Visual
Look
I
really loved the visual look of this film. First of all,
the opening credits were great. There was a great “motorbike”
song, and some color-tweaked footage of guys on their bikes
riding through the country. Then, in the introduction of
the main character, various shots of his bedroom and the
pictures of 70s rock stars that cover the walls. (My favorite
being David Bowie, of course.)
The
costuming was also great. It’s a huge challenge for
a filmmaker to re-create a bygone era, especially one so
distinctive as the seventies. If it’s done wrong,
the film is virtually ruined because it will look completely
faked. If it’s done right, however, the result is
great. In the case of Fizzy Days, I was skeptical
about whether the 70s setting would be convincing, but in
this case it definitely was. The hairstyles, makeup, and
clothing were spot on – the crew must have raided
every Goodwill in town to get them. Of course, seeing as
how the 70s “came back” not too long ago, it
couldn’t have been too difficult to find those outfits.
The hairstyles were impressive as well – especially
Eddy’s. I couldn’t tell if it was a wig or not,
but it sure looked real to me. That shows an actor’s
true dedication, if he’s willing to walk around with
that kind of a crazy hairdo for the duration of filming!
Of course,
even with period costumes and meticulous hairstyles, a carefully-planned
period piece can easily be ruined by a passing motorist
or an obviously modern building. The best way to avoid such
mistakes is to shoot in as many out-of-the-way places where
there is little risk of passers-by, to shoot majority close-ups
in outdoor settings, and only use wide-angles when one can
get away with it. In this case, these filmmakers followed
all of those rules, and were able to avoid almost all hints
of modernity; though I did notice a few modern cars reflected
in the windows of the moped shop and driving by in a couple
of the shots of the two girls.
I didn’t
notice any white balance or lighting issues, in fact the
entire film had a slightly warm-colored tint to it that
seems characteristic of 70s films – another good touch.
There were some interesting camera shots and angles, such
as the three boys poking their heads out of a door sequentially.
Finally,
there are some really great cutaways and vignettes within
the film that really add to its humor value. For example,
when Eddy goes to work at the supermarket, and discovers
that Thomas’ mother works there as well, he then reads
her name on her nametag, and realizes that he’s seem
her picture in a porno magazine. There is then a brief music
cue and a flashback to a shot of him reading the magazine
earlier. Though slightly crude, it’s a rather humorous
moment that helps to explain why Eddy is so much more uncomfortable
around Thomas’ mother for the rest of the film. These
little vignettes add a nice touch of interest, putting the
audience inside the mind of the main character, as well
as some moments of humor.
