For screen project two, I was really unsure as to what I could research to enhance it. Expressionism is already our assigned research topic – which has some relevance for screen project two – and we also have to research a filmmaker as another separate topic, and I felt as though researching two separate filmmakers long term was not the most useful way to spend the semester.
So I was really relieved when the topic came to me in yesterday’s lesson, as it gave me the idea to delve into symbolism. We are planning on using a lot of symbolism for our next screen project – even though a lot of it is indirect – and the strong use of symbolism in surrealism made me realise there’s a lot more to it than ‘that object represents that thing’ (though, that is also obviously some component of symbolism).
I knew it was a good idea to go back to the basics, because there would be gaps in my knowledge and I’m sure there’s lots of things that I have not yet realised. I’m super glad I did this, because there was definitely things that – though any member of the audience would understand subconsciously – I did not understand on an academic level.
In basic, symbolism is when an object is used to represent a deeper meaning/idea/concept than the object itself – a no brainer example about this is a dying flower. Have a couple sitting at a table eating dinner, a dying red rose in a vase on the table in between them – maybe the rose has no water – and it is immeaditely clear to the audience that the couple’s marriage is suffering, they will probably end up divorced pretty soon. This is clear even without dialogue.
Similarly, a mother giving her child a bright yellow daisy is a sign of her giving life/knowledge/commitment to her child, and is a heartwarming one. A shot where the mother is dying and gives her kid a mixtape (*ahem* Guardians of the Galaxy) means more than just a mother giving her kid a present, and the audience is able to contextualize it within the film – it elicits a strong emotion.
That’s not to say all symbols are clear and readily accessible to the audience. The ones I listed above are fairly self-explanatory as the audience has an existing association with the object and meaning, but sometimes, the filmmaker has to work harder to associate them during the narrative. This can be done in multiple ways, such as soundtrack association (you might have shot of a drink bottle and sad music playing, and the audience will start to associate that drink bottle with sadness) or maybe a situation happens – David Dunn almost drowns in a pool, and as the narrative progresses, it becomes more obvious that water is his kryptonite and therefore water is associated with his weakness. Scenes which are sad there is bound to be a puddle near by, when it’s raining the audience feels his fear. (That being said, there is already some connection with water… but Shyamalan brings it into the narrative in a masterful way.
Here’s the thing I didn’t think about, though – and that is how camera angles, shots and soundtrack can be used to enhance symbolism. The sight of a house burning in the distance, for instance, is different to that of a close up of the house burning. In the former, the character/audience is already further away, and nothing can be done to prevent it. Alternatively, having distance can create a sense of isolation, that the house is already gone – that will be influenced by the characters reaction and soundtrack. In the latter, a sense of chaos is created.
To finish up, I looked at the symbolism in Tarantino’s film “Pulp Fiction”, there’s a lot of symbolism, including;
Jackrabbit Slims – the mock 50s diner that is staffed by celebrity dress ups – this one is somewhat known in America, as it fictionalizes and makes a point of their history, demonstrates how temperamental everything is and how little it all matters, there is no higher power or moral standard. This is one example of something that the audience already has an association with.
The briefcase… possibly the most obvious. This one is set up by Tarantino – the audience never sees what is in the briefcase, nor are they told, but simply through the insane acts of violence that surround the ownership of the briefcase, they want it/want a certain person to have it. Simply put, the briefcase represents human desire.
The bathrooms – again, one set up by Tarantino. Bathrooms themselves do not mean an awful lot, but in Pulp Fiction, they become a symbol of bad luck, as every time Vincent enters one something bad happens.
Butch’s gold watch – again, the acts of violence that surround it/what is done to protect it (including it being stored up someone’s anus) and the measures Butch goes to to get it back makes it represent a person’s values.
There’s obviously a lot more in Pulp Fiction, including dialogue, but that’s all for now.
