Portrait of Self as Agnostic
My eye was first drawn to the burning silhouette in the center. I saw that first because it is in the center and is bigger than that other things in the image. The birds in the image are symbols because they could represent all the different religions that people may believe in. The silhouette is standing in front of a fireplace; the artist could be trying to imply that they were so overwhelmed that they began to mentally and/or physically (verbally) implode from the inside out and that was the result. With the way that the birds are facing they either could have been previously attacking her and started to flea or they could come currently coming closer to her to break her down even more. There is no fire in the fireplace that is present; some might take it as the fire has transferred to the silhouette and has taken over, or it could mean that the self implosion started unsuspectingly. Above the fire place is a mirror, in the reflection of the mirror…
Ex Machina
In the beginning of the scene, the music is seems to be building up as if something were about to happen. Along with the closeups of Ava and Kyoko, it brings suspense to make the viewer wonder what they are talking about. Their words aren’t heard but you can see their lips moving so signify something was being planned. The white could be a representation of openness of freedom maybe. The length of kyoko’s dress tells that Nathan dressed her in a way that would make her sexually appealing, The dress is also white which could represent purity as well was innocence even though non consensual things may be happening to her. the knife in Kyoko’s hand is what is used to get revenge on Nathan because of what he’s done to the androids… The shadow behind Nathan could be representative of his real intentions and he cynical mind. The shot of Nathan coming from the shadow towards the two women surrounded by white could be seen as the darkness coming to overshadow the light. And the grey in between is the neutral middle. The white clothing containing the little bit of black could be that they are shown as good innocent people on the inside but underneath they also have a dark side to them. The exchange of words between Ava and Nathan shows the tension between the two, Ava despises him and asks a question that she knows she will not the truthful answer to. The music behind it creates more suspense as they begin to have this altercation. The shot of Ava running towards Nathan is from the back side of her. She is running towards the darkness that is causing her to become manipulative and violent. Nathan is then tackled by Ava. The carper underneath them is red; the red carpet could be a symbol of the blood and tears that are soon to be shed through this interaction. It could also be the violence and tension of the situation. The shot of Kyoko walking towards the other two is from the angle of the floor. The other two are having this tussle on the floor trying to control one another. There is a shadow cast on Kyoko walking towards them… The shot of Nathan above Ava is somewhat through the eyes of Ava. She is on the floor in defeat as Nathan stands over her as if asserting his dominance and stating his power. The glasses being knocked off of Nathan’s face is a representation that his perception of what is going on and what he is doing is foggy and misconstrued. The crescendo of the music when Kyoko stabs Nathan is asserting the power she now has over him as well as the feeling of her now being free of the man who has been holding her. Nathan standing in between the two shows that he…
Walking Dead Opening Scene
When someone says they’ve hit a crossroad, it means that they’ve run into an unavoidable situation; a stump, a blockage. Rick has been hit with a situation that he has to. Cars take us on journeys, when you see the car in the street flipped over and ricks car up right it could mean that his life may be about to flip upside down and change completely. This scene has no music, it is filled with the silence of the wind blowing, signs swinging, metal clanking, and so on. It is purely just the sound of no one around, there are no people walking, cars running, children laughing. Rick seems to be walking as if he’s had to do this before but it’s all still new to him, his face shows that he may be confused as well as cautious about what he does. The switch to the handheld camera is a switch to Rick’s point of view. It basically shows what he sees and how he’s looking at it. There are toys on the ground which tell the viewer that there used to be children around. The baby doll on the ground could be foreshadowing the little girl that rick sees. The baby doll has on clothes that seem to have faded, changed color and gotten dirty; the little girl is the irl version of the baby doll that has turned. Rick standing in between the two cars could be basically saying that he is now stuck in the middle of this situation that could cause him death. Red and black both symbolize death, where he is walking, death has occurred all around him. He is in a deserted place. There is a “no gas” sign at the gas station. So someone has already come through there before Rick so he is not alone in this apocalypse. The blur of the girls legs makes the viewer wonder if she is alive or not. Some wouldn’t expect her to be surviving on her own though. The girl goes to pick up a teddy bear. The viewer can now see that her legs are beat up and very pale, so you could make the assumption that she is a walker because of the state of her skin. But by her picking up the bear is shows that she may still have some type of brain function left in her. The bear, the slippers, and the pink robe show her innocence and purity. She was most likely really scared and confused as to why this was happening. The red car in the back by her head in this frame could show the absence of life in her brain. Or it could be her walking towards her death you could say. Also there could be a dead body in the red car which would represent that death has occurred there. The shot on Rick’s face show his change of emotion after seeing this girl that he presumes is alive. He then says that he is a police officer thinking that it will give this girl a sense if relief and that she would now be safe with him but it is sadly too late. The silence up until the end gives the scene a sense of suspense. A scene ending with a gunshot is used a lot to signify the start of a new journey. I think the central message of the scene is desolation.