Some more pictures from Bollywood movie sets to compliment my previous blog post. 

           

Click here to download:

Added_some_more_pictures_of_de.zip (1191 KB)

Yesterday I went to the movie theater and watched “My Name is Khan”. Watching it reminded me about why I like Bollywood movies so much. Before I explain my reason I want to mention that I have watched Bollywood for many years now. The first movie I saw was “Khal Nayak”. I must have been 6 or 7 years old when it came out. Until this day it is still one of my favorite Bollywood movies. Since then I have watched many other movies, including: Don, Paheli, Devdas, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, Chalte Chalte, Krrish, Gadjini, Dil Se, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Dhoom, Dhoom 2, Black, Family, and many others.

  I like Bollywood movies because they portray the world as fairytales. They are not meant to be super realistic. Hollywood can deal with the super realistic stuff. Bollywood movies are like reading a book and letting your own imagination to do the work. The drama, the music, the scenography, everything is exaggerated, yes, but that is exactly where the beauty and romance of these movies come from. The whole philosophy of Bollywood is making the stories larger than life. That is what I love about them. As I watch Bollywood movies my senses are completely submerged in these imaginary worlds and I become consumed by the stories. What I specifically love about the Bollywood philosophy of making movies is the amazing use of details: The beautiful color combinations.  The rich set designs. The sceneries. The use of dramatic lighting. The millions of intriguing props. The combination of music and dance. The close-up shots of small details. The use of symbolism and metaphors. Close-ups of the characters’ emotions and facial expressions. The list continues on an on.

  The sum of these details is what makes a great Bollywood movie for me. I love indulging in the visual feast that they offer. These details stimulate the senses like no other.

  My only criticism is directed to the movie poster/DVD covers. They could be designed to the same standard as the details that make the movies so special. I would love to have a go at a Bollywood DVD cover or film poster sometime:)

  Here are a few examples of details to stimulate your senses

             

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Check_my_new_blog_post_Why_I_l.zip (1518 KB)

Have you noticed how many public signs use the words "thank you" at the end of the message. The designers of these signs love to write the "thank you" in a handwritten font. I think they do that in order to give the statement a more personal feel. As if it is not as mechanical as the rest of the message.

From a graphic point of view I find it very unappealing and outdated. I think you could achieve the same effect by simple using color or font size/placement. 

I love desktop mats with maps printed on them. That is why I have two of them. One is the world map the other map is on the UK. It allows me to let my mind wonder when I get bored with work. Obviously there are lots of details on these maps and I LOVE to get lost in them. 

Sometimes I spend long minutes staring at the details. Wondering what some of the place on the map are like (many times I come up w/ so many questions in my mind that I am forced to resort to Google) ;-)

Someone can buy me one of Bulgaria for my birthday!

Hello,

Since this is my first post of the new blog I guess it would be appropriate to explain a little bit about my intentions. So here we go... 

As sad as it might sound I tend to spend a lot of time on my own. I drive to lectures alone, live by myself, do my work mostly alone, and even visit the gym without a companion. As a result I am left with a considerable amount of time to notice my surrounding and give thought to the details that make them up. This is where my interest for individual features, fact, and items start. I find myself wondering down the street and taking note of the most bazar little details (and some not so little details:). I do the same online. I will be browsing some website and notice the shadows under the buttons of the main menu or something similar.

The fun part start when I try to explain my observations to somebody else. Most people seem to block out the small details that I notice and they find it surprising or weird that I have taken note. I guess it was a lot less surprising to my colleagues in Design School (RISD and BU CFA), but in a business environment (or simply with friends) people tend to pay less attention to the little details surrounding them. 

This blog is meant to be a tribute to all the small details that go unnoticed, and to the people and natural processes that create them. 

Expect my first discussion of a particular detail very shortly...