Film Studies: Red Planet and Mirrors

The film red planet is being looked at because not only does it place on a distant planet but the crew that reach the planet have a robot called 'Amee' turns against them. The sense of being chased is more apparent towards the second half of the film. 

The crew come across what they think is a supply depot but it turns out to be abandoned. In this image we can see tones of browns and gold sheets (used to protect supplies from exposure to the sun). Orange and reds of the flames inside the building draws our eye in to the building. The strong light source on the left creates soft shadows on the sandy/rock ground. Highlights can be seen on the poles creating sharp contrast with the curvy pipe in the foreground. The darkest shadow at the back creates a sense of space and uncertainty within the scene. 

The blue mist in image above creates atmosphere a sense of unknowing. The foreground rocks establish the rocky setting and the cliffs are highlighted by the light coming for the left. The characters silhouette in the mist making them stand out to the audience. The shadow on the right creates the idea of depth. 

Again we see the blue mist giving the sense of being out in the middle of where. The background shadow is much darker creating an even bigger contrast in light. Algae begins to grow on the planet great a bed of green moss and it appeals to us because it reminds us of grass complimented by the earthy brown rocks on the side. Interesting the cold colours on the character bring him forward since all the other colours are mainly natural colours.

The images above are from the scene in the film when a possible way of contacting life off planet can be made. In the top image the ground is a warmer brown inviting our eyes to look at whats down in the canyon and it compliments how the character feels at the time; sense of relief. In contrast to this Amee shortly afterwards follows him to the shuttle and from the same we can see that ground is much more desaturated since the tone of the scene has changed to that of threatening. The shuttle is much more closer to the camera as the crewman is slouched next to the shuttle with his life in danger.

Below I have created some paintings of my interpretation of the film.

The blue mist creates a mysterious atmosphere adding to the tension with the shadows surrounding the character.

Blu,e green and olive colours are used here again based in a dark setting this scene looks scary.

We see the silhouette of a survivor on the planet and finds a machine that could possibly take him off the environment. Since its at a distance it look alien-like reminiscent of a spider since its a fairy neutral colour so we're uneasy with it because we don't know if will bring hope or danger.

To get a better sense of colour use in the horror genre its appropriate to look at pre-existing films in the same style and analyse how colour is being used; also with light and dark in mind too. Mirrors is a film that uses reflections as a way to create the sense of fear, although it still uses contrasts of light and dark to drive the narrative in it's environments; there is very distinctive colour choice being used as well. 

There first image here looks really unsettling since there is direct lighting hitting the door our eye is instantly drawn to to it. There is contrasts of red and green but also turquoise, this isn't a friendly area at all. The reflection on the floor creates a sense of space but since it's diffused with the light source it appears confusing and creates a sense of panic. We see the silhouette of the guard making his way to the door. 

The warm colour of light shines through the entrance creating both sharp and soft shadows in the area. The light representing safety of the outside world; this area is dirty making it clear that is hasn't been habited for a long time. Since most of the area has fallen into the dark we feel vulnerable since we can't see the entire scene clearly. There is the contrast of blue on the right creating more atmosphere and sense of detachment from the environment.

In the image above we see the security guard (Kieffer Sutherland) patrolling a shut down Mayfair flower department. We can see Turquoise dominating this scene again detaching the viewer from the scene. Pools of small lights creates a diffused shadows on the floor creating an unsettling space. The light from the torch contrasts with the scene drawing our eye to the security guard. Again we see the use of Silhouettes being used.  

This scene again we see colour contrasts of yellow/orange and turquoise with the steam being highlighted in the light create a sense of mystery. Light diffuses through the water creating more uncertainty with huge shadows on the background wall. 

The image above uses tones of blue with 1 light source creating strong contrasts in the scene. Since there is so much darkness it is hard to read what is going on in this area this creates the sense of abandonment.

This is a scene back at the house with the family where the boy has had a nightmare and yellows for his mother. The warm colours on the left draw our eye to here and we can see this is his mum yet on the right where the boy lies surrounded with greys with a huge shadow approaching his bed creating a sense of panic because at this moment we're unsure if this is a monster from his nightmare or his mothers. 

So we can see that contrast of colour is used to help drive the story between good and bad in each scene. Also it creates the feeling of emptiness and detachment from the environments. This is a feature I want to express in my paintings.