The example that was screened was the Guinness advert featuring the surfers and white horses running out of the crashing waves. As a group we discussed the elements that went in to the composition of the film which has become an iconic advert.
There are several elements that make up the film. It is the combination of these elements that make it such an amazing piece of film. The white horses coming from the waves are inspired by the Walter Crane painting depicting Neptune, the Roman 'God of the Sea' commanding his horses towards land.
This is a powerful image and I think the inference is that the surfers are not just taking on the sea in a pleasant passtime, but are in fact taking on an uncontrollable force of nature. This is further implied by the use of spoken word over the images. The text is taken from Moby Dick, a novel about battling with the unruly sea and the powerful creatures within.
The music resembles a thumping heartbeat reiterating the excitement and adrenaline of the surfers. All these elements go to build up a depiction of mere mortals taking on the sea and returning victorious, and hence deserving a pint of the black stuff as reward.
With this in mind I can see how the influence of ideas in art have seeped through to my conciousness and how it is not only filmed images that I think of when developing ideas for films and scenes.
Some of my ideas come from books that I have read, music that I listen to in the dark and make up visuals to, or from photographs, and quite a lot come from stories that I have read in newspapers (that I cut out and keep in a journal, thinking that one day I might use them as a basis for a film).
I recognise that some images from the art world have stayed with me and I think of them when I have a project. For example, with the bedroom scene for our uncanny film in CPR I envisaged the painting Still Life: Medical Subject by De Scott Evans because it has a skull and medical paraphernalia on a bench, like the stuff that we wanted to dress the bedroom / study set with.
Other paintings that I like, that I think of when developing ideas and looks for a film include the following, both of which hang in Manchester Art Gallery:
My favourite painting is 'Marshal Ney Supporting the Rear Guard During the Retreat from Moscow' by Adolphe Yvon.
Although you can't tell from the photo (that I took), or indeed the scan from the postcard, the painting is incredibly detailed and has an amazing depth of field. When you're standing in front of the painting it feels 3D. You feel like there are physical layers to the picture, like decoupage. It's a shame that you can't tell how realistic and effective the painting is, for example, the orange firelight in the distant sky is so realistic, as is the feeling of chilliness that you get looking at the snowy scene.
I also like this painting, Stanhope's 'The Waters of Lethe by the Plains of Elysian'.
As well as the fascinating story behind the picture, the composition is intriguing. It is almost geometric. You can spend ages following the lines and shapes within the picture.
It is the visual quality, as well as the stories behind them that bring them to life and make me remember them. I try to imagine what would happen next, or imagine them as moving pictures, as in a film. That is easier with the Yvon as the scene is already so lifelike.
Some modern art pictures that I like have already been used in film, for example Hockney's A Bigger Splash is a favourite of mine because of the colour blue that he uses and the simple lines. I think the film A Bigger Splash is visually wonderful as it captures all the settings and characters beautifully.
Similarly, my chosen saint is Saint Sebastian, for encouraging people to have the courage of their convictions and to support others to keep faith. Saint Sebastian is depicted in many artworks as a martyr (although whether is a correct depiction is debated).
Derek Jarman's film Sebastiane was obviously inspired by the life of Saint Sebastian and his death by arrows at the hands of Emperor Diocletian forms is used in the film.
There have been many many works showing Sebastian's death, indeed when I was researching my uncanny moodboard which includes skeletons of rabbits and birds I came across this picture:
No comments:
Post a Comment