Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1504681
The jokes of the Ken house needed to be visually clear; the humor is in emphasizing the contrasts to Barbie Land and then the audience's recognition of Ken's understanding of the real world and its patriarchy. He is the Citizen Ken of Barbie Land. So many crew members loved those La-Z-Boy-style sofas and mini-fridges, and how happy were so many of the other half of the crew when beautiful pink Barbie Land was regained! Weird Barbie House One house stands alone, unique and isolated, hiding in plain sight. It is the Boo Radley house of Barbie Land, and it is the home of Weird I. WEIRD BARBIE HOUSE WIRE FRAME MODEL BY CONCEPT ARTIST EVA KUNTZ. J. WEIRD BARBIE HOUSE ILLUSTRATION BY CONCEPT ARTIST EVA KUNTZ. sequence has an animated quality, which comes from the in-camera effects. Inspiration came from museum dioramas, and each set was built in layers of cutouts that were scenically painted and from a single-camera position at a set distance from the actors, astride the prop-made vehicles. The thrill and challenge came with creating the sensation of movement. The sets rocked, spun, slid and jiggled past the actors and through the camera's field of view. The crew employed a number of theatrical techniques to create movement (e.g., spinning helix rigs emulated rushing water) and a perception of depth (travellator rigs rushed tulips past in the foreground while mountains cruised on the horizon). Ice skaters spun on frozen lakes and dolphins leapt in the wake of a boat by way of bespoke mechanisms that joyfully brought the scenery to life. Ken's Mojo Dojo Casa House After Ken experiences the patriarchy in the real world, he returns to Barbie Land and turns the Barbie DreamHouse into his own Mojo Dojo Casa House. This concept it is exactly the same as the DreamHouses, with just surface (vs. structural) differences. It is like a Rauschenberg collage: shiny hard surfaces, high-contrast colors (this is the only time we see black in Barbie Land), fake furs, horses, BBQs, foosball table, mini- basketball hoop, chin-up bars, dart board, mini-fridges, Hummer CrabWalk trucks outside and more horses. It's about breaking the original aesthetic. G J I H