.
"This residence is one of the most unusual of
Wright's California designs. In it, he combined
elements from his past work with a new vocabulary
created specifically for the sun-drenched, slightly
rugged topography of Southern California. Aware that
his client shared his affinity for Mayan art and
architecture, he drew inspiration from that culture's
Figure 3 - wall treatment

highly ornamented and organized buildings.

But the historical styles and references of Wright’s
interiors are plainly evident from photographs, and by any
standards they’re a very odd mix. The Ennis House interior
suggests the palatial, the hobbit, the occult and the
medieval all at once; it’s a bizarre hybrid of Arts & Craft
leaded glass, concrete tiles molded in a deliberately pre-
Columbian style (“textile blocks”), Persian carpets,
Alhambra-ish wrought iron chandeliers and chairs, and
heavy furniture in both early Renaissance and English
medieval styles which all gives the whole building a haunted
feel.
It’s sort of a megalomaniac architectural fantasy and
it’s no wonder so many Hollywood films have been shot at
the house, particularly films on the noirish end of the moral
Figure 4 - The Pool
continuum. The Horror flick Buffy the Vampire Slayer has
been shot here, further belying Wright’s quasi-spiritual
intentions for the house.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s decorative modern LA house with
its distinctive Bismuth crystal like blocks is the background
for the interior of Decker's apartment. Elsewhere in the film
famous modern buildings such as Chicago's Hancock
Tower are the influence for sets.
The Ennis house is both modern and timeless,
inventing a genuinely new decorative style - and it’s in LA,
making it highly appropriate for Blade Runner which mixed
old and new to create a vision of the future which wouldn’t
date quite as obviously as yesterdays interpretation of
modern.
Figure 5 - The Corridor

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, 1924, has

appeared in the following films:
The House on Haunted Hill, 1958;
The Day of the Locust, 1975;
Blade Runner, 1982;
Black Rain, 1989.
Figure 6 - Black Rain (1989)
Female, aka The Violent Years (1956)
House on Haunted Hill (1958)
Terminal Man (1974)
Day of the Locust (1974)
Blade Runner (1982)
The Howling II (1984)
The Annihilator (1986)
Time Stalker (1987) Figure 7 - Blade Runner (1982)
Remo Williams (1987)

Karate Kid III (1989)
Black Rain (1989)
Twin Peaks (1989)
Predator 2 (1990)
Grand Canyon (1991)
An Inconvenient Woman (1991)
The Rocketeer (1991) Figure 8 - Grand Canyon (1991)
Fallen Angels (1993)
Murder, Obliquely (1993)
The Glimmer Man (1996)
House of Frankenstein (1997)
Rush Hour (1998)
The Replacement Killers (1998)
The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Figure 9 - The house on haunted hill (1958)

2.1.2 Charles Deaton’s Sculptured House in

Colorado
The house in Woody Allen's Sleeper is the
Sculptured House in Colorado, by Charles Deaton.
The sheer absurdity of the massive organic
concrete structure, although magnificent, is at the same
time an overblown caricature, perfect for the parody of
modernism in Woody Allen's science fiction comedy.
In that film, a fictional device called the Orgasmatron is
the home’s cylindrical elevator with sliding doors. Figure 10 - Sculptured house, Colorado
It is a significant piece of modern architecture.

Architect Charles Deaton designed and built the home in
1963 but it sat empty for years. The new owner not only
finished it but added 5,000 square feet of space
designed by Deaton's daughter and son-in-law. The
original structure has five stories and was all about the
curves. That tradition continues even with the new
Figure 11 - scenes from movie Sleeper (1973)
additions. It's a curvilinear structure with no straight
walls.
2.1.3 Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye

The Villa Savoye is considered by many to be
the seminal work of the Swiss-French architect Le
Corbusier. Situated at Poissy, outside of Paris, it is one
of the most recognizable architectural presentations of Figure 12 - scene from movie French Postcards (1979)
Corbusier.. Construction was substantially

completed in 1929.
Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, was appeared in the

film French Postcards, 1979 directed by Willard
Huyck.
Figure 13 - Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye

2.1.4 John Lautner’s Elrod House
The most widely seen of Lautner's works, the Elrod

House (1968) became famous through its use as a
location in the Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. Sited on
a commanding hillside location in the desert
outside Palm Springs, California, its best-known feature
is the large circular 'sunburst' concrete canopy which
appears to float above the main living area; this area
also incorporates a large natural rock outcrop at the
edge of the room, creating the impression that the fabric Figure 14 - Elrod House exterior
of the building is fused with the rock.
Known as one of Lautner's most exceptional
designs embodying his ideas of "free architecture",
The canopy is fitted with curved glass-and-aluminum
sliding doors that allow the space to be completely
opened around half its circumference, opening out to a
semi-circular swimming pool and a broad terrace.
In Diamonds Are Forever, Elrod was used as the home
for a character named Willard Whyte, the reclusive
billionaire. The character bears resemblance to Howard Figure 16 - Elrod House interior
Hughes, a well-known billionaire of the time. There were

discussions that maybe Hughes had died and his
minions were running his empire, which sort of
influenced the movie's story line, so the house needed to
be something that would belong to a visionary, futuristic
billionaire who knew design. The home incorporates
rugged rock outcroppings to create a massive circular Figure 15 - shot from Bond movie Diamonds are Forever
(1971)
concrete and glass structure.

The house was a visionary choice for the filmmakers,

but it wasn't their only trend-setting move. Whyte's two
female bodyguards would set the stage for a new type of
Bond adversary. To paraphrase a line from the Ian Fleming
novel, "Nothing is forever but diamonds, death and great
architecture." This home remains true to the cool and
timeless secret-agent style that is James Bond.
2.1.5 The Malin Residence a.k.a Chemosphere

The Chemosphere, built by American architect John
Lautner in 1960, is an innovative Modernist octagon
house in Los Angeles, California.
The building stands on the San Fernando Valley side Figure 18 - Malin Residence (chemosphere)
of the Hollywood Hills, just off of Mulholland Drive. It is a one
story octagon with around 2200 square feet (200m2) of living
space. Most distinctively, the house is perched atop a
concrete pole nearly thirty feet high. This innovative design
was Lautner's solution to a site that, with a slope of 45
degrees, was thought to be practically unbuildable. The
house is reached by a funicular.
Figure 17 - shot from movie Body Double (1984)
The building was first used in a dramatic film as a

futuristic residence in the 1964 ABC-TV program "The Outer
Limits: The Duplicate Man," based on a science fiction story
by American author Clifford D. Simak. Exterior scenes for the
television episode were shot on location; a detailed sound-
stage set of the house's interior was built. It was also used in
the film Body Double. It is the house of the main character in
Brian De Palma's Body Double. A set for a scene in Charlie's
Angels was inspired directly by the Chemosphere. .
Figure 19 - plan drawing (chemosphere)

2.1.6 Varikkassery Mana

Varikkumancheri Mana, popularly known as
Varikkassery (Varikkassery) Mana is one of the
centuries old aristocratic Namboodiri Illam (house)
in Kerala. It is located at Manissery, a village about
4 km to the west of Ottapalam, in Palakkad district.
Today, The Mana is known to many as a film
shooting location.
Nalukettu-structure is typically a rectangular Figure 20 - Varikkassery mana front

structure where four halls are joined together with
four verandas (called Nalirayam) to form an open
quadrangle (called Nadumuttam).
Most parts of this building were built

during the first decade of 20th century. It
was Velanezhi Jathavedan Namboodiri who
designed the Nalukettu building, as per the Vastu
Shastra. The elegant poomukham (portico) of
Varikkassery Mana was designed by Krishnan
Namboodiripad. It is 63 years old. Nalukettu
Figure 22 - the entrance Gopuram
building is in three floors. Ground floor has
Vadakkini, Kizhakkini, Thekkini, Padinjatti, three
kitchens (Adukkala in Malayalam) and a
Poomukham (portico). There are lots of other
comparatively small rooms, which were used as
Storage-rooms or Pooja-rooms (Sreelakam). Most
of the spaces inside and outside the Mana are
portrayed beautifully in a lot of Malayalam movies
including Devasuram, Aaramthampuran, Rappakal,
Figure 21 - a shot from the movie Devasuram (1993)
Thoovalkottaram, Madambi, Drona etc.

2.1.7 Olappamanna Mana

The Mana (house) is located at Vellinezhi, a
small village 40 kms (25 miles) away from Palakkad.
Palakkad
The main building is known as Ettu Kettu (Eight

structures with two open quadrangle), having two
each Halls on Eastern side, Western side, Southern
side, one at Central portion
rtion and one at Northern Figure 23 - Olappamanna mana
side called Kizhakkini,, Thekkini etc. Lot of
Malayalam movies were shot here which includes
blockbusters like Aakasha Ganga, Aaram
Thampuran, Thanmathra, Narasimham,
Vanaprastham, Parinayam, Naran, Madambi etc.
In the 1993 Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu

Figure 24 - Olappamanna mana rear side
directed by Fazil, The whole story is centered
around a palace,, which was actually shot in two
palaces, One is the Thripunithura hill palace and the
other one is Padmanabhapuram palace.
In most of the Malayalam movies Traditional

Kerala Architecture has been an unavoidable part,
and hence most of these movies are visually great.
Figure 26 - Thripunithura hill palace in Manichithrathazhu
In movies like Perumthachan the story is about
Kerala Traditional architecture including Vastu and
other temple construction techniques. So movies
like these can be included in the study curriculum of
Architecture. There is a scene in the movie where
Perumthachan fixes the Koodam of a temple
temple, and
nowadays it’s hard to find such a thing; we can see
such things through movies onl

only. Figure 25 - Padmanabhapuram palace
Department of Architecture, College of Engineering,

Engineering Trivandrum 2011
2.2 ARCHITECTURE IN THE MOVIE

AEON FLUX
Aeon Flux is a 2005 science fiction film directed
by Karyn Kusama. The film is a loose adaptation of
the animated science fiction television series of the same
name, which was created by animator Peter Chung and
Figure 27 - Baumschulenweg Crematorium interior (shot
stars Charlize Theron as the title character. The film was from the movie)
released on December 2, 2005, by Paramount.
Berlin’s modernist and contemporary architecture
stands in for Aeon Flux‘s fictional city of Bregna in the
year 2415 with surprisingly little alteration. The future city
of Bregna was purportedly built as a utopian haven but
quickly reveals itself as a dark dystopia, its superb
architecture suddenly taking on a more chilling
nightmare feel.
Figure 28 - Baumschulenweg Crematorium interior (shot
. The photos show the interior and exterior of from the movie)
the Baumschulenweg Crematorium of Alex Schultes and

Charlotte Frank, which served as the ruling regime’s HQ
in the film .
Fig 30 is the 1935 Berlin Windkanal or aerodynamic
testing wind tunnel for German aircraft, built in 1932 and
now designated a technical landmark.
Figure 29 - Baumschulenweg Crematorium exterior
After WWII the Soviets removed all the equipment,
leaving only the tunnel behind. It stands in for the “maze”
and government complex in the film.
The Benjamin Franklin Conference Center
Kongresshalle (Fig 38), by Hugh Stubbins with Werner
Düttmann and Franz Mocken, 1957. It’s been renamed
House of World Culture, but Berliners call it the ‘pregnant
Figure 30 - Berlin Windkanal (shot from the movie)

oyster’. Its roof, which has been rebuilt after a collapse in

1980, is the setting for a nighttime battle between Aeon
on guards. on the roof at night.
Numerous scenes in the film were shot in the
Tierschutzheim Berlin (2000-2001) by Dietrich Bangert,
The building is actually a large, privately funded animal
shelter complex. Berlin’s modern concrete and glass
Mexican Embassy, was a public marketplace in the film. It Figure 31 - Mexican Embassy (shot from the movie)
was designed by Francisco Serrano in collaboration with

Teodoro González de León in 2000.
The Volkspark Potsdam, 2001, popularly known as
the BUGA Park, also includes the biosphere used as a
tropical greenhouse in the film. The scene On Fig was
shot at the Radsporthalle (Velodrom) by Dominique
Perrault at the Landsberger Allee in Berlin Prenzlauer Figure 32 - The Volkspark Potsdam exterior
Berg.
Bauhaus Archiv, which served as the exterior of the
building where Aeon and her sister Una live (the
imaginary interior,). “The museum building is a late work
of Walter Gropius [1883-1969], the founder of the
Bauhaus. It was planned in 1964 for Darmstadt and was
Figure 33 - The Volkspark Potsdam (shot from the
built 1976-79 in modified form in Berlin. Today, its movie)
characteristic silhouette is one of Berlin’s landmarks.
Figure 34 - the fictional city of Bregna (shot from the movie) Figure 35 - Bauhaus Archive (shot from the movie)

Complete list of locations.

Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Bauhaus-Archiv, Berlin, Germany (Una’s house:
exterior), Berlin, Germany
Biosphaere, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Buga Park, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany Figure 38 - The Benjamin Franklin Conference Center
Filtergewoelbe Wasserwerk Friedrichshagen, Berlin
Former american headquarters, Berlin, Germany
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany
Kapelle der Versoehnung, Berlin, Germany
Kirche Maria Regina, Berlin, Germany
Krematorium Baumschulenweg, Berlin, Germany
Langhansbau – Anatomisches Theater, Berlin
Mexikanische Botschaft, Berlin, Germany
Paul Löbe Haus, Berlin, Germany Figure 37 - shot from the movie showing an interior set
Renaissance Theater, Berlin, Germany

Riehmers Hofgarten, Berlin, Germany
Sans-Souci, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Tierheim, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg,
Trudelturm, Berlin, Germany
Velodrom, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany
Windkanal, Berlin, Germany
Figure 36 - shot from the movie showing an interior set
Figure 40 - shot from the movie showing an interior set Figure 39 - shot from the movie showing an exterior set

2.3 ARCHITECTURE FOR

REPRESENTING TIME.
"Architecture is of great importance in
period films. Architecture is the main factor in
showing time. After this only comes costumes
properties like furniture, vehicle etc.
Figure 41 - a shot from the movie Ben Hur (1959)
Architecture is one of the strongest
representatives of time. It had a strong
evolution starting from early cave structures to
the present forms of construction. The advantage
of architecture over other factors is that it is most
visible and strong representation of time.
Architecture is easily identifiable and it can
Figure 42 - a shot from the movie Ben Hur (1959)
easily register a picture of the time period in the
spectators mind. Directors have always used this
property wisely and judiciously and have
effectively communicated with the spectator.
Period films are the most important users of
this property. Creating a sense of time is very
important in these movies, and hence
directors very effectively use architecture. Figure 43 - a shot from the movie Blade Runner (1982)
Movies with futuristic themes like Blade Runner
also use this fact.
2.3.1 Architecture in Period films
Even from the very beginning of Movie

industry, Historic films are an unavoidable part.
For a historic movie the major element to express
the historic time is Architecture. Then only comes
to the costumes, make up, other things. Figure 44 - a shot from movie Agora (2009) showing the library of
Alexandria

Epics are historical films that recreate past

events. They are expensive and lavish to
produce, because they require elaborate and
panoramic settings, on-location filming, authentic
period costumes, inflated action on a massive
scale and large casts of characters.
In the 2009 Spanish Movie Agora directed by Figure 45 - a shot from the movie Agora (2009) showing fort walls
Alejandro Amenabar, the Roman architecture is

recreated. The title of the film takes its name from
the agora, a gathering place in ancient Greece,
similar to the Roman forum.
To prepare for the task of recreating the
ancient city of Alexandria without relying on CGI,
Amenabar reviewed older sword-and- Figure 47 - a shot from the movie Agora (2009) showing temple
sandal films such as The Ten
Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), and
Pharaoh (1966). A year before the start of pre-
production, designer Guy Hendrix Dyas spent
three weeks with Amenabar in Madrid to do
some preliminary work on the set designs and
the recreation of the ancient city of Alexandria so
Figure 46 - a shot from the movie Agora (2009) showing
that previs animations could be generated. Alexandrian Serapium
The city of Alexandria was recreated perfectly

including the Alexandrian serapium and the
library of Alexandria.
In Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ 1963 film
Cleopatra, the architecture created by the
director and his production team was highly
acclaimed. John DeCuir got academy award for
Figure 48 - a shot from the movie Cleopatra (1963)
art direction for his work in Cleopatra.

2.3.2 Architecture in futuristic films
Science Fiction Films are usually scientific,

visionary, comic-strip-like, and imaginative, and
usually visualized through fanciful, imaginative
settings, expert film production design,
advanced technology gadgets (i.e., robots and
spaceships), scientific developments, or by
fantastic special effects. To represent future in
cinema the major element used is Architecture.
In the 1976 Michael Anderson film Logan's Figure 49 - A shot from the movie Logan's Run (1976) showing
futuristic interiors.
Run , a dystopian future society in which
population and the consumption of resources
are managed and maintained in equilibrium by
the simple expediency of killing everyone who
reaches the age of thirty preventing
overpopulation is shown.
The film version, directed by Michael

Anderson and starring Michael York, Richard
Figure 50 - Dallas Market Center Apparel Mart (shot from the
Jordan, and Jenny, was shot primarily in movie Logan's Run)
the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex (including

locations such as the Fort Worth Water
Gardens and the Dallas Market Center) .It was
nominated for Best Art Direction for Dale
Hennesy and Robert De Vestel.
The movie was shot entirely in Dallas and

Fort Worth, Texas and most of the film’s key
action takes place in the “Great Hall,” which turns
out to be the fairly bizarre and also recently
demolished Dallas Market Center Apparel Mart, Figure 51 - Dallas Market Center Apparel Mart (shot from the
movie Logan's Run)

not a great piece of architecture but one that did

conveniently feature a quasi-sci-fi interior.
Style of interior is 60s mall rendition of Le

Corbusier, Notre Dame du Haut era. The film was
shot in 70’s and hence by the time the film was
made, the decor and costumes were reflecting
the 70s. The film’s commentaries on
totalitarianism, a Brave New World-style docile
Figure 52 - Philip Johnson’s Fort Worth Water Garden Logan's Run
populace distracted by pleasures, and youth- as Fountain Pool
oriented culture are pretty heavy-handed.
In Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science fiction film
2001 A Space Odyssey, most of the story takes
place in outer space. Therefore an architecture
for the outer space has to be created. Through
the use of large miniatures and realistic lighting,
Figure 53 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968)
Kubrick created some of the best special effects
showing interiors of a spaceship
ever put on celluloid. This aspect alone almost
single-handedly created the chilling void of the
space atmosphere which is also attributed to the
music and realistic architecture.
The film has got the nominations of
academy awards for the best direction and art
Figure 56 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968)
direction for that year for Stanley Kubrick and showing the rotating set.
Anthony Masters respectively.
Figure 54 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968) Figure 55 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968)
showing interior of a spaceship. showing interior of a spaceship

2.3.3 Distant Futures: The Architecture of Space
Gravity determines architectural form and structure. There is very little

that has been d e v e l o p e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e h i s t o r y o f architectural form and
structure that cannot be attributed to more and more refined responses to the
actions of gravity on structure and materials. The development of all
structural form, from the simple beam, round arch, Gothic arch and systems
of vaulting, to more complex structures, has, in combination with specific material
properties and limitations, responded to the need to control gravitational forces.
Real architecture must function in a real world, governed by the laws of science.
Gravity has also determined the way that we occupy space, and hence,
the way that we must design space. The floor is where we walk. Walls and
ceilings bound us, but we are not obliged to come into contact with those
surfa ces unl ess w e so choose. Mat e r ia l placements have developed that
respond to issues of wear and durability, again subject to gravitational
orientation. Scientific concerns have driven the design of structures and
architectural systems since the notion of shelter was first conceived.
Speculations during the 1700s as to the origins of the traditions of
architecture - Laugier's "Rustic H u t " - a l l s u p p o r t t h i s t h e o r y o f t h e
development of architectural forms and typologies.
the architectural and urban representations of life in space that it proposed were
highly cognoscente of issues arising from lack of both gravity and air. The set
design of the rotating space stations was meant to realistically induce gravity
through the use of centrifugal forces. Stewardesses wear grip slippers to
remain attached to floors, walls and ceilings as they walk through the shuttle,
and sport turban like hats to contain
the (hard to film) floating hair that would also be the byproduct of zero gravity
environments.
The space genre films that followed "2001" have taken a hit and miss approach
to their acknowledgement of the science of space. This has had significant impact
on the architectural and urban settings that are contained in the films.


REPRESENTING REGIONS
Architecture is also used to represent
various regions. In movies where different parts
of the world are to be shown, Landmark Figure 58 - Jumper (2008) showing Pyramids of Egypt
structure known to all are usually shown as an
introductory piece to make the viewer aware of
the place. In Doug Liman’s 2008 film Jumper,
the main character jumps from one place to
another, and the director has used the landmark
buildings of that particular place to represent the
places. Figure 57 - Jumper (2008) showing Colloseum

ENHANCING EMOTIONS
This is a shot from the movie perfume. Here
the hero was abandoned by his parents as a
small baby. He grew up eating wastes and
leftovers from a local butcher shop. When he
was ten years old, he was forced to leave the
Figure 59 - Perfume (2006)
place and he wanders around aimlessly. The
backdrop shown here reflects his life and
emotions, which is useless.
This is the scene in the movie Godfather
where Michael asks Kate to marry him. The long
stretching road, the boulevard, the yellow
leaves, all provides a perfect backdrop for
this sweet moment.
Figure 60 - The Godfather (1972)

2.6 ARCHITECTURE AS
CHARACTERS
The 1994 film Shawshank Redemption
directed by Frank Darabont, portrays the story of
Andy Dufresne, a banker who spends nearly two
decades in Shawshank State Prison. The prison
has an important role in this movie. He Figure 61 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
observes each and every corner of the prison
and finally after 20 years he escapes from the
prison. The prison is main character on the film.
The 1990 film Home Alone directed by
Chris Columbus is the story of a boy who was
left behind in his home while others went on
a vacation. Two thieves come to rob the house.
Figure 62 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The story is how the child masters and uses his
house in preventing the thieves from robbing
it. The home has a great role in this movie.
In the 2002 film The Count of Monte Cristo
directed by Kevin Reynolds, the prison of
Chateau D’if is a main character, where the main
character is imprisoned, and from there he
escapes.
Figure 65 - Home Alone (1990)
Figure 64 - The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) Figure 63 - Home Alone (1990)

2.7 ARCHITECTURE FOR CREATING

VISUAL INTEREST
Architecture can be used to create an element

of visual interest in the minds of spectators. This is
usually done in fantasy movies where the story Figure 67 - Clash of the Titans (2010)
requires the director to create exciting, colourful,

unimaginable sets. Usually these are created
sets rather than real structures. "Lord of the Rings",
"Harry Potter", “Clash of the Titans” etc are all
examples, where beautiful, large sets have been put
creating everlasting images in the minds of the
Figure 66 - Clash of the Titans (2010)
spectators.

2.8 ARCHITECTURE IN EXPRESSIONIST MOVIES

The emotional intensity of film space was at
its height in the German Expressionist period, when film-
makers sought to express the inner angst of the characters
through their Gothic labyrinthine settings. Interiors and
exteriors of Film Architecture is always architecture that has
been depicted, photographed, turned into an image.. Its
presence defines the setting, the social position of the
Figure 68 - Expressionist structures from 'The Cabinet
characters and their inner moods. The openings in the
of Dr.Caligari' (1927)
walls and ceilings, the windows, doors and slits etc,
determine the geometry of incidental Light. Visible light
sources complete the picture.
Film architecture is fictional architecture. It
is unimportant whether a city, a building, a room exists
in reality or whether only the facades have been built up.
Film architecture is architecture of meaning. There is nothing
in the frame that is not important and does not have
something to say. Of course, this architecture is constructed,
and its importance appreciated only for the short moment of Figure 69 - Expressionist structures from 'The Cabinet
being filmed, after that it rots away as a tiresome ruin or is
taken down, unless it becomes part of a studio tour. It lives
its essential life in the film, as a new, atmospheric truth,
The more intense, brilliant or melancholic the
atmosphere becomes, the more powerful its effect in film.
German Expressionist films were the great pioneers here -
even if on a somewhat exaggerated plane - making a
worldwide impact. The heroes of these films, threatened by
both inside and outside forces, often mad and
communicating by means of supernatural powers, roam of Dr.Caligari' (1927)

with the exalted gestures of silent film through a labyrinth

of narrow alleys that can represent both a medieval city
and a spiritual space that has become visible.
The Expressionists no longer wanted merely to
show illuminated external worlds, but agitated inner worlds.
The cabinet of Dr Caligari by Robert Weine is one
of the most famous expressionist movies. The
architecture of Caligari consists of narrow, high rooms and
lanes, inside and out. Everything is oblique and inclined.
The walls are covered with strange signs and acute-angled
figures. A winding, lopsided tropical green house
becomes hostile, filled with carnivorous plants, huge
leaves and climbing creepers. The Labyrinth is completely
enclosed and seemingly inescapable. Windows are no
longer windows and trees are no longer trees. This Figure 72 - Expressionist structures from 'The Cabinet
architecture holds its occupants tight within its grasp, the
walls built to fulfill this command. Through the illusionary
composition of this film the viewer also becomes trapped in
a subterranean 'inner-soul bubble', looking directly into
the mouth of madness, denied a view of the real world, of
real houses and real cities. Scenes begin and end with a
slow, visible opening and closing of the camera shutter like
eyelids. This film also reflects the period of paranoia in
prewar Germany; the threat of an all-consuming
madness and our easy subservience to it. At the end of the
turn, the entire town's people fill the asylum's atrium; a
woman plays an invisible piano, Cesare embraces a
flower. All gaze into emptiness, whilst speared on
the points and spikes of the architecture.

2.9 ARCHITECTURE IN MODERNIST

MOVIES
Modern buildings were seen with a reluctant
feeling initially and there are still people who hate
modernism. This was evident in many movies of the
early modernist times. In Jacques Tati's 1958 comic
masterpiece Mon Oncle Monsieur Hulot, Tati's
affectionately drawn, bumbling alter ego, has no
difficulty with buildings in the tumbledown,
picturesque Parisian suburb in which he lives, but the
pretentious Modernist villa of his brother-in-law Figure 74 - Modernist structures in 'Mon Oncle' (1958)
becomes a forbidding, unsympathetic place in which

he becomes an awkward fool.
Mon Oncle is perhaps the most savage

cinematic satire on modern architecture, the perfect
antidote to the megalomania of Howard Roark, the
architect in The Fountainhead, which appeared nine years
earlier. The scene is set by the film's brilliant opening
credits, which appear against a background of a group of
dogs sniffing around the dustbins and lamp-posts of a Figure 75 - Modernist structures in 'Mon Oncle' (1958)
dilapidated Parisian suburb. One of the dogs is wearing

a tartan doggy-coat and as it begins to trot off home,
the camera, like the other dogs, follows it to its
destination - a ridiculous parody of a modern villa in the
new part of town where all the houses look the same.
While the little domesticated dachshund in the coat
is small enough to fit under the gate, the other stray
mongrels peer at this bizarre home through a gap in the
gate, excluded and bemused. Figure 76 - Modernist structures in 'Mon Oncle' (1958)

Tati went on specifically to target and parody

the world of modem architecture in Playtime (1967)
where he concentrates on public and corporate space
rather than the Modernist house. This world of soulless
corridors, glass doors and privacy panels creates a
ludicrous balletic vision of legs and feet robbed of their
bodies, dancing around gaps in the architecture. The film Figure 77 - 'Mon Oncle' (1958)
is unequalled in its scathing criticism of the Miesian
corporate ideal.
Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange [1971] is set

against an equally real backdrop of social engineering:
the Thames mead estate on the edge of east London.
Here, the suburban housing dream is torn apart as the Figure 78 - A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Modernist dwellings become the perfect soulless
backdrop to outrageous violence and thuggery.
Soul-destroying tower blocks have become a

stock motif of British film-makers who have built on the
harsh realism of the kitchen-sink dramas of the 1950s.
Figure 79 - A Clockwork Orange (1971)

2.10 MOVIES IN ARCHITECTURAL CURRICULUM

F i l m i s o n e o f t h e m o s t p e r v a s i v e a n d accessible
media forms of the 21st century. The architectural curriculum has long used
films for support and pr ese nt at io n v ar i ety for l ect ur e based courses.
These courses are normally rooted in architectural history , modern
a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d c o n t e m p o r a r y c u l t u r a l t he m es , a nd ma ny of
t h e f il ms ar e us ed f or their "content" and are rarely discussed as a
media form. There are great opportunities to e x p l o i t t h e p o t e n t i a l s
o f f i l m i n o r d e r t o enhance the critical dialogue regarding visions
o f a r c h i t e ct u r e of t h e p a s t a n d f u t u r e . T h e a b i l i t y o f f i l m
technologies to realistically represent the possibilities of an
architecturally a nd env ir onment ally dy stopi c f ut ur e is j ust o n e o f
t h e m a n y w a y s t h a t t h i s i m p o r t a n t medium can impact thinking
about the design of current and future environments. Film has t h e
ability to convincingly ask, "what if?" St u d e n t s , however,
n e e d t o m o r e f u l l y understand the technical medium to embark on
a f ul l y s up p o r t ed c r it i ca l d i sc us s i o n of f i lm imagery and the
architectural, urban realities that are chosen for it to represent. Even
films that have already been "seen” can be deeply e x p lo r e d w i t h
ne w in s i ght s , g i ve n t h e r i gh t questions.
W h a t i s i n t e r e s t i n g i n t h e u s e o f f i l m i n t e a c hi n g
a r c h i t e c t u r e , i n b o t h t h e s t u d y of specific films as well as the
making of film, is the ability of t he media to provide increased
understanding of the experiential nature of spaces and ideas that
have been trapped in 2D me d ia , ev e n if ba se d o n w or k s of f ic t i o n
r a t h e r t h a n f a c t . T h e s e v i s u a l i z a t i o n s c a n transcend barriers of
language that may exist in wr it t en sour ces of informa tion.
Requ ir ing students to make films assists in their critical appreciation of what
they see in films, and assists in dissecting and analyzing the validity and
potentials of the architecture and urban environments represented in film. The

study of the literary sources behind the films layers the s t u d y w i t h a c r i t ic a l

d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e limitations of film technology in portraying the descriptive
word.
2.10.1 Visionary Architecture and Film
"Soylent Green" (1973), "Blade Runner" (1982), and "Brazil"

(1985) stand as the most influential dystopic film environments of this period. In
terms of cinematography, plot, v i s u a l i z a t i o n o f u r b a n f u t u r e s a n d
environmental deterioration, most of the more recent efforts can be seen to
derive their ideas from these prod uct ions. Each film uses available
technologies quite differently in creating their distinct dystopic
atmospheres. "Soylent Green", the earliest of the three films, suffers in part from
being a production piece of the 1970s. The virtual annihilation of nature is
predicted with human life reaching extreme o v e r p o p u l a t i o n , w h i c h i s
r e f l e c t e d i n overcrowding, filth and dependence on a dysfunctional social
system for distribution of nutrition substitutes. The theme of artificial
nature/food runs through "Blade Runner" where in addition to food,
humans are also replicated with life like accuracy. The setting in "Blade Runner"
has the advantage of early CGI.
“Things to Come" takes the notion of below ground living as
presented in "Metropolis" and technologies which allow for a blending of live
ar c hi t ec t ur a l se t s, s ho t i n Lo s A n gel es (Bradbury Building, Union
Station, Million Dollar Theatre, Ennis Brown House) with digital images which
appear to make the live sets disappear into a rainy, dark view of L.A. 2019 that
is essentially devoid of sunlight and n a t u r e .

3. CASE STUDY

3.1 RAMOJI FILM CITY

Ramoji Film City is the world’s largest film production complex,
situated just 16 miles away from the historic city of Hyderabad.
Hyderabad, an international IT hub located in south-west
India, is a modern metro and home to several major
transnational corporations.
Ramoji Film City (RFC) offers comprehensive production Figure 80 - airport
Services facilities for film and television productions. RFC is

known for catering to more than twenty film productions
simultaneously. We at RFC are here to serve you with quality
and convenience. Ramoji Film City is one of the largest, most
comprehensive and advanced film production facilities in the
world, designed and managed with dedicated professionalism
Some of the places for tourists to visit include: a Figure 81 - temple
Japanese garden, the ETV planet (a multi-purpose editing

suit), a large pool, artificial waterfalls, intricately carved
caves, an airport terminal, hospital set, railway station,
churches, mosques and temples, shopping plazas, palace
interiors, chateaus, rural complexes, urban dwellings, a Figure 82 - Ashram
winding highway, and model US and European sets.
Figure 85 - small town Figure 84 - Hilltop Cottage Figure 83 - HawaMahal

At Ramoji Film City, nature’s grandeur - woods, hills and

lakes – frames the stunning human conceptions such as
studios, gardens, hotels, multi-storied buildings and flexible
mock-ups. Every RFC location, whether it is an exquisitely
landscaped garden or a vividly real mock-up, has been

Figure 86 - Hospital
specially conceptualized to serve filmmaking purposes. For
instance, the façade and orientation of every film city edifice
– airport, apartment block or a medieval castle – can be
manipulated in accordance with the imperatives of a shoot.
Such a level of customization for filmmakers has been

Figure 87 - North City
achieved because renowned designers, landscapists and
architects – with a sterling record in executing film-specific
projects – were deployed for creating RFC locations.
The locations encompass the entire range of settings

required for film shoots: Floors/Stages, Ready
Locations/Sets, Gardens/Fountains and Streets/Avenues.
Figure 88 - Double Take House
Floors / Stages
Gardens / Fountains
Popular Ready Locations / Sets
In addition to the wide variety of outdoor locations RFC
has a captivating view of the landscape filled with hills and a
nature.
Figure 89 - court
Figure 92 - Railway station Figure 91 - village Figure 90 - Udayananu Tharam (2005)

Streets / Avenues
The streets & avenues of RFC spans several
architectural styles.
• Princess Street
• Akbar Road Figure 93 - Princess street
• Broadway
• Sitara to VIP Gate
• Fantasy Street
• Sitara to Tara
• Friendly Lane
• Small Town Road
• Gurunanak Street
• Tara To Angels Figure 94 - Akbar road
• Highway Road
• Temple Road
• Ishi Dora
• Twinkle to Parade
• Lovely Lane
• Twinkle to Village
• Masjid Galli Figure 95 - Broadway
• Village Road
• Parade to Dhaba
Figure 98 - Small Town Road Figure 97 - Gurunanak Street Figure 96 - Ishi Dora

Maya - Set Design & Construction

At Maya, Ramoji Film City’s vast and fully
equipped set construction facility, supremely skilled artisans
help filmmakers translate their flourishing fantasies into vivid
reality. Maya’s artists, architects, molders, sculptors and
carpenters have already created an inventory of 10000
objects such as pillars, cornices, brackets moulds, domes
Figure 99 - Fibre moulding
and dado designs. An immense range of statues, busts and
curios are also available. All these objects represent the arts
of diverse eras and styles.
Maya employs professionals who have mastered
various genres of relevant craftsmanship.. The unit can also
design and execute miniatures of any setting for specialized
filmmaking needs
Maya artists, artisans, and architects do more
Figure 100 - PoP (Plaster of Paris)
than just create physical structures. They are trained to work
closely with the art director/production designer to translate
their concept into a completely authentic and vivid evocation
of a milieu or mood.
Figure 101 - Sets

3.2 STAR WARS
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise conceived

by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on
May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop
culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year
intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy's final film, the first in a
new prequel trilogy of films was released, again released at three-year
intervals, with the final film released on May 19, 2005.
More than two decades after the release of the original Star Wars, the
series continued with the long-awaited prequel trilogy; consisting of
Episode I: The Phantom Menace, released on May 19, 1999, Episode II:
Attack of the Clones, released on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge
of the Sith, released on May 19, 2005
3.2.1 Plot overview
The prequel trilogy follows the early life of Anakin Skywalker, who is
discovered by the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn. He is believed to be the
"Chosen One" foretold by Jedi prophecy to bring balance to the Force. The
Jedi Council, led by Yoda, sense that his future is clouded with fear, but
reluctantly allow Qui-Gon's apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi to train Anakin after
Qui-Gon is killed by the Sith Lord Darth Maul. At the same time, the
planet Naboo is under attack, and its ruler, Queen Padmé Amidala, seeks
the assistance of the Jedi to repel the attack. The Sith Lord Darth
Sidious secretly planned the attack to give his alter-ego, Senator Palpatine,
a pretense to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic

Republic. The remainder of the prequel trilogy chronicles Anakin's gradual

fall to the dark side of the Force as he fights in the Clone Wars, which
Palpatine secretly engineers in order to destroy the Republic and lure
Anakin into his service.[5] Anakin and Padmé fall in love and secretly wed,
and eventually Padmé becomes pregnant. Anakin has a prophetic vision of
Padmé dying in childbirth, and Palpatine convinces him that the dark side
holds the power to save her life; desperate, Anakin submits to the dark side
and takes the Sith name Darth Vader. While Palpatine re-organizes the
Republic into the tyrannical Galactic Empire — appointing himself Emperor
for life — Vader participates in the extermination of the Jedi Order,
culminating in a light saber battle between himself and Obi-Wan. After
defeating his former apprentice, Obi-Wan leaves Vader for dead. However,
Palpatine arrives shortly after to save him and put him into a mechanical suit
of black armor that keeps him alive. At the same time, Padmé dies while
giving birth to twins Luke and Leia. The twins are hidden from Vader and are
not told who their true parents are.
Each of the Planets mentioned in the movie are given different

architecture, which simply explains the alien characters and galactic
characteristics of the whole film.
Planets in the movie are described as follows..

3.2.2 Naboo
Naboo is a fictitious planet in the

fictional Star Wars universe with a mostly
green terrain and which the home world of
two societies is: the Gungans who dwell in
underwater cities and the humans who live
Figure 102 - Naboo
in colonies on the surface. The main city
and capital of Naboo is Theed.
A temperate planet inhabited by the

peaceful Naboo and the more warlike
Gungans. Covered by thick swamps, rolling
plains, and green hills, Naboo is a fairly
Figure 103 - City of Theed, capital of Naboo
idyllic world. The Naboo typically populate
striking cities such as Theed, while the
Gungans dwell in exotic bubble cities
hidden in lakes and swamps.
Theed's architecture, while referencing

Ancient Rome and other classical
traditions, was heavily inspired by the Frank
Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Figure 104 - Naboo
Center in California and the Hagia Sophia.
Figure 106 - City of Theed, capital of Naboo Figure 105 - Plaza de España in Seville, Spain, used as scenario for Naboo

3.2.3 Tatooine
Although far from the center of the

galaxy and the Galactic Republic,
Tatooine occupies a strategic location. As
a result, Tatooine has been the site of
many orbital battles between rival
Figure 108 - Tatooine
gangsters and smugglers, and its surface
is littered with ancient starship wrecks.
Water prospectors can also be found
roaming the desert in search of untapped
sources of subterranean moisture.
Tatooine is marked by tall mesas, deep
Figure 107 - The igloo model house on Tatooine

canyons, and expansive desert seas.
The architecture of the planet Tatooine

is based on a desert climate. Most of the
buildings are domed with igloo model
houses. And posses structures similar to
adobe pueblos in New Mexico.
Figure 109 - the race course of Tatooine
Each and every detail shown in the
planet are sketched, detailed and well
worked by director George Lucas and his
production design team. There is a
sequence in the movie, where there is a
race. The stadium for race is well
designed and worked, which has become
Figure 110 - the underwater planet
the highlight of the movie.

3.2.4 .Coruscant
Capital of the Galactic Republic. It

withstood an attack by the Sith during
the Great Hyperspace War Location of
the Republic Senate Chamber. Site of
the Galactic Museum. which is the center
of the empire that was ruled by Emperor
Palpatine and Darth Vader. And shortly
Figure 111 - Coruscant
after, it reverted to the capital of the New
Republic. The architecture of Coruscant
was influenced by art deco forms.
George wanted something that was

very sleek, because he wanted Coruscant
to be a city of mixtures a combination of
really sleek architecture with some older-
style.. This part of town was the newer,
sort of Art Deco or Art Modern-type with Figure 114 - Coruscant (Notron)
aluminum and glass architecture.
Figure 113 - senate of Coruscant Figure 112 - Coruscant - a sketch by George Lucas

3.2.5. Kamino
A planet covered entirely by oceans

and raging storms. This is the home
world of the Kaminos. The Kaminos live
and work in huge streamlined cities just
above the crashing waves. The
Figure 115 - The water planet Kamino
architecture of Kamino is based on the
concept of water; buildings arise from
large pillared bases from oceans.
The director has given prior

importance to the interiors also by giving
white, blue and transparent materials and
shades, which will give an ocean and
Figure 116 - Kamino (interiors)
cool effect for the whole planet.
Tipoca City is the capital of the

planet of Kamino. The designs are
heavily insoired from the massive oil rig
structures on sea shores.
Figure 119 - Kamino (white and blue shades are used most)
Figure 117 - Kamino (interiors) Figure 118 - Tipoca, capital of Kamino

3.2.6. Geonosis
The home world of the Geonosians

is a hot, dry, and savage place. Only the
hardiest and vicious of species manage
to survive. The Geonosians had created
huge droid factories, and churned out Figure 121 - Geonosis
thousands upon thousands of battle
droids for the Separatist Movement in
their fight against the Republic. The
planet of Geonosis was also the location
of a pivotal meeting between leaders of
the Separatist Movement, as well as the
location of the first battle of the Clone Figure 120 - The stadium of Geonosis
Wars. The concept of the planet
Geonosis is termite mound. The planet's
architecture mostly consists of domes
and buildings built into caverns and rock
spires, giving the surface landscape a
similarity to termite mounds.
Figure 122 - The stadium of Geonosis
Figure 123 - interior of buildings Figure 124 - The stadium of Geonosis

3.2.7 Kashyyk
Home planet of the Wookiee's, Kashyyk

itself has played little part in the Sith history. It
was the site of one of the five ancient Star
Maps.
The Kashyyk environment is a

combination of filmmaking techniques to create
Figure 125 - Kashyyk
a unique world. The concept art of Wookiee
architecture described them as the "Frank
Lloyd Wrights of the galaxy." Their mastery of
woodwork resulted in elaborately organic and
ornate designs carved directly from the
enormous trees that serve as their homes.
The home world of the Wookiee species,

Kashyyk, is a forest wonderland covered nearly
from pole to pole by kilometers-high wroshyr
Figure 126 - Kashyyk tree houses
trees.
3.2.8. Felucia
Felucia is a boggy world covered in giant
fungus-like organisms, which appeared in Star
Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Felucia is filled with strange translucent

species of plants and animals. When the sun
shines, the environment glitters like
multicolored glass, with a multitude of colors. Figure 127 - Felucia

3.2.9 Utapau
The planet's inhabitants live mostly in

cities built into the shear walls of giant sink
holes. During the Republic's attack on the
secret Separatist base on Utapau, General
Kenobi finally killed General Grievous.
Figure 128 - Utapau
The whole design of the planet is

based on the concept of sink holes. Cities
built on the walls of sink holes, are
designed with greater care so that they
never look odd.
3.2.10. Mustafar Figure 129 - The sink holes of Utapau
Mustafar It is a volcanically active

moon orbiting an outer rim planet where
lava is mined for precious metals. It is here
that the last of the Separatist leaders
unsuccessfully hid before being
slaughtered by Anakin Skywalker, and
effectively ending the war.
Figure 130 - Mustafar
The planet is covered by hundreds of
volcanic caldera, most of which are in a
state of constant eruption. The volcanic
activity is caused by gravitational stresses
on the planet created by the two gas giants
that affect its orbit (similar
to Jupiter's Galilean moons).
Figure 131 - Mustafar

3.2.11. Alderaan
For thousands of years Alderaan was

famous as a world of unspoiled beauty and
a center of art, culture and education. Cities
were built into canyon crevasses, beneath
the polar ice, and on stilts in the shallow
saline seas.
Figure 132 - Alderaan
Alderaan is a planet where the most
highly qualified scholars reside. Hence the
whole planet is designed as a highly
developed society.
Considered as a "Shining Star" of the

Core Worlds. Wild grasslands and old
mountain ranges dominated the planet's
surface. Ice-rimmed polar seas were the
only large bodies of water, though
thousands of freshwater and saltwater
lakes provided habitats for a large variety of Figure 133 - Aldera, capital of Alderaan
flora and fauna.
Cities of Alderaan were often built with

great care taken to protect nature. One city
was built on the walls of a canyon, nearly
invisible from above. Other cities were built
on stilts along the shoreline or under the
polar ice. The capital, Aldera, known for its
university, was built on a small island in the
Figure 134 - University of Alderaan
center of a caldera

3.3 THE LORD OF THE RINGS

The Lord of the Rings is a film trilogy consisting of
three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same
name by J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the
Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).
The films were directed by Peter Jackson
Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the three films follow
the hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) as he and a Fellowship embark on
a quest to destroy the One Ring, and thus ensure the destruction of its
maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. The Fellowship becomes divided and Frodo
continues the quest together with his loyal companion Sam and the
treacherous Gollum. Meanwhile, the wizard Gandalf and Aragorn, heir in
exile to the throne of Gondor, unite and rally the Free Peoples of Middle-
earth, who are ultimately victorious in the War of the Ring.
Jackson began storyboarding the trilogy with Christian Rivers in August
1997 and assigned his crew to begin designing Middle-earth at the same
time. Jackson hired long-time collaborator Richard Taylor to lead Weta
Workshop on five major design elements: armour, weapons,
prosthetics/make-up, creatures, and miniatures. In November 1997, famed
Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe joined the project. Most of the
imagery in the films is based on their various illustrations. Grant
Major, production designer was charged with the task of converting Lee
and Howe's designs into architecture, creating models of the sets, whilst
Dan Hennah worked as art director, scouting locations and organizing the
building of sets.
Jackson himself wanted a gritty realism and historical regard for the
fantasy. Some of their famous images of Bag End, Orthanc, Helm's Deep,
the Black Gate, and John Howe's Gandalf and the Balrog made it into the
film.

Lee worked on designs for architecture, the first being Helm's

Deep, as well as the Elven realms, Moria, Edoras, and Minas Tirith, and
although Howe primarily designed armour and the forces of evil ,he
contributed with Bag End, Minas Morgul, Cirith Ungol and the Barad-dûr.
Lee also applied a personal touch by painted imagery in Rivendell, such as
the one of Isildur removing the One Ring from Sauron, as well as tapestries
in Edoras. There are real life influences to Middle-earth: Rivendell is "a cross
between a Japanese Temple and Frank Lloyd Wright", and Minas
Tirith takes influence from Mont Saint-Michel, St Michael's
Mount and Palatine Chapel in Aachen. The City of the Dead takes
after Petra, Jordan, and the Grey Havens were inspired by the paintings
of J. M. W. Turner.
Each of the cities mentioned in the movie are given different architecture,
which simply explains the fantasy characteristics of the whole film.
The cities and locations are listed as follows..

3.3.1 Shire
The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's
fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of
the Rings. The Shire refers to an area settled
exclusively by Hobbits. Hobbits are people with
less height compared to normal people and
hence the architecture of the shire is designed
based on that. They are related to rabbit holes.
Figure 135 - Hobbit holes in Shire
Hobbits live in "hobbit-holes" or Smials,
traditional underground homes found in hillsides.
Like all Hobbit architecture, they are notable for
their round doors and windows.
Architectural Description of Shire in the movie
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. It
had a perfectly round door like a porthole,
painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in
the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-
shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable Figure 137 - A Smial (hobbit hole)
tunnel without smoke, with paneled walls, and

floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished
chairs. No going upstairs for the hobbit:
bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries,
wardrobes, kitchens, dining rooms, all were on
the same floor, and indeed on the same
passage. Figure 136 - A shot from the movie 'Fellowship of the Rings'

3.3.2 Rivendell
The name Rivendell is formed by two
elements: "riven" and "dell" meaning split,
cloven and valley respectively, making the whole
word purport "deeply cloven valley".
Rivendell is a cross between a Japanese

Temple Architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright Figure 140 - Rivendell
buildings. The buildings shown in Rivendell are
mostly inspired from Frank Lloyd Wright building.
The physical appearance of the valley of

Rivendell is based upon the Lauterbrunnental in
Switzerland, and Elrond's house and the narrow

Figure 139 - The bridge of Rivendell
bridge upon the locale of Watersmeet Lodge in
Devon, UK. In Peter Jackson's movie The
Fellowship of the Ring, the filming location for
Rivendell was Kaitoke Regional Park in Upper
Hutt, New Zealand.
Figure 138 – Rivendell showing Japanese influence
3.3.3 Osgiliath
Osgiliath is a city of Middle-earth, the
old capital city of Gondor. The production team
of the movie has included some of the Roman
architecture into the Osgiliath to give it an
appearance of an older capital city.

3.3.4 Minas Tirith - Gondor

Minas Tirith is the heavily fortified
capital of the city of Gondor in LOTR
trilogy. Minas Tirith takes influence
from Mont Saint-Michel, St Michael's
Mount and Palatine Chapel in Aachen.
Gondor as it appeared during in Peter Figure 142 - The port of Gondor

Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of
the Rings has been compared to
the Byzantine Empire, for numerous
reasons The production team noted their
decision to include some Byzantine
domes into Minas Tirith architecture and
to have civilians wear Byzantine-styled
clothing.
Minas Tirith was built on a hill with

seven concentric tiers culminating in the Figure 141 (above) and 141a ( below) The fort of Minas Tirith showing
Byzantine influence
Citadel at the summit. Each of the seven
levels stood 100 feet (30.5 m) higher than
the one below it, each surrounded by a
white wall, with the exception of the wall
of the First Circle, which was black. The
outer face of this outer wall, the lowest,
was made of black stone.

3.3.5 Lothlorien
Lothlorien is the fairest forest realm of
the Elves in the LOTR trilogy. Lothlorien was
located East of Moria between the Misty
Mountains and the river Anduin. Other than a
small strip of forested land to the south, the
realm was located between the rivers Anduin
and Silverlode, a region called the Naith by the
Elves or the Gore in Westron. Figure 143 - Lothlorien
Architecturally certain Gothic element has been

added to the whole design of Lorien by the
production team to increase its grandeur
3.3.6 Isengard
Isengard was built in the Second Age around
the tower of Orthanc .The Isengard has been
given an appearance of a battlefield. Figure 145 - Lothlorien
Its location was at the north-western corner

of Rohan, guarding the Fords of Isen from enemy
incursions into Calenardhon together with the
fortress of Aglarond to its south.
Orthanc tower
Orthanc is the black tower of Isengard. Its
name means both "Mount Fang" in Sindarin, and
"Cunning Mind" in Old English, The Orthanc
Figure 144 - Isengard

tower belongs to the wizard Sarumen and the

tower is given an evil appearance.
For The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, these

were based on the designs of illustrator Alan Lee,
who worked as a conceptual artist. According
to Richard Taylor, in the behind the
scenes documentaries from the Extended edition
of The Fellowship of The Ring the original model Figure 147 - Isengard Figure 146 -
Orthanc
for Orthanc was carved from micro-crystalline
wax.
3.3.7 Mordor
Mordor was a relic of the devastating works

of Morgoth, apparently formed by massive
volcanic eruptions. It was given the name Mordor
already before Sauron settled there, because of
its volcano and its eruptions. Mordor is the main
area of e Figure 148 – Barad-dur tower
Barad-dûr It is the main tower of evil lord Sauron.

In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy by Peter
Jackson, Richard Taylor and his design team
built a 9 meter high miniature of Barad-dûr for
use in the film.
From the conceptual work to realization the

creation of middle earth was a massive and
rewarding undertaking. The bringing to life
Figure 149 - Mordor
J.R.R.Tolkeins words under Peter Jackson’s
direction meant giving birth to and maintaining a

vision of up-most quality and creativity.
3.3.8 Rohan
The capital of Rohan is the hill fort of Edoras

which is located on a hill in a valley of the White
Mountains.
Figure 150 - Rohan, interiors

The countryside of Rohan was described as a
land of pastures and lush tall grassland. The
lands of Rohan are frequently described as
appearing like "seas of grass". Most of the
Rohirrim dwelt in small villages or farms.
Several aspects of Rohan's history and

architecture seem to be inspired by Goths,
Scandinavians and the medieval Anglo-Saxons.
Figure 151 - Rohan country house

4. INFERENCE

4.1 INFERENCE
While cinema cannot transient light and shadows, architecture does just
the opposite. For regardless of whether it is considered a fine act or just the
design branch of the building industry, architecture results in solid objects.
Its end result is buildings, not the phantom places of cinema as in the
Universal classics, The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of
Notre Dame Instead architecture has produced three - dimensional
structures, The Paris Opera House and the Notre Dame of Paris.
In Ramoji Film city the sets and streets are created artificially purely on
the basis of architecture. For example if we take the princess street and the
Akbar road then the difference is created by the architecture. Detailed
architectural study has been carried out to design every sets and streets. The
architecture is the thing which makes each buildings and streets unique. From
this we can infer that architecture is an unavoidable part in movie industry.
As we analyse the movies star wars each planet mentioned are
made unique by means of its architecture. The unique character of each planet
is created by architecture. In the movie the scene transitions from one planet to
the other shouldn’t create confusion. In the movie a senate is happening in the
planet Coruscant, then in the very next scene planet Naboo is shown, the
spectators should not get confused as these planets are shown without any
intervals. So to make each planet unique, Director George Lucas and his
production team has taken a lot of effort in designing each planet
architecturally.
Similar is in the case of the movie Lord of the Rings where each fictional
city has been designed uniquely by the Director Peter Jackson and his
production team so as to make each of them doesn’t look similar. The fantastic
architecture created in these movies were unexplainable.
Cinema Shapes a two dimensional picture plane which is

essentially temporal. Architecture according to Bruno Zevi is space.

Buildings are volumetric, static objects. While architectural experience is
immediate and multi sensory, the motion picture one is bis en so r y , ( lim i t e d
to s igh t an d he ar i n g) an d me di at e d bec au se the form is
representational. Furthermore the cinema spectator is structurally
separate from the motion picture image and cannot step inside.
Architecture has no spectator only participants. We must enter and
move through buildings in order to experience them. That experience in
founded on a space-time continuum. On the other hand cinema defies the
continuum. Psychologically, as our eye identifies with that of the camera,
movies provide a voluntary means of escape. Buildings are largely unavoidable
and inseparable. Architecture invites participation. Cinema communicates a
single path through the world. As art forms, cinema and architecture employ
different forms of artistic expression.
Architecture is used in a number of ways in movies, as

backdrops, narrator, as representative of time and space etc. Another fact
is that architecture can be used in films to create illusions. Since the
architecture shown in movies is 2-dimensional and as we can't feel the
space, illusions can be created. In other words a director can mould
architecture to his needs. In real life this is rarely possible as people feel the
space right away. It may be possible, but only on a momentary level and not
in a long term basis.
Film gives us the rare three-dimensional opportunity to

completely question all that has come to be accepted in terms of the
language of architecture as well as architectural and historic convention. It
allows for educated speculation on what may have been in the past, and
what the world of the future might become. Current film technologies
provide such a high degree of realism in the product, that architectural

education can use these films as vehicles for critical discussion of the ethos
of these environments. Much like, and yet experientially speaking, well beyond
the efforts of the Visionary architects of the 18th century, film can create visions
of realistic feeling environments that can be used to reinvent the meaning and
defining factors of architectural expression.
Much the same as visionary works of art and architecture, films,

and in particular the fantasy and science fiction genres, have been used to
provide societies with a means to escape reality. Unlike architecture, film
spaces have never had to be realistic, functional, nor h a v e t h e y b e e n
o b l i g e d t o p o s s e s s a conscience. Yet, in architectural education, we can
use these "expensive", ready-made images of both past and future worlds to
center critical discussions about our world and to raise issues of conscience.
Today’s movies are using a combination of real and computer

animated settings, seamlessly joined that allowed for a highly realistic
experience of the imaginary worlds. Filming techniques now have the ability
to make visual images of environments that blend seamlessly from the
physically constructed full sized set to realistically animated visions
of characters speeding through highly complex urban cities set on
earth or unknown planets.
From all these data and case studies it is very clear that Architecture and
Movies are interdependent.

5. CONCLUSION

5.1 CONCLUSION
The study started seeking the relationship and

interdependency between architecture and movies. From the studies
it could be concluded that the two share a very close and intense
relation, the former being an indispensable part of the latter. The
two share more similarities than dissimilarities.
Basically the idea received from the studies is that
architecture is an important part of movies. There has never been
an instance of a movie shot without some form of architecture,
be it a room, a building or even an open space. It is not because it's
not possible, but nobody could ever think of it. Architecture in
movies is more like salt in food; one is indispensable of the other.
The contribution and influence architecture has had on
movies is immense. It has influenced almost everything starting
from narration to set design. The contribution of movies to
architecture is also very significant though small compared to the
other one. A director can create wonders in a movie using
architecture. He can guide the spectator, control his emotions and can
talk about time and space using, architecture. Though films are two
dimensional, the effect of the third dimension can be brought
about by movement. Slow movements, different camera angles can
all bring about the effect of the third dimension on screen. Hence it
is said that films reconstruct the experience of architecture rather
than representing it.

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Film architecture and the Transnational Imagination - Tim Bergfelder,

Sue Harris, Sarah Street
The Art Direction Handbook for Film - Michael Rizzo
The Hidden Dimension - Edward T Hall
The Visual Language of film.
Art of film – A way of Architectural Communication - Liliana Petrovici
Film and Architecture - Andy Brooks
Architecture and Film: Experiential Realities and Dystopic Futures - Terri
Meyer Boake
WEBSITES
http://blog.ounodesign.com/2009/06/11/architecture-in-the-movies
http://www.leninimports.com/cabinet_of_dr_caliga.html
http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=609389
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.starwars.com/
http://www.imdb.com

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 - Enni's House ........................................................................................................... 16
Figure 2 - Enni's House Drawings .......................................................................................... 16
Figure 3 - wall treatment ......................................................................................................... 16
Figure 4 - The Pool ................................................................................................................. 17
Figure 5 - The Corridor ........................................................................................................... 17
Figure 6 - Black Rain (1989) .................................................................................................. 18
Figure 7 - Blade Runner (1982) .............................................................................................. 18
Figure 8 - Grand Canyon (1991) ............................................................................................. 18
Figure 9 - The house on haunted hill (1958)........................................................................... 18
Figure 10 - Sculptured house, Colorado ................................................................................. 19
Figure 11 - scenes from movie Sleeper (1973) ....................................................................... 19
Figure 12 - scene from movie French Postcards (1979) ......................................................... 19
Figure 13 - Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye ................................................................................. 19
Figure 14 - Elrod House exterior ............................................................................................ 20
Figure 15 - shot from Bond movie Diamonds are Forever (1971) ......................................... 20
Figure 16 - Elrod House interior ............................................................................................. 20
Figure 17 - shot from movie Body Double (1984) ................................................................. 21
Figure 18 - Malin Residence (chemosphere) .......................................................................... 21
Figure 19 - plan drawing (chemosphere) ................................................................................ 21
Figure 20 - Varikkassery mana front ...................................................................................... 22
Figure 21 - a shot from the movie Devasuram (1993) ............................................................ 22
Figure 22 - the entrance Gopuram .......................................................................................... 22
Figure 23 - Olappamanna mana .............................................................................................. 23
Figure 24 - Olappamanna mana rear side ............................................................................... 23
Figure 25 - Padmanabhapuram palace .................................................................................... 23
Figure 26 - Thripunithura hill palace in Manichithrathazhu ................................................... 23
Figure 27 - Baumschulenweg Crematorium interior (shot from the movie) .......................... 24
Figure 28 - Baumschulenweg Crematorium interior (shot from the movie) .......................... 24
Figure 29 - Baumschulenweg Crematorium exterior.............................................................. 24
Figure 30 - Berlin Windkanal (shot from the movie) ............................................................. 24
Figure 31 - Mexican Embassy (shot from the movie) ............................................................ 25
Figure 32 - The Volkspark Potsdam exterior.......................................................................... 25
Figure 33 - The Volkspark Potsdam (shot from the movie) ................................................... 25
Figure 34 - the fictional city of Bregna (shot from the movie) ............................................... 25
Figure 35 - Bauhaus Archive (shot from the movie) .............................................................. 25
Figure 36 - shot from the movie showing an interior set ........................................................ 26
Figure 38 - The Benjamin Franklin Conference Center ......................................................... 26
Figure 39 - shot from the movie showing an exterior set ....................................................... 26
Figure 41 - a shot from the movie Ben Hur (1959) ................................................................ 27

Figure 42 - a shot from the movie Ben Hur (1959) ................................................................ 27

Figure 43 - a shot from the movie Blade Runner (1982) ........................................................ 27
Figure 44 - a shot from movie Agora (2009) showing the library of Alexandria ................... 27
Figure 45 - a shot from the movie Agora (2009) showing fort walls ..................................... 28
Figure 46 - a shot from the movie Agora (2009) showing Alexandrian Serapium ................ 28
Figure 47 - a shot from the movie Agora (2009) showing temple.......................................... 28
Figure 48 - a shot from the movie Cleopatra (1963) .............................................................. 28
Figure 49 - A shot from the movie Logan's Run (1976) showing futuristic interiors. ........... 29
Figure 50 - Dallas Market Center Apparel Mart (shot from the movie Logan's Run) ........... 29
Figure 51 - Dallas Market Center Apparel Mart (shot from the movie Logan's Run) ........... 29
Figure 52 - Philip Johnson’s Fort Worth Water Garden Logan's Run as Fountain Pool ........ 30
Figure 53 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968) showing interiors of a
spaceship ................................................................................................................................. 30
Figure 54 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968) showing interior of a
spaceship. ................................................................................................................................ 30
Figure 55 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968) showing interior of a
spaceship ................................................................................................................................. 30
Figure 56 - A shot from the movie 2001 A space Odyssey (1968) showing the rotating set. 30
Figure 57 - Jumper (2008) showing Colloseum ..................................................................... 32
Figure 58 - Jumper (2008) showing Pyramids of Egypt ......................................................... 32
Figure 59 - Perfume (2006)..................................................................................................... 32
Figure 60 - The Godfather (1972) ........................................................................................... 32
Figure 61 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994) .................................................................... 33
Figure 62 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994) .................................................................... 33
Figure 63 - Home Alone (1990).............................................................................................. 33
Figure 64 - The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)....................................................................... 33
Figure 65 - Home Alone (1990).............................................................................................. 33
Figure 66 - Clash of the Titans (2010) .................................................................................... 34
Figure 67 - Clash of the Titans (2010) .................................................................................... 34
Figure 68 - Expressionist structures from 'The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari' (1927) ...................... 35
Figure 74 - Modernist structures in 'Mon Oncle' (1958) ........................................................ 37
Figure 77 - 'Mon Oncle' (1958)............................................................................................... 38
Figure 78 - A Clockwork Orange (1971) ................................................................................ 38
Figure 79 - A Clockwork Orange (1971) ................................................................................ 38
Figure 80 - airport ................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 81 - temple ................................................................................................................... 42

Figure 82 - Ashram ................................................................................................................. 42

Figure 83 - HawaMahal .......................................................................................................... 42
Figure 84 - Hilltop Cottage ..................................................................................................... 42
Figure 85 - small town ............................................................................................................ 42
Figure 86 - Hospital ................................................................................................................ 43
Figure 87 - North City............................................................................................................. 43
Figure 88 - Double Take House .............................................................................................. 43
Figure 89 - court...................................................................................................................... 43
Figure 90 - Udayananu Tharam (2005) .................................................................................. 43
Figure 91 - village ................................................................................................................... 43
Figure 92 - Railway station ..................................................................................................... 43
Figure 93 - Princess street ....................................................................................................... 44
Figure 94 - Akbar road ............................................................................................................ 44
Figure 95 - Broadway ............................................................................................................. 44
Figure 96 - Ishi Dora ............................................................................................................... 44
Figure 97 - Gurunanak Street .................................................................................................. 44
Figure 98 - Small Town Road ................................................................................................. 44
Figure 99 - Fibre moulding ..................................................................................................... 45
Figure 100 - PoP (Plaster of Paris) ......................................................................................... 45
Figure 101 - Sets ..................................................................................................................... 45
Figure 102 - Naboo ................................................................................................................. 48
Figure 103 - City of Theed, capital of Naboo ......................................................................... 48
Figure 104 - Naboo ................................................................................................................. 48
Figure 105 - Plaza de España in Seville, Spain, used as scenario for Naboo ......................... 48
Figure 106 - City of Theed, capital of Naboo ......................................................................... 48
Figure 108 - The igloo model house on Tatooine ................................................................... 49
Figure 107 - Tatooine.............................................................................................................. 49
Figure 110 - the race course of Tatooine ................................................................................ 49
Figure 109 - the underwater planet ......................................................................................... 49
Figure 111 - Coruscant............................................................................................................ 50
Figure 112 - Coruscant - a sketch by George Lucas ............................................................... 50
Figure 113 - senate of Coruscant ............................................................................................ 50
Figure 114 - Coruscant (Notron)............................................................................................. 50
Figure 115 - The water planet Kamino ................................................................................... 51
Figure 116 - Kamino (interiors) .............................................................................................. 51
Figure 117 - Kamino (interiors) .............................................................................................. 51
Figure 118 - Tipoca, capital of Kamino .................................................................................. 51
Figure 119 - Kamino (white and blue shades are used most) ................................................. 51
Figure 120 - The stadium of Geonosis .................................................................................... 52
Figure 121 - Geonosis ............................................................................................................. 52
Figure 122 - The stadium of Geonosis.................................................................................... 52
Figure 123 - interior of buildings ............................................................................................ 52
Figure 124 - The stadium of Geonosis .................................................................................... 52

Figure 125 - Kashyyk.............................................................................................................. 53

Figure 126 - Kashyyk tree houses ........................................................................................... 53
Figure 127 - Felucia ................................................................................................................ 53
Figure 128 - Utapau ................................................................................................................ 54
Figure 129 - The sink holes of Utapau.................................................................................... 54
Figure 130 - Mustafar ............................................................................................................. 54
Figure 131 - Mustafar ............................................................................................................. 54
Figure 132 - Alderaan ............................................................................................................. 55
Figure 133 - Aldera, capital of Alderaan ................................................................................ 55
Figure 134 - University of Alderaan ....................................................................................... 55
Figure 135 - Hobbit holes in Shire.......................................................................................... 58
Figure 136 - A shot from the movie 'Fellowship of the Rings' ............................................... 58
Figure 137 - A Smial (hobbit hole) ......................................................................................... 58
Figure 138 – Rivendell showing Japanese influence .............................................................. 59
Figure 139 - The bridge of Rivendell ..................................................................................... 59
Figure 140 - Rivendell ............................................................................................................ 59
Figure 141 (above) and 141a ( below) The fort of Minas Tirith showing Byzantine influence
................................................................................................................................................. 60
Figure 142 - The port of Gondor............................................................................................. 60
Figure 143 - Lothlorien ........................................................................................................... 61
Figure 144 - Isengard .............................................................................................................. 61
Figure 145 - Lothlorien ........................................................................................................... 61
Figure 146 - Orthanc ............................................................................................................... 62
Figure 149 - Isengard .............................................................................................................. 62
Figure 148 – Barad-dur tower ................................................................................................. 62
Figure 147 - Mordor................................................................................................................ 62
Figure 151 - Rohan, interiors .................................................................................................. 63
Figure 150 - Rohan country house .......................................................................................... 63

Inter Dependency of Architecture and Movies

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originalbeschreibung:

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Inter Dependency of Architecture and Movies

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

INTERDEPENDENCY OF ARCHITECTURE

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

DEP ARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

GUIDE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

AR. SHEEJA. K. P AR. SARAMMA MATHEW .K

EXAMINERS DISSERTATION CO-ORDINATOR

I hereby declare that the Dissertation entitled “INTERDEPENDENCY OF

in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of

It is my pleasure to express my sincere gratitude to the people who have

First I would like to record my grateful thanks to Almighty God, by whose

I would like to express sincere and unbounded gratitude to my guide Ar.

- The world of cinema

When one thinks of crucial contributors to the filmmaking process, the

Cinema's mimetic fullness (photography, movement, sound) permits the

Architecture has been described as frozen music, when the camera

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

2.4 ARCHITECTURE FOR REPRESENTING REGIONS ........................................ 32

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

3.3.8 Rohan ............................................................................................................... 63

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

Filmmakers, with the help of production designers, art directors,

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

Both film and architecture operate as languages communicating

The basic architectural experiences standing in a space, looking

Cinema has continually experimented with elaborating

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

1.3.1 Architecture in Film

Architecture can be used cinematically in two different ways

• Expressionist films. When the technology was highly expensive and

1.3.2 Film in Architecture

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

• Data collection from literary and other resources

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

Our world is subjected to lots of rapid changes, resulting from the

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

1.6 COMPARING ARCHITECTURE AND MOVIES

Comparing architecture and movies is a very broad term and hence

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

1.6.1 Production and Construction

1.6.2 Presence of overall form

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

interrelationships among elements and want to understand how the patterns

1.6.3 Creating emotions

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

1.7 INFLUENCE OF ARCHITECTURE ON MOVIES

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

1.8 INFLUENCE OF MOVIES ON ARCHITECTURE

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

2.1 MAJOR ARCHITECTURAL WORKS IN

2.1.1 Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

highly ornamented and organized buildings.

Figure 5 - The Corridor

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, 1924, has

Remo Williams (1987)

Figure 9 - The house on haunted hill (1958)

Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum 2011

2.1.2 Charles Deaton’s Sculptured House in

It is a significant piece of modern architecture.