Elements of My Case Study
- maria laporte
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
March 3, 2026
This past week, I have completed a first pass of the components for my case study, and have attempted to reconstruct my question to fit my idea better. In these past couple of MODI meetings, I've been having a difficult time trying to communicate the idea I have in my head to the small groups, so I think the next step is to try to define it better. I decided to work backwards, defining my question AFTER listing the other components of it, in attempts of avoiding "word fluff."
Motivation: Bringing more freedom within architectural design in a time of "mundane modernity."
How do reality and fiction interact and gain inspiration from each other?
Audience: Consists of architects and designers looking for inspiration in contemporary architecture.
Impact: Is to inspire more "whimsical" design in the real world.
Why can't we use storytelling/fantasy within reality?
Is fantasy limited to only conceptual design for film?
Method: Still in process, but I plan to take inspiration from Hannah Both's case study ("Alfred Hitchcock as a Cinematic Architect of Suspense?"798)
Analysis of films through diagramming
Creating my own architectural design following the studied and found attributes
Theory: Through investigation of scenography in fantastical films, architects can gain insight into creating designs that test the limitations of reality, specifically through the blending of architectural styles and greater analysis of experiences/perception within spaces.
Which leads me to my question... How do I format a question that perfectly describes my concept? Do I need to narrow it down so that my question is both attainable for myself and the audience? Perhaps I need to do a bit more research before I finalize it, but for now, this is what I came up with...
How can architects analyze the notes of architectural realism and stylistic hybridity in film's fictional worlds to understand how fantastical atmospheres are constructed, and how those insights can be translated to evoke imagination and transform contemporary practice in a reality of "mundane modernity."
I am looking to better research and perfect this analysis of my topic before Thursday and gain insight from other's case studies in the coming class, especially as the presentations for the honors committee is quickly approaching.
Hi Maria,
Organizing your thoughts is always helpful. Here are a copule of things to consider. First, your research question is in two parts. The first portion states "How do reality and fiction interact and gain inspiration from each other?" Can you identify architects/designers that also work in film? I think that is the direction that would be required. This would mean that you would need a parallel comparison between film and architecture. Second, the impact is simply an additional list of questions. What do you hope to achieve through your work and what will be the value? Noting that these comments are late -- this blog post was not posted on 3/3 or 3/4.
Hey Maria!
I haven't looked into your project in weeks and there's been so much growth! I love your idea and I think your question is really approaching an interesting question we, as designers, should all face. I have a question though, are you only looking at movie's set designs? I think it would be beneficial to possibly include shows or even commercials. I know that broadens your scope rather than narrows it, but there's some whimsical commercials and shows out there. My favorite whimsical show is Good Omens. Their set design is often overlooked, but that just show's how perfect it is for the story. Like, obviously, the scenes would look like that to fit the story best, so…
Hey!
I really love this idea, Im always an advocate for the role of whimsy and storytelling in life! I wonder though, what particular precedents are you looking at as potential case studies for cinematic architecture?
Hey Maria!!
I have to say I am very jealous of your topic, I think it's so interesting and could be very inciteful at the very least to an audience gravitating towards set design. I know you're headed towards movies and not scenography in general but! I still wanted to give these to you as suggestions to look into your "whimsical" design approach - these I would call surreal or absurd but whimsical can really be anything (you get to define it!)
Maybe through understanding the approaches of these scenographers you will be able to better diagram how movies approach set design?
Josef Svoboda
Es Devlin
Boris Aronson
Edward Gordon Craig
Adolphe Appia
(these come free and were just from…