MAJOR PROJECT: VISUAL STYLES RESEARCH

The film director's Visual style

PRIMORDIAL IMAGE: An image used to show the audience the story world. For example something that could be classed as a primordial image is the aspect ratio in Wes Anderson's 'The Grad Budapest Hotel' (2014) which for the majority of the film stays in the old academy 1:37:1 look to compliment the era it is set in. It also has a vibrant colour palette as well as Anderson's signature centred characters, tracking and symmetrical shots.

Screenshot from 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' (2014)

Visuals of Backbone

Dark/Gritty: Lorry interior 

Light/Rural: All scenes outside the lorry

Claustrophobic: Interior of the lorry trailer

Dark/Gritty

The inside of the lorry's cabin is messy, the driver RICK has spent many hours travelling in there. It is more like a teenagers bedroom than the inside of a vehicle. Food and drink packages strewn all over the place and a generally dark despondent interior. This will be shot fairly close up to show details of the cabin and the emotions of the character as he goes from one incident to the next. 

Interior car shot from 'Prisoners' (2013)

Light/Rural

The exterior shots will be during the day, it will be bright daylight a total contrast to the inside of the lorry. For everything that takes place outside on the roadside, this will show a kind of light at the end of the tunnel effect for the immigrants hiding in the back of the lorry. The exterior shots will need  colourist as well to accentuate the brightness and vibrancy of the nature outside as opposed to the claustrophobic interiors.   

Exterior shot from 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' (2016)

Claustrophobic

The interior of the lorry trailer will be claustrophobic and dark to show the terrible conditions these boys have had to travel in for hours if not days. 

Example of a claustrophobic shot from 'Buried' 2010

Framing Backbone

For each separate area of action in Backbone I will be aiming for a certain style of shooting with my DOP Mike Hoad. My main character will get most of the attention throughout as the story will be told from his perspective. 

Lorry Cabin

In the lorry cabin the framing will keep generally close to RICK keeping to close-ups, MCU's and Medium shots to keep the viewers attention on him as he goes through different processes after the shocking accident he gets involved in. The inside of the lorry cabin won't be as crammed and claustrophobic as the back of the lorry but it will still be tight compared with the outside. 

As well as the shots for RICK, there will be detail shots for props like his old phone, blunt object he will use as weapon, dirtiness of the cabin interior. These will help to establish who my character is and what he is like as well as key plot items.

Example of detail shot from Room (2015)

Roadside
As soon as RICK jumps down from the lorry we will move to slightly wider shots to show the openness and emptiness of his surroundings. However still returning to mediums and MCU's for when RICK is reacting to the blood on the lorry and the noise from inside the lorry trailer. There will be the need for detail shots on blood. 

Shot from Utopia (2013-14) that shows openness and light of outside 

  
Lorry trailer
Medium, Object close-up and Face close-up. This scene will briefly introduce the two young brothers in their claustrophobic predicament. This will require some simple shots to show the characters surroundings a piece of detail (a PHOTO) and the feelings of the characters. 


Lighting Backbone

Lighting is a vital element of how to make a film. Roger Deakins renowned cinematographer says:

 "You need to light a space so you can see the actors – but, more than that, you are creating a mood, you are creating a world for those actors to inhabit and for the audience to get submersed in. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of any great film." (Roger Deakins)

That is what I will aim to do create a world in which the viewer can be submersed in whilst watching the film.

Lorry Cabin
For inside the lorry cabin I will be aiming to emulate the style of David Fincher in his use of dark gloomy shots. I would like to show that my character is not in a very exciting place in a dull job. 

Example from Seven (1995)

Roadside
For the scenes outside I want to raise the temperature slightly giving it a warmer brighter look than the glum looking interiors of the lorry cabin and trailer. The idea is to make it to make it look bright and appealing for when the doors are open to the lorry trailer and into view of the young boys eyes. 

I will aim to have the scene bright, but also look to post production to up the yellows and reduce the darkness in the exterior shots. 

Example of the kind of lighting and colour of exterior shots from Utopia (2013-14)

Lorry trailer
For the inside there will room to express some interesting techniques in low ket lighting. This space will be dark and claustrophobic and to help express that I have drawn inspiration from painting. I have looked at various different artists who have painted chiaroscuro pieces. 

"This is an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted." (National Gallery definition for Chiaroscuro)

This contrast between light and dark will help really sell the situation the two brothers are in and how they might feel not knowing very much about where they are or when they might get out. 

'An experiment on a bird in the air pump' by Joseph Wright of Derby (1768)

I also discovered a more contemporary artist for inspiration for the close up shots. Jeroen Can Valkenburg is a Dutch artist who produces oil paintings inspired by the Viking era 9th to 11th century A.D. He has produced a number of chiaroscuro paintings of viking inspired faces which were really inspiring for me in coming up with a look for the interior of the lorry trailer.

Example of his work from the album cover of 'Projekt Terrror' by a band named Stalaggh.