The Art of Pessimism
The Art of Pessimism Using Negative Space in Film It can be all too instinctual in everyday life, with its myriad of ups and downs, excitements and disappointments (all set to a wearisome background of world poverty and social insecurity) to try and focus our energies on the positive. After all the positive is the definite article. The prize we have always strived for. A rock to cling to at all times. But more than that, as outlook proceeds result: a positive attitude, a positive outcome. Turn that frown upside down we say. Negative is what happens when positive fails. So nobody really likes negative. But what if we stop seeing these polar terms as attributes and bring them into the physical realm of space? Can we actually find value in the negative? Within the sibylline frame of the camera lens anything is possible.. The original thinking behind positive and negative space finds itself in the spectacle-wearing realms of art theory. The Japanese call it ‘Ma’ and it basically defines the difference between the space filled by the subject (positive) and the space surrounding the subject (negative). So if you’ve ever done a life drawing class, or just drawn something, anything, ever, you will know how instinctual it is to focus on the space occupied by the subject. You see the shape’s outline in relation to its interior only and so begin filling this space in. Like a child colouring in an image from a picture book. Always stay between the lines! Or not? This generally works fairly well, but it’s easy for the eyes to become hyper-focused and blinkered to the aspect of the whole. Proportions can become confused and incorrect. Focusing simultaneously on the space around the subject means comprehending exactly how the subject fits into its background, and thus the true and exact nature of the shape itself. This is all symptomatic of what has been coined ‘gestalt psychology’ or ‘gestaltism’. Gestaltism, as a theory of mind, originated within the Berlin School of Experimental Psychology, and decrees that the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies. What all of this confusing terminology means is that we perceive a scene as a whole rather than just the sum of its parts. So Gestaltism in design is characterised by several separate principles that essentially use optical illusion to ingenious effect. Think of the WWF logo with its use of positive and negative space to magically form a panda. It’s not a complete image, just a group of bizarre shapes, but due to gestalt psychology our brains fill in the blanks and we see one anyway. Clever.
So that’s an engaging design principle right; but what about film? Interestingly, gestaltism actually works against us when we watch a film on screen. As our brains instantly perceive the contents of the frame as a whole, in order to simplify the imagery and avoid sensory overload, we will automatically focus on the most conspicuous image. This will usually be the subject, more often than not an actor or actress. Any empty surrounding space gives the eye a subsequent place to rest. Negative and positive space become ‘figure and ground’ here as we look at the relationship between subject and background (or foreground). There are several ways in which filmmakers can play around with this relationship to either emphasise the subject or the back/foreground -or both- to enhance the interpretation of their work. One of the most effective and easy to understand methods uses depth of field. For instance, by reducing this (using a shallow depth of field) the background blurs. This means by contrast the foreground subject ‘pops’, appearing sharp and hyper-focused. Even the most ADHD of eyes will be drawn instantly to the subject for a long time without distraction. Here’s a cute little kitten as an example. Try and look away. This photo utilises depth of field to zoom in on the subject whilst creating a sense of space behind. This can also be reversed so that the foreground figure is blurred and the background becomes focused; to indicate the isolation of a subject for example. Both are incredibly useful story telling techniques in film. Below is a still from the film ‘Ashes of Time’ By the Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai. A master of negative space, he uses it to excellent effect here by locating a large amount of space to the left of the shot. Any visual clutter is therefore removed, the distinctive colour palette of the frame is emphasised and the subject is isolated to the right with a symbolic and thought-provoking poignancy. What does all the red mean? Exactly.
Another superlative example can be seen in the ‘Beyond the Infinite’ portion of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick cleverly uses white and neutrals for his bedroom set design to make the foreground washed out in comparison to the subject. This means our eyes are instantly drawn to the room’s central figure, before perceiving the remaining space. The actual complexity of the room, as relative to the speed at which our eyes settle on the subject, gives the subject’s presence even more weight by generating the sense of their power to distract us. The impact is striking; anyone would be imposing set up in this way.
As you can see, film story-telling becomes hugely more powerful through the lens of fine art theory. And the scope for exciting new techniques and tricks is never ending. So, whether you make films, take photos, design, drawer or just anything at all; don’t forget to look on the negative side of life, for a truly positive outcome. © Laura King 201
So that’s an engaging design principle right; but what about film? Interestingly, gestaltism actually works against us when we watch a film on screen. As our brains instantly perceive the contents of the frame as a whole, in order to simplify the imagery and avoid sensory overload, we will automatically focus on the most conspicuous image. This will usually be the subject, more often than not an actor or actress. Any empty surrounding space gives the eye a subsequent place to rest. Negative and positive space become ‘figure and ground’ here as we look at the relationship between subject and background (or foreground). There are several ways in which filmmakers can play around with this relationship to either emphasise the subject or the back/foreground -or both- to enhance the interpretation of their work. One of the most effective and easy to understand methods uses depth of field. For instance, by reducing this (using a shallow depth of field) the background blurs. This means by contrast the foreground subject ‘pops’, appearing sharp and hyper-focused. Even the most ADHD of eyes will be drawn instantly to the subject for a long time without distraction. Here’s a cute little kitten as an example. Try and look away. This photo utilises depth of field to zoom in on the subject whilst creating a sense of space behind. This can also be reversed so that the foreground figure is blurred and the background becomes focused; to indicate the isolation of a subject for example. Both are incredibly useful story telling techniques in film. Below is a still from the film ‘Ashes of Time’ By the Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai. A master of negative space, he uses it to excellent effect here by locating a large amount of space to the left of the shot. Any visual clutter is therefore removed, the distinctive colour palette of the frame is emphasised and the subject is isolated to the right with a symbolic and thought-provoking poignancy. What does all the red mean? Exactly.
Another superlative example can be seen in the ‘Beyond the Infinite’ portion of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick cleverly uses white and neutrals for his bedroom set design to make the foreground washed out in comparison to the subject. This means our eyes are instantly drawn to the room’s central figure, before perceiving the remaining space. The actual complexity of the room, as relative to the speed at which our eyes settle on the subject, gives the subject’s presence even more weight by generating the sense of their power to distract us. The impact is striking; anyone would be imposing set up in this way.
As you can see, film story-telling becomes hugely more powerful through the lens of fine art theory. And the scope for exciting new techniques and tricks is never ending. So, whether you make films, take photos, design, drawer or just anything at all; don’t forget to look on the negative side of life, for a truly positive outcome. © Laura King 201
