Movie Prop Research:
I made up a movie concept based on the backstory for our themed land in Intro to Themed Attraction. In this "movie" it tells the story of pirates who sought a mythical treasure and ventured into the swamps of southern North America (now known as Louisiana) to find it. They get more than they bargained for and get killed and trapped by the vengeful swamp that protects the treasure. Hundreds of years later a small swamp town has grown up (a result of westward expansion) and they begin to notice odd things happening when they try to explore the shipwreck not far from town. The residents feel trapped in town by a magical energy, slowly getting stuck in the past as the rest of the world passes them by. As the stories grow, they craft the legend of the vengeful, ghostly pirates who haunt the waters, protecting the treasure they could never have. As the legend goes, the mystical swamp that keeps them there has trapped the townsfolk and they may never escape until someone dares to challenge the swamp, and the pirates, for possession of the forbidden treasure.
The prop I want to work on would be the posters and advertisements found around town, advertising the businesses, the products, and the town itself as a tourist spot. Because the town is older and set in the past, the posters would look older, as if they have been hung up for a while and had to weather the elements. The townsfolk had little care to take them down so there are likely posters on top of posters, replacing old with new. The town was settled sometime in the 1800s during the westward expansion of the United States (after the Louisiana Purchase). So, while the town is still stuck in the past, it is now closer to the 1920s as they use newer "technology" such as air boats. So, the advertisements would be in the style that spans those two centuries.
Potential poster ideas are:
- advertisement to come to the town (westward expansion)
- advertising the fan boat (which is one of the most modern inventions in this town)
- the "tour company" that tours the shipwreck
- local restaurant/product advertisement
- warning signs of the wildlife (and pirates) in the area
Early 1800's Advertisements:
Early 1900's Advertisements:
Notes: According to my research, color printing did begin in the late 1800's and became more prominent with the industrial expansion around that time. But for this town, while they do adapt a little technology (such as fan boats and the large wall-mounted phones of the 1870s), they are certainly not rich enough to afford color printing and are certainly not completely up to date with the world. So, to suggest that the town is "stuck in the past" I want to stick to the yellow/white and single-color prints of the early 1800's while including newer, more picture orientated, advertisements like those of the early 1900's.
Town Concepts:
Final Design:
