Green Porno: Enjoy the Small Screen
Green Porno is a revolutionary series created by well-know actress Isabella Rossellini. The combination of ‘porno’ and ‘Isabella’ may sound very suggestive, but don’t be mistaken, I don’t think it will turn you on; the topic is the sexual behavior and reproduction manners of different insects, from an informative perspective, but with an original approach and a very funny tone. The series is divided into brief chapters, easy to digest and available for free on the internet. Directed by Rossellini and Jody Shapiro, this project experiments with visual and artistic techniques to portray it’s content according to new necessities, which we’ll see further on. It is fresh, fun, and very curious.
Although the third season took off on September 2009, this time exploring the oceanic creatures, the idea was crafted about two years ago. Supported by the Sundance Channel, owned by Robert Redford, who believed that new media such as the internet or mobile devices were a perfect scenario to rescue the short format series, Green Porno was conceived to be a specific content for the fourth screens of our era.
The aim was to make the most of the possibilities which new technologies offer in terms of entertainment and content. I think we can all agree, that watching a super-production such as Apocalypse Now or Braveheart, for example, on a small screen spoils the charm and impact of the movie; details are lost, sound effects will not have the same impact and scenarios and visual composition will not be equally appreciated as if we watched it on the theatre.
Moreover, going to the movies has become a social experience that we usually share with other people, aquatinted with or not, eating popcorn and drinking soda and putting all our attention on the big screen. But watching a movie at home may feel like a different experience and so it may be, when watching it in a mobile device, wherever, whenever, accompanied or alone. So to the eyes of Rossellini, Shapiro, and Redford, new content must be designed, suitable to fit the needs and experiences of the new formats available.
To achieve this goal, Rossellini said to have been inspired in a newspaper comic strip; something that you experience by yourself. Its fun, simple and short. However, she stated that it should be “funny but not silly”, and it should have solid content. She decided to take the insects’ sexual life as a topic because she is interested in nature and found that insects “do crazy things”, which could be interesting and inquisitive for the audience, plus funny, based on real facts. As she described, Green Porno is, “scientifically accurate yet extremely entertaining”, providing an easy enjoyable piece with an educative value.
Once the topic and philosophy of the series was established, a lot of research had to be done to craft the scripts, along with an initial development of visual design, drawings and illustrations. Then, here comes the artistic challenge of producing it, based on the needs and possibilities of the small format. Many aspects have to be taken in account, first of all, it cannot contain detailed and sophisticated backgrounds; actually most of the chapters have a basic color background. Colors are very important, the idea is to create a contrast between background and foreground and make the elements stand out. “We couldn’t photograph real sets, because there’s too many colors, too many things going, so it had to be almost two-dimensional, cartoon-looking” says Rossellini. Therefore, mostly vivid colors are used, giving the image a very lively and catchy look.
Other important question is the shots chosen, middle shots and close up’s will work better, providing a higher impact and creating a closer bond with the viewers, grabbing their attention. It is important to avoid complex camera movements, which can distract and annoy, using mainly static shots and few smooth movements, which will be more pleasant for the viewer and help to highlight the action. To control all this technicalities, the series was shot using small monitors on set.
It may seem that with all these technical limitations, the piece can turn out tedious and boring, but believe me it isn’t. The lack of super effects and fancy camera movements or sophisticated sets is faced with the creativity and whit of its creators. All chapters are interpreted by Rossellini, dressed up as different insects with the original designs of the costume designer, Andy Byers. The costumes are all made out of paper and were thought to be live action without the use of computers; they are really impressive, more than a costume they can be seen as a sculpture. So all together it sounds a bit quirky and crazy, but a lot of work and talent has been put into it, to generate this brief, artistic and funny piece of quality.
Now a days the access to video technology and to broadcasting platforms like internet give the opportunity to almost everybody to create and produce audiovisual contents of all kinds, amongst which you can find very interesting pieces, but most of the time they lack values and quality standards. However, homemade, or low budget, shouldn’t always be associated to this lacks. “I did want ‘Green Porno’ deliberately to look like something that was done in your basement, that looked like it didn’t have a production behind it”, Rossellini stated, precisely to defend the idea that there is no need to have a great budget and all kinds of facilities to produce a good piece, but what is important is to be focused on what we want to convey, plan things carefully and put hard work into it. The core crew for Green Porno is formed by 5 members including Rossellini and Shapiro, plus assistants, and the fact is that the production process behind it is much elaborated, as incredible as it may seem it takes two months to finish a one- minute film.
I feel it is great to have fresh new content for our new media, stop recycling, and give an opportunity to new original ideas. Green Porno has achieved to recall many advantages as new era content. Its short format allows you to watch it anytime, at any place, filling a two-minute gab in our frenetic daily life with some knowledge and a good laugh. This initiative opens a new perspective towards the creation of low budget, alternative productions with solid content, and motivates new creators to develop their ideas, knowing that well-know organizations such as the Sundance channel are ready to support something other than conventional films as we know them. Internet and mobile devices have become a very powerful media tool and are a perfect showcase for new audiovisual artistic expressions. So don’t miss on this pioneering series, and learn from them that if you wish to take your ideas to term you must be aware about the new format’s demands, hard working and omitted to some kind of value in your content to be successful.
>Written by d/visible contributor Rebeca Arnal .
