There's an artictis princial called 'balance.' Balance with when the right side is given roughly the same 'wieght' as the left side, or the top and bottom. There are two kinds of aesthetic balance. There's symmetrical. That's when one side looks like the other - they are, to a large degree - mirror images of one another.
Then there's asymmetrical balance. This is when two sides are balanced, but by different sized shapes.
But even this idea of balance doesn't cover all the bases of what I'm trying to grasp at. I don't know. There's just something about the images of the film. There's almost no gray - it truly is a nearly all black and white movie.
Here's what I would like you to do. Just look at the following images. Take your time.
Now look at the following pairs of images. Most come one right after the other. Again, take your time.
Okay. So we touched on it in class. What's going on here? What's going on in terms of balance, positive and negative space, aesthetic tension vs. dramatic tension? Help me out. We need some theories on the subject...
Post your responses in the comments section below. The most your post, and the more thoughtful your responses, the more extra credit you will earn. Have fun...
In terms of balance, I would agree the film has no grey and is truly black and white. I think the images have the feel of a dramatic 1940's thriller. I also would say the images are pieces of artwork because they display deep contrast and a very dramatic tension. This is not a film you can colorize.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think if you colorized the movie then the balance of color would not create the dramatic nature of the movie. Since it is black and white, the trade off of balance can help focus on the dramatic parts to make it more intense.
DeleteInteresting on two counts:
Delete1. "the images are pieces of artwork." I agree. Anyone else? Also, which one(s) in particular look like "art" to you and why?
2. "This is not a film you can colorize." I agree, but explain why. What would be lost?
Jacob - I agree 100%, but please share a specific example or two. Pleasepleaseplease...
DeleteI also agree that some of these images look like artwork, not screen caps from a movie. The one I like most that looks like art is the scene where the children are looking through the window at the bird. I really like the hardcore contrast and the symmetry makes it look really cool. There were many moments throughout the movie like that and I think it makes the movie better than it would if it were colorized.
DeleteI don't know, I think they should colorize it just to see what it would be like, it might take away from the art, but maybe it would add to it.
DeleteThe pieces of artwork are the bird in the window and the barn houses in the night because those images are almost only shadow and light, which gives them the scary feeling. I believe colorizing the film would deprive it of the feeling it is trying to come across with.
ReplyDeleteA specific scene that captures the feel of a dark and dramatic intense film is the scene where we the see the train. If that scene was in color, we would see the blue sky, green grass, and it wouldnt have the depressing and evil feeling it gives. Because the scene is in black and white, the smoke is all black, and is coming out of a dark evil train that looks like its going through a wasteland. You wouldnt look it that way if the scene was in color
ReplyDeleteThere's a feeling of doom and evil especially in the image of the boy looking out his window. In the first image, he's lit up and you can clearly see him and his face. When the preacher's shadow comes into the shot, the boy becomes black, almost putting evil in him. It makes the scene more depressing and evil and it feels like he is almost taking over the entire shot and the preacher is taking over their life.
DeleteI think the scenes where we see the Preacher coming, but backlighting or shadow cover him up are the most scary and add tension. Seeing his shadow "eat" John when he first walks up to their house, when he comes over the hill when the kids are running to the boat, and when he rides the horse across the hill are all enhanced by the black and white, and make him into more of an evil persona or force than just a person. In terms of cinematography, these shots also just look good and add to the dark and symmetrical themes in the movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the images are like artwork. The one I like the most is when the little boy and girl are looking at the house from outside and there is a bird cage in the window. The contrast between white and black makes the image very dramatic. If it was in color, or had more gray areas it wouldn’t be as dramatic. The intensity is created between the negative and positive space, there isn’t a middle.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there are two images when the preacher tells her he doesn’t want to have sex with her because it is ungodly. The first image there is light by her so she is gray, but in the second image the light is off and she is black. I feel like this blackness on her represents the rejection she is probably feeling on the inside. Also, her face shows that rejection and embarrassment she feels.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with you! I feel like the colors represent moods or feelings throughout the entire movie. In that scene, the blackness on her gives a dark tone and very depressed so you can almost feel what she was feeling. This shows up a lot during the movie to show the contrast of feelings and moods which evolved into themes and conflicts.
DeleteI'm going to disagree with you that there's no gray in the movie. There definitely is. I don't know if this makes any sense..but I think that the gray in the movie represents that everything isn't black and white. The preacher is a figure that is looked up to and should be represented as good. Yet, in the movie he is a bad figure. You could say that it's black and white but there's a lot of gray area, similar to how gray the movie it. It's so twisted and unreal and as we talked about it's almost dream like, so this concept of gray area can be seen as parts of life that we don't understand or can't explain, like many parts of the movie that are hard to wrap your head around. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the only way I can really explain it I guess.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the movie had more asymmetrical balance than symmetrical balance. When there was symmetrical balance that's what made me think the images resemble art just because they are so spot on with the symmetry. I think the asymmetrical balance images are unique and give off more of a horror feel.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Candace in that the asymmetical balance gave the film more of a horrific vibe to it. I believe that there was little to no symmetical balance in this movie and then the movie did have symmetical balance,it was almost unnoticeable. With asymmetical balance, it makes the film seems off-balanced and makes the audience have the effect of more grim and fearful emotions while watching the film. Lines of symmetry makes a film seem to have a normal or an "all-together" story line which this film does not.
DeleteI disagree with Danielle in some ways. I believe looking at the pictures posted, I think that there really is no gray at all in this movie. I felt having no contrast in the film actually makes the audience feel more inclined to think more into the story line. Like most said, these still frames from the film are pieces of artwork telling a story by themselves without even having any actor speak. For example, the scene when Harry Powell is by himself in the bedroom with only a small area of light around him it is showing the audience that his mind and plan to get the money is caving in on him. Also, the two shots of contrast of Willa when Reverend Powell is close to the bed and then after when Powell is on the bed tells the audience something horrible was about to happen in the bed. When Willa is in the light, Harry is only next to the bed but right when Harry gets on the bed, Willa suddenly becomes dark. I know this movie is said to be one of the worst and best films of all time. I believe the film is said to be one of the best because of the techniques the filmmaker used to tell the story through the balances of light and dark.
ReplyDelete