While my key reference for aesthetics and design derive from the the 1929 Disneys Silly Symphony the skeleton dance, I think it is important to consider further areas of which black and white cinema has influence on film culture, and aspects of this I can apply to my own work going forward.
German Expressionism
As described by Ian Roberts, German Expressionism do not just represent a particular era and country but “ the very essence of the early film Industry” (2008, p.1) . I think this underscores a very key movement for film in its entirety and helps state its prevalence as an art form which inherently feeds into the representational importance of animation as artistic expression. A strong point Roberts expands on is the idea that German expressionism was “ articulating a sense of existential angst before psychoanalysis had reached the popular consciousness” (2008, p.39) . The exemplification of psychoanalytic expression through film accentuates different aesthetic points which I feel are improved by the black and white medium. For example the use of dark elongated shadows which are ultimately ‘Unhemlich’ (Uncanny) in quality associate with the horrors created solely by the mind (Freud, 2003). I believe the grainy and lower quality aspects of the camera also allow more room for a more anonymous and incomprehensible figure to be formed that ultimately assists in the dissociative and uncomfortable uncanny creativity of ones mind.
In the famous expressionist film Nosferatu: a Symphony of horror (1922), a technique in which the negative of the scene is used to dramatically unsettle the viewer (2008). In application to modern day 3D computer generated imagery this can be achieved by rendering through alpha channels and switching this in post production, and provides interesting points of reference that I could potentially inhibit in my own film as a direct reference to this piece of early 20s cinema. Another important technique mentioned in the inclusion of this film is the of a lighting technique that is shot in a “half-light which renders the edge of the frame almost totally black” that accentuates the centre (Roberts, 2008, P. 45). There are also many scenes in which landscapes are unnaturally exposed to light, causing the time of day to be confusing and difficult to place, ultimately accentuating its supernatural representation (Roberts, 2008).
I think considering these aspects of lighting will be important to understanding how to incorporate important historical and cultural films within my own work. Replicating older technology within modern technology such as Maya may be achieve with a better overall quality within post production. I also feel asset texturing may benefit my aesthetic goals as, while the old fashioned camera inherently draws attention to itself in use, I feel in animation an impression of human craftsmanship will also aid placing its contextual era. In this, I could potentially hand draw textures to show impressions of line work and hand shading onto my models to give them a direct relationship to the old fashioned.
As seen in the Expressionist film Genuine (1920) the background shows direct and heavy line work that gives away its ingenuity, which creates a sense of irony given its name. This could be something I consider stylistically replicating in my own film.
German Expressionist films to reference-
- The Hand of Orlac
- Genuine
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
References
Roberts, I. 2008. German Expressionist Cinema: The World of Light and Shadow. Wallflower Press: Great Britain