Tag: amazon

High Castle: FYC Promotional Booklet Review

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Consider an  Amazon Original: The Man in the High Castle, Season 1 and Season 2

Let me start off by saying that I was thrilled to get these. Ever since glimpses if the promo for Season 1 made their way onto various corners of the Internet, I’ve wanted it. 

What are these things? You might find yourself asking. They’re promotional advertisements sent to award voters (in this case, The Emmy’s) in hopes of garnering their vote. 

When I saw the Season 1 & 2 set for a reasonable price, I couldn’t pass them up. Now let’s dive right into the good stuff!

Season 1

Comprised of quotes from the crew overlaid onto behind the scenes photos and collages, it gives the reader a small peek into the creative process behind the world building. 

I think one of my favorite snapshots was the picture of a costume designer’s notes about Juliana’s blue dress.

Each of the characters in THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE struggles with how to do the right thing in his or her own way. It’s difficult to hold onto humanity if you’re forced to live under inhumane circumstances

Frank Spotnitz , writer/executive producer
Season 2

It was thinner than Season 1, but it was not without it’s own unique twist. It featured two flip pages where the base design was printed on a thin sheet (a faint outline of shapes on the next page is visible). Once flipped, the viewer sees how base design flourished into a detailed, finished set.

It ended with a clever promotion for Resistance Radio. Remember that? It felt like ages ago. Oh, the fun that was! Good memories! If I ever find the promotional record they sent out (top right), I am snatching that up. If anyone knows where I can get one, please contact me on Twitter @MishiWan

It’s all in the Details.

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As I am reading through Mike Avila’s The Man in the High Castle, Creating the Alt World, I am reminded why I was drawn to the show in the first place: It’s all in the details. I’m going to focus on Season 4 and the things that stood out the most (if I were to write about every little background prop, this would be a door stopper that I’d never finish!).

Battle of Denver

Accurate street names – when they mentioned Colfax ave., I was ecstatic at the attention to detail and taking the extra time to get it right.

On the left is a map from my trip to Denver back in February. Colfax Ave. is circled in red.

Winter Solstice

I was amazed at how much thought and research went into creating the alt worlds of High Castle, especially when they had to figure out how societies would evolve and what kind of holidays would they celebrate.

Himmler (the real Himmler) was big into paganism and incorporated it into the SS [1][2]. I wondered what a Reich Christmas would look like, and the creative team at High Castle did their homework. Circled on the lower left is a cutout of Odin, a prominent deity in Norse Mythology [3]. It appears as though he is a replacement for Santa Claus.

Circled in the upper left is a banner that reads, “Winter Solstice,” commonly referred to as Yule. For brevity’s sake, I’m going to quote Wikipedia on this:

Yule or Yuletide (“Yule time” or “Yule season”) is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.

The Twilight Zone

Whoever came up with this alternate spin on one of my favorite childhood TV shows deserves a fucking medal. It was pure genius, and I loved every second of it. The writers have stated time and time again that there are parallels between worlds, and this was one of them. Everything was true to the original show in our universe, right down to the music and narrator. It was such a creative twist using Abendsen as the host as a way to turn it into propaganda.

Realistic Technology

During the scene pictured below, the children are being eavesdropped on. When the camera pans to the device on the right, we can hear crackling and static. My immediate thought was there are at least two different factions listening in on them. When you have two different groups using radio to transmit or receive at the same time within close proximity to each other, there will be static and interference on both sides.

I was delighted when we later saw that the children were, in fact, being watched by the Resistance and Hoover and that the static wasn’t just there as a LOOK THEY ARE BEING SPIED ON attention grabber.

And can we just appreciate the alt world maps for a second? 

If anyone from @HighCastleTV is reading this, please reproduce this map and sell it! I would love to own one! I still want one of those promo radio sets they sent to random people a few years back…

What was your favorite little detail?

Resources

[1] Ideology of the SS: Attitude Toward Religion
[2] Further reading: Heinrich Himmler
[3] Further reading: Odin

The Exemplary Television Awards

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Today is a very special #FanCastleSunday! 

Hello, and welcome to the one and only Exemplary Television Awards! Today we celebrate the greatest television show of all time. It has earned its mark in television history for its poignant themes, stunning visuals, exceptional acting, and soundtrack. The individuals involved with the creation of the show have earned this medal a thousand times over.

Let’s give it up for Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle! 

At the End of the Day, He’s Just a Man

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Welcome to another #FanCastleSunday! Today I’m diving in and taking a deep look at Smith and why his fate was the perfect storm. Smith is one of the most well written and complex characters of all time, played by the talented Rufus Sewell (he truly deserves an Emmy for his performance as John Smith).

Smith – The Complex Character

Fan Castle Sundays: A TMITHC Fan Celebration

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With November just over the horizon, Season 4 is inching closer and closer, which means that the end of the show will be here before we know it. I’ve met many wonderful people through TMITHC, fans just as dedicated as I am. I’ve made friends, I’ve laughed, and I’ve lamented over characters. I’ve even swapped things in the mail with friends across the pond!

Truth be told, I don’t know what I’m going to do after Season 4. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: TMITHC has been a huge part of my life for the past couple of years.

I look back at all mky Rufus Sewell drawings (ha, ha!), peg dolls, fake props, and Club High Castle and wonder what the hell am I going to do once it’s over?

The thing is, fandoms last forever. TMITHC will never fade so long as we keep it alive. I’m going to Keep watching, keep creating, and keep making friends, which is why I’m going to put some of the fans in the spotlight!

Join me this Sunday for the first ever #FanCastleSunday, a series of fan interviews! It’s a day to share your fanart, gifs, photo manips, memes, and more!

While we’re at it, can we bring back #ManCastleMondays?

Lee Shorten, High Castles Sgt. Yoshida