creating original characters, themes, and visual metaphors for your digital short film

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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.


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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


8/17

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.


9/17

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.


10/17

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


11/17

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


12/17

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


13/17


14/17

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


15/17

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.


16/17

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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