02/04
MADAME BUTTERFLY

^{(Created with Adobe Photoshop and Cinema 4D.)}

This sequence focuses on the third act of the infamous Puccini opera: Madame Butterfly, which is about the tragic tale of Cio Cio San (Butterfly), a young Japanese girl who falls in love with an American naval officer Pinkerton, with devastating consequences.

ACT THREE: Dawn breaks, Pinkerton appears, Butterfly rushes in hoping to find Pinkerton, but sees his new wife instead. Grasping the situation, she agrees to give up the marriage but insists Pinkerton return for her. Dismissing everyone, Butterfly takes out the dagger and stabs herself as Pinkerton arrives.

In order to capture the true essence of Noh show, I incorporated metaphorical elements in the costume designs and sets to help convey the storyline. For example, Noh masks such as Namanari (represent a woman who feels extremely angry) and Ko-omote (represent deity or spirit in the form of young woman). The costume that the puppet (representation of Madame Butterfly) is wearing, is inspired by Shiromuku, a traditional Japanese wedding gown that represents chastity of the bride.

Inspired by traditional Japanese performance arts, I looked into the world of Noh show. Noh drama is the oldest surviving form of Japanese theater. Noh movement is slow, the tone is monotonous, and costumes are theatrical and heavy. Noh themes often relate to dreams, supernatural worlds and spirits, which fits the theme of this sequence perfectly.

In order to channel the grand emotion of madame Butterfly, I got inspired by the theatrical lighting of Japanese Butoh dance. The story is sad, grand and emotional, to convey the feeling of desolation, I use strong spotlights and colored lights to enhance the contrast of shadows and lighting to create a theatrical look in the sequence.