The movie Home directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand presents the nature of our planet as a masterpiece and some shots can be confused for a painting (Figure 1). I have chosen a colorful shot made from a helicopter that pictures the Grand Prismatic Spring located in the Yellowstone National Park, US. As nature is one of the things that is constantly explored, the shot from the movie is one of the most colorful, fascinating, and thought-provoking images in the whole movie.
Watercolor Nature
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the image was a watercolor painting drawn with a careless hand of an impressionist painter. Another association with this image is a big blue eye of some exotic predator that gets ready for a hunt. The impact of the image is tremendous, as when explained that this is a hot spring in the national park that is situated on our planet, you can’t really believe it straightaway. Our nature is so various and unexplainable that the significance of this image represents the fact that often we forget how beautiful our planet is.
It is hard to talk about the visual elements of the image, as Mother Nature herself created all the colors, shapes, and lines. However, a clear structure is seen; the contrast of bright colors creates a circular hierarchy from the subtlest brown hues of land to the deep blues and turquoises. By using this image in the movie, the director, first of all, wants to underline the contrasts of our planet, from the gloomy concrete streets to the breathtaking landscapes that existed long before we appeared. Moreover, just a visual aspect is enough to capture anybody’s attention. It’s pleasant and calming to look at for hours, examining every little detail of ornate patterns.
Context and Meaning
The context of the image is rather broad, as the movie captures a lot of aspects of human life that are bad for the planet’s environment. The main message is “Excessive consumption of natural resources create an extent that it’s imperative to reverse by implementing serious measures that change consumption habits. Although the information on the planet’s wear resources is known, we are witnessing a kind of refusal to believe this evidence” (Castro par. 4). The message of the stunning shot is to value every single piece of our planet and make some changes in order to preserve it in its beauty and glory.
The high resolution of the image used to capture our high-resolution world is instrumental in capturing the attention of the viewers and influencing their thoughts on the current situation with the global environment. If we do not change anything in our actions when it comes to the consumption of resources, the beautiful images of our planet can also change for worse.
Conclusion
The shot from the movie Home picturing the Grand Prismatic Spring is a bright image that both soothes the eye and evokes some thoughts on the glory of nature. Despite the fact that the image can be easily confused for a watercolor painting, its impact on me was tremendous, as in daily life I often forget how little the mundane problems are and how great and diverse our planet is.
Works Cited
Castro, Ilda. Home: Nature as a Masterpiece of Art. n.d. Web.
“Helicopter shot from the movie Home”. n.d. Web.