Magicians Veil Influences

Although both period pieces, Christopher Nolan's The Prestige (2006), one of my favourite films, and
The Illusionist (2006) both centre around magicians and forces audience intrigue to question the reality behind the illusions. Similarly to our script The Prestige centres many of its plot twists around the use of doubles (Christian Bale's twins and Hugh Jackman's clones). Our film will require the use of split screen in order to have two magicians onscreen at the same time, although we don't have the means to pull it off in quite the same way as this film does. The magician characters themselves also bare some similarities in their own self-assurance over their magical abilities, Christian Bales character in particular has a cocky charm and his methods remain mysterious which is something we hope to convey through our own magician.

This clip demonstrates the revelatory use of doubles in The Prestige

(This dubbed trailer was the only one not blocked on copyright grounds)

Christi's initial description of a gritty northern setting initial brought to mind the work of Shane Meadows on the likes of This Is England (2006) and Dead Man's Shoes (2004).

However when reading the script the larger than life magician character and his bantering exchanges with the somewhat unscrupulous market salesman seemed more akin in tone and style to a Guy Ritchie film, such as Snatch (2000) and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) 

The characters would seem right at home in this universe, all be it with a northern twang replacing Ritchie's signature cockney casting.

The collaborations between Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg on Channel 4 Sitcom Spaced (1999) and later films such as Shaun of the Dead (2004) are another good example of the blending of a supposed realistic setting that allows for an exploration in the fantastic. Primarily about twenty-somthing life in a London suburb, Spaced used this setting to explore and homage different cinematic genres the cinephile  creators obviously adore, often resulting in surreal scenarios  that make this show infinitely entertaining.

Wrights signature use of quick cuts and whip pans is also something Christi has described in his shot lists, which will hopefully aid in the comedic tone we aim to achieve. 

E4 drama Misfits (2009) grounded the superhero genre in a gritty realistic setting, eschewing costumes and capes for prison jumpsuits as the super-powered parolees encounter and overcome other people granted with special gifts from a storm whilst they carry out their community service. This initially worked really well but after a while the formula began to stagnate with nearly all of the original cast eventually leaving. I think eventually moving back towards a more cinematic high-stakes 'save the world' arc would have benefitted the show, rather than just rehashing encounters with other supes' to reflect their own personal crises, which became tiresome by the third season. Its low-key incorporation of powers is possibly a desirable angle for the introduction of magic in our own film however.