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VIDEO

AUDIO

MLS of Narrator as he walks

to the middle of a stage. A
single beam of light pours
down onto him, making him
stand out among the dark
background. Camera slowly
pushes in until it is a MCU.

NARRATOR
Light. The key factor to the art of
film making. Without light, there
is nothing. Since the beginning of
cameras, light was used to capture
images onto film. That is, black and
white images. But then the 20th century
began, and the whole world became
obsessed with going beyond the range of
grays. And with this obsession, comes
color.

A flood of colors burn

through the screen revealing
a clip of the first colored
film recorded. The clip is of
three children sitting at a
table playing with a goldfish
and sunflowers.

Camera rolling SFX

Clip of opening scene in the

Wizard of Oz of an ELS as
Dorothy runs away from the
camera with Toto. It cuts to
a MS as Dorothy bends down to
talk to Toto, the back to an
ELS as she continues to run,
this time shot from a side
view. Cuts to shot of Dorothy
opening her door and walking
out into Oz. It is a Medium
Tracking Shot with Dorothys
back to the camera.

Clip SFX. Quieter than Narrators

voice.

Cut to MCU of the Narrator

looking into the camera.

NARRATOR
Color film is the standard for movies
now a days, yet that doesnt mean that
the color in film cant have meaning,
such as in the films Central Station
and Water.

NARRATOR
In 1902, Edward Turner achieved what
is known as the first instance of color
film in history. By combining three
different films, one red, one blue,
and one green, Edward was able to give
the effect of color just as well as
Technicolor did a decade later.

NARRATOR
Many production companies began using
color in their films. For example,
in 1939, the Wizard of Oz uses two
different color techniques. The first
being the sepia filter used in all of
the black and white scenes to give the
audience the feel of being in a dirty
wasteland known as Kansas, while the
other is the use of Technicolor film
when Dorothy travels to Oz. This gives
the "Over the Rainbow" look which has a
magical effect on the audience.

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VIDEO

AUDIO

Opening Scene of Central

Station of people departing
the train, cut to CU of
woman crying, cut to another
establishing shot of people
walking, cut to CU of man
speaking.

Scene SFX/dialogue

Scene where Dora is walking

into her apartment. Starts
with an ELS of Dora walking
down a corridor, cut to
LS of Dora entering her
apartment and locking her
door from a side view, cut to
LS low angle of Dora opening
the window from across the
room, cut to CU of window
opening, rack focus to the
train outside, cut to ELS
of building side as Dora
is yelling to Irene. Cut to
Medium Panning shot following
Dora from the kitchen to the
table.

Scene SFX/dialogue

ES of food booth with people

walking around. Wipes to a
MCU of Josue sitting alone
on a bench crying. He lloks
up, cuts to MS of man with
friends staring at him, cuts
back to Josue, cut to another
man buying food looking at
him. Cuts back to Josue.

Scene SFX

NARRATOR
Throughout Central Station, filters
are used. In the opening scene, the
audience sees right away how warm the
shots are, resulting in them "feeling"
the enviroment.

NARRATOR
The use of color also gives a sense of
comfort and friendliness. When Dora is
walking home by herself, the audience
sees that the shots look much more
cooler and bland than they had before.
It is not until Doras friend Irene
comes to her apartment when the color
is restored and the enviroment feels
warm again. Another example of this
use of filtering is seen after Josues
mother dies.

NARRATOR
With noone left to take care of him,
Josue is framed on a bench with a very
cold and hostile atmosphere portrayed.
He is all alone, and when he looks
at other people, they are seen with
warm filters. This is not the only time
Josue is characterized with the use of
color.

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VIDEO

AUDIO

MCU of Jesse handing Dora the

address to Josues fathers
home. Cuts to Josue, MCU
reaction shot, pans left and
tracks him as he walks out
the door.

Scene SFX/dialogue

Water opening shot. ELS of

horizon, half water half sky.
Cart is traveling left to
right as title appears in the
center lower third. Cut to
shot of lillypad, another
lillypad, then selective
focus on plants with cart
wheels in the BG. LS of
person carrying jugs of
water. Cut to wheels turning,
cut to feet dangling, cut to
Chuyia chewing grass on the
back of the chart.

Scene SFX/dialogue

MCU of Cuyia sitting on

Didis lap. Cut to OTS of
Chuyia. Cut to HA of Chuyia
falling to the floor. Cut
to LA CU of Didi looking
down at her. Chuyia bites
her and runs off. The other
widows chase her until she
enters a room. Another widow
spreads yellow paste all over
Chuyias head. She then goes
back outside and speaks with
Auntie.

Scene SFX/dialogue

NARRATOR
In the scene when Jesse tells Dora
about Josues fathers drinking
problem, the boy is seen walking
out the door with his head hanging
low. This shot is almost completely
de-saturized, allowing Josue in his
bland white shirt to blend in almost
completely. The background "engulfs"
the subject, letting the audience feel
the lonliness and sorrow that Josue is
experiencing. A similar aspect to this
is seen in the film Water.

NARRATOR
The colors throughout this film are
simply astonishing. They are emphasized
in almost every shot. That is, until
Chuyia enters the widow house.

NARRATOR
Upon entering the widow house, Chuyias
life is completely changed. She goes
from wearing luxurious colorful gowns
to nothing but a white robe. The walls
are bland and there is a slight blue
filter, connoting a hostile and lonely
enviroment. However, as soon as Chuyia
gets the bright yellow paste on her
head, the scenery warms up, and she
meets a nice old lady named Auntie.
This relationship is seen again later
in the film.

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VIDEO

AUDIO

LS of room of sleeping
widows. Woman comes in
and brings Chuyia outside.
OTS shot reverse shot of
Chuyia and Auntie having a
conversation.

Scene SFX/dialogue

All of the clips used so far

playing in the background
of the Narrator. LS of the
Narrator, tracking him as he
slowly walks to the right.

NARRATOR
For over a century now, color has been
used to symbolize and stylize film.
Both Central Station and Water use
color and filters in ways that help
tell the story and help the audience
connect with the charatcers. By doing
so, these films add great depth to the
process of story telling. Without the
uses of color, films just wouldnt be
the same.

NARRATOR
This one is a bit more obvious. While
Chuyia is in the room full of crying
and coughing woman, the surroundings
are very dark and cool filtered,
however as soon as she is removed
from the room, and placed outside by
the fire with Auntie, the darkness is
relieved.