Film Aesthetics
Luca Gaspari
05.09.2024
So much of our appreciation for film comes from aesthetics — a filmmaker's choice of visual elements can set the mood for intense emotional experiences. Aesthetics bring movies to life, allowing us to empathize and connect with the soft sides of film production beyond merely the plot. In this way, directors play a pivotal role in creating and evolving the immersive worlds we experience when watching films.
Aesthetics can be found in many forms but are often conveyed through intentional stylistic choices such as lighting, color grading, cinematography, and set design. These elements provide opportunity for directors to implement style into the visual aspects of a film. With this, they can tap into human emotions and influence us to feel a certain way.
While aesthetics provide style and impact for a film, it is not the only source of these qualities. There is still the need for deep and complex characters, a strong story, effective exploration of themes, and engaging conflict. These are what provide substance for a film, and they contribute a great amount of depth to a film with their intellectual and emotional effect. In this way, substance provides a foundation on which style can thrive and flourish .
Style and substance are constantly interacting and emerge throughout the course of the story, shaping the narrative through visual elements. When making a film, directors are faced with the decision to balance style and substance to create an engaging cinematic experience as effectively as possible. If directors focus too much on style, their film may seem superficial or self-indulgent. On the contrary, too much focus on substance may fail to grab the audience’s attention and create a lasting impression. The key is that while substance is the foundation for a film’s impact, style is a tool that can convey the substance of a story in a more impactful and memorable way — both must be used strategically and meaningfully.
Fallen Angels is an example of a film that embodies high style, but does so cohesively, developing each visual aspect into an all-encompassing unique aesthetic. It builds the story around the aesthetic itself, creating a memorable universe in which the film’s characters exist and interact. It may be difficult to grasp the plot on the first watch, considering the complexity of two story lines that the director Wong Kar-wai leads the viewer through, however the intensely atmospheric aesthetic is impossible to miss. If anything, the visual elements of this film will be the primary takeaway for the audience.
The film takes place primarily at night in the neon cityscape of Hong Kong, telling two intertwined narratives. In one, a disillusioned hitman moves silently through the underworld of the city, wishing his way out of the circle of crime he is entrenched in. He’s in love with his agent, but their professional relationship prevents anything from happening. At the same time, we observe a mute ex-convict on the run from police, dealing with the loss of his father and failed relationships.
There is a distinct loneliness that permeates this aesthetic, purposefully observed by director Wong Kar Wai. Wai explores the psyches of the main characters, carefully unraveling their stories and developing complex themes of isolation, fate, and love.
In Fallen Angels, the lighting and color grading compliment the neon backdrop of the city with faded shades of green, red and orange. The blur of the soft and indirect light fills the space, reflecting off the clouds drifting between buildings. This vibrance is unignorable, but more importantly symbolic. These aesthetic choices enhance the emotional resonance of many scenes, providing a well-developed mood and atmosphere for us to reflect on. Viewers experience the isolation of the characters through this, and the impermanent nature of their world.
Wong Kar Wai further demonstrates a mastery of cinematography, utilizing a distinct 9.8mm lens to effortlessly navigate between extreme close-ups and distant shots. He uses this as a potent mechanism for illustrating the characters’ emotional distance and isolation, serving as an active force that shapes the intricate spatial dynamics between characters. This manipulation of space creates a dynamic interplay, effectively reinforcing the characters’ present emotional states and adding layers of meaning to their interactions. [LG4]
In a manner akin to Fallen Angels, Martin Scorsese’s After Hours embraces a unique aesthetic that becomes an integral part of the storytelling. Set in New York City over the course of one chaotic night, it presents us with Paul Hackett, a naïve and mild-mannered businessman. He goes home with a girl from a 24-hour diner, but as she drags him through various strange locations, he gets caught up in a mob chase, stuck in a punk club, and covered in paper mache. Desperately trying to find his way home, the film dives into themes of alienation and the unpredictability of life, but not without the specific visual style that captures these themes.
As the pathway through dark and dimly lit streets unfolds, the environment becomes tense and mysterious. It’s getting darker and darker, and the people he’s encountered are turning more and more against him. Night turns to dusk, and intentional darkness and shadows heighten the unpredictability of Paul’s midnight journey. This is a descent into darkness, but also madness and obscurity. He’s becoming alienated in his own world, and the lack of light reflects this. We find ourselves on the same disorienting expedition as Paul, fully immersed into this reality of alienation. This unique use of light brings us into the film, making us a part of the engaging story, and allowing us to understand the psyche of our main character.
Furthermore, the set design and locations of After Hours play a major role in adding to the substance of the film. The layered narrative revolves through dozens of locations, never staying the same. We see the gritty 1980s aesthetic of diners and restaurants, punk clubs straight out of Berlin, and messy and disorganized art studios of sculptors and painters. The collection of characters these locations provide are seemingly random, and constantly put Paul in unpredictable situations. These locations build an alienated world and make Paul a part of it. Despite the absurdity of it all, once it’s again morning the reality of Paul’s job comes back into play. He returns to his work building, sits at his desk, and goes back to work. None of what we just saw seems to have really happened, but the blurred line between the absurd and the ordinary challenges us to think about the truth of the isolation we were a part of.
Visuals in film create aesthetics that immerse us into their individual worlds. These visuals are essential for making a film look good, but also serve as a tool for creating a cohesive and meaningful work. Wong Kar Wai’s neon-drenched Hong Kong crimescape and Scorsese’s chaotic New York odyssey are perfect examples of this, finding a true harmony of style and substance. These memorable aesthetics are not just part of film, but an intense emotional core from which we can connect and understand stories bigger than our own.
