Week 2 – Five Separate Research Proposals
1) Colour
IMDb: 300 (2006)
King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C.
https://www.imdb.com/rg/em_share/title_web/title/tt0416449/?ref=ext_shr_eml_tt
The Three Hundred Spartans is an epic film, and one of the most memorable parts of the film is its use of colour. To convey the epic historical context, the film USES a very artistic oil colour technique, to highlight the story takes place in 480 BC, and to highlight one of the most vicious battles in history: the battle of the Persian and Greek Hot springs. The colour of the film also intensifies the warm yellow tone based on the colour palette like oil painting, which further makes the audience feel the time span and characteristics of the time distance between the story and us.
2) Composition
IMDb: Ex Machina (2014)
A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
https://www.imdb.com/rg/em_share/title_web/title/tt0470752/?ref=ext_shr_eml_tt
Ex Machina is a rare film with very calm post-production. In the past, most films’ post-production seems to make the audience feel the big-production composite shots, or these composite shots are very shocking and magnificent, and their impact and aggression on the audience are full. However, the story of Ex Machina’s film takes place ina luxurious villa in the mountains, and the whole scene is very realistic and life-like, without the dramatic and gorgeous VFX. But the film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 88th Academy Awards for its extreme post-production beneath its calm surface. The female robot is a real actress, and her mechanical body structure is synthesized in 3D in the late stage. Finally, the combination of the two not only achieves a perfect fusion but also reflects in the real environment, such as glass, ground, light and line of sight penetration. He won the award for best visual effects for his extreme post-production performance. Every detail of every second gives the impression that the female robot was born to be a robot rather than an actress, with a very delicate and real composite effect.
3) Light
IMDb: Life of Pi (2012)
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
https://www.imdb.com/rg/em_share/title_web/title/tt0454876/?ref=ext_shr_eml_tt
Lighting is an important modelling method, which plays a role in the film in conveying information, expressing emotions, setting off the atmosphere, portraying the characters’ personality and psychological changes.
Life of Pi is a very fantasy and beautiful film. In this film, Director Ang Lee used many special lighting effects to express the artistic atmosphere and tension of the lens.
Such as scattering light, expressing a calm and peaceful atmosphere and weather:
For example, backlight, the performance of multi-level scenery and atmospheric perspective and spatial depth, but also can cause scenery or character silhouette, half silhouette and other different effects. And contrasts that emphasize mystery or weakness:
Effect light, or decorative light, this kind of light does not produce lighting effect, but plays a decorative role on the subject. It can do local modification on eyes, hair, face, clothing, etc., which can improve the contrast of picture brightness, enrich the image tone levels, and enhance and perfect the artistic expression of the modelling. Or to represent the coloured light of spontaneous objects, which is especially seen in fantasy movies, which make the picture full of surreal visual effects:
4) Rhythm
IMDb: A Quiet Place (2018)
In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
https://www.imdb.com/rg/em_share/title_web/title/tt6644200/?ref=ext_shr_eml_tt
In thrillers, suspensions and horror films, rhythm is the most important. Whether it is the transformation of the shots, the promotion of the plot or the depiction of the mental activities of the characters, there is an invisible rhythm curve to control everything.
A Quiet Place is A very wonderful thriller and suspense film. Compared with many similar films, rhythm control is A very core characteristic. Starting from the whole film, it expresses vague uneasiness and unknown fear through silent shots.
For example, in the beginning, the town was deserted and overgrown with weeds:
For example, the family’s seemingly normal life is extremely abnormal excessive quiet:
For example, the youngest son suddenly turns up the music of toy plane, breaking the quiet and intense rhythm of the emergency:
Like the stress of parents warning their children not to make a sound all the time:
All the subdued atmosphere and quiet rhythm bring the artistic tension of the thrilling contrast between the face to face and the fight with the monster behind:
90% of the scenes of the whole film do not show the monster, but through the quiet atmosphere and the rhythm of the camera to let everyone feel the danger in the dark everywhere.
5) Mise en Scéne (The stage)
IMDb: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
A selfish Prince is cursed to become a monster for the rest of his life, unless he learns to fall in love with a beautiful young woman he keeps prisoner.
https://www.imdb.com/rg/em_share/title_web/title/tt2771200/?ref=ext_shr_eml_tt
Beauty and the Beast is a classic Disney work. The early animated versions were highly praised for its excellent story, character description and soundtrack. There are inherent advantages to animating a fairy tale, and if you remake it into a movie, you have to solve a lot of problems, some of which rely on special effects and some of which are set pieces.
For example, in this classic dance scene, in the great hall of the castle, the setting of the court Lolita is charming and gorgeous:
For example, the scene in the restaurant fully recreates the stage setting of Broadway musical, which is colorful and lackluster in ten colors:
Another example is the setting for the bedroom and library, which combines the classical architecture style of the middle Ages:
In addition, the scenery of the entrance of the monster’s castle and the space of the dark attic reflects the solitary and lonely inner world of the master in the castle by matching the dark blue color of the picture: