The House of Yes

This is a messed up movie. A few years back, a friend of mine loaned me the DVD. We were in a mood; commiserating about the shows we'd like to do, but, for one reason or another, couldn't. I've always loved Parker Posey, the lead actress, since her turns in Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. (And let's face it, she was one of the very few bright spots in Superman Returns.) It also stars Freddie Prinze, Jr. as the youngest brother. He's made some interesting choices in his career, and this role is no exception. Anyway, it's a very odd movie; based on the play of the same name.

It's dark, campy, a little creepy, and casting would be akin to walking a tightrope. My friend has been wanting to do this show for years. (Had I not moved away, I would've found a way to make it happen.) In the event they do, I thought I'd have a graphic ready for him. You can see the final product at the bottom. The anchor graphic is blurry, out of focus, kind of like the main character's damaged psyche. And here's how I did it ...

The graphic is a photo of a Jackie Kennedy mannequin in the pink suit she wore in Dallas. (Plot point!) I erased the background, gave it a heavy Gaussian Blur, converted it to grayscale, and then played with the levels to really fudge the image, yet still see hints of her outfit. The viewer should be left wondering if they're really looking at Jackie. Finally, I placed it on a grey background. I tried leaving it white and found it too harsh; grey adds to the foggy/blurry effect.

Note: I found the original picture online. Ideally, you would dress your lead in a similar costume, take the picture, and go through the steps outlined above.

Here is the end result, with a variation ...

While it's interesting to see the anchor graphic off center, it's a little harder to discern. If I were to pull the camera back, you'd see the shoulders cutoff on the side, as in the original. If one was to stage this shot with their actress, that problem can be avoided. In that scenario, the off-center graphic wins.