This weekend I went with some friends to the
Hunger Games exhibition at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. It's basically a cool glimpse behind the scenes of the movies. It was AMAZING to see costumes, props, etc., up close and to check out what went into creating the world of Panem on-screen. If you're a HG fan and you're able to come visit, I highly recommend it - click the link to go to the official website. (There is also an exhibition in New York.)
I took a TON of pictures, so this post will be pic-heavy.
First of all, some Palace of Fine Arts appreciation pics:
I don't spend a lot of time in San Francisco, and it's been AGES since I was last here. God, how gorgeous is this place??
The exhibition itself is in Innovation Hangar. When you first enter, there is an anteroom where Effie Trinket herself welcomes you:
And from then on, you're free to roam through the different sections, each one focusing on different aspects of the series, like costumes, setting, props, etc., as well as the science involved in different aspects of the story, like identifying plants or tying knots or underground hydroponics.
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| Some set pieces from the Hob |
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| Katniss' and Gale's costumes from CF |
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| Katniss' and Prim's Reaping Day dresses from HG |
Close-ups of Katniss' outfits (of which there were PLENTY):
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| For my edification, as a knitter :) |
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| Learn about plants! |
"Welcome, welcome!... And may the odds be ever in your favor!"
This is the first time I've ever seen an official map of Panem. When I was reading the series originally,
a quick Google search showed me a NUMBER of fan hypotheses as to the layout of the districts. Note how they're not in a particular numerical order, but we know that, obviously, District 4 needs to be near water, the Capitol is protected by the Rocky Mountains, and District 8 must be somewhere near District 12 (because of the refugees Katniss meets in the woods), and of course, the big blank area near 12 is District 13. And we know that District 12 is in Appalachia. This was super, SUPER interesting, and I probably stared at it longer than even the costumes.
Me: "OMG IS THAT THE MAHOGANY TABLE? YASSSSSSSSSSSS!"
The Victory Tour from CF:
Booooooooooo:
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| Peacekeepers, eww |
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| President Snow's outfits |
One of my favorite scenes, because they just look SO awesome:
Look at the gorgeous patterning on that fabric that you don't really get to see
in the actual movie!
And there was a green screen area where you could have your photo taken on the actual tribute chariots riding into the Capitol. (I decided not to.)
The party at Snow's mansion:
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| I love this dress even more in person than in the film! |
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| The black suit is Seneca Crane's, though obviously he wasn't at the party |
Smile, you're on Capitol TV!
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| Peeta and Caesar Flickerman |
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| If you look closely, you can see beading in the fringe |
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| Thanks for having me, Caesar! |
Sketches by Cinna:
Once at the Capitol, the Tributes meet each other and begin training for any number of conditions and obstacles in the arena. And then they have to stay alive.
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| Selfie with Finnick! |
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| I want this outfit for the gym |
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| Finnick's trident on the left! Beetee's wire cannister in the middle! |
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| "Apply generously and stay alive. -Haymitch" |
The gamemakers' console:
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| Interactive educational stuff |
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| Effie <3 |
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| RIP, Philip Seymour Hoffman |
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| Where is Finnick? ODAIR HE IS! |
Mockingjay: the final chapter of the saga -
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| District 13 |
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| EFFIE'S. FREAKIN. SHOES! |
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| New weapons for our revolutionaries |
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| Beetee! |
I got to create my own propo:
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| Prim and Mama Everdeen |
And for the grand finale, one glorious tribute to the girl on fire...
*all the hearts*
At the very end, there was a gallery of amazing fanart, and then, of course, a gift shop, which sold merch that oftentimes seemed to miss the point of the book, like crop tops with "Girl on Fire" scrawled across them or diamond-studded mockingjay pins for $7,500.
I kid you not. (I purchased for myself a tasteful charm bracelet.)
So, yeah, this was TOTALLY fun and interesting, and it made me want to go home immediately to marathon all the movies. All in all, this series (as a whole) is one of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations, and I would love to see this book trilogy eventually take its place among the classic dystopian novels of literature. I was sad after seeing
Mockingjay Pt. 2 because I knew it was truly over, but I'm glad that this exhibition exists, because it really made me appreciate the stories all over again.
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| One more with my bby :) #finnick5ever |
