Re:Lexx Forum Ideas for DC 2004
OR a topic that focusses on the style of various shows the LEXX crew and cast have worked on, and compare/contrast them with LEXX.
Here’s an idea (you’ve probably done similar things before)…
The Lexx auteurs:
In film, [i]auteur[/i] (or author) [i]theory[/i] dictates that some directors (whether writers or not) leave a stylistic imprint on all their films, maintain artistic control, and it is their [b]primary[/b] vision, their creativity and style, their design that ultimately determines the end result of the film. However, many argue that the industrial medium of making film (and TV) is a collaborative effort (writer, director, cinematographer, producer[s], actors etc.), and no one individual should be given the primary credit as too many people are working on it and there are too many forces at work (including economic ones). In TV, writers rather than directors are far more likely to be considered [i]auteur[/i] – as the director’s tend not to have the same creative control. Is Lexx a truly, FULLY collaborative effort, or is there a primary auteur, someone whose vision stands out more than the others at least (a Divine Bean if you will, well there is a Divine Bean). When looking at their other work, can you see similarities, stylistic imprints/flourishes cropping up again and again?
So, on that note and angle, prepare a slideshow, employ clips, and discuss the LEXX cast and crew’s overall body of work, and see how it relates to the LEXX universe (compare, perhaps on a scene-by scene basis). For instance, are there common motifs, ideas, and stylistic similarities to be found in the Beans non-Lexxian projects? Why were the directors, and Marty Simon chosen for Lexx, have they worked on similar shows? How about the Lexx cast? Have they portrayed similar characters in other shows? Why were they chosen for Lexx (their qualities, other gigs)? Have any of them been typecast since? I certainly recognise that Nigel Bennett’s Prince character owed a lot to his Forever Knight one, and have seen Ellen Dubin as a few sci-fi villains in other movies/shows.
It would be a lot of work to really research this (though there must be others who have done so) and to prepare the individual clips and slides for presentation.
Edit: [i]More ideas[/i]:
To be discussed with visual aids again…
How about a philosophical discussion on LEXX symbolism, religion, and ideology… Political ideas of the Cluster etc. What statements does LEXX make about the world we live in, and how we interact with others (I think the Beans were quite clever when it comes to these questions)? What are the major messages of the show? Was S4 more satirical or farcical? etc.
Also, what does it mean to be LEXXian? How does one let ones LEXXiness shine in every day life?