Workshop 3: How does 'Lighting & Colour' enhance the story?

Atmosphere - feel, energy around
Mood - how you feel, emotions
Location - Where something is happening

Lighting:
Natural - produced in nature, often sun, moon, stars, lightning
Artificial - Man-made light, usually electrical

warm - yellow, makes feel safe, warm
cold - White/blue tone, makes feel clean, clinical

Bright - fills the room, makes feel happy, safe
Dull - fills part of space only, often creepy/murky

Colour palette - predominant colours used in the scene (main)


Brainstorm: Colour/Lighting
What happening - Coraline + her parents having breakfast in the real kitchen - they look depressed, dull, lifeless
Technique- Light - cold
- natural - from cloudy window
-dull

Colour - cold
-dark, washed out, faded, muted
-off whites, creams + yellows

Effect on the viewer - feels boring, don't want to be there
feel/think boring, dull, lifeless

Director Purpose (theme) - Set the mood the real world is boring+empty
- makes the other world more appealing
- looks can be deceiving - is not actually a bad place to be

Other techniques Costume/shots/music setting - costume - real parents in simple plain colours + fabrics in dull colours

2nd picture:
What happening -m Coraline + other parents having dinner in the Other Kitchen
-Characters seem vibrant + appealing
- Good food on offer!
Technique - Lighting - artificial - ceiling light bulb
warm - yellowish tone
dull - Parts of room still in shadow

Colour - yellow/oranges/black palette
- warm - makes feel safe/comfortable

Effect on the viewer (feel/think) - happy, want to be there, welcoming, colourful, joyful

Directors Purpose (theme) - looks can be deceiving-looks nice but in reality, it is unsafe.
Make Coraline fee; comfortable - huge improvement-on real world

Other techniques Costume/shots/music setting - Costumes-Colourful,friendly-looking, lots of black/red more fashionable, comfy, warm.

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Workshop 3 follow up task:

In Coraline, a long shot is used quite well to display a dull world. For instance, in this shot, we can see Coraline and the cat standing on a hill with dull colours surrounding them. This shows that the real world is boring and bland but safe since nothing is out to get them. This was done to make the real world seem not fun at all, while the 'Otherworld' seems joyful and alive. This worked well with the surrounding background being dead and not reactive. This can be contrasted to the 'Otherworld' which has more light and charming colours with happy music being played when outside and indoors.


In the film, Coraline, we can see that a long (wide) shot is used to display the whole Bedroom in the 'Otherworld'. This is demonstrated by showing that the bedroom is filled with many nice colours like pink and purple presenting this room was made girly for Coraline. This makes the audience feel as if the 'Other parents' really want the 'otherworld' to be perfect for her so that she can be fulfilled with happiness. The director did this to show that the 'otherworld seems amazing and so the audience doesn't expect this 'otherworld' be a trap. This worked well with the magical music which is played as we are introduced to the bedroom. This can be contrasted to the house in the real world which shows and gives no feeling of magic or exciting colours.



In this shot of Coraline, a medium shot is used to show the details of the lookalike Coraline doll. We see this when the Beldam is letting go of the doll which will be swept into the real world. This makes the audience theorise where the doll could be going or what its meaning is. The purpose of this was to give the audience a chance to theorise what meaning the doll has to the film. Combined with the eerie music which is played to make the scene already mysterious and more creepy makes it work well with the doll. This can be compared to a time later in the movie when Coraline first comes across the tunnel to the "otherworld' although there is spiritual music being played still it gives the audience the chance to theories the meaning of the tunnel.