Reflection

In my essay, I researched how colour and composition is used in cinematography effectively. I identified different methods, such as harmonious colour schemes and the use of perspective lines, and then applied my knowledge by examining what messages they create in the anthology The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. In my practical work, I demonstrated how this information can be applied thereafter by developing a series of storyboards showing the different methods and their effects. For instance, in one shot the convention of lead room is contradicted. Brown (2016) states that the "eyeline or gaze has some visual weight" and that, for a composition to be balanced, there needs to be room in the frame. Moura (2011) explains that the breaking of this rule by putting the subject too close to the edge of the frame will give the feeling of claustrophobia or the unknown. I designed the first storyboard to create a sense of helplessness by placing the subject on the edge of the frame. I also developed my own visual language with colour. A theme through out the storyboards is the link between orange and power which references what is shown in the short Meal Ticket and the colour red.

I think that my practical work is effective at demonstrating the different techniques I have learnt through my research. However, I feel that without a script to go along side it, some of the meaning is lost. Even so, the overall tone is communicated through composition and colour.