Visual Styles
So the film Arcadia will be filmed in two locations one being a built set of a hospital the other being a warehouse. During the pre production stages I have been told to focus on the visual styles of the film particularly the contrast between the two locations.
With the warehouse scenes he wants to create gritty, quite dark shots compared to the heavenly and clean look of the hospital. I immodestly started looking images to reference and these two sprung to mind. The first is from the Matrix and the other being from Harry Potter, This will be my starting points.
-
- Matrix
-
- HP 7 pt2
The difference between this two images is massive as you can see in the shot on your left from the matrix the colors are very dark and really brings out the greens and blues creating a cold image which I think would work really well in terms of the warehouse scene and once you compare it to the scenes in the hospital which I pictured when first given the words “clean and sterile” the scene from Harry Potter when finding himself in mid death state of mind the image I am showing really gives of that heavenly look. The image itself is beautifully clean and the whites are emphasised not only in the location but the characters costumes which I think will also key to creating better overall imagery.
These pictures are rough metal thoughts that instantly popped into my head when told about the visual styles but I think they paint a really good picture in creating shots between to locations look so different to each other and thats what I will be trying to implement in this piece of work.
I am Legend.
The start of Arcadia poses something very similar to the opening of I am Legend which is to me a very good film and would like to do something very similar in Arcadia itself.
This type of framing for the opening scene is exactly the kind of thing I would like to recreate. The script will fit in perfectly with this type of shot as well. Although this is simple shot I think the effect it will give the start of the film will do wonders for creating the narrative off strongly.
Different Visual Styles
I will now be looking at different varieties of visual styles within different films breaking them down individually to see what types of styles they each provide.
Batman.
Directed byTim Burton The 1989 Batman movie has really fun style to it. The characters are interesting and the plot is engaging, but style and design really take over. The film really brings out the comic book on the screen. The action scenes are incredible and really keep you captivated as an audience, and the set and art direction plays a very strong in creating this style.
“Burton and crew redefined the superhero film with the gothic visually and mood setting sequences.”
The color palate and exciting music also help give the film a lot of personality.
Drive
Drive is one of my favorite films and that is mainly down to the way it looks. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, I feel Drive’s visual style is an achievement all on its on. There is lots of violence and a lot of action scenes in this action thriller. The use of neon colours creates such a powerful image combining that with the cool atmosphere it makes Drive in my opinion a real experience for audiences to watch.
Kill Bill
Kill Bill brings real fun style onto the big screen. Quentin Tarantino’s two part revenge film uses martial arts to drive the narrative of a story involving revenge and violence. This creates a film stylized around this it at time is very overwhelming to the film itself. The film uses black and white to show flashback and even uses anime style animation. The styles of this film in my eyes is a pleasure to watch. It follows the style of martial arts cinema combined with the entertainment value that is very well made.
Le Samourai
“Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le SamouraÏ is the definition of cool.”
“The cinematography is always interesting, and the storytelling keeps the characters mysterious. We never get to know them too well, and this works perfectly as the suspense heightens and the audience has to dissect enigmas and think about plot elements. A suspenseful and engaging film, La SamouraÏ is one of the most memorable and excellent thrillers due to the design and stylistic flourishes.”
Like the previous films I have spoken about, Le Samouri is a film I haven’t seen but found while conducting research. The quote above I thought really needed to be put into this post as it explains everything I have been looking into throughout my research into the thriller genre.
The Matrix
“The Wachowski’s redefined action cinema with The Matrix”
The Matrix was a revolutionary film, the action scenes you see in this film make the general filmmaking style and cinematography something that was never seen before. There is a mix of action, martial arts and science fiction genres mixed together to create a beautiful visual image for audience. This film for me will be my biggest influence in terms of Arcadia pre production and production stages.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
This film is at the height of all spaghetti westerns, and is full of style. The imagery is beautiful especially the landscape shots throughout this film. The camera work the stylistic touches really make this film what it is. It is one of my favorite films visually.
Sin City
“The absolute, unparelled ultimate in style. No film has ever reached the stylistic heights of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s Sin City. This hyper-noir crime thriller is literally style, style, style.”
Sin City in my eyes is just wonderful, it really broke down the barriers of normal cinema. The film is full of surprises and has a real creative visual sense. The shots in this film are truly spectacular. Sin City has to owe a lot of its achievements to the brilliance in its style. The film noir look they have created for this film has created a name for this film in its on right.
Rodriguez wanted to test digital filmmaking to its limits and I really think he has achieved this in Sin City.
The research I have conducted has been a real eye opener to the world of visual styles in different films. I have realized that in order to make Arcadia successful I will need to find a style I want to film in and stick to it.
Third Year Portfolio 