Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Silent Film Version (music composed by Phillip Glass)

[PaulisDead2221]

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Silent Film Version
(music composed by Philip Glass)




This is a fanedit or Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), re-imagined as a silent film.  The intertitles are adapted directly from Bram Stoker's novel, and the score is sourced from Dracula (by Philip Glass and Performed by the Kronos Quartet).  The intention is to present a version of the film faithful to the source material released around the turn of the 20th century, in the style of Nosferatu.

I got the idea after picking up Philip Glass' commissioned score for the Todd Browning production of Dracula (1931) and was inspired to re-read the novel.  I've always been impressed with Coppola's interpretation of Stoker's work, as his vision has been the most consistent with the book (even with the tacked-on love story), and was inspired to finally do something unique with film.

I scoured the book for any passages that would help tell the story and showcase the beauty of Stoker's prose.  I simultaneously edited Coppola's film down so it would fit with the music and present a faithful visual interpretation of the novel.

I mixed in footage of Todd Browning's Dracula (1931) in order to make the film seem older.  I also sped the film up 150%, stepped down the frame rate, applied tinting consistent with the practice of dye-based colorization in the silent film era, and applied subtle scratches, grain, and other film damage to suggest age.



























I've made some revisions over the past couple weeks and am currently rendering something I'm happy with.

This is my first fanedit in some time and I'm excited to share this with the community.  It will take some time for me to adapt to the submission process and community guidelines.  I hope to have this available for your viewing pleasure very soon.

Sources:
Video:
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Dracula (1931)

Audio:
Glass: Dracula - by the Kronos Quartet
Philip Glass: Dracula - Michael Riesman

 

[TM2YC]

Sounds like a great idea.

Your screencap links have gone wrong, they need re-formatting but they look very authentic.

Poster is beautiful.

When you get it rendered, I'd be happy to take a look and give any feedback I can.

How did you go about the speed up?

It's a nice film to silent-ify as Coppola was careful to make it with silent film era techniques.

 

[That One Guy]

This project sounds really interesting - I'm very keen to see some screenshots of what your footage looks like, and what style you've chosen for the title cards. Don't keep us waiting too long!

 

[SilverWook]

Neat idea! The intertitle font seems too modern to me though.

Didn't Coppola actually use a hand cranked silent camera for one shot?

 

[ssj]

looks super-eenteresting.

agree with silverwook about the font; maybe something a bit more archaic and blurred.

 

[Aztek463]

That looks amazing! Dracula is one of my favorite books. The 1994 adaptation...well, if we don't have to listen to Keanu's dreadful English accent, all the better. I'll definitely check this out when it's done!

 

[Vultural]

Neat idea! The intertitle font seems too modern to me though.

I concur, but at the same time he is using the Glass score which screams modern.

 

[hbenthow]

One small nitpick regarding the thread title: Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" was released in 1992, not 1994.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Philip Glass score, but who knows, maybe it will work better here than with the 1931 movie. I've only heard it with the 1931 movie, so perhaps my dislike of it is informed by how poorly (in my opinion) it fits there.

As someone who has been working on and off on an edit* of "Bram Stoker's Dracula" for years now (I'm determined to finish it sooner or later), this project is of particular interest to me. Perhaps I will be able to get some useful ideas from your version.

How faithful to the book do you intend to make your version?


* Here's the opening scene of my edit. The video password is fanedit.org.

 

[PaulisDead2221]

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]Neat idea! The intertitle font seems too modern to me though.[/font]

You make a good point.  I chose Arial because as far as fonts go it doesn't draw attention to itself.  It's a sans-serif no-nonsense kind of lettering.  Considering the font was invented in the 80's, it seems worth it to explore something less anachronistic with the style of the edit.  Does anybody have any suggestions I can try?

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]How faithful to the book do you intend to make your version?[/font]

Each and every title card is directly adapted from the book--word for word; and the visuals are edited to match the narrative established by the title cards.  My intention is to create the most faithful adaptation of Stoker's novel ever made.

I've included a short clip, mostly showcasing how Glass' beautiful score contributes to the mood of the piece, but also showcases how the book ultimately drives the story.

Password: fanedit.org

 

[ssj]

the aged film look is fab, and the nearly square dimensions give the presentation a great period feel.

in general, subtitles should be in a sans serif font, but for the purposes of your edit, you don't have to abide by that rule.

the serif fonts can provide that gothic touch that arial can't.

of course, that's just an opinion, so do what you think works best.

 

[That One Guy]

Personally, I'm a sucker for Fontleroy Brown or Little Lord Fontleroy. But there are also plenty of Old English fonts that might be suitable depending on what you're looking for. Another option might be Peake Doubled.

You could also look at Viner Hand ITC (a Microsoft font, not free - possibly bundled with Office, though) or something similar for the journal sections if you want to differentiate between narration and dialogue.

 

[PaulisDead2221]

My main concern for any font is readability--particularly with more challenging passages, but I think Fontleroy works quite well.

 

[hbenthow]

^ That looks very good.

 

[NewSpock]

Awesome idea and strangely fitting.

 

[Vultural]

I agree, but watch your text length.
The "wall of text" ought to be a no-no.

None of the above examples are WOT, by the way.

 

[SilverWook]

That font looks "right". 

 

[addiesin]

This is a perfect opportunity to use immortal Keanu, otherwise known as Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel for the cover. 

 

[SatansWaffles]

Out of all the fanedits I've seen in the fanedit ideas and in-the-works forums, this has me most excited. Mainly because you are combing three things I love: Coppola's Dracula, silent films, and Glass' score. But it also looks awesome! 

I loved the soundtrack so much that last Halloween I went and saw the Kronos Quartet, conducted by Glass himself, perform the piece live along with the original film in LA on Halloween night. I will help in any way that I can with this edit because I adore the idea so.

A little tidbit that might help: If you're looking for variations on the Kronos Quartet's performance of the piece, Glass' favorite conductor, Michael Riesman, recorded the entire soundtrack as a solo piano piece. So if you were looking for some variation (not that you are) that might be a place to look.

Good luck, what you've shown us so far looks great!

 

[PaulisDead2221]

A little tidbit that might help: If you're looking for variations on the Kronos Quartet's performance of the piece, Glass' favorite conductor, Michael Riesman, recorded the entire soundtrack as a solo piano piece. So if you were looking for some variation (not that you are) that might be a place to look.

Wow.  I caught some clips on youtube and the mood of a solo piano fits just as perfectly with the concept of a silent film presentation as a quartet.  If Riesman's version is timed similarly with the Kronos Quartet's version, you've got me thinking "alternate score."  :angel:

I submitted the edit for some feedback and re-did a lot of the fonts.  Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.  I also went through and fixed some timing issues with the intertitles that were bugging me.  I think this is something that is on track to be released very soon.

 

[SatansWaffles]

Wow.  I caught some clips on youtube and the mood of a solo piano fits just as perfectly with the concept of a silent film presentation as a quartet.  If Riesman's version is timed similarly with the Kronos Quartet's version, you've got me thinking "alternate score."  :angel: 

I submitted the edit for some feedback and re-did a lot of the fonts.  Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.  I also went through and fixed some timing issues with the intertitles that were bugging me.  I think this is something that is on track to be released very soon.

I was actually thinking after I posted that how amazing it would have been if he had done it on an organ! Than it would have been absolutley perfect for a silent film. As is, it's pretty good. As for matching up, it's almost perfect. I'm looking at the track times for both in my iTunes library right now, and there's usually only a second or two difference in track time between the two performances.

Very excited to see this! As stated before, you're taking a bunch of stuff I'm a huge fan of and mixing it together. Keep up the good work!