The Director’s Visual Concept-Part Two
(c) Peter D. Marshall
Collaborating with the DOP and Production Designer
One of the first meetings the Director has with the Production Designer and Director of Photography is the Creative Concept Meeting where they decide together on the tone, look, mood and feel of the film.
The Production Designer then creates a “mood board” (a collage of various images, colors, materials, objects, text etc.) which all departments can use to help them visually illustrate the look and tone of the film.
The Director of Photography now has a clear vision of how the movie looks so he/she can create a visual image system (through lighting, composition, camera angles, depth of field, colors, locations etc.) that will help to convey the Director’s message to the audience.
The DOP and Production Designer also work closely with the Director on the design and building of any sets as well as scouting for the perfect locations that fit the visual concept and style of the film.
Shooting Plot (Lens Plot)
One of the things you need to do with your DOP is design your “shooting plot or lens plot” which is a stylistic camera plan that makes a “subtextual visual comment” across the entire film. This can be as simple as choosing which lenses you want for a particular scene to determining the height of the camera you want to use for each character in different scenes.
For example, in one sequence you may want to start with a wide lens to establish all the characters having a discussion around a table. As the film progresses and the story gets more intense, you start using progressively longer lenses to separate the characters and create more tension.
Likewise, you can start the same table discussion scenes with the camera at eye-level for all the characters and as the film progresses and the story gets more dramatic, you gradually raise or lower the camera for specific characters depending on whether they are in a position of power or not.
Visual Concept Examples
- Patterns (Symbolic Meanings)
– Triangles (female, relationships, romance)
– Squares (trapped, rigid, conservative)
– Circles (infinity, without beginning or end)
– Horizontal lines (level, true, balanced, passive)
– Vertical lines (firm, upward, climbing, active, trapped)
- Motion (Reading left to right)
– Motion left to right feels comfortable, natural, going somewhere, finishing.
– Motion right to left has a feeling of conflict, evil, trouble, coming back.
(Could have the opposite feelings for those culture’s who read right to left.)
- Focus (Movement vs Stillness)
– Movement creates focus. (We notice a moving person in a still crowd.)
– Stillness creates focus. (We notice a still person in a moving crowd.)
- Balance (Composition)
– Balanced Images (stability, fairness, calmness.)
– Unbalanced Images (shaky, unstable, conflicted, tension.)
– Centered Images (making no statement, intelligence, calmness.)
– Off-Centre Images (implied action, entering or leaving.
Symbolic Meanings of Colors
What is the thematic color of your story? What is the color of each scene? What are the colors of each character? All colors mean something on an emotional level and they can add additional visual subtextual layers to your film – depending on the context they are used for in a scene. For example:
WARM COLORS (Red, Yellow, Orange) can be pleasing & joyful
OR aggressive & violent.
COOL COLORS (Blue, Green, White) can be comforting & calming
OR cold & impersonal.
Here are some basic Psychological and Emotional meanings of 12 colors:
Primary Colors
RED – anger, passion, rage, desire, excitement, energy, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence
YELLOW – wisdom, knowledge, relaxation, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, deceit, illness, hazard
BLUE – faith, spirituality, loyalty, fulfillment, peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, security, order, sky, water, cold, technology, depression
Secondary Colors
ORANGE – humor, energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant
PURPLE – erotic, royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning, power, sensitive, intimacy
GREEN – healing, soothing, perseverance, tenacity, self-awareness, proud, unchanging nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy
Other Colors
BLACK – No, power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, death
WHITE – Yes, protection, love, reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage, death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile
GREY – neutral, uncommitted, insulated, non-involvement, security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, sadness, boring, old age
BROWN – materialistic, sensation, earth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity
SILVER – riches, glamorous, distinguished, earthy, natural, sleek, elegant, high-tech
GOLD – precious, riches, extravagance, warm, wealth, prosperity, grandeur
Copyright (c) 2019 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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