Week 4 : Visual Culture

What is visual culture?

Culture expressed in visual images.

How does it mean to me?

Visual culture is a way of expressing more layers to what the dialog can provide to the view. The classic phrase of action speaks louder than words is relevant here. When visually seeing something happening that has more meaning and layers adds to the cinema giving the scene depth and layers which are there to be dissected. How can you only connect with just dialog when 70% of communication is non dialog. The culture elements to me, it is everything surrounding the visuals e.g. the hidden meaning, implications, associations, view points & opinions that surround what the visuals of the scene could, would or should be saying to the audience. It opens up the dialog to more.

Visual Metaphor

Visual metaphor is like a ‘horcrux’ in the sense that it holds meaning through something which you can see. There is usually layers to what these visual metaphors mean and what makes them memorable is that there is no dialog giving room for the viewers interpretation.

Examples:

• Rod – the moustache he wears is to signify a connection to his father who is absent. Wearing this in his mind makes him like his father and closer to the idea of his father. When he finds out he is not related to him then he rips up the moustache to signify the detachment of him to his perceived father.
• American Graffiti – The man character returns to his old school and attempts to open his old locker. It now belongs to someone else so obviously the passcode has changed and he cant get in. This is a visual metaphor in that the locker represents his past and he can not revisit the past. As he leaves and walks down the halls of his old school he smiles to himself which signifies he is amused by the fact he wanted to revisit the past but has come to terms with that he cant. What was he expecting to find in his old locker? He literally see his past so it amuses him he ever thought he could.

Aesthetics in Film

Aesthetics is the nature and surroundings in which adds to the scene. This could be in different formats e.g. colour or specific era styled props. This adds to what the viewer knows about a situation. Background hints and subtle environmental styles to tell more about the scene.

How do we use aesthetics in film, TV, games & animation?

This sis is used across all mediums. This could be styles of clothing, props, architecture or textures/filters/colour of the objects. This would tell people what time period we are in, what the overall feeling is e.g. scary or decayed. Also this can show how wealthy characters are in relation to each other.

Examples:

• Cruel Intentions – This film shows wealth through all the clean and shiny objects that you see through out the film. The characters are cruel with lack of empathy which reflect these shiny hard surfaces through out. Thus showing a correlation between money and lack of emotion.

Colour in Film

• The Cell (2000) staring Jenifer Lopez. The director uses colour to signify when you are inside the head of the serial killer (gets more decayed and scary). When you see Jenifer Lopez she goes from a predominately white nun outfit signifying her innocence. As the moves continues her outfit gradually gets more red to visually represent how being in the head of a murderer is slowing encroaching on her.

Rhythm in Films

• The Grand Budapest Hotel – This film is continuously fast pass which reflects how the main character never has time to stop for anyone because he is so self involved. His tempo and time is the only person who he keeps. No one is above him in his eyes in that respect.
• Fantastic Mr Fox – Is a classic children’s movie which also uses speed to illustrate the playful tempo of a child mind. The tempo slows down when the grumpy man disturbs to show a rhythm contrast and enhance how playful Mr Fox is.
• Uncut Gems staring Adam Sandler. This film is a constant fast and high intensity rhythm throughout just to powerfully illustrate how chaotic this mans life is and how the lies are catching up with him. It is extremely uncomfortable through out which means you start to feel how he must with all these people chasing him for money.

• Rat Race – A classic example of how rhythm is used in comedy to create these sense of humorous panic. The race element is contrasted to the slow tempo when the different characters hit obstacles in the path. The panic to win is comical when the different characters panic in different ways under the time pressure.