http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00ktwvp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeekjFs2A20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zVhSKsMnok
http://vimeo.com/5410762
http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2012/02/09/kiss-a-love-story/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p009lvfl
Task 2-
How is colour used or represented in your four films?
· Character
· Narrative
· Camera techniques
· Mise en scene
· Editing
· Sound, music and dialogue
Character-
Out of these four films I felt that colour was best represented, in terms of character, in the films ColourBleed and Solitude. In these two movies the main characters were given colours via their costumes that represented their characters and their personalities well. In ColourBleed the main protagonist was a young woman who wore bright and vibrant coloured clothing which represented her desire for creativity and spirit, this contrasted with the old woman who sat behind the counter, she was the opposite of the young protagonist wearing dull coloured clothing and suppressing her creative side.
The idea of the bleeding of colour from the two characters was also interesting in that to me they represented their passion, the young woman let her colours out and died doing what she loved. On the other hand, the old woman decided to repress her creativity by wearing gloves and covering her abilities. I think that the bleeding colour represents how the world is becoming ignorant to creativity, as the young woman died to express her imagination. This juxtaposition of the two characters and their desires helped to present colour as two different views of modern creativity that conflict with each other.
In Solitude, the main character is dressed in a dull grey suit which suggests that he is a boring and colourless person, however throughout the short film we see that he is surrounded by a colourful and lively world. The contrast between the dark and dull colours of the character and his home compared to the bright colours of the outside world suggest to me that the man in the grey suit is an outsider to the world hence the title of the film ‘Solitude’. We see that the lonely man wants to bring colour into his world as he takes home a bright pink flower into his dull home. This isolated character and his emotions are highlighted by the colours used to represent him and it is colour that is used to represent his desire to fit into the world.
Narrative-
Colours and Kiss's narrative is my favorite out of the four films, in this short film the narrator talks of the colours White, Yellow, Red and Blue describing how "we live in so many different beautiful colours all in one nation", Each colour is described as a symbol of human nature. The beginning and middle of the film was in black and white I think to inspire the audience to think about the colours, motivating the audience to use their imagination. At the end, the film shows some vibrant and colourful shots of various places, objects and people to demonstrate. This was similar to Kiss in which colour was only shown at the end to show the importance of it to the world. I felt that this was a simple but effective ending with the thought provoking narrative compared to the other short films such as ColourBleed which I felt has too difficult a narrative to easily understand which despite being a thought provoking film, the narration left me feeling unsatisfied, acting like an appetizer to a meal that never really comes. I feel that it is best to use a simple story for narratives as it makes the film more accessible but also still allowing it to be potentially complex and captivating. Kiss is one of the films that demonstrates a simple story being told in a unique way.Camera techniques-
Solitude and ColourBleed were the two films that intrigued me most with camera techniques, there were a lot of interesting wide shots in Solitude to show the vivid settings the main character traveled through. ColourBleed on the other hand used a variety of shots that help to portray the story in a simple manner with appropriate shots, I felt that the shots helped to enhance the technically great engaging visuals, ColourBleed also uses some unique shots such as the slow motion shot of the bird and close ups on the colour bleeding hand. Kiss is an animation film that incorporates interesting technical elements, I found that the use of the simple colours of black and white and the transitions between the shots were excellent.
I have learnt from these four films that it is best to use a variety of shots but also include unique shots that would make the film more interesting like in ColourBleed.
Mise en Scene-
The Mise en Scene in ColourBleed was the best out of the films in my opinion, the costume, sets, props e.t.c were a lot better and more professional than the others. The costume's and actors were the most well done aspect of Mise en Scene in the film. The actors especially the young main protagonist and old woman were cast well, the actor of the young woman suited her character very well with her hairstyle and tattoos that aided her in looking more like her character. The costume was great in terms of colour and look, the red shirt the young woman wore showed a picture of a woman with her middle finger up and portrays the rebellious nature of the young woman. On the other hand, the old woman's costume and its dull colours suited her character and was an obvious contrast to the young woman.
The setting in ColourBleed was excellent, most of it was set in a dreary looking set with fantastic attention to detail, for example in the scene where the young woman was standing waiting in line and was gazing out the window, the view was of a dull looking street with dark weather but it was smaller details that were more intriguing to me. I noticed on the window seal a dead plant with a falling leaf as well as the broken ceiling, these small details coincide with the lifeless and drab atmosphere of the setting that help to push the story.
Editing-
Each film had good editing but the two that stood out to me was ColourBleed and Kiss. ColourBleeds editing was the best as it was consistent and had a good pace to it. I didn't feel that the shots were too long or not relevant and so it kept the films overall interest consistent throughout, this was similar in Kiss in which there weren't many cuts and I felt that the film was paced well. ColourBleed used some POV shots as well as editing techniques such as the blurring of the screen when the young woman was disorientated to immerse the audience.
Kiss's animation shows the simple action of an eclipse, the editing showed a well at the beginning of the film that was also shown at the end but with colour. The editing used concluded the film well by bringing the film back to the same shot of the well. I have learnt form these films that editing must be well paced and consistent throughout, the editing is very important in that it dictates the quality of the film.
Sound, Music and Dialogue-
The film with the most effective music for me was Kiss, the music was simple and emotional but it suited the film very well. The slow pace of the song worked well with the long shots and slow movement of the sun and moon in the film helping to add to the atmosphere of the film. The music helps to explore the idea of a simple kiss and what it can result in, the music emphasizes the strong emotions and power behind the film and the many ways the film can be interpreted due to its universal themes.
Similar to Kiss, Colours uses an emotional song that fits into the film, this makes it easier for the audience to relate with the film as it targets the viewers emotions and connects with them.
Sound is very important in films and in Solitude a lot of diegetic and non diegetic sound is used, the most significant to me was the ticking of a stopwatch held in the lonely mans hand. The diegetic sound of the ticking emphasized the characters loneliness and demonstrates how sound can have an important effect to the film.
In Colours, dialogue was an important factor, the narrators dialogue was emotive and powerful, Dialogue can help to push a film forward and juxtaposes with the moving image of the film it can be very important as well as thought provoking.
Sound, Music and Dialogue is very significant to a film and can help to improve a film drastically on an emotional level. These films help me to understand the importance of choosing the right music for your film as it is essential to set the atmosphere, sound and dialogue is also very important as it can be an important symbol in the film .
No comments:
Post a Comment