My Secret Lair

I decided after extensive research to base my lair on the genre of anti-heroes, which combines the characteristics of a good guy and a bad guy in one individual.

Characters/ films that have influenced me in this choice include Hell Boy and Jumper. Hell boy is a demon, raised by a secret US Government Organization from his early years after being created by and rescued from the Nazis; he grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness. In the film Jumper a young man has the ability to teleport himself anywhere in the world. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and that he is not the only one with it. He finds himself in a conflict that has been in progress for thousands of years between Jumpers and those who have promised to kill them all. This young man is a good/bad character as he wants to protect the important people in his life but he also does things for his own benefit like stealing money from banks while using his special power.

I have also looked at the cartoon characters the Power-Puff girls, who are three little girls who gained superpowers when they were accidentally created by chemical X by their father. They are called Blossom,Bubbles and Buttercup. Each episode is about the girls using their powers to defend their town from huge monsters and villains. They are more of a good character than an anti-hero but in some of their episodes their images and attitudes have changed into villains. I am attracted to the colourful nature of the characters and how the episodes have been set out, it’s very full of life.

I have recently watched the films The Incredibles and Leon the Professional, which are super/antihero/villain related. The Incredibles is based on a family of undercover superhero’s, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world. Their lair was there house with their family, so it was similar to the Fantastic Four who lived in an apartment block except they were not a family.

Leon the Professional is a film by Luc Beson based on a professional assassin called Leon who reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old called Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed and teaches her his trade. Leon had many lairs, which consisted of hotel rooms, he is actually an antihero, he is a hit man but he would never hurt a woman or child. He cares and looks after a plant, he never drinks alcohol and he doesn’t do drugs. This film is a untypical action/love film.

Bate Cave

This picture below communicates many different things to me, it looks very spooky, dark and mysterious. There are stalactites hanging from the ceiling to make it look like an actual cave, hence this being the metaphor since the room is obviously not a cave. There is a huge batman symbol lite by spotlights which tells me that this is the Bat Cave but the ordinary chairs lowers the effect of the image created.

Dr Frankenstein’s Lab

This picture to me shows that you are meant to believe there are human organs in the cylinders. The sphere in the middle looks like electricity is running through it and gives the impression that something perhaps a life form is being created. At first I saw a sort of operating table, which seemed like a body was on it but as I looked deeper into the picture no one was there. But I started to think there was someone standing next to the table but I am still not quite sure. I think they do not want you to see that someone is there and that's the potential horror of it. The picture is drawing your attention to the certain areas with stronger lighting. It is not a very clear picture, but a lot of horror scenes are not clear so it makes you think, your imagination is filling the gaps.

Superman's the Fortress of Solitude

This picture shows many faces. The Lair was for Superman to communicate with his father who sent him to earth to escape the destruction of their home planet and as a safe location to grow up. The Lair is made of ice in many different shapes. Light can pass through the ice and the Lair is very bright. The spectrum of light effect when light passes through ice/glasses has the effect of creating rainbows.

The one advantage Superman's villains had against him was that he was allergic to Kryptonite.

Fantastic 4's Baxter Building

With this picture, the building looks quite confusing, there is a lot going on and happening. Fantastic four is based on a group of astronauts that gain superpowers after a cosmic radiation exposure and they must use them to contradict the plans of their enemy, Doctor Victor Von Doom.

The Joker's Lair

From this picture, you can see the Joker is insane and loves colour, he is delusional on many levels.

Giovanni Battista

Was a famous Italian artist and known for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric prisons.

Tim Burton

Is an American film director, producer, writer and artist, he is known for his quirky themes. Tim Burton is very close friends with Johnny Depp, he has been working with him on his latest film due to come out on the 5th March 2010: Alice in Wonderland.

Maurice Bernard Sendak

Is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature, he is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are.

Joseph Cornell

Was an American artist and sculptor, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage. The Surrealists influenced him; he was also an avant-garde experimental filmmaker.