Through Mark Bakers short animated film, The Village, the nature of temptation the consequences of these ensuing

sins is explored through a corrupt and passionless community, reflective of our own society. Bakers characters not only question our own perception of what is morally correct, but also societys influence on what we judge as acceptable and what we empathise with.

The grey-scale colours that construct the village suggest a conservative and grim community built on old-age traditions similar to our own, such as the presence of the church being central to the village. The dull colouring assists in emphasising the value of the elements, such as the gold and the red apples, as desirable objects. The characters who act upon these temptations, Mrs Apples and the Brute, are judged as sinful, of which we are influenced by society to then judge as unacceptable. Though, had Baker coloured the apples green and the gold bronze, the desirable effect would have dulled, as would our perception of how sinful the characters greed is. This coincides with the scene where Mr Gold falls to his death with his gold in hand. When he dies, the gold loses its shine, enforcing that wealth is worthless and has no use in death. Bakers characters fulfil societys creation and expectation of sinful people, though if we push aside these stereotypes and other conflicting societal influences, we are presented with our own personal view of the characters greed and of our own.

The instruments present in the non-diegetic music when the scene encompasses the village are dark and harsh, reflecting the nature and appearance of the village. The music symbolises a machine society with no joy or happiness, where the grinding drums add to the villages dull lifestyle. The music changes to a more pleasant and uplifting tone when the scene is focused on Mr Glasses and the wife of the Brute, enforcing the acceptance of the lust between the two. Baker influences us through the use to music to disregard the face infidelity is shames upon in society. Yet, we allow ourselves to accept their relationship, even though it is a sin decided by the church; the institution central to the villages community. The other instance where the music is more hopeful is in the hanging preparation of Mr Glasses scene. The music plays the role in showing how the village are united at the death of someone accused of murdering their own. Through this, Baker questions and criticises societys pleasure in the misfortune and punishment of others.

Throughout the short film, Mr Glasses is aided by nature when his life is in danger. With the use of iconography to show Mr Glasses respect to nature and therefore his setting apart from the village, Baker evidently proves to us the benefits of not conforming to society and doing our part for the environment. The ants and the well-placed vine allowed Mr Glasses to

escape a society he was never actually apart of. The fact also that Mr Glasses is the only character in the village who wears glasses symbolises Mr Glasses sees the world more clearly and respectable that most of the other members of the village. This only adds to the appeal and appreciation of Mr Glasses even though he escapes prison, engages with another mans wife and kills a person. We allow ourselves to overlook Mr Glasses is probably the most sinful of all. This could also lead to the conclusion that maybe individuals are less sinful if they conform to society. Baker challenges how we think about society versus nature through Mr Glasses, a character we are too quick to empathise with and consider of a good nature.

Society corruptly functions quickly when judging others and when deciding what is wrong, regardless if it is genuinely correct. On the basis of societys constructed framework for what is a sin, we find ourselves questioned and manipulated by Bakes to perceive and empathise with certain sinful characters who ultimately reflect the world in which we live in.