Mastering Film Design: How Visuals, Sound, and Set Crafting Shape Iconic Movies Like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Fifth Element
Design is paramount in film projects. Everything from color palettes, set design, costumes, artifacts, lighting, and sound must be carefully crafted to fit the film’s needs. When a film’s design identity is strong it results in a more compelling final product. A film relies on being cohesive and presenting a mood and theme that must remain the same throughout the movie.
A film’s identity begins in the writing and storyboard stage
Set design and framing play a key role in creating a still image that aims to be pleasing to the eye or convey a specific message. The goal should be to have every frame in the film be a successful composition. Color plays a huge role in setting the mood for a scene. When it is combined with lighting design it can then further extend the mood and feel to the viewer. After the visuals have been aligned, then sound can be crafted to match them. Adding sound is an extremely important part to rounding out the feel of a movie. The goal is to shoot for stimulation of all senses possible for the viewer, to entice memories, feelings, or to add to the storytelling of the piece.
Here are six films that capture all the elements of design in film to deliver successful results:
Pan’s Labyrinth
“In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world” Directed by Guillermo del Toro.
The Fifth Element
“A cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay” Directed by Luc Besson.
John Dies at the End
“A new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return no longer human. Can two college dropouts save humanity from this silent, otherworldly invasion?” Directed by Don Coscarelli.
Underworld
“A vampire warrior is entrenched in a conflict between vampires and werewolves” Directed by Len Wiseman
Sucker Punch
“A young girl institutionalized by her abusive stepfather retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape” Directed by Zack Snyder.
The Cell
“An F.B.I. Agent persuades a social worker, who is adept with a new experimental technology, to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim” Directed by Tarsem Singh
Sebastian Chapman
Graphic Designer | Illustrator
