In cinema, the setting refers to the physical location, time period, era, historical event, or cultural backdrop against which the main events of the story unfold. In a way, the setting serves as a container for the story, holding all its aspects together.But it doesn’t always have to be just a container. It can be the contents within as well. Filmmakers who understand this potential, or possibilities in their settings, strive to bring it out. When that happens, the setting becomes a character, the story itself. A window, a hallway, or a city block suddenly has moods, secrets, personalities, and even motives.Good filmmakers, worth their salt, know how to transform their setting into a living and breathing force; they know how to make time, geography, and design shape their film’s rhythm. A setting with a personality can scare you, amplify loneliness; it can even spark a rebellion. It can turn passive observation into active storytelling.In these 9 films, their worlds breathe, watch, and sometimes fight back. They tell us that the most powerful voices in a film don’t always have to come from people; they can come from places, too.9 Films That Turn Setting Into a Character1. Rear Window (1954)Written by: John Michael Hayes | Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock Ever known for inventing groundbreaking cinematic techniques, Alfred Hitchcock was also a visionary when it came to settings. This is evident in Rear Window, one of his early major movies that went on to become a classic. Here, he turns an...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Thursday, 4 December