How do you make a murderer empathetic? Maybe give him Josh Harnett's face. Position him as a goofy dad with a star-struck daughter. Sprinkle in some tragic backstory. And top it off with some movie wizardry, like costuming and production design, to win the audience to his side.We're talking about M. Night Shyamalan's new movie, Trap, by the way, a delightful cat-and-mouse story of Cooper (Hartnett), the serial killer who unwittingly puts himself in the middle of a dragnet operation at a concert. He's got his daughter in tow and is surrounded by preteen girls and a jealous PTA mom. Will he escape? As an audience member, you really end up pulling for the guy who should be a villain.The film knows exactly what it is and leans into it with aplomb, unspooling in a series of fun obstacles and encounters, giving us a stellar performance from Hartnett and some fun songs from Saleka Shyamalan as Lady Raven. And its ability to make Cooper a protagonist to root for is really deft on several levels—including the production design.Debbie De Villa helped craft the design on the film in the traditional sense but also had to design Lady Raven's concert sets in a way that mirrored character journeys. The environments offered subconscious storytelling, which we learned about during our chat with De Villa. Learn about these secrets and other advice below. - YouTube www.youtube.com Editor's note: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.No Film School: I'd love to know...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Monday, 12 August, 2024