Graphic Analysis in Film
Like anything else involving the
post production process in video editing, selecting the right graphics for
on-screen text, logos, bugs, and any kind of motion or animation design, can
add or detract from the quality of the feature. Big colorful text during the
opening credits of A Nightmare on Elm St.
would be disturbingly ironic, not to mention potentially confusing to the mood
and tone of the film.
In my humblest of opinions, graphic
design on top of film should be reflective and complementary to the atmosphere
of the piece. Colors are essential to visual storytelling, as they are often
used to metaphorically convey a director’s vision. A classic example of this-
that I am positive everyone is aware of- would be The Wizard of Oz. The first act of the film is in black and white,
but as soon as Dorothy exits her tornado-time machine-house, the audience is
thrown straight into the majestic spectacle that is Technicolor. We have left
Kansas indeed my friends.
Once again tasked with the difficult
decision (or indecision, really) to choose only two movies with which to
describe features of, I am going to follow the motif of color and metaphor for
our discussion. When I think of directors who incorporate graphic design that
enhances the overall production value of a film, two of the greatest
immediately come to mind: David Lynch and Ridley Scott. Although they are
stylistically miles apart, they both were artistically involved in other
mediums; Mr. Scott was a graphic designer in commercial advertising before
becoming a film maker, and Mr. Lynch is a painter influenced by Francis Bacon.
I believe that this attribute is what makes their films so involving; they are
making art with visually expressive storytelling.
My favorite “Lynchian” movie out of
his entire fantastically warped catalogue is without a doubt Mulholland Drive. I could probably write
a 100 page essay- single spaced with 8 point font- just on the symbolism of
color alone. Without auditing this entire movie spoiler free, I will just focus
on the opening.
After showing us the graphic
presentation of the producers of the film, we are shown a plain black
background with simple white text that tells us who the director is.
Immediately after, bright and poppy colors are faded in with equally bright
jitterbug music, featuring some 50’s looking teenagers dancing. A trippy bedroom sequence occurs, making the
audience visually aware that this
whole experience may be a dream, and we are again faded out to darkness and
immediately into the title sequence. Flashing lights upon a road sign give us
the title of the film as well as the setting. A limousine is shown driving
along a stretch of road while symphonic strings slowly sway with no precise
rhythm. The acting and production credits are in bold white text that seems to
whisper onto the screen and dissolve in the same eerie fashion. We ain’t in
Kansas no more Dorothy, and if this is Oz, we most certainly do not want to
peel back the red curtain to find this professor. Mr. Lynch has this ability to
let the viewer know right off the bat that we are in his world with his rules.
The opening of this flick is so encapsulating that the words on screen do not
detract at all from the visual movement of the sequence; their almost
unnoticeable, the way it should be.
Now I would be lying if I said I
loved all of Ridley Scott’s movies (here’s looking at you Robin Hood, and Kingdom of
Heaven!), but I most definitely consider Alien to be a film that should be seen by any movie buff. The two
main reasons for this suggestion: it changed and redefined the genre of sci-fi
horror, and one of the most important artists of the last century, H. R. Giger,
designed the creatures. What else could anyone ask for?
The movie begins with
20th Century Fox getting their well known first word, and we are
then immediately transported to space. Slowly creeping around like a fragrance
is the sound of symphonic strings and brass, as the camera begins panning right
and behind an unknown planet, a lone bold white line appears center screen. The
lower third of the screen begins showing us the names of the actors, the
producers, and finally the director, while the single white line slowly gets
joined by other lines to create the title of the film. This is very symbolic of
the movie itself; one single form gives birth to a monster. It is timed
precisely so that when Mr. Scott’s name appears, the name Alien is fully
spelled. The camera continues to pan
right as a large space freighter flies in view, with the same white text
appearing to give us some details of the ship, her crew, and their mission
status. Now we are ready to find out if
anyone can be heard screaming in space.
There is nothing more rewarding in
the realm of homework than being able to research the things we love. I know
both of these films well and after viewing them under a more scrutinizing lens,
I love them that much more. I am a huge fan of sub-consciously abstract art,
with heavy emphasis on the Mobius strip-like quality of dreams, and to that
effect there is no one better than David Lynch. On the other side of that coin,
I also love good sci-fi with scary creature effects. “Xenomorph” is the name of
Giger’s alien, and I have never seen a more sinisterly beautiful monster; a
spider-like-crab-hand-thing launches itself from a leathery egg, attaches
itself to a hosts face and deposits a baby demon into its chest. It then
matures and begins to violently eat its way out, grows several feet tall, and
systematically hunts and destroys everything around it. Oh yeah, and by the
way, this single drone can undergo a hormone storm that will change it into an
egg laying queen.
Now
that I mention it, I am very thankful I do not see what Mr. Giger does when I
close my eyes at night, and super grateful that I do not dream like David
Lynch. I can only pray that Ridley Scott stops screwing around with the “dynamic
(?)” Russell Crowe (Robin Hood? Really Ridley?), and gets back in his space
ship. It is nice to get out of Kansas for a little while after all. The author
drops his pencil and whistles for Toto. Screen fades to black, and the credits
roll in Technicolor.
References
Fleming, V. & Langley, N. (Directors), LeRoy, M.
(Producer). (1939). The Wizard of Oz [Motion picture]. Hollywood, CA; MGM
Productions.
Lynch,D. (Director). Eliason, J., Sarde, A., &
Sweeney, M. (Producers). (2001). Mulholland Drive [Motion picture].
Hollywood, CA; Universal Studios.
Scott,
R. (Director). Carroll, G., Giler, D., & Hill, W. (Producers). (1979).
Alien [Motion picture]. United Kingdom, United States; 20th Century
Fox.
