The movie that I will examine is Never Let Me Go that was produced in 2010. The director of the movie is Mark Romanek and the production design is Mark Digby. The art director is Rachel Fleming. It should be noted that each of the people involved in film production have different roles regarding the design process.
To begin with, the director is the general overseer of the events related to film production. It is the duty of the director to liaise with all the stakeholders and ensure that everything is according to plan (Nelmes, 2003). In this regard, it is upon the director to ensure that the style and the expected frame of mind are maintained throughout the film. The director is expected to work together with the production and costume designer to ensure that the visual look of the movie is consistent with the theme of the film.
On the other hand, the visual appearance of the film is fully the responsibility of the production designer. They decide settings of the film as well as the costumes that are to be used in every scene of the film. The production designer from the initial stages of the film decides the moods as well as themes of film in conjunction with other people.
Guiding the other staff including the make-up stylists and costume manager is also the work of the production designer. Special effects that are crucial for invoking mood changes in film are the responsibility of production designer. Similarly, the art director is responsible for the entire art department (Nelmes, 2003). The art director supervises the artists and crafts people. They are responsible for the general visual design of the film.
Light has very crucial effects in film regarding the way various scenes are depicted in any film. It is important to note here that lights are used by various film makers to implement the effects they want on their audience. In the film never let me go, lights are used to invoke the atmosphere of sorrow to the audience.
The young adults in the movie are not very happy, a point that is driven home by the not so bright lights that are used. While driving in the car, the lights are hardly bright enough though it is during the day. The problems faced by the people in the car are confirmed by the facial expressions as well as the discussions between them (Mark, 2010). Nevertheless, when Miss Lucy breaks the truth to the students, the lights are bright to depict the goodness of the news
Lights are used by filmmakers to create aesthetic conditions that are congruent with the themes and modes of the film. It should be noted that lights have the ability of altering the moods of the audience. Dark and low-key lights depict gloomy, quirky or sorrowful moods. On the other hand, bright lights are usually associated with happiness and joyful occasions (Nelmes, 2003). In this regard, contrasting between the bright and low-key tones is very essential in invoking mood changes.
The lights in the movie never let me go are used to show a gloomy mood because the young adults are neither happy nor sad. Though Ruth expects to meet her clone, all of them know that they are destined to die soon and that overshadows the joy of the moment. The lights in the film are that of low-key to show that the story being told is sad (Mark, 2010). The power of lights is used to manipulate the mood of the audience to empathize with the characters in the film.
The movie never let me go, is set in a period after World War II when science and innovations were on their peak. This is the period when each nation wanted to come up with the most important discovery in science.
Given the fact that the characters involved do not even question why the acts of cloning are taking place, it is evident that the move is set in a primitive culture where people have limited knowledge. The location of the movie is in a country side given the fact that most of the people know each other. This is complimented by easiness of people to meet each other. Everything that is happening in the movie somehow gets to be known by everybody (Mark, 2010).
The other aspect of film that is crucial is delivering special message is costumes. First and foremost, costumes can be used to depict the difference between any two characters. An evil and mysterious character in a film can be dressed in black or dark clothes to display their devilish characters.
On the other hand, good people in a movie are always dressed in bright colored clothes to depict their well and encouraged behavior. This difference in dressing is crucial in differentiating the characters. On the same note, costume can be used to show the social status of a character in society. Social difference in society is a reality and mode of dressing as well as housing is usually the indicators of the social level of a person (Nelmes, 2003). Costumes can also be used to show similarity between any two characters.
When film wants to expose the aspects of rich neighborhood the costumes used should depict affluence. There are specific costumes that are meant for royal families and they should be used whenever the film’s plot is about royal family. Moreover, costumes can be used to depict change in characters as well as themes within a film. It goes without saying therefore that costume is a very crucial part in film making.
Another very important part that helps in telling a story is make-up and hair style. The way a character has done his or her make-up and hair style will tell whether he or she is rich or a middle income earner. On the same note, hair style and make-up will tell whether the client was in a hurry when dressing or has walked along distance.
Notably, when the story is about a person running away from a certain danger and has a lot of things to think about, well kept hair style will not be consistent with the story (Nelmes, 2003). Nevertheless, a shaggy style with no make-up will be perfect to show that the character has some problems. Most importantly, make-up is used to ensure consistence in the looks of a character throughout the shooting of a movie.
Arguably, hair style and make-up tells a lot about a given character. Sweat in a character’s face is the best way of showing a nervous character. This may be due to the fact that the character did something wrong. On the same note, it may be that the story is supposed to be set in a hot weather. Hair style and make-up are responsible for giving certain crucial clues about a given character. These clues may include the social status of the characters where well kept expensive hair style is associated with the rich in the society.
Hair style may also be used to reflect the time period in which a film is set as well as the life style of the characters (Nelmes, 2003). The simple hair style worn by Ruth, Tommy and Kathy as they drive to town, shows that they do not have much money. Moreover, lack of any pronounced make-up shows their simple lifestyle (Mark, 2010). It is also important to note that make-up and hair style can be used to depict emotional or psychological aspects of the story.
The story of the movie is about the predicament that three young adults and other people find themselves in. These people will have to face their fate and have been manipulated to believe that their fate is the same as every other person. In this regard, the mood of the film is quirky.
The lights of the film change from dark and low-key to relatively bright in some scenes. The low-key lights are consistent with the gloomy themes of the film. On the same note, hair styles and make-ups used in the film are very simple depicting the simple life that the characters live. Consequently, the design elements are in perfect harmony with the main theme of the film.
References
Mark, R. (Director & Producer). (2010). Never Let Me Go Movie [ Motion Picture]. United States: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Nelmes, J. (2003). An Introduction to Film Studies. London: Routledge.