Assignment 3: Task 2

The four films i have chosen to compare are;
1. "Ah l'Amour"
2. "ColourBleed"
3. "Mac 'n' Cheese"
4. "The Owl"

How is colour used and represeted in these 4 films?

CHARACTER:
2. In the short "ColourBleed" the young female character who is the main character is used to present the rarity of colour. The young female character is always seen to be alone throughout the short in comparison to the other characters in the short who represent darkness who are often seen with a companion. On the other hand the elder lady who worked behind the desk represented darkness as less vulnerable than light and in a negative view. This was shown through the woman's miserable and unwelcoming facial expressions and body language, which could also be seen in some of the other characters who represented darkness.
3.The short film "Mac 'n' Cheese" focuses on two main characters which are both represented differently through most of the film. The slimmer male character is seen wearing brighter colours and has a light pale face in the film, also seen to be running away from the larger male character which presents him as a victim to the large male character. In comparison to "ColourBleed" the only form of companion the young girl has is the colourful bird however in "Mac 'n' Cheese" the slimmer male has the larger male. the young girl in "ColourBleed" represents colour, represented as a victim and has a sense of innocence similar to the slim male in "Mac 'n' Cheese". the older lady in "ColourBleed" represent darker colours and is portrayed negatively similar to the larger man chasing the slimmer man in "Mac 'n' Cheese".

NARRATIVE:
2. In the short "ColourBleed" a young girl is going through her life not conforming to the dark ways and appearance of society however, until one day she come across an evil elder woman who did not like the colour the young girl possesed. Therefore the elder woman implanted darkness into the young girl. As the young girl attempted to remove the darkness from her she began to bleed various colours which we later find is similar to all the people who lived the that city of darkness. As the young girl's blood fills the drains of the city, the city begins to brighten up and the miserable old lady does not like this.
3. The short film is about two opponents attempting to outrun each other in the southern desert, stopping at nothing, wearing each other out until they are forced to push the boundaries and take illegal substances to keep them going for longer. In comparison to the short film "ColourBleed" it could be said that this short film is a lot more positive as although the two animated characters are running away from each other, a sense of companionship is presented. The end of the film end on a positive note as it is revealed to us the larger male character does not want to hurt the other character, he's just playing the game 'tag' with him. This is different to the short film "ColourBleed" as it represents the bright childish colours of the film.

CAMERA TECHNIQUES:
2. The high angle shot showing the young girl in action spray painting a colourful wall showed us the audience colour in a positive view as a close up on the girls face showed happiness and enjoyment. The slow motion shot of the colourful bird flapping its wings really captured the beauty of colour and showed colour to be versatile and unique as all the shots representing darkness were ordinary and lacked creativity and innovation.
3.

MISE EN SCENE:
2.The young girl's hair is light blonde and contains highlights of vibrant colours, also her face makeup has a light tone contrasting with the dim and dark faces of the other characters. Additionally the girls costume is again contrasting with the other characters in the short as they all predominantly wear black and she wears burgundy knee-length socks, a bright blue vest top, red cardigan and a light-blue washed denim jacket. Addidng to her appearance she has a few tattoos which contain colour and some obvious piercings which completely differ from people we find wearing dark clothes. The representation of colour at this point is that light ad dark are complete opposites to each other. The prop of the colourful bird in the window which is also tattooed on the young girls neck is a friend to the lonely young girl and this symbolizes the idea of war between the light and the dark, also the fact that the only form of a friend the young girl has is a bird.
3.

LIGHTING:
2. The lighting in "ColourBleed" is broad and inconsistent during the short as there is an attempt to present colour in two ways; light and dark. In order to do this high key lighting was used for the young girl in scenes such as the beginning when she is spray painting the colouful wall and low key lighting was used in scenes to show the presence of darkness. An example of this is when the young girl's hand begins to turn black.
3. This film differs from "ColourBleed" as it is an animation there were no specific uses of animation throughout the film.

EDITING:
2. In terms of editing for the short "ColourBleed" a shot that stood out for me instantly was the shot at the beginning when the young girl stops spray painting and the words "ColourBleed" appear and vibrant colours, then begin to deteriorate in colour and melt off the wall. This is significant as it resembles the narrative of the short film as the young girl started off bright and vibrant until she was affected by darkness.
3.

SOUND/MUSIC & DIALOGUE:
2.A the beginning of the short the ambient sound of the sirens cause an element of fear for the young girl who represents light colours. The diegetic sound of mild bells playing at the point when the girl is queuing in the line and sees the bird outside the window creates a change in mood, giving a pleasant feel of hope. This particular sound is also synchronous as the bells and the birds movement correspond.
3.