Paul Giamatti plays Miles, a man who is dealing with a midlife crisis. An unsuccessful writer and recent divorcee, he embarks on a road trip with his friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), whose impending marriage has prompted a bachelor's weekend to California wine country. Jack's intent to "get laid", and Miles' obsession with wine and underlying alcoholism lead to a week of shenanigans. Both characters are despicable in their respective ways, but through Alexander Payne's talent for visually succinct storytelling, we're able to catch subtle nuances that identify them as flawed, but very much human.
The film's setting in wine country determines scenic views of wineries and vast vineyards, which are then contrasted by the "themed" tourist traps of neighboring towns. More than one scene is set in Solvang, California, an architecturally Dutch-themed town and tourist haven, and in Miles' favorite haunt in the area, the "Hitching Post", a loosely western themed restaurant. These contrasts between seemingly highbrow wine tastings and middlebrow tourist entertainment reflects the relationship between Miles and Jack.
These aesthetics, as well as the laid-back and distinctively West-Coast style sported by Miles and Jack, are potential areas to explore for the film titles project. The movie was filmed in 2004, when "Tuscan chic" was everywhere and could be incorporated in some way. Prominent colors include greens, reds, golds, and blues. Symmetry and asymmetry in certain scenes carry semantic meaning.
Miles, an unpublished writer, recent divorcee, and self-destructive oenophile, embarks on a road trip with his friend, Jack, whose impending marriage has prompted a bachelor's weekend to California wine country - leading to a week of shenanigans.
5 Words: vineyards, road trip, bad choices, depression, friendship
These artboards are rough sketches. I used linear motifs and signs to represent the road trip. I’ve also introduced circles to represent stains from wine glasses and the shapes of grapes. I want to push these further without becoming too literal. The wine glass pattern is inspired by woodwork seen in Solvang, the town where Miles and Jack are lodging. The compositions with white squares on black are based off of a montage sequence in the film that is effective in setting tone and rhythm. My goal is to allow the lines and silhouettes to exude character through their movements without becoming too literal. The lines don’t just represent the road trip; they also are meant to capture Miles’ and Jack’s qualities. I could see the movements becoming more and more unstable to represent Miles’ self-destructive behavior.
Camera will be tracking across the "map" to reveal 8 credits.
Dotted line will be animated at various speeds.
X's indicate "stops". At each stop there is an actor's name. I might decide to go with a X being actively drawn on. Names will show up after X's appear.
Zoom out to reveal entire map. At this point I am still considering the color of the wine stains. I'll likely add a few splatters as well.
Start a stop motion sequence to illustrate main character, Miles, frustratingly folding map.
Two more credits revealed on these folds. Title of movie is suggested on the corner.
Finally reveal "Sideways".
Sideways_Kuether4 (Converted) from UIC DESIGN on Vimeo.