Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
The idea for the first act was to keep colors vibrant and Jojo's world innocent and joyful. It was important to shoot this at the correct time of year. Jojo spends his summer in a hospital and at home, so by the time he's healed and back out in the world, autumn has started and the stories mood and palette start to change. This had an influence on location choices and set colors. The creative team was mindful not to use bright saturated colors, as the story moves into winter and Jojo's world becomes darker, we leaned into a rougher, dirtier palette. The production also went back to Prague in the winter for some specific scenes set in the snow with overcast sky. The film's color arc comes full circle with the end of the war and springtime again, with its optimistic palette. I like to think that this can be a tool that reunites the start of the film with the finale, and allows the audience to re-experience the whole film again as a complete story told through tone and color. Jojo's house interiors were conceived as a studio set before a location that was suitable for the exterior was found. The rooms were laid out according to the descriptions in the script and designed in a way that they had openings between rooms so multiple spaces could be played at one time. This offered the possibility to restage scenes in other parts of the house if things started feeling a bit confined. Because almost half of the film is set inside Jojo's house, each room needed to be varied in its color palette and dimension to give the house enough interest. I based the interior off a baroque era cottage newly renovated in the art deco style. The walls were done as thick stone walls and the wall decoration was traditional patterned wall painting, with an updated wood paneled hall and staircase. Nora Sopcová and her brilliant team decorated the house with true to era antiquities, beautiful deco fabrics and paintings, and with the help of the local Art Directors made the blend of old furnishings and the brand-new set seamless. The purpose of the rich colors in the entrance hall and the living room were to give the house a protective feel. This was Jojo's safe place; somewhere nurturing that also reflects his mother's character. Rosie is a fashionable young woman whose personal style was responsible for the decoration of their family home. One area that takes advantage of a 1930s German art deco style is the kitchen. Hand-painted linoleum and period German deco furniture, which looks like it could easily fit into a 2019 design store, were actually B A. HITLER YOUTH CAMP. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY BRENDAN HEFFERNAN. B. JOJO'S HALLWAY SAMPLE BOARD. C. JOJO'S HALLWAY. PHOTOSHOP ILLUSTRATION BY RA VINCENT. PAINTED EARLY IN THE SET DESIGN PHASE TO DESCRIBE JOJO'S TUMBLE DOWN THE STAIRS AFTER CONFRONTING ELSA D. & E. JOJO'S HALLWAY. SET PHOTOS. F. JOJO'S PARLOR. PENCIL SKETCH BY RA VINCENT. G. JOJO'S PARLOR. SET PHOTO. A C