Steam Punk
As a huge fan of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy, the Wave-inatrix was quite partial to THE GOLDEN COMPASS. And to the art direction of the movie. When I read the books I did not as much envision the steampunkatmosphere, but the movie brought that to the fore beautifully. Who can forget the zeppelin that Lyra and Mrs. Coulter (Kidman) took to the North?
It got me to thinking about steampunk - a look, feel, style and narrative choice that has always enthralled me, from Jules Verne to Mark Twain to Terry Gilliam. I even bothered to do a little research. Steampunk is a sort of "retrofuturism" - the way the future was imagined a hundred years ago, when steam power was the main source of power and cogs, wheels, watches and springs were the primary mechanisms in a world that was rapidly industrializing. A sort of grimy, Victorian, soot-covered but very mechanical futuristic look, the influence of steampunk can be seen in movies like BRAZIL and BLADE RUNNER. As with any sub-subculture, steampunk has afficionados, addicts and anime. And so naturally, the Wave-inatrix wondered - are there any steampunk fans who read the Rouge Wave?
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4 comments:
Julie - not only am I a fan, my next project (moving into outline soon) involves a variation on the concept. Same idea of 'real technology alchemized through a punkish DIY ethic' but set on the eve of WWII. I love the idea of twisting tech to do crazy but utterly plausible things.
(Btw, I found your terrific blog a month or so back by doing some googling on Pilar Alessandra, who I'm working with on my current project, which is also a genre-blender - my specialty.)
Pilar is, as they say, the shit. I love that lady. So smart, so classy and so good at what she does. Send her my regards :)
p.s. welcome to the Rouge Wave! Soon, you'll get a cupcake!
I will definitely do so - and you're right, she knows her stuff very well! We had a recent consult, and her notes and encouragement (knocked me over with her sincere compliments on my writing) are fantastic!
Loving the blog, and I'll keep reading!
I have a HUG steampunk-y project in my near future. I'm a little daunted at the research ahead of me.
My first exposure to Steampunk was the book "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling: http://www.amazon.com/Difference-Engine-Spectra-Special-Editions/dp/055329461X
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