Design FUNandMental

My name's Anessa. This is a design fundamentals blog about films and tv shows.

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Top 8 Visually Insane Movies

Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” came out last weekend and despite its expositional flaws, I loved the movie. Its over the top visuals was an eye fest and kept me entertained the the entire time. But many critics like to throw around the phrase “Style-over-Substance”. I hate that phrase, it implies that a movie with extremely innovative style must be there to over compensante for something. Because the actual sets, makeup, CG graphics, costumes, and designs mean nothing on its own merit. So heres a list films that I celebrate for having an extravagant flare.

Anna Karenina - Joe Wright

The Fountain - Darren Aronofsky

The Fall - Tarsem

Sucker Punch - Zack Snyder

Speed Racer - The Wachowskis

MirrorMask - David McKean

What Dreams May Come - Vincent Ward

Moulin Rouge - Baz Luhrmann

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Polyrhythmic Structure 

Any film/TV show based on "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is going to multiple crazy visual rhythms. Here in this adaptation is the Heart Casino packed with a wide array ongoing patterns. The psychedelic achromatic floor, the girls situated around the room on octagonal platforms, the linear white curtains in the back, as well circular wall of lights.

Any room like this is not ment to calm you. Any casino wants to get your blood pumping to bet as much as you can. Using these hectics combination of rhythms conveys the kind of atmosphere this room has.

"Alice" (2009) Dir. Nick Willing 

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Legato

The Book of Kells is a piece of Irish gospel put in an extravagantly designed and intricate manuscript. Using the tendrils and graceful curves that makes up the design of the book. The movie, inspired by the book, takes design influence in almost every scene.

In music legato means to preform something smoothly and connectedly. The curvlinear design of the different spirals and curves used in this screenshot all compliment and flow with each other visually.

“The Secret of Kells” (2009) Dir. Tomm Moore

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Progressive Rhythm 

Anytime you use one-point perspective you get progressive rhythm with object that is repeated. Buildings, lamp posts, people, etc... They all become proportionally smaller as they are further away, coming closer to the vanishing point.

"Playtime" (1967) Dir. Jacques Tati

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Asymmetrical Balance 

Each side directly contrasts each with the colors used, but the frame still manages to stay balanced. Normally your eye would go to the brighter and lighter color of the light orangey sand, but the darker side has things like the love motel and moon in the sky to demand attention as well.

This also fits with the context of the actual scene this take place in. Where a women must make a choice between good and evil. Before she actually makes her choice, each one is balanced with selflessness/death and greed/lust.

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (2009) Dir. Terry Gilliam

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Symmetrical Balance

The church is meant to be a place of order, at least on the surface that is. Just like the inner workings of church staff must keep up apparences, this unmistakable shot of bilateral symmetry is trying to force a kind of balance. But in fact the starkness of the design makes it static and uninviting. This lack of vitality sets up the personalities of many of the main leads as well.

"Doubt" (2008) Dir. John Patrick Shanley 

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Golden Rectangle

35mm film, 3:2 ratio, is one of the large film formats that comes closest to the golden ratio which is approximately 1:6:1. The rectangle is made by using a graphical representation of the Fibonacci Sequence (1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21...) It has been found to be aesthetically pleasing and used architecture and art composition.

While 35mm isn't exactly the golden ratio, you can't deny the similarly of the size that dominated most of film industry in it's time.

"Barry Lyndon" (1975) Dir. Stanley Kubrick

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Exaggerated Scale

Here we have the kids faced with the almighty monster known as the broom. Of course in any other case a broom is just a simple cleaning device, but thanks to the shrink ray the kids are now smaller than ants. Objects like the broom are now immensely magnified and the threat becomes real in this scene.

The extreme change is meant to break our perceptions and make us feel uncomfortable and yet still attracts our complete attention thanks to its size. 

"Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989) Dir. Joe Johnston

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Hieratic Scaling 

Messiah figures are a common archetype in Film and other media, they are ment to personifies Christ's nature and purpose. John Coffy, as seen here, plays a very popular example of this. J.C. are the initials to his name. He is very gental and sensitive, even so much that he feels others pain. The healing powers he possesses show that he is beyond a common man. Lastly, he is an innocent man sentenced to death, choosing to die at the end.

But John's words and actions are not the only make him that make him a christ figure. His abnormally large size contributes visually. Many past century art pieces featuring Jesus or different saints would sometimes be larger than any figure included. This was done to create an obvious focal point and assert the relative important to everybody eles. This rings true in the film, as your eyes almost always go to John in the scenes he's featured in. 

"The Green Mile" (1999) Dir. Frank Darabont

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Whole Over Parts

One bird flies in the sky, and it's single dot in the big blue. A few fly together, or maybe in formation like geese, then you might notice birds flying above you. But a fleet of crows gives off a very different kind of shape, ominous even. Each bird is no longer its self when looking from afar. It becomes part of this ever changing, abstract form that dominates your view.

The tone of the film is reflected with these birds. A dark allusion to the coming storm that only the main character can sense. He is the only one in the scene to take notice of the event. At first he seems confused like he didn't even know what to make of this thing in the sky, then questions them, knowing something's not right. The birds' shifting shape also emphasizes the leads ongoing psychological shifts of his perception. 

"Take Shelter" (2011) Dir. Jeff Nichols

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Radial Design

Dr. Jacoby, emotionally unstable psychiatric has just been attacked by surprise. The camera then zooms in close to his face, centering on one of his eyes, only to fade transition to spinning roulette wheel.

This scene makes use of similar radial design to make a seamless transition visually. But also leads the audience to interpret a hidden meaning between the two objects. Dr. Jacoby life is put into question, a gamble which can lead to two outcomes. Dead or alive. Red or black. 

"Twin Peaks: Ep. 7- The Last Evening" (1991) Dir. Mark Frost

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Placement

Here shows the first(ish) encounter of the main couple in the film. Their initial relationship with each other begins in this frame.

They are placed on opposites sides, not knowing one another. Yet they are aligned on the the same point of view, which follows along the sea and the steps of the sand. Our main lead and main focal point's gaze is also following this line and we know that the person on the other end is important. 

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) Dir. Michel Gondry

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Isolation

"That woman is not from around these parts", immediately you know who I'm mentioning. Doesn't matter that there are three noticeable women, only one makes a visual emphasis. Thanks to mainly her pop of color, Effie Trinket becomes an isolated focal point.

Her color isn't the only thing that makes her stand out, she is also situated right in the middle frame. It breaks the symmetrical "rule of thirds"- ness almost everybody eles is place in.

"The Hunger Games" (2012) Dir. Gary Ross

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Contrast

At first glance you might only notice this dark giant beast dominating this frame, but then you see what it's looking at. A small girl, a tenth of its size, standing her ground. Body language shows nobody is threatened, just two visual opposites staring straight at each other.

The design of the screenshot uses contrast in great effect with color, placement, and volume. But in funny yet powerful way, it also establishes the equal ground these two have with each other. 

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" (2012) Dir. Benh Zeitlin

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Gestalt

The screen transition in "The Fall" is one of the most impressive moments in the movie. Not just because the screenshot on the right was done with no visual effects but reflects the image before using the unity of gestalt as an effect.

The mountains, colors, placement of sand, and shadows create the image desired even though none of these things are actually connected. We make the connections in our mind.  

“The Fall” (2006) Dir. Tarsem Singh

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Proximity

The tree spirits may look ghost like, but you get a sense from the screencap that they're friendly. Their light color stands out from the dark forest as they sit down playfully on a tree trunk, smiling or looking curiously.

They're closeness to each other not only improve the unity of the frame but renforce that these creatures are part of a family and they mean no harm.

"Princess Mononoke" (1997) Dir. Hayou Miyazaki

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Repetition

This scene captures the mundane routine a businessman makes every work day. It's dull and without color, making you know without a doubt that there is no excitement in these peoples life. It's also in one point perspective, showing how there is only one boring directions they can make.

It becomes obvious then that the repetition is not only shown in the visuals(Men in similar suites and hats, direction they're facing, toned colors) but in the lives they lead.

"Revolutionary Road" (2008) Dir. Sam Mendes