Sin City presentation 2.0

As promised I am doing another presentation on Sin City as if I haven't done enough projects on it already; nevertheless I have finally decided to do my presentation on the second Sin City film; Sin City: A dame to kill for. So I have watched and taken notes on the film so far and I really like it; its not as good as the first but they had a lot of problems with timelines in this one, due to their being 3 separate stories in one and they all happen at different times. Despite the confusing timeline the film is really enjoyable and I am glad I have chosen to do my presentation on it; now I just have to watch it 20 more times. 

The films colours do seem to correlate however I feel that the new one uses colours more for visual appeal where as the first film used them for hidden meaning. There are some new colours used in the  film and I do have some theories of what they might mean.

Firstly Orange:

Orange is featured on Marv's pills, 'Kadie's Bar' sign and Sally's Hair.

• Orange can be seen as a fiery colour so it could mean that it is fierce or dangerous.
• "Orange offers emotional strength in difficult times. It helps us to bounce back from disappointments and despair, assisting in recovery from grief." (1)
• Orange is a self-indulgent colour.
• Orange represents Adventure and risk taking it also promotes physical confidence and enthusiasm. This links well to 'Kadie's Bar'.

Sally

Pink:

Pink is only used on Sally's lingerie.

• Pink is often referred to as being sexy.
• It is also a very bold and powerful colour, suggesting that she is a strong woman.
• It can also be seen as a calm colour which could show weakness.
• Pink "reassures our emotional energies, alleviating feelings of anger, aggression, resentment, abandonment and neglect." (2) This fits in well to the story of the character the pink could be showing that she has calmed down after a near death experience.

Blue:

Blue is used in the first film when information is being passed, in the new film Ava wears a bright blue coat.

• In the first film blue is also shown if someone is a traitor; this applies to Ava's character.
• "This color is one of trust, honesty and loyalty. It is sincere, reserved and quiet, and doesn't like to make a fuss or draw attention. It hates confrontation, and likes to do things in its own way." (3) Blue in our case could be used contradictory so that people feel as if they can trust Ava even though they cannot.
• Can be seen as being deceitful and spiteful.
• "It can also indicate manipulation, unfaithfulness and being untrustworthy." (4)

Ava

Finally natural colours:

By this I mean unprocessed colours; shown in all of the fire and explosions and in particular Marcy.

• Marcy is shown as the only person which natural skin tones; this could be to show that she is pure. This can also relate to the fire showing that it is also pure.
• It could show that she is full of life and that the darkness of Sin City has not yet gotten to her.

Marcy and Johnny

There is so much more I could research into but I think I am going to start writing my presentation soon or I will end up in a massive Sin City spiral and want to do a 20 minute presentation rather than a 3 minute one.

Cheerio for now.

References:

(1) Judy Scott-Kemmis. The Color Orange. Available: http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-orange.html. Last accessed 30/02/15.

(2)  Judy Scott-Kemmis. The Color Pink. Available: http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-pink.html. Last accessed 30/02/15.

(3) Judy Scott-Kemmis. The Color Blue. Available: http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-blue.html. Last accessed 30/02/15.

(4) Judy Scott-Kemmis. The Color Blue. Available: http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-blue.html. Last accessed 30/02/15.

Sally picture: http://sincity.wikia.com/wiki/Sally

Ava picture: http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/sin-city-a-dame-to-kill-for/238554/sin-city-the-hard-complete-timeline

Marcy and Johnny .gif: http://www.contestofchampions.net/sin-city-vs-sin-city

The importance of art style and colour: a personal enquiry

I have always been interesting in the choice of a games art style and why they used specific colours in-game; therefore I have decided to explore the use of these things in some of my favourite games. Looking in depth about the colour choices and the psychology behind them; the way that colours and drawing style can evoke different emotions within a game is truly astonishing and I wish to share my knowledge on this subject with you. 

The colours in a game are very important to the overall mood of the game; if you use dark colours it is more likely to make the atmosphere more scary and eerie, if bright colours are used it makes it seem more cheery and upbeat and if neutral pastel colours are used it makes a very calm and peaceful surrounding. Colours can make a person feel so many different emotions and this is obvious when used in a game environment. The main types of colour schemes used in games are; complementary colours which are opposite on the colour wheel, analogous colours which are colours next to each other on the wheel and monochromatic colours which are the different shades of one colour.

One of my favourite art styles is the work of Telltale games; in their games The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us they use a beautiful cel shaded 3D modelled scheme with perfectly thought out colours and lighting. The use of cel shading in The Wolf Among Us brings a gritty cartoon feel to the game; this means it can be serious and childlike when needed. The style also gives it a unique look and brings depth to the already created fictional world. The game also gives off a film noire feel through its storyline, camera angles and art style this makes the player feel more drawn to the game and more compelled to play it. The Wolf Among Us uses many different colours to create their dark moody environments for example this image uses the complementary colours purple and yellow to create a wary alleyway scene. 

The purple in this image represents inferiority and the yellow anxiety, the characters in this image are unsure of the outcome of a potential fight in an alleyway but they know it isn't going to end well. Another good example is the uses of analogous colours in this next picture;

The pinks and reds used in this scene are connoting courage, weakness and 'fight or flight'; these colours have been cleverly used to show the power of the character but to also show that the other characters are going to retaliate but one of the sides isn't going to be as strong; this is due to the pink being a demasuculising colour and it being a sign of weakness, this paired with the red which is a powerful aggressive colour means that the two colours (characters) will clash.

The next game on my list has been called art rather than a video game; Journey is honestly one of the best looking games of all time. The cartoony look to the game gives it a light hearted feel however the game has extremely well thought out colour schemes. The game uses no speech or text therefore the environments, characters and music need to portray the mood and storyline of the game; each different part of the game has different colour schemes the darker the colours get the more dangerous and scary the section is meant to be. Journey uses many colour schemes to create their beautiful environments; one of the most powerful being a monochromatic scene. 

In this image the use of orange tones create a calming and beautiful atmosphere, the colours are desaturated so they are not over powering. The use of orange gives a sense of comfort, security and warmth; the browns bringing tranquillity, earthiness and support to the environment. Journey also uses complementary colour schemes;

In this image the heavenly pastel pink and green create a soft and light feeling atmosphere; the added white connotes purity and beauty making the scene. The pink is used to create Physical tranquillity and the green harmony and peace; these colours will make the player feel calm and relaxed whilst exploring the beautiful landscape. Another good example is the use of analogous colours;

The purples create a reclusive scene with the blues making it feel cold; however the lighter blue sections are used to show intelligence and help guide you through the level. It is obvious to see why journey has been referred to as art rather than a game; the colours used with its beautiful art style produce a fantastic dynamic art experience. 

The importance of art style and colour choices is evident in Don't Stave which uses a 2D cut-out dark cartoon style; the drawings are very Burtonesque and therefore give off a gothic vibe adding to the games overall cutesy but gloomy style. The colours in this game are fairly realistic there is no over powering colours everything is quite desaturated and dark giving off that overall gothic theme. Don't Stave uses a very muted colour scheme; the colours used are realistic and are normally seen in everyday life; for example blue, green and yellow is often seen in nature.

The analogous colours used throughout the game create a cartoony but realistic world; the colours being washed out and grey work perfectly with the whole gothic Tim Burton style of drawing. The browns and greens used make the scene very earthy and stable the yellow adds another layer of Optimism and fear. Without these colour choices the game could have a completely different mood; for example if bright colours were used it would make the game cheery and not seem as gloomy and dark which would detract from the overall game play.

The game Hotline Miami is also an amazing example of a successful 2D game with an interesting art style. Hotline Miami's art was influenced by the 80's and games of its time; the use of bright neon colours and music work so well together and create an upbeat game atmosphere which gets the player in the mood to smash some heads in (in-game of course). Hotline Miami is a perfect example of how even low resolution 2D games can still be as good as any 3D realistic game. Hotline Miami doesn't really have a set colour scheme, they use bright wacky colours that clash to create a trippy looking world; the use of the swaying scenes helps create this atmosphere.

The bright neon colours in-game denote the 80's due to the use of the same colours in this era. The overall use of the pinks and reds connote emasculation and aggression which help the player get in the mood; becoming an angry mask wearing killer. Clashing colours can mean lots of different things but it mainly shows confusion and anxiety, this fits the overall trippy feel to the game and the storyline. 

A great example of how art style can influence the market is Angry Birds; they took a pre-existing game and threw some pretty colours, cute characters and interactive sound effects on it and it has been downloaded over 42 million times; just showing us how important art is to games and how colour choices and draw a player in. Angry birds has mainly used analogous colours to create a bright, happy and childish atmosphere. 

 

The green is used to show balance and also boredom, the bright colours used on the pigs makes your eyes drawn to them making them the main target. The yellow used on the bird is used to show confidence and power; this makes the bird seem more dominant than the green pigs. The bright colours typically draw in players and the addictive game-play makes them stay, however if they game didn't have the appealing art style then the player wouldn't stick around for long; the overall alluring art style and colour make the game and without it I don't believe it would have sold more than 100 copies. 

Don’t Starve and Hotline Miami also show that 2D games are not dead, it is usually thought that 2D games are inferior to 3D games but I believe that this is completely incorrect; just because we don’t see them on next-gen does not mean that any realistic looking 3D game is better. 2D’s classic characteristics will never be outdated and no matter how elaborate 3D games become; 2D will always be at the heart of the 3D and is evident in the games we know and love today.

After delving into the world of art style and the psychology of colour it is clear to me how important these aspects are to video games. In games such as Angry Birds it is apparent that without the art style and colour schemes that game would have not sold even half as much as it did. Journey would not be seen as a piece of art and The Wolf Among Us wouldn’t be as unique and eye catching and hotline Miami would just be another top down fighting game; without their art styles these games would be boring and generic. Overall we can see that 2D games and 3D games are equal; we look at games such a journey and the power of the colours used are incredible the way that these colours can create dense atmospheres and mood along with telling a story is astonishing, it is now obvious to me how important these aspects are to creating a brilliant video game. After looking at all of the colour schemes in these games it is truly amazing how just a few colours, shades and tones can make you feel different emotions and moods. By utilising colours psychological meanings you can create incredible atmospheres like all of the games above.  To make a good game you need to think about the style and colours you use.

References:

Justin Towell. (2012). Why 2D will never die. Available: http://www.gamesradar.com/why-2d-will-never-die/. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Martin Toney. (2013). The Wolf Among Us Wiki: Everything you need to know about the game. Available: Justin Towell. (2012). Why 2D will never die. Available: http://www.gamesradar.com/why-2d-will-never-die/. Last accessed 25/04/2014.. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

THE BOOK. Available: http://theartofjourney.com/. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

http://uk.ign.com/. (2013). AN APPETIZING, LONELY FEAST.. Available: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/05/02/dont-starve-review. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Tom Bramwell. (2012). Hotline Miami review. Available: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-23-hotline-miami-review. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Teo. (2010). Angry Birds Hits 42 Million Free and Paid downloads. Available: http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/010/12/angry_birds_hits_42_million_free_and_paid_downloads.htm. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Angela Wright. (2008-14). Psychological Properties Of Colours.Available: http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

The importance of art style and colour: part two

In the first part of this blog I talked about how some of my favourite games where successful; this was due to their unique art styles and colours. Within this post I will continue to explore these games looking more at the colours used and how this effects a players emotions and mood.

The colours in a game are very important to the overall mood of the game; if you use dark colours it is more likely to make the atmosphere more scary and eerie, if bright colours are used it makes it seem more cheery and upbeat and if neutral pastel colours are used it makes a very calm and peaceful surrounding. Colours can make a person feel so many different emotions and this is obvious when used in a game environment.

The Wolf Among Us uses many different colours to create their dark moody environments for example this image uses the complementary colours purple and yellow to create a wary alleyway scene. 

The purple in this image represents inferiority and the yellow anxiety, the characters in this image are unsure of the outcome of a potential fight in an alleyway but they know it isn't going to go well. 

Journey uses many colour schemes to create their beautiful environments; One of the most powerful being a monochromatic scene. 

In this image the use of orange tones create a calming and beautiful atmosphere, the colours are desaturated so they are not over powering. The use of orange gives a sense of comfort, security and warmth; the browns bringing tranquillity, earthiness and support to the environment. 

Don't Stave uses a very muted desaturated colour scheme; the colours used are realistic and are normally seen in everyday life; for example blue, green and yellow is often seen in nature. 

The analogous colours used throughout the game create a cartoony but realistic world; the colours being muted work perfectly with the whole gothic Tim Burton style of drawing.

Hotline Miami doesn't really have a set colour scheme, they use bright wacky colours that clash to create a trippy looking world; the use of the swaying scenes helps create this atmosphere.

The bright neon colours in-game denote the 80's due to the use of the same colours in this era. The overall use of the pinks and reds connote emasculation and aggression which help the player get in the mood; ready to smash some heads in.

Angry birds has used analogous colours to create a bright, happy and childish atmosphere. 

The green is used to show balance and also boredom, the bright colours used on the pigs makes your eyes drawn to them making them the main target. The yellow used on the bird is used to show confidence and power; this makes the bird seem more dominant than the green pigs. 

After looking at all of the colour schemes in these games it is truly amazing how just a few colours, shades and tones can make you feel different emotions and moods. The way that red can make you feel strength and anger and how blue can make you feel cold and intelligent is astonishing. By utilising colours psychological meanings you can create incredible atmospheres like the ones I have shown above. 

The importance of art style and colour: part one

I have always been interested in art and especially art within video games; the way that colours and drawing style can evoke different emotions within a game. The psychology behind this is something that I wish to look further into; also the way that games have changed from 2D to 3D and whether this means 2D games are inferior to 3D games. To start off this exploration into the world of art style I will talk about some of the games I feel are a good example of great art style.

One of my favourite art styles is the work of Telltale games; in their games The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us they use a beautiful cel shaded 3D modelled scheme with perfectly thought out colours and lighting. The use of cel shading in The Wolf Among Us brings a gritty cartoon feel to the game; this means it can be serious and childlike when needed. The style also gives it a unique look and brings depth to the already created fictional world. The game also gives off a film noire feel through its storyline, camera angles and art style this makes the player feel more drawn to the game and more compelled to play it.

The next game on my list has been called art rather than a video game; Journey is honestly one of the best looking games of all time. The cartoony look to the game gives it a light hearted feel however the game has extremely well thought out colour schemes. The game uses no speech or text therefore the environments, characters and music need to portray the mood and storyline of the game; each different part of the game has different colour schemes the darker the colours get the more dangerous and scary the section is meant to be. 

Another interesting game is Don't Stave which uses a 2D cut-out dark cartoon style; the drawings are very Burtonesque and therefore give off a gothic vibe adding to the games overall cutesy but gloomy style. The colours in this game are fairly realistic there is no over powering colours everything is quite desaturated and dark giving off that overall gothic theme. 

The game Hotline Miami is also an amazing example of a successful 2D game with an interesting art style. Hotline Miami's art was influenced by the 80's and games of its time; the use of bright neon colours and music work so well together and create an upbeat game atmosphere which gets the player in the mood to smash some heads in (in-game of course). Hotline Miami is a perfect example of how even low resolution 2D games can still be as good as any 3D realistic game.

A great example of how art style can influence the market is Angry Birds; they took a pre-existing game and threw some pretty colours, cute characters and interactive sound effects on it and it has sold Billions; just showing us how important art is to games and how colour choices and draw a player in.

Overall we can see that 2D games and 3D games are equal; we look at games such a journey and the power of the colours used are incredible the way that these colours can create dense atmospheres and mood along with telling a story is astonishing, it is now obvious to me how important these aspects are to creating a brilliant video game. 

The beauty that is Sin City

So recently I did a presentation for critical studies based on art direction, I decided to choose one of my favourite films "Sin City" to talk about. Over all it went well, I mean I didn't throw up which was the best thing. So i'm just going to talk a bit about the film in general, I will try not to drag on or give too many spoilers :)

Sin City was created by a man named "Frank Miller", Miller is one of my favourite writers, comic artists and film directors of all time. My all time favourites are the Batman year one and the dark knight returns comics and films and of course Sin city the graphic novel and film. 

Batman year one comic panel

Sin City was filmed using a green screen then the backdrops were added in post production, This film also uses colourisation techniques; They used a black and white filter on high contrast to create a comic book feel and then used bright colours for certain objects, this makes the colours used have high symbolism. By using this method of editing it keeps the original theme as the graphic novel.

Green screen to colourised film to graphic novel

When thinking about composition you might not think that it is thought about much when creating films, however with Sin City all of the shots are beautifully thought about; this might be mainly because of the majority of shots being exactly the same as the comic; It almost being used as a storyboard for the film. In this image bellow it is obvious that composition has been thought about.

This still follows the golden spiral, the main focal point is her cold white flesh and her golden hair, The light on her body and the sheets draw your attention to the left side of the image more. Your eye then follows the shape of the sheets and the angle of her arm through to the shadows of the sheets and finally the shadowed out man on the right; This shadowing shows the solemn and dark mood of this character. 

Lighting is a very important feature in this film, even though these two elements were shot separately they used back lighting on the character to make it seem realistic. In this image the glaring lights of a car with the harsh dark silhouetted buildings create a very dark, mysterious and dangerous atmosphere. Where the character is slightly silhouetted as well shows that she is the target, the way the headlights surround her also show this; the dark colouring in this scene also connote that she is in danger.

In this film colour is one of the main factors in creating mood; the choice of colour used on certain objects in Sin City have hidden meanings, some more obvious than others. Red is used to show death and power;

The Converse and the Cadillac are owned by the same person; he has both of these things in red to show his true power in the film, It is also used to show his role in the film; which is being a killer.

The use of red for the sheets is not necessarily used to show love but to show the death of the woman. The red used on the lady's lips and dress are to show her power she is soon killed after by an assassin because of this power, therefore also showing death.

Yellow in every day life is seen as toxic and dangerous; normally seen on warning signs and such, therefore in this film they have used it for the same purpose. 

The deformed paedophile is bright yellow to show how poisonous he is he also uses a syringe of yellow liquid that is also used to portray a dangerous toxic substance. 

These two images are less obvious; the golden hair and eye are used as a warning to show that they will be dangerous later on. The woman is seen as dangerous due to her being murdered and the male being framed for her death.

In each occasion blue is shown in the film information is passed from one to another. The characters shown in blue are also corrupt, whether it be due to them being a traitor, a murderer or a corrupted cop.

The woman has bright blue eyes, this is because of her being an informer and giving information to the wrong people. The scene at the bottom flashes different colours such as red, yellow and finally blue showing the characters anxiety; it is only when the scene is blue that the dead character starts to talk.

Green is used sparingly in the film it is mainly used to portray jealousy and envy through the use of green eyes. This is linked closely to the seven deadly sins due to “the green eyed monster” which is the personification of jealously.

The colour of the blood in the film have different meanings:

White blood leaks from the bodies of the villains where the heroes are around their bodies. White shows heroic things such as the weapons used to kill them.

Red is to show that the person wearing the blood is powerful and strong whether it be there's or not.

The yellow blood is used to show that the paedophile was rotten to the core; this can also be seen as toxic blood where this then leads to the suicide of the male wearing his blood.

This is also done to make the film less violent but also adds another element to the colours used.

I personally find Sin City a beautiful film and feel that the way they made it as close to the graphic novel as possible make it incredibly impactful and memorable.

If you haven't seen it already I highly recommend watching it, the second one is coming out in the cinema soon so pre book your tickets now :)

Cheerio for now.