Dr Caligari History

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Recommended: Importance of music in a film

During the 1920s and 1930s, the movie industry was a critical factor in the social and psychological state of Depression-era Americans. The concept of motion picture alone was an exciting and appealing form art, and when produced skillfully, it was able to create a fantasy world that allowed people to escape the stressful reality for the few hours and enjoy the movie. Over time film industry has evolved and produced distinct genres like film noir, French new wave and the German expressionist. They each embrace its own aesthetics and iconography. In order for a movie to be magically captivating, it had to be believable and visually appealing- and that is the job of a production designer. Production designers are at the core center of the film …show more content…

Caligari (1920) by Robert Wiene.A classic prototype of Germans expressionism that captivated the audience with its cinematographic style. Upon seeing the script of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the production designers agreed to create eccentric and nightmarish style cinematography. The visual style included high contrasts, chiaroscuro lighting, shadows everywhere, oblique angles. several sharp-pointed structures combined with swirly twisted landscapes, and/or oddly sized props. To further emphasize the high key lighting, some of the shadows were actually painted on. With the addition of the disturbing choice of the background music, the production designers successfully delivered the sinister atmosphere to the …show more content…

Which is why in a movie like The Thief of Bagdad, it is essential for a production designer to knowledge of architecture of all periods and nationalities. What truly set this movie apart was the excellent work on set design. The special effects and sheer scale of the spectacle which successfully put the viewer an Arabian Night inspired atmosphere. Even though the movie was set in timeless period, sets still needed to be historically accurate. Fairbanks had to be familiar with The Arabian Night tales, get an idea of what Bagdad used to look like, and get an idea of what key architectural elements would best characterize a city like Bagdad as described in the Arabian nights. Even today, one can appreciate the usage of convincing matte painting backdrops to create the illusion of massive scale sets. In addition, a great deal of thought went into the details of how the immense sets were designed. Prominent set design characteristics include the spiral staircase, the clever positioning of entranceways and their scalloped/arched style. Spiral staircase create long lines that give the illusion of a bigger space and it can make a room feel more expensive. With the creation of immense sets came the need to hire hundreds of extras to keep the city looking believable. Which brings ties in to the second idea of the strategic positioning of entranceways across sets. It

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