How would you film or stage Othello? What would be your focus? Who might you cast to play the characters? How would you direct them to perform? What might you do with lighting and music?
When I stage Othello, I would focus on the isolation of Othello, Lago's betrayal. When I cast characters, I would focus on possible strong character portrayals. I would focus on dialogue that would emphasize or support the themes present in Othello. During scenes of great shock and awe I would definitely mess with lighting, flicking them on and off. Maybe start with bright lights at the beginning, but as Lago's plan ruins Othello, the lights change. Change color, change tint. At the end, the play would look and feel different. I would like to apply the same idea to the music as well.
I would enhance the stage presence to work with the dialogue in a way that would give the characters another dimension. My focus would be the placement of characters in their interactions and the organization of the stage. For example, when Othello is calling Desdemona a "strumpet," and many other things, I would have Othello above Desdemona, to further show how he talks down to her and try and show the anger through his body language. The lighting would reflect the mood of the characters, brighter in the beginning, and maybe steadily gets darker as the play goes on. This idea would be similar for the music. It would take a very elaborate yet delicate choreographing of characters and props to get the desired effects on the audience.
I think that it is important to focus on Iago when considering "Othello". Without Iago's calculated deception and relentless conniving, "Othello" would be a sub par and questionable love story. With the emphasis on Iago, I believe that Benedict Cumberbatch and his already suspicious demeanor would suit the charachter. Desdemona would be best played by Amanda Seyfried, who appears to be innocent and quiet. Othello would be played by David Oyelowo, who is deliberate and powerful. The film would begin with brightness and warmth and descend into a darker place.
I would focus on both Iago's deception of Othello and the tragedy of Desdemona's death equally. I would cast either Samuel L. Jackson or Morgan Freeman as Othello, Tom Hiddleston as Iago, Hayden Panettiere as Desdemona, Andrew Garfield as Roderigo, Natalie Portman as Emilia, Reese Witherspoon as Bianca, and Liam Hemsworth as Cassio. I would direct them to put as much emotion into their performance as possible especially with Othello's character because he showed many emotions in the story. I would start the film with happy, high pitched music and bright lights and then every time Iago speaks with Roderigo the lights would dim and their would be ominous music playing. As the play continued the lights when Othello was in the film would start bright and then dim as Iago deceives him until it is as dim as Iago's lighting.
If I was directing a movie of Othello, I would definitely focus on the relationship between Othello and Iago. I would make Iago less serious than in the Othello that we are watching, towards the beginning, and then make him more serious as the play progresses. I see Othello in a more innocent and almost ignorant to Venetian culture, and not so much as a big brute of a warrior. I would definitely play on Roderigo being a miserable and lonely young guy.
If I were to stage or film Othello, I would definitely focus more on Othello's reactions towards the things that are happening around him. Being the protagonist, he is sort of the hero at the beginning and the villain at the end, yet he keeps some of the purity of his love for Desdemona throughout. I would have Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje play Othello, Kit Harrington play Cassio, Emily Browning as Desdemona and Kiefer Sutherland as Iago. I would definitely focus on the darkening and thickening of the plot as the play progresses, maybe adding smokier, foggier scenes towards the end as compared to the beginning when things could be a bit clearer. I would ask them to become more animated as we get closer to the end, start showing a bit more emotion in every scene. Music would become more sinister as well, and when Desdemona finally dies, perhaps changing it to a sweeter, more melancholy.
Othello - Idris Elba Iago - Benedict Cumberbatch or Adrian Brody Desdemona- Felicity Jones Cassio - Eddie Redmayne or Jared Leto Emilia- Kate Winslet or Winona Ryder Roderigo- Luke Wilson or Joaquin Phoenix Bianca - Gwynnth Paltrow
I would focus more on Iago and Othello's relationship and Desdemona and Emilia's relationship rather than a tragic love story. I believe since color is an important theme in the play that should also be portrayed in a movie. Red is the color of passion but also anger one could use red clothing/lighting in scenes where passion and anger are prevalent. Green is the color of envy so using that color for Iago. Pink or white, representative of femininity and purity could be used for Desdemona, et cetera. I appreciate in the movie we are watching Iago's almost breaking of the third wall in his turning to the camera when he says dialogue he only wants himself to hear. This makes sense of Shakespeare in a film setting.
I think I would perhaps focus on the idea of deception and betrayal between Othello and Iago, and the ignorance that is born from both Emilia and Desdemona. I think I would focus on the workings of Iago's mind so then those who watch would perhaps understand his motives better, and then also on how those actions affect those around him, rather than a tragic romance between two socially different people. I am awful at picking out actors who I would think fit the part so I will just skip that part. I think in the beginning of the play I would have the characters be shallow, meaning they would not have such great shows of emotion nor reaction, but it would be there underneath the surface, and more towards the middle and the end of the play I would have the characters become lively, and their true emotions would come into play, signifying the great change in direction towards the climax and fall of the play, after Desdemona's death think then, the characters would act morose and Othello would be in a blind rage. Iago would primarily be seen as a middle aged man whose demeanor on the surface was that of kindness and good humor, someone who was believable towards what they say and their actions, but on the inside was a twisted a cruel man who holds hatred within his heart for almost all around him, he would be a man of calculated, sly, words, what people want him to say; while Othello would speak from the heart and raw emotion. Desdemona would be seen as soft, kind and pliable, amiable towards all around, I imagine her to be petite and small, like a child in a way. For music I think it would just really depend on the scene and who was within it.
I would make it an upbeat 20th century high school drama, I feel like if we went at it that way it would be easier to relate to the characters in today's society. I would have it be a dim setting, starting mid-fall and it transitions slowly to winter throughout the story, as it gets colder and the leaves start to die the issues in the play starts to grow. For the characters I would choose; Desdemona: Caitlin Stasey Othello: Stephan James or Kofi Siriboe Iago: Kyle Gallner or William Moseley Cassio: Alex Pettyfer Emilia: Ana de Armas or Melissa Benoist Rodrigo: Douglas Smith I would have it as a private school full of rich kids and Othello will be a new student. What I would make more different is Desdemona and Iago used to be a thing but she ended it with him and so he moved on (to Emilia, who happens to be Desdemona's bff) So then Othello comes to the school and he is really smart and handsome and they fall in love which makes Iago jealous and he knows too that Rodrigo has always had a crush on her so they join forces to get back at him, I will have it too that Iago and Othello play a sport either football or basketball and Othello steals Iago's position and takes all the attention away from Iago who used to be the popular one until Othello came. I would have upbeat music in the beginning while they are in love and towards the end it would be dark and mysterious. I want to focus on the mental state of Iago and Othello and how they change throughout the story, Othello has a breakdown at the end and in rage he takes out his anger on a random passer-by at a party after Cassio's girlfriend confronts him about the necklace (handkerchief) he apparently got, which will help show the deterioration of this once strong stable man slowly break down. I want to focus on Iago and how he plays everyone and how he slowly deteriorates too and make him come off as a sociopath who is obsessed with Desdemona and his hatred towards Othello, especially at the end when he kills Rodrigo and he turns against him and how he in a way forces Othello into killing Desdemona. In the end though I want Othello to blame Iago for everything and recognize his own transition as a person and then he will shoot himself before he could get arrested by the cops. All of this will happen at a party either before or after a championship game. Desdemona will come off as a pure, smart, and very popular girl and Iago will be the hunk that everyone is obsessed with in the beginning, him and Desdemona were a thing and then he started to abuse drugs and alcohol and became a mean person so she ends it and he is a player in a way. I want Emilia to be the jealous friend in a way, she's jealous of the relationship that Desdemona and Othello has and she strives to get attention from Iago the entire story since he is really popular and etc. Othello will be the new mysterious guy who is great at sports and all the girls swoom over but he has a dark past too and that how he connects with Desdemona and they become great friends and then lovers. I want Desdemona's dad to be like a strict lawyer in a way.
When I stage Othello, I would focus on the isolation of Othello, Lago's betrayal. When I cast characters, I would focus on possible strong character portrayals. I would focus on dialogue that would emphasize or support the themes present in Othello. During scenes of great shock and awe I would definitely mess with lighting, flicking them on and off. Maybe start with bright lights at the beginning, but as Lago's plan ruins Othello, the lights change. Change color, change tint. At the end, the play would look and feel different. I would like to apply the same idea to the music as well.
ReplyDeleteI would enhance the stage presence to work with the dialogue in a way that would give the characters another dimension. My focus would be the placement of characters in their interactions and the organization of the stage. For example, when Othello is calling Desdemona a "strumpet," and many other things, I would have Othello above Desdemona, to further show how he talks down to her and try and show the anger through his body language. The lighting would reflect the mood of the characters, brighter in the beginning, and maybe steadily gets darker as the play goes on. This idea would be similar for the music. It would take a very elaborate yet delicate choreographing of characters and props to get the desired effects on the audience.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is important to focus on Iago when considering "Othello". Without Iago's calculated deception and relentless conniving, "Othello" would be a sub par and questionable love story. With the emphasis on Iago, I believe that Benedict Cumberbatch and his already suspicious demeanor would suit the charachter. Desdemona would be best played by Amanda Seyfried, who appears to be innocent and quiet. Othello would be played by David Oyelowo, who is deliberate and powerful.
ReplyDeleteThe film would begin with brightness and warmth and descend into a darker place.
I would focus on both Iago's deception of Othello and the tragedy of Desdemona's death equally. I would cast either Samuel L. Jackson or Morgan Freeman as Othello, Tom Hiddleston as Iago, Hayden Panettiere as Desdemona, Andrew Garfield as Roderigo, Natalie Portman as Emilia, Reese Witherspoon as Bianca, and Liam Hemsworth as Cassio. I would direct them to put as much emotion into their performance as possible especially with Othello's character because he showed many emotions in the story. I would start the film with happy, high pitched music and bright lights and then every time Iago speaks with Roderigo the lights would dim and their would be ominous music playing. As the play continued the lights when Othello was in the film would start bright and then dim as Iago deceives him until it is as dim as Iago's lighting.
ReplyDeleteIf I was directing a movie of Othello, I would definitely focus on the relationship between Othello and Iago. I would make Iago less serious than in the Othello that we are watching, towards the beginning, and then make him more serious as the play progresses. I see Othello in a more innocent and almost ignorant to Venetian culture, and not so much as a big brute of a warrior. I would definitely play on Roderigo being a miserable and lonely young guy.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to stage or film Othello, I would definitely focus more on Othello's reactions towards the things that are happening around him. Being the protagonist, he is sort of the hero at the beginning and the villain at the end, yet he keeps some of the purity of his love for Desdemona throughout. I would have Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje play Othello, Kit Harrington play Cassio, Emily Browning as Desdemona and Kiefer Sutherland as Iago. I would definitely focus on the darkening and thickening of the plot as the play progresses, maybe adding smokier, foggier scenes towards the end as compared to the beginning when things could be a bit clearer. I would ask them to become more animated as we get closer to the end, start showing a bit more emotion in every scene. Music would become more sinister as well, and when Desdemona finally dies, perhaps changing it to a sweeter, more melancholy.
ReplyDeleteOthello - Idris Elba
ReplyDeleteIago - Benedict Cumberbatch or Adrian Brody
Desdemona- Felicity Jones
Cassio - Eddie Redmayne or Jared Leto
Emilia- Kate Winslet or Winona Ryder
Roderigo- Luke Wilson or Joaquin Phoenix
Bianca - Gwynnth Paltrow
I would focus more on Iago and Othello's relationship and Desdemona and Emilia's relationship rather than a tragic love story. I believe since color is an important theme in the play that should also be portrayed in a movie. Red is the color of passion but also anger one could use red clothing/lighting in scenes where passion and anger are prevalent. Green is the color of envy so using that color for Iago. Pink or white, representative of femininity and purity could be used for Desdemona, et cetera. I appreciate in the movie we are watching Iago's almost breaking of the third wall in his turning to the camera when he says dialogue he only wants himself to hear. This makes sense of Shakespeare in a film setting.
I think I would perhaps focus on the idea of deception and betrayal between Othello and Iago, and the ignorance that is born from both Emilia and Desdemona. I think I would focus on the workings of Iago's mind so then those who watch would perhaps understand his motives better, and then also on how those actions affect those around him, rather than a tragic romance between two socially different people. I am awful at picking out actors who I would think fit the part so I will just skip that part. I think in the beginning of the play I would have the characters be shallow, meaning they would not have such great shows of emotion nor reaction, but it would be there underneath the surface, and more towards the middle and the end of the play I would have the characters become lively, and their true emotions would come into play, signifying the great change in direction towards the climax and fall of the play, after Desdemona's death think then, the characters would act morose and Othello would be in a blind rage. Iago would primarily be seen as a middle aged man whose demeanor on the surface was that of kindness and good humor, someone who was believable towards what they say and their actions, but on the inside was a twisted a cruel man who holds hatred within his heart for almost all around him, he would be a man of calculated, sly, words, what people want him to say; while Othello would speak from the heart and raw emotion. Desdemona would be seen as soft, kind and pliable, amiable towards all around, I imagine her to be petite and small, like a child in a way. For music I think it would just really depend on the scene and who was within it.
ReplyDeleteI would make it an upbeat 20th century high school drama, I feel like if we went at it that way it would be easier to relate to the characters in today's society. I would have it be a dim setting, starting mid-fall and it transitions slowly to winter throughout the story, as it gets colder and the leaves start to die the issues in the play starts to grow. For the characters I would choose;
ReplyDeleteDesdemona: Caitlin Stasey
Othello: Stephan James or Kofi Siriboe
Iago: Kyle Gallner or William Moseley
Cassio: Alex Pettyfer
Emilia: Ana de Armas or Melissa Benoist
Rodrigo: Douglas Smith
I would have it as a private school full of rich kids and Othello will be a new student. What I would make more different is Desdemona and Iago used to be a thing but she ended it with him and so he moved on (to Emilia, who happens to be Desdemona's bff) So then Othello comes to the school and he is really smart and handsome and they fall in love which makes Iago jealous and he knows too that Rodrigo has always had a crush on her so they join forces to get back at him, I will have it too that Iago and Othello play a sport either football or basketball and Othello steals Iago's position and takes all the attention away from Iago who used to be the popular one until Othello came. I would have upbeat music in the beginning while they are in love and towards the end it would be dark and mysterious. I want to focus on the mental state of Iago and Othello and how they change throughout the story, Othello has a breakdown at the end and in rage he takes out his anger on a random passer-by at a party after Cassio's girlfriend confronts him about the necklace (handkerchief) he apparently got, which will help show the deterioration of this once strong stable man slowly break down. I want to focus on Iago and how he plays everyone and how he slowly deteriorates too and make him come off as a sociopath who is obsessed with Desdemona and his hatred towards Othello, especially at the end when he kills Rodrigo and he turns against him and how he in a way forces Othello into killing Desdemona. In the end though I want Othello to blame Iago for everything and recognize his own transition as a person and then he will shoot himself before he could get arrested by the cops. All of this will happen at a party either before or after a championship game. Desdemona will come off as a pure, smart, and very popular girl and Iago will be the hunk that everyone is obsessed with in the beginning, him and Desdemona were a thing and then he started to abuse drugs and alcohol and became a mean person so she ends it and he is a player in a way. I want Emilia to be the jealous friend in a way, she's jealous of the relationship that Desdemona and Othello has and she strives to get attention from Iago the entire story since he is really popular and etc. Othello will be the new mysterious guy who is great at sports and all the girls swoom over but he has a dark past too and that how he connects with Desdemona and they become great friends and then lovers. I want Desdemona's dad to be like a strict lawyer in a way.