NOTE — Bound is set in the present day, but the style references below use movies and TV shows from the mid-1950s to ‘60s. I ended up there through my mother. When I was a kid in the ‘90s we had one TV (and no devices) and when it was her turn I had to sit through whatever was on Turner Classic Movies. The first, non-kid movie I remember sitting through was Some Like It Hot (1959), and well, you know how it goes. In many ways, we stay who we were as kids or teenagers, as far the things we like. So, my affinity for that time in movies and TV endures, and it’s a few projects from that period that I’ve always thought of for So Far Bound’s style templates. … I know; I should be Marvel-izing or Friends-ifying the references for the show, but, what I should do isn’t the truth.
Pictured: Stalag 17, by Billy Wilder. A light-hearted movie set against the heavy backdrop of a concentration camp during WWII.
01. How Bound could “PLAY”
— What’s the tone? How do the characters (or actors) generally perform? The answer: Like Billy Wilder in beast mode. In the 1950s, the director Billy Wilder went on an all-time hot streak starting with Sunset Boulevard in 1950 and ending with The Apartment in 1960.
You’d probably call both of those projects a “comedy” first, with their bouncier dialogue and more spirited characters, but each gave room for sincerity and, at times, darkness. Even Some Like It Hot, which is the silliest movie of the streak, shows grace through the delicate (but still rowdy) performance by Marilyn Monroe.
In Bound, we want to take inspiration from Billy Wilder and company. We want to have a good time first, showing characters in a sillier manner to start, and then, the fun challenge is trying to deftly slide them into moments of quiet or drama, or mania or sensuality, when the story calls for it.
Pictured: The Magnificent Seven, by John Sturges. Seven is an “adventure” movie that rarely leaves a single town/location.
02. How Bound could “FEEL”
— What’s the ambiance? What’s the vibe of the world at large, in which the characters perform? Answer: Similar to the vibes found in the “golden age” of westerns. Obviously, Bound won’t look like a western, but qualities found in that sub-genre were considered during the writing. Things like: a “frontier” element, outlaws, posses, a bit of grandeur and certain kind of “edge.”
For the characters in Bound, they’re in a similar “pioneering” position in a world that’s new and maybe fledgling to them. As for outlaws, no one is on the run, per say, but the characters were happy to get away from their home. … There’s a palpable edge in all westerns, born of reckless times, that could feature in Bound as the city around the characters undergoes a transformation. But just like the old westerns, that “edge” would play more tongue-in-cheek.
A clean example for Bound is The Magnificent Seven, in which a group of gunslingers are brought in to protect a town. The characters in Bound certainly aren’t saviors, but, there is that “posse” element in a group of outsiders arriving someplace (with vistas!) and having an affect on it - for better or for worse.
Pictured: Blue Hawaii, by Norman Taurog. Again, Bound is set in the present day; envision the 2025 version of the image above.
03. How bound could “LOOK”
— What’s the decor? How are physical settings presented? Answer: Like the “Elvis Goes Places” sub-genre of the early ‘60s. Presley starred in about a dozen movies in which he went off to some place, sang songs and got the girl. The movies, god bless ‘em, aren’t good, but going to Hawaii or Acapulco in technicolor ain’t a bad way to spend some time.
Bound also aspires to create a “destination” feel to the place in which the characters are stranded. It doesn’t mean we won’t get into the grime of a setting, but overall, we’ll try to promote colors and nature and to have a bit of a strut. We’ll achieve that through custom builds and/or finding real locations that hold those attributes.
… Another quality that separates the Elvis movies from other cool, location movies of the time period (like Contempt or L’Avventura) is that they’re so kitschy but in the best ways. For example, the sets in Fun in Acapulco or Blue Hawaii are “chic” on one hand and like a Margaritaville on the other. Either way, you like to be up in there.
Pictured: North by Northwest, by Alfred Hitchcock. A cool thing about this small, pocket of time in movies and TV is that directors were becoming more empowered, stylistically. And so, movies and series started to “move” more unconventionally, but still in the sandbox of classical pictures. The results are projects that are both old and new wave at once. … It’s a nice ideal for Bound, as we want to seek new things in filmmaking or distribution but still pay homage to past loves.
04. How bound could “MOVE”
— What’s the general filming style? How does the camera go? If you’re into movie history this is going to be, like, so basic but the answer is in Alfred Hitchcock’s canon. Here’s the main reason: Movie stars were never more movie-starrin’ than when they were in a Hitchcock movie. Why? Because Alfie was a freak, often obsessive over his stars, and so, he glorified them in the frame (even if he did not behind it).
In Bound, it’s got to be all about the people, meaning both the main and supporting characters. Expect a good dose of faces in close frames plus wider views that follow or linger just a little longer on the characters. By consequence, that gaze, in more withdrawn views, will also help highlight the settings.
… Another great thing about Hitchcock films is that they’re more methodical first, with moments of mania second. It’s a consequence of the time, sure; cameras couldn’t swing like they can today. But still, I love the way he steadily tilts or pans and blocks in a scene before dropping a dramatic zoom or cut. It’s a like boxer jabbing, jabbing, jabbing - boom - then throwing a blow. Bound, too, will present more standard (or “classical”) at first, but still take its share of swings.
Pictured: The cover of the Lady Soul album, 1968.
05. How Bound could “ROCK”
— How’s the musical score? What kind of songs are used? The primary theme and musical score of the series will tailor to the cultural traits of the setting and filming location. In writing, the setting has been envisioned as something more Caribbean, and so, a lot of the current writing playlist features music with Afro and Latin roots.
In addition to that theme, we hope to be able to feature other, great music in Bound. If I had it my way, the whole damn series would open with a set piece featuring the song People Get Ready. A good picture’s got to have some soul, you know? It comes from writing and acting, sure, but also, you could just cheat and bring in Aretha Franklin to go off and make ya face scrunch and ya knees buckle.
Click the link to a 4-pack of songs that got heavy rotation on the writing playlist and set a standard for the series. SO FAR SOUNDS.
Pictured: L’Homme de Rio, by Philippe de Broca. In the movie, a French couple wind up in Brasil, forcing trials in Portuguese.
06. How bound could “HEAR”
— The final location (and thus story setting) will inform the “atmosphere” sounds of the series, meaning the sounds of life in the background like the surrounding nature, the city streets, on down to what’s being cooked in a kitchen in that particular place. Also, it will inform the language spoken by the supporting, local characters, which should differ from the English spoken by the stranded passengers.
Speaking of English, it may be a secondary language to some of the main characters, allowing for moments of banter, hi-jinks and sometimes danger due to their various interpretations on the language. What’s more, with a (likely) multi-lingual cast, we can have occasions in which the characters perform in their native tongues.