Color and Light in "Coraline". Visual & Performing Arts Coursework

Coursework Instructions:

Watch the 2009 animated film Coraline. This film uses a special animation technique called "stop-motion," meaning actual models are built and carefully moved by animators between each frame. Because of this unique technique, the designers of the film can use lighting in a similar way to how they would in a live-action film or theatre production. And, of course, the designers also use color to help set the tone of the film and to portray emotions.
As you watch, pay attention to light and color. I want you to pay close attention to the differences between the "real" world and the "other" world and what the colors and lighting in each world might symbolize or represent.
Your assignment is to write an analysis of the use of light and color in the film. Discuss the dominant colors used and what they signify. Discuss how the colors are meant to display the characters' inner feelings/emotions and how they are meant to affect the audience's perception of what is happening. Discuss what sort of atmosphere is set by the lighting, and how the film uses lighting to highlight or hide things from view. Discuss any other aspect of the use of lighting or color in the film that you noticed. Your analysis must be at least 500 words (exactly twice as long as these instructions). This is due on Monday, April 20, at 10 pm (so you don't have to work on it over Spring Break).

Coursework Sample Content Preview:

The Light and Colors in Coraline the Animated Film
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Coraline is one of the best-animated films of this generation. Its story is definitely heart-warming and audience-friendly. Also, in this fantastic dark story, its setting and tone added more flavor to the entire movie. These two factors signify and strengthen a character's personality. Thus, capturing the hearts of the viewers. This is a separate entity from the entirety of the film's story. Hence, called visual storytelling.
The setting of the movie is divided into two worlds, namely, the 'Real World' and the 'Other World.' Each of them may be similar, but their layouts are incredibly different. This is evident in the color and tonal balance chosen for each setting (Higgins, 2012).
The art director of Coraline used different colors to differentiate the real world and the other world. In the real world, it used the greys and washed out pastels colors for the background. It is evident at the start of the movie that Coraline is the protagonist of the story. This is because the color of the environment in the forest when she met Wybie was all grey. Wybie's clothes are pastel while Coraline's are yellow that makes her stand out.
Like the forest, the hue of Caroline's home and its surroundings are dull and lacking. The only object of comparison with a perfect tone is the clothing of the characters, especially that of Coraline, which is yellow. Her clothes in this setting are the only objects that reveal a feeling—happiness (Jockenhövel, 2011).
The shades used in the real world are designed to make the viewers feel claustrophobic. This signifies failure, dullness, loneliness, and indifference in the real world. The art director did not use much lighting in the real world at all. By contrast, in the other world, the house and its surroundings suddenly became the ideal world for the main character. The colors used were a combination of warm and lively colors that are very satisfying in the eyes, thereby catching the attention of Caroline. These colors reflect both vibrance and radiance, which made the character give in to t...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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Color and Light in "Coraline". Visual & Performing Arts Coursework

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