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7/30/2019 Creating Original Characters, Themes, And Visual Metaphors for Your Digital Short Film
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Home > Articles > Digital Photography
This chapter is from the book
Developing Digital Short Films
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Using Metaphors and
Symbols to Tell StoriesMovies themselves are metaphors for
how humans experience life on a deeper
level. Creating a unique language of
metaphors and symbols for your film is a
big part of being a visual storyteller.
Symbolic images help us to understand
abstract concepts that cannot always be
translated into words. I use the word metaphorto encompass metaphor, symbol, motifs, and leit
motifs for the remainder of this book to simplify things.
Metaphor = Action/Sound. Visual or auditory representation of a separate action, experience,
or idea. A character blows out (action) a candle in a bedroom to show death of a loved one.
Symbol= Object/Sound. Visual or auditory representation of another object. The candle
(object) is in the shape of a ballerina to show grace and beauty.
Motifs= Collections. Collections of related metaphors or symbols used to represent a related
concept. Lights or flames going on and off to show life or death states throughout a film.
Leit Motifs= Repetition. The repetition of identical metaphors or symbols to represent a
greater concept. The color of the candle is gold (valuable color), along with other gold symbolic
objects and activities in each scene to show the overall concept of what is valuable in a
character's life.
Figure 2.20 When my main character accomplishes her plot goal of
completing her vision quest, she tattoos herself with a symbolic brand she
saw in her shamanic journey. This symbol helps us see that she has
undergone a great transformation. What types of symbols or metaphors
can you include in your story to show whether your characters achieve
their plot and theme goals?
NOTE
Setting Up Metaphors and Symbols - You can set up metaphors and symbols in your films in
two basic ways:
Universal metaphors and symbols have all been used before and everyone understands
them right away.
Personal metaphors and symbolsare thoseyou create by first presenting them and then
defining them for the audience.
Figure 2.21 I developed a leit motif using snakes and spiders to
represent unknown fears in my vision quest cave story. Ezzie's biggest
fear is poisionous snakes and spiders, and the cave is full of them
playing various archetypal roles. At the end of the story, during her
shamanic journey, she meets the King Rattle Snake and Queen Black
Widow who help her to understand her fears and give her lots of valuable information.
Snakes are symbolic of sacred knowledge, death, fear, and rebirth, which fit nicely with the
story. Spiders are known for their ability to travel between the real world and the mystical
world, which is what the character needs to do to accomplish her plot goals.
Where to Place Metaphors and Symbols in Your Story
Metaphors and symbols can be used to develop plot, theme, and character in deeper ways visually.
Creating Original Characters, Themes, and Visual
Metaphors for Your Digital Short Film
By Sherri Sheridan
Jul 9, 2004
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As a filmmaker, you need to create a unique metaphorical language in your story. You may want to
practice taking different storytelling techniques in this book and seeing how you could apply them in
metaphorical ways. If you want to show character history, you could have the character doing a
metaphorical scene activity from the past, such as a martial arts meditation. You may want to place
certain symbolic objects in key scenes, like pictures from exotic travels. The following list will help
you think of ideas on where to place metaphorical activities or symbolic objects in your story to help
develop plot, theme, and character:
1. Objects/props.Household items, flags, T-shirts, games, art in room, statues, furniture style,
shape of windows, magazines, pictures, weapons, wall hangings, books, instruments, pets,cars, people, houses.
2. Music/sounds. Background sounds, songs, atmospheric music bed, music in scenes, street
noises, weather sounds, sirens, people crying/laughing/ screaming in the next room, weird
unexplainable sounds, heaters, equipment, natural sounds, animals, event sounds. Conceptual
narrative sound design and auditory metaphors are covered in Chapter 7, "Narrative Sound
Design."
3. Color. The color of everything in the frame may mean something. Refer to the color section in
this book to explore some meanings associated with each basic color. Carefully choose colors
for everything in each scene, including for costumes, sets, lights, cars, hair color, makeup,
props, sky, fur, and weather. If your theme had a color, what would it be? Chapter 6, "Mise En
Scne for the Twenty-First Century," covers the use of symbolic color in more detail.
4. Words. Heard in dialogue or appearing on sets or otherwise onscreen (pop-up bubbles to
indicate thought, subtitles, and so on). Posters in the background, titles, onscreen text with
background info, poems, fables, stories inside stories, signs, subtitles for slang, graffiti, product
names on packages, license plates, bumper stickers, billboards, song lyrics, street names,character names, location, event lingo, speeches, slang, vocabulary, dialect, cultural
misinterpretations, multiple meaning for some words, word puzzles, T-shirt sayings.
5. Sets. Location as character. What does the setting say about the mood of each scene? A
conversation in a junkyard has a different context than one at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
National monuments, natural settings (swamps, waterfalls, caves, rivers, ocean, desert), cities
with different personalities, small-town local flavor, visual themes, types of businesses,
geographical themes, amusements parks, clubs, bars, graveyards, temples, stores, abstract
interpretations of the Internet, art galleries, circus tents, fantasy places.
6. Character types. People who represent the theme or plot to the extreme (positive or negative,
even an extreme mix of the two). Costumes, stereotypes, fashion preferences, cultural
backgrounds, accents, jewelry, uniforms, piercings, tattoos, hats, clothes, masks, T-shirt
sayings.
7. Lighting. Colored lights, light sources, brightness, lighting subjects specific to metaphor. Good
characters may be in bright light, whereas evil characters may be darkly lit. Quality of light (time
of day as a metaphor). Glowing around certain characters, face-lighting strategies to evoke
emotion, source of light (sun, spaceship, flaming building) as metaphor, spinning ambulance
lighting in room to represent emergency situation.
8. Staging. Placement of characters and metaphoric objects inside the frame to represent
relationships. Where are your characters in relationship to each other metaphorically? You
could have three characters who form a love triangle standing around a fire to represent a
secret affair about to be uncovered. What metaphoric items surround the characters? Are they
talking while walking through a field of sunflowers or in between cactuses? What metaphoric
objects could you place between characters to show relationships or emotional states during a
scene? Two characters on opposite sides of the frame with knives hanging on the wall between
them may represent conflicting emotions. How could you use a series of staging metaphor
shots to show relationships? In Citizen Kane, one of Kane's marriages dissolves in front of our
eyes as, in a few quick match cuts, Kane and his wife sit farther and farther away from each
other at bigger and bigger dinner tables.
9. Fables. How could you interject little stories into scenes to show plot, theme, or character? You
might want to have just pictures of parable characters or allude to them visually through stuffed
animals, statues, paintings, cartoons, or drawings on the set. Try to think of new ways to
incorporate parables visually into your films. Perhaps you could make your own little cartoon
fable to play on a TV in the background during a scene. You might make up your own original
Aesop-type fable, which the characters could discuss, see in a play or on TV, read in a book,
hear about in dialogue, or be relayed by a magical object. In the Crying Game, the theme of
how you can't change your basic nature is developed by the characters talking about the frog
and scorpion fable in each of the three acts. The frog agrees to give the scorpion a ride across
the lake, but then gets stung.
10. Symbol dictionaries. You may want to start collecting resources for metaphors, such as
symbol or dream dictionaries, to help you tap into universal subconscious visual metaphors.
Listed here are some examples of symbols and possible meanings. Record your own favorite
symbols and what they mean to you for use in your films.
7/30/2019 Creating Original Characters, Themes, And Visual Metaphors for Your Digital Short Film
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Project 2.20
Pick a Color for Your Theme. Choose one color to represent the theme of your film. List five
ways to use this theme color, both on physical objects and as a metaphor.
Figure 2.22I/O Error. In this short film by Michael Dougan, he uses the
metaphor of twin boys to show the theme of how two opposing sides of a
person cannot coexist peacefully. One boy is good, and one is evil. Triplet
actors were used for the little boys, and compositing techniques in post were used to
duplicate the adult actor who plays the grown men.
Figure 2.23 During the opening shots ofCitizen Kane, we are drawn up to a
point of light as we get closer and closer to the window of the room in
which Kane is dying. When he dies, the light goes out. This is a good use
of metaphoric lighting to represent story events. How could you use a
similar technique in your story?
Figure 2.24 This symbol, worn around the neck of a character, was created
by taking an ahnk and turning it upside down to show strange religious
beliefs. The shape of a flying saucer was laid over the cross to symbolize
alien creators. How can you take two symbols and combine their meanings
and shapes to make a unique one for your film?
Project 2.21
List Possible Metaphors and Symbols for Your Film. As you go through the
following example metaphor and symbol charts, list one idea for each type of chart to use in your
film. For example, pick a symbolic animal that may appear somewhere in your story as a pet, in a
painting, discussed in dialogue, or as a character in a fable. Practice combining metaphors and
symbols and using repeating patterns to create a unique visual language.
Animal Symbolic Meaning
Bee Society, industry, work, dangers of courtship, immortal ity,
rebirth, order
Bird Freedom, flying, between higher and lower worlds
Dragon Money, fame, danger , myth, fi re
Horse Chivalry, spiritual carrier, supremacy, generosity, courage
Raven/crow Death, war, supernatural, transformer, trickster,
messenger, prophet
Pet Unconditional love
Firefly Perseverance, spirits of the living, souls of the dead,
passionate love
Unicorn Gentleness, wise rule, famous children
Wild animal Dangerous passions and people
Woodpecker Noisy, guardian, aggressive
Dog Loyalty, guardian, friend
Shark Danger that lurks out of s ight , fear
Dolphin Playful, spiritual mediator between worlds, helper
Butterfly Metamorphosis, rebirth, false lover, transformation, soul,
summer, joy, witches
Dove Peace, messenger, holy, renewal of l ife, vulnerabil ity,
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sensitivity, spirit
Peacock All-seeing, pride, vanity, solar glory, royalty, immortality,
love, beauty, paradise
Owl Wisdom, scholar , occult powers, al l-seeing, death,
supernatural protector
Spider Weaving, letters, ability to travel between worlds,
architecture, pain
Snake Sacred knowledge, death, afterlife, rebirth, phallic, fertility,
eternity, magic, fear
Elephant Memory, intelligence, wise nature
Bear Creation, guardians, spirit guide, strength, transformation,
healing, courage
Crocodile Creative abilities, predator, hidden danger
Horned
animal
Expanded perception
Nursing
animal
Unconditional motherly love
Bull Earth, male, physical, danger, powerful
Plant Symbolic Meaning
Honeysuckle True devotion, sweetness
Garlic Protection, antiseptic, healing
Fennel Restores lost vision
Lavender Calming, sweet, soothing for burns and wounds
Dandelion Troublesome, tough and persistent
Rose Queen of f lowers, love, devot ion, beauty, sweetness,
creative powers
Thyme Courage, bravery
Sunflower Sacred, gold, sun, wild, tall, attractive
Rosemary Love, remembrance, fidelity (The wife rules the house
when rosemary is planted outside.)
Weather Metaphoric Meaning
Lightning Unexpected changes
Tornado Violent destructive behavior
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Floods Chaos, destruction, welled-up emotions overflowing,
retribution
Hurricane Forces beyond our control, passion
Rain Sadness, romantic, cold, fetility, precious, life-giving
Rainbow Wholeness, beauty, perfection, bridge between heavenand earth, unity
Hot and
Sunny
Hot tempers, sensual, summer, lazy, fun
Cold and
Icy
Frozen emotions, cold feelings, static, winter, sharp, harsh,
survival, death
Object Symbol ic Meaning
Axe Authority, sacrifice, punishment
Bubble Beautiful but fragile object, nonpermanent, childlike
happiness
Egg Cosmic totality
Fig Psychic ability, fertility
Flame Danger, anger, speed
Honey Pleasure, sweetness, fert il ity
Ice
cream
Pleasurable, sensual tastes
Quartz Becoming more powerfully expressive
Satel li te Communication
Shoes Grounding, in touch with life (Weird shoes mean new
change.)
Waves Ups and downs of l ife
Anchor Stability, grounded, sanctuary
Bell Warning, disaster, death, alarm, religious
Fi re Passion, desi re, anger, destruct ion
Spiral Rebirth, learning, evolut ion, path
Sun Creat ive energy, male, t ransformation, higher
consciousness, light
Moon Unconscious, intuition, female, cycles, changing
Dent Unfortunate event
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Drowning Overcome by emotions
East Birth, consciousness
Kissing Acceptance, approval, respect
North Unknown
South Earthly passion/sensuality
Victory Overcoming conflict between two parts of ourselves
West Spir itual awareness, death
Coins Wealth
Grapes Fertility, wine, pleasure, harvest
Falling
leaves
Harvest, dropping, letting go, surrender
Crystal Clarity of percept ion
Fountain Source, life-giving spring, medicinal, spiritual refreshment
Gate Change in state, secular power, ownership, new
beginnings
Well Supernatural portal, birth, blessings, mercy, unusual
events
Flag Identi ty, nationhood, a lleg iance
Ladder Ascent/descent, spiritual transformation, stages of work,
death
Occupation Metaphoric Meaning
Butcher Death, rejuvenat ion, bloody, violent
Outlaw Rebell ious , anarchy, lawbreaker
Queen Female authori ty figure, ruler, pol itical
Artist Inner creative force made physical
Banker Authority, manager of resources, wealth
Doctor Healer, authori ty , respect, caregiver
Guru Wisdom, father figure, unconscious, knowledge
Priestess Intuitive, female, moon, independence,
responsibility, clarity, balance, clairvoyance
Rock Star Superman, decadent, talent
Landscaper Sculpting earth, connected to plants, making natural
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things beautiful
Lawyer Server of justice, shark-l ike instincts
Sol ider Brave, team player, trained for combat
Stockbroker Risk taker, big money, fast decisions
Waitress Server, cheerful
Secretary Detail-oriented, office worker, assistant
Actor Trained to pretend different feelings or personalities,
hard to read
Scene
Activities
Metaphoric Meaning
Kneeling Respect, humility, sacred, spiritual, asking for
guidance
Getting a
tattoo
Transformation, symbolic of character change,
rebel, outsider
Dancing Ecstasy, trance, celebration, ritual, playfulness,
worship, performance
Bathing Cleansing, rebirth, purif icat ion, regaining
youthfulness
Journeying Spiritual quest, search, pilgrimage, test, new
beginnings, change
Hunting Skill, prowess, risk, death, persecution, domination
NOTE
Combining Metaphors. How could you combine some of the previous examples of metaphors to
create new ones? Create three different combinations with explanations for what they represent.
How could you add specific colors and numbers to deepen the meaning? You could compose a
shot of a queen figure eating a fig, with two woodpeckers on her shoulder, next to a pyramid, with
lightning bolts in the background, to symbolize female authority, guardians, psychic ability,
concentrating power within, and unexpected change.
1. Numbers. Sacred geometry is universal and will help you plan story elements using numbers
as metaphors. You could have a character say he has seven (often associated with being
lucky) dreams about an upcoming event. Or use the corresponding geometry and shapes when
constructing your scenes, such as having seven colored stones on an altar that a character
uses to pray for things.
2. Juxtaposition. Show the audience one metaphor or symbol, then another, and have them
draw a third separate conclusion from the two. Chapter 8, "Preproduction Story-Editing
Choices," covers in depth ways to use juxtaposition.
Number Symbolic Meaning
1 Number "1," top of group, circle, wholeness, center, unity,
oneself, independence, single purpose, universe, equality,
seed, stable, father, intolerance, stubbornness
2 Partnership, duali ty, indecision, balance, 2 sides, opposites,
relationships, root, mother, indecision, indifference, making
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choices
3 Third time a charm, things always come in 3s, 2 fai lures to 1
success, triangle, harmony, freedom, completion,
relationship/balance, holy divinity, power, God's halo
4 Square, strength, stabili ty, Mother Earth, heart , 4 direct ions,
4 elements, grounded, clumsiness, dull
5 Human body, 5 senses, stars, leaves, communication,
nature, footprints, regeneration, vortex, authority (five-star
general/sheriff star) spiral/transformation (the yellow brick
road in TheWizard of Ozbegins as a golden spiral (based
on 5) to symbolize transformation).
6 Structure, balance, order, funct ion, time, weights, intuition,
practical
7 Magical, God, spiri tual, cycles, excellence, myth, luck,
musical harmony, crystals, rainbow, chakras, religion, virgin,
dreams, voices, sounds, higher self, levels
8 Renewal, death/resurrect ion, nourishing, resonance, cosmic
breath, chessboard, moon phases, limitless growth,goddess, traveling between higher and lower worlds (spider),
atom groups, natural vibration
9 Complet ion, spir itual awareness, pregnancy, gif t, highest
attainment, ocean, horizon, ultimate extension, worship,
essential elements, cosmic ruler
10 New beginning, high honor, whole family, perfect, top score
11 Master number, myst ical, gateway, higher dimensions,
higher consciousness
Figure 2.25 According to Norse mythology, horses could understand the
will of the gods. Odin rode an eight-legged stallion called Sleipnir. The
eight from our number chart symbolizes the ability to go between worlds
(like spiders with eight legs). This combination of number and symbol
works well for this myth. How could you combine established metaphors
to create original ones? How could you use your digital tools to create new visual
metaphors? It would be interesting to see an eight-legged 2D or 3D animated horse.
Figure 2.26 This Bigfoot biting the head off of a raven (death) could be a
metaphor to foreshadow a close brush with death or a metaphor for
overcoming the fear of death.
Using Visual Metaphors to Show Character History
Metaphors and symbols are a great way to develop your character history. Go through your
character history questions and see how you could show the important points using metaphors.
Figure 2.27 Clocks are sometimes shown going haywire when something
in the film world is out of synch. What other types of ordinary symbolic
objects or metaphors could you play with visually to show the state of
your film world changing?
Project 2.22
Use Metaphors and Symbols. Think of three ideas to show character history using metaphors
and symbols somewhere in your film.
Using Visual Metaphors to Show Backstory
Metaphors are great to develop the backstory for your film without having to explain everything.
Using Visual Metaphors to Show Character Traits
Metaphors are great tools to use when developing character traits.
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Character History Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in
Script
Strange rituals in
family for immortality.
Blue shrine full of glass bees in character's
bedroom.
Weird hobbies for
character in position of
authority.
Royal sporting axes hung on walls.
Character feels
trapped in old
symbolize loss of
freedom.
Character eats partner's pet bird to
relationship.
Dangerous person. Pet alligators and venomous snakes crawl
around backyard.
Well-educated and
cultured upbringing.
Has a grand piano delivered to house.
Misses lost love. Carries a picture, gift from beloved, or ribbon
from hair.
Artistic side. Artwork displayed.
Most prized
possession is an old
love letter.
Letter is kept in a secret draw in a gold case.
Character is very
happy and playful
emotionally.
Wears rainbow suspenders, has a pinball
machine in his bedroom, and has funny toys
Character needs
tension to create.
Character turns on music really loud late at
night to build sculpture, disturbing other people.
Character is terrified of
getting sick.
Wears gloves, disinfects chairs before he sits
down, wipes off phones, wears a surgical mask
outside.
Character thinks the
good old days were
better.
Character drives a 1957 Chevy and wears
vintage clothes.
Backstory
Information
Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in Script
Leader of film
world as an
outlaw
Picture of king surrounded by gun collection framed
on the wall.
Social order of
people in town
Rich people wear bright colors, walking poodles;
poor people wear gray and are sweeping the street.
Lay of the land
with edge of the
known world
said to be
forbidden
Mural featuring a map with the edge of world full of
monsters; characters call it "the edge."
Important Temple devoted to dead hero in middle of town.
7/30/2019 Creating Original Characters, Themes, And Visual Metaphors for Your Digital Short Film
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heroes who
character
admires
Past
catastrophic
event
Pitch-black historical memorial site with a big flame
still burning.
Character
Trait
Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in Script
Leader Uniform, medals on chest, r ibbons, special gold scepter.
Professional
wrestler
Superhero outfit, mullet, gold chains with wrestling medals
around neck, apartment full of wrestling posters and
trophies.
Alcoholic Silver flask in pocket, mini liquor bars in secret spots in
each location, drinking at each location.
Lover Tattoo of g ir l's name on hear t, carrying fresh picked
flowers, digital effects slight golden glow aura.
Humble Character hiding from recognition events, awards.
Well
educated
Carries books everywhere, uses a magnifying glass to look
at things, wears glasses, hangs out at museums.
Uptight Hair perfect, tight starched clothing, gets upset about litter
on the street or slow people at stores.
Warrior/solider Scars on body, wears hidden weapons, jumps when
people touch him from behind, flips into martial arts pose
when startled.
Figure 2.28 This sacred Bigfoot cave has symbolic paintings on the walls
that tell the history of the clan (to develop backstory information).
Project 2.23
Backstory Objects. Choose 10 items to place symbolically on your sets to
represent the backstory of your film using the metaphoric approaches previously described.
Project 2.24
Character Trait Metaphors and Symbols. Think of three ideas to show character traits using
metaphors and symbols somewhere in your film.
Using Visual Metaphors to Show Character States
Mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and intellectual states of characters should be expressed
through metaphoric and symbolic cues. An object may be present in the scene to symbolize a
character's state or the character may say something that gives us a clue.
In Transit, the Venice hotel room has clothes all over the floor, symbolizing how messed up Emmy's
life has become with Oscar. She has a black eye, too. These visual clues let us know her character
state in the scene. In the Baden-Baden scene with her husband, the hotel room is perfectly neat
with separate twin beds symbolizing the state of their marriage. How can you use symbols like this
to show us character states in each scene?
Figure 2.29 This Bigfoot finally snaps one day during a date and punches a
hole through a tree. How could you show your characters having
uncontrollable outbursts or overwhelming emotional moments that cause
them to change suddenly in your film?
Project 2.25
7/30/2019 Creating Original Characters, Themes, And Visual Metaphors for Your Digital Short Film
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Create Character States. Think of three ideas to show character states using metaphors and
symbols somewhere in your film.
Character State Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description
in Script
Someone not what he or
she seems
Reflection in funhouse mirrors
Wise shaman head of
tribe
Says he only "drinks out of ancient skull"
Person going crazy Gory disturbing art project the character is
making throughout film
Loss of life force Crops in field dying
Relationship status
negative
Couple fighting over the color of drapes
Lost-love memory Pendant with old picture around neck
Revenge for death ofloved one
Handmade knife from loved one's family
Midlife crisis Character buys Harley-Davidson motorcycle
Obsessed with food Character digging around for hidden candy
bars
Scientific mindset Has vision looking into l iquid inside heated
glass beaker
Losing important object Dog floating down the river
Spiri tual epiphany Shaves head or cuts off hair to symbolize
new beginning or mindset
Needs to control every
little thing because of
fear of chaos in world
Arranging objects in straight lines
Needs to feel clean in a
dirty business
Taking very long and meticulous grooming
shower with lots of special lotions and
shampoos
Character hitting bottom Character starving in a dark messy house
Using Visual Metaphors/ Symbols with Nature Shots
In the animated short Transit, we see subtitles of what happens to the characters at the end. When
the information comes up about Emmy being missing and her body never found, an ominous sharkfin glides by the floating suitcase in the water and then the suitcase sinks. This symbolizes foul play
is involved in her disappearance; after all, sharks can eat people and leave no clues. A puddle of
blood then forms on the surface of the water, letting us know that Oscar killed her, cut her up, and
threw her body overboard in the suitcase. All of this information is conveyed with simple text on the
screen and a shark fin moving around a symbolic suitcase covered with travel stickers from the
places they had visited together.
Figure 2.30 Mutant bugs and snails in a toxic waste dump cave could be
used to show the dangerous effects of chemicals on living organisms.
Event Occurring in
Scene or Another
Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in
Script
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Area
Death Black crows on a snow-covered black winter
tree
Rebirth/resurrection Springtime shots of flowers blooming, little birds
in nests chirping, sunny skies, green grass
Losing important
relationship
Dog watching a ball roll into storm drain and
looking upset
Someone about to
steal
Fox in henhouse stealing chickens
Catastrophic event
coming
Comets (lens-flare effects) in sky
Rough emotions Big waves crashing on rocks
Spiritual epiphany White animal being born in a barn
Murder Blood running into water
Lots of work to be
done
An anthill or bees in background
Angry emotions
boiling over
Heat waves melting up from a prickly cactus-
covered desert road
Project 2.26
Create Nature Shots. Think of three ideas to use nature shots with metaphors and symbols to
visually develop information in your story.
Writing Exercise 2.12
Write a few pages concentrating on just using different types of metaphors, symbols, and themes.
Using Metaphors and Symbols to Show Theme
As discussed earlier, metaphors and symbols are great ways to show theme in subtle ways. You
could turn your characters into animated animals or use some of your digital tools to invent new
types of metaphoric characters. What other ways can you use metaphors and symbols to show
themes in your film?
David Lynch is a master of cinematic metaphor. All of his films, and the TV show Twin Peaks, are
worth studying for how they handle metaphor in bold, simple, and original ways. He is particularly
good at creating personal metaphors and symbols. An opening scene in the film Fire Walk with Me
takes place at an airport (new beginnings); this sets up the whole film. A dancing girl in a red dress
comes out and does a quick pantomime, but says nothing, as the three detectives carefully watch.
Later on in the car, one detective asks the more experienced one what the dancing girl meant.
Below is a chart breaking down the metaphors and symbols of the "dancing girl" scene. The
audience would never understand the meaning of this symbolic language unless the characters
explain them, which makes the metaphors a personal creation of the filmmaker.
The theme of the movie is that in the search for meaning, you cannot know everything and nothing
is what it seems, which is wonderfully illustrated with the use of visual metaphors and symbols.Detectives as characters are metaphors for solving a mystery, such as solving life's mysteries,
which is part of the theme of the film. Theme and metaphor are often tied together very closely in
visual stories.
This scene is interesting because of the original use of metaphors and symbols. If the film would
have started in an office with the detectives talking about the case, it would have been flat,
uninteresting, clich, and boring. The startling use of personal metaphors in this film pull us into the
story, much like a puzzle we need to solve to understand what is happening.
Figure 2.31 This bluescreened character is floating over a motion graphics
timeline animation of his life as a dream. How could you create an original
dream sequence in a film using digital tools? Maybe you could build a
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How can you put a puzzling aspect in your film to make it more engaging? Can you ask some type
of visual question or create a visual puzzle? In Memento, the main character is trying to figure out
who killed his wife, which gets pretty messy and confusing because he cannot remember anything
for more than 10 minutes. Polaroid pictures serve as the metaphoric puzzle pieces this character
uses to try and put his past back together. The answer to both these film puzzles are still not very
clear even by the end of the films. Sometimes it is more interesting not to solve everything for the
audience and let them figure it out for themselves (or continue to question).
NOTE - Definition
Hermeneutic The search for meaning. This popular philosophy comments on how humans
search for meaning in films. Watch for this idea and see how each director handles it differently.
Figure 2.32 Metaphoric Puzzles. Orson Wells gives us an extreme close-up
of Kane's last word, "Rosebud," which serves as the mystery puzzle to be
solved in the film.
NOTE
Create a Puzzle in Your Film. Think of some way to twist your plot around a mystery or puzzle
for the audience to solve. Review your favorite films that have puzzles and add the techniques
used to this list. A good approach is to begin near the middle or end of the story and figure out
some reason to go over what happened. You might use a detective interviewing someone about a
crime, an old person thinking about her life, a reporter interviewing someone, a character
reflecting back on his experiences through old photographs, a character telling his story in a
voice-over, or present a mystery to be solved.
Film Puzzle Ideas to Get You Started
A character cannot
remember something,
but she is trying to find
out what it is by using
visually metaphoric
clues.
A mystery event, crime, or situation needs to
be solved.
Key character says
something puzzling and
then disappears.
One character is trying to find out the truth
about someone/something that is not what it
appears to be.
The character is
displaying puzzling
behavior, which is
discovered to be
connected to a past andforgotten trauma.
The character is trying to understand a
strange situation. The character is in such a
setup, alternate reality, or dream.
The character finds a
strange object or
information he has been
tracking down.
Use multiple story lines, different character
POV's, or characters intersecting at key
points.
Working with Positive and Negative Theme Charges
Another way to work with metaphor and theme is to play back and forth between negative and
positive manifestations throughout the film.
Different characters often represent different perspectives on the same theme. If you are doing a
theme on loyalty among gangsters, you could have one super-loyal gangster, one who is playing
two different crime families against each other, and some people who go back and forth between
loyalty and disloyalty. What happens to these characters shows us your theme. If the super-loyal
character gets rich and the two-timing one dies horribly, loyalty is a good thing. If the super-loyal
gangster gets killed and the disloyal one wins the big prize, loyalty is not important or is even a bad
thing in your film world.
NOTE - Definition
Theme Charge Negative or positive manifestations of theme.
Characters themselves can be great metaphors for themes.
Project 2.27
List Positive and Negative Theme Charges. How could you have different characters or
7/30/2019 Creating Original Characters, Themes, And Visual Metaphors for Your Digital Short Film
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situations represent positive and negative sides of your theme?
The main character in Kafka's Metamorphosis wakes up one day as a cockroach. How can you play
with transforming your character types to showcase your theme better? Digital tools and animation
techniques make it easier to turn characters into bugs or other metaphoric creatures. Harveyis a
10-minute short film from Australia with a character that is literally sawed in half (3D effect) looking
for his better half or ideal relationship (a great use of visual metaphor with digitally enhanced
original character design). How could you use DV effects or 2D/3D animation to metaphorically
show your characters in a new way?
What type of metaphor can each of your characters represent in your film world? What do the
characters do for a living, how do they dress, what kind of cars do they drive, where do they live?
Themes sometimes represent best dreams or worst flaws. Who is destroyed? Who grows? What
special quality in the protagonist helps him achieve his goals? In Lily and Jim, both main characters
want a relationship, but both of them have pretty ineffective communication skills (worst flaw and
theme).
Using Visual Metaphors to Develop Theme
The theme, or unspoken moral message of the story, needs to be carefully handled. You must
make sure the audience gets the theme on some level, but not be too preachy (a delicate balance).
Metaphors provide a great way to communicate theme while telling your story visually.
You can use existing metaphors or create your own original visual metaphoric language for your
film. Suppose that you are doing a film on the theme of greed. You might have all the really greedy
characters wearing green, talking about money, clinging cash registers in the background,
characters using greed-type slang such as "time is money," people in the background chasing
blowing dollar bills, or a lead character counting his money as he delivers his lines. The bestapproach for developing visual metaphors and symbols is to create a list of possible ideas and then
see which ones you can play with without being too obvious or preachy.
Figure 2.33 A character falling into a bottomless pit could be metaphoric
for diving into the unconscious. The theme of my film is that every living
being has a specific purpose. The theme goal of my protagonist is to find
her purpose by learning to trust her intuition. Showing her falling into a pit
is a good way to symbolize going deep inside to find her purpose and trust the hidden parts
of her intuition.
Theme Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in Script
Treasure the
little things in
life.
Character eating fresh pie, savoring every bite.
Alienation of
youth.
Young character looking out of place at grownup party.
Desire leads to
suffering.
Character getting beat up trying to get what he wants.
Exploration of
character.
Searching for meaning of last word uttered on
deathbed.
The blurry line
between sanity
and insanity.
Show all the characters acting crazy but functional.
Violence as
cost of
individuality.
Hip, artsy, unique criminal characters.
Cost of
deception.
Pet cat found hanging on clothesline by antagonist.
Power of love
can change
fate.
Character screaming so loud that he wins game of
chance to save lover.
7/30/2019 Creating Original Characters, Themes, And Visual Metaphors for Your Digital Short Film
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Learn More Buy
This chapter is from the book
Developing Digital Short Films
< Back Page 3 of 3
Writing Exercise 2.13
Write a few pages about how to show your theme using a unique set of metaphors and symbols.
Project 2.28
Showing Theme. Think of five symbols or metaphors to show theme in your film.
The opening shot of the film Memento shows a fresh Polaroid picture as it develops. It takes a
moment for viewers to realize that the film is rolling backwardthe picture is becoming less clear
the longer we watch it. This is a great visual symbol for the theme of the way we reconstructmemory and how what we remember fades and changes over time. This whole film is told backward
in short memory bursts because the main character can remember things for only 10 minutes at a
time. Polaroids are the way this character keeps track of who people are and what he thinks is
happening. The opening shot tells us a great deal about the character, plot, and theme in a
stunningly original visual metaphor that is both simple and deeply complex at the same time.
When you really understand your main characters, metaphors, and theme, it is much easier to
develop the events in your story and write your script. Building up original characters is like creating
new beings in the world who start to take on a life of their own inside your imagination. Creating
strong metaphors and themes will make your story deeper and help you choose visual designs that
fit the ideas you are presenting.
Figure 2.34 Ezzie stole a video cell phone from a camper and likes to crank
call the speed dial people and scare them with her big furry face and
ferocious roar. Sometimes during the film, she calls different people on the
phone and asks for help or advice, or does something silly. This helps
show a connection between the Bigfoot film world and the human world. A
Bigfoot using a video phone could be interpreted as a metaphor for theway technology is trickling down into the masses and changing our lives
in unexpected ways. This idea could be used as a subplot device in an
animated series where the character steals a different phone each week
and talks to a new cast of speed dial people. How could you incorporate a unique digital
storytelling approach in your film as a symbol or metaphor for theme? Maybe your character
could consult his PDAplaying DV video clips you create to show a higher power guiding
him through the story. What other digitally enhanced gizmos could you use to tell us a story
in a new way?
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