German Expressionism was a style around in the early 1920's to 30's. The lack of technology in those times, i think, influenced the films as they could not have used colour or grand sets as we now can. They use dark and dull colours which give it a creepy and damper feeling. Parts of the background are also highlighted by being an extreme of the black or white e.g. Nosferatu's creepy face is highlighted because it is a pale white which contrasts with his dark clothing. One of the main elements of GE films is the sound. They use intense sound to create the atmosphere in the scene, the music rises and falls to fit the mood and I think tells the emotional stories of the films. There is also a use of close ups to exaggerate elements e.g. the exaggerated facial expresions. Another key feature is the background. I find the background very surrealist often with distorted features and spiky elements to it.
- music to tell story of emotion and feeling. climax
- dark and dull colours
- close ups show exaggerated facial expressions
- shadows painted onto background
- surrealist background- looks drawn, very spiked.
Much of Tim Burton's work is influenced by German Expressionism. He uses surrealist background-trees- makes them creepy.
1 comment:
Good use of examples and well explained. Your have identified distinguishing features in 4 of the 5 areas. Avoid saying 'lack of' technology in earlier works, as this is only a comment that can be made in hindsight and rarely considered part of a director's intention. Great spotting about Tim Burton's work being influenced by GE, do you like his work?
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