Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
J O J O R A B B I T | P E R S P E C T I V E 8 1 Jojo Rabbit approaches a serious subject from a child's eye view, with adventure and whimsy. The world is seen through Jojo's eyes. I've worked with director and screenwriter Taika Waititi before so I understand his thinking, and the preliminary discussions with him and director of photography Mihai Malaimare focused on the visual approach. It was obvious from the very beginning that Taika didn't want to remake a typical wartime movie. The typical tone that many films set in the 1940s seem to take is to use old faded colors and filter their depictions of life through hand-painted and black- and-white reference images. Even antique props and clothing lose their color vibrancy over eighty years, so we set out to put the life back into the pallet of 1940s Germany. Also during the time Jojo Rabbit is set, in WW2 Germany, many in the civilian population were very aware of their own mortality, and it was common for them to embrace daily life and dress up in nice clothes. Europe in the 1930s was in the height of fashion and culture. The German take on art deco was key to the design influence of the film. Jojo's vision of the world was an important one for the film to get across. He has an optimistic view of the world, distant from the realities of war. I always remember my childhood in warm sun or icy breath, and with vibrant colors. This palette helps paint different memorable scenes throughout the film, an accent color can help influence an emotional response from the audience if it's used for special moments. The story covers a little over a year. It starts in spring at camp, so I was looking to play on the lush grass and the bright greens of new forest growth. It was a wonderful experience for me to go to Czech Republic for the first time in my life and interview an entirely new crew, a lot of whom spoke very little English. The Czech film industry is a very old and well-developed one and the technicians who work there are world class. A. JOJO'S HOUSE EXTERIOR. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY RA VINCENT. PAINTED ON LOCATION USING PRO CREATE FOR IPAD.