As someone who recently rewatched the Gaslight District pilot, I completely agree with what you said about it feeling like a whole storyline. I also like how unapologetically gross and slimy it can look.
I wanted to ask though, what did you mean by the 'camera feeling like anothing character'? Is it because it's super dynamic? I'm dabbling in 3D animation (Blender), and you praised the camera direction directly. I would love to hear your insight! 🙌🏾
Man, I wish I could be more academic and tell you exactly how in terms of steps, but what makes a camera feel like a character is how it chooses to tell the story. And the reason why Gaslight District feels like a complete narrative is because of its use of camera and visual direction.
The way they use overlays, split screens, and cuts fill in the spaces of the story like grout between tiles. Not only is it dynamic, but the choices of visuals are just as, if not more important. And unlike most animation today, the more intense the moment is, they bring it back to basics.
The use of overlays in particular is where I think the camera/visual direction really stands out. It gets information across without slowing down the action at all.
This is giving you all the information you need. With Ken's visage signalling he is the boss of the Smiling Dead without a single bit of dialogue. We aren't asking who is in charge and having to put those pieces together by inferring based on interactions in the middle of an action scene, which risks taking the viewer out of the moment. Nor are we slowing down the action with explicit dialogue.
Meanwhile, this overlay does provide explicit exposition on how the closest thing to death in this universe is being Cemented. But it does so in such a way that is both clever with the little song/rhyme and eerie as hell. It never breaks immersion because of how the exposition is given. The ghostly figures of Breadhead, Mud, and Melancholy make the scene leave an impression.
The use of split screen also builds the sense of character. The camera feels just as grungy and chaotic as the universe it is in. Which is where the sense of character really comes in. And it's one of the main reasons why I say the camera/visual direction feels like a character. It is immersed in its own world.
The other thing I cannot take screenshots of but I know you get are the scene transitions like Ken describing the inferno. Most shows just use cuts from scene to scene, but Gaslight District utilizes such a wide variety of transitions that adds to the chaotic energy.
In regards to Storytelling, goddamn!
The more intense the scene, the more minimal the set and stylistic the composition becomes.
The camera is creeping, crawling, flying, and it immerses itself in the world it is portraying in a very unique way. Not just showcasing the world but living in it itself.
I hope that helps. Sorry if it's just vague gushing about Visual Direction.
