In a recent article, Danny Boyle’s 15 Golden Rules of Moviemaking, filmmaker Danny Boyle wrote about showing up on set with “a look book”:
10. COME TO THE SET WITH A LOOK BOOK • I always have a bible of photographs, images by which I illustrate a film. I don’t mean strict storyboards, I just mean for inspiration for scenes, for images, for ideas, for characters, for costumes, even for props. These images can come from anywhere. They can come from obvious places like great photographers, or they can come from magazine advertisements—anywhere, really. I compile them into a book and I always have it with me and I show it to the actors, the crew, everybody!
I am intrigued by the concept of creating a look book. Purists will balk at creating a look book, “You’re going to pollute your vision with the work of others.” The rest of us will have what we need to tell the story the way it must be told.
But don’t stop at photographs. Collect words and typographic treatments, old and new paintings, architecture, color, music, abstract art, waveforms, symbols, comics, websites, tweets, trash, and textures.
Everything can be put into a look book.
You only will get out what you put in.