FILMMAKING STYLES & TECHNIQUES
Watch the intro to Aladdin (featuring the famous song "Arabian Nights") and see what techniques you notice in the clip. Think color, music, editing, story, etc....
After watching the clip above, you may have noticed the following techniques. These filmmaking techniques and styles help grab the viewers attention. In doing so, the filmmaker can make us feel what they want us to feel.
ANIMATION: Animation is the most obvious style used here, and it makes us assume several things: This movie is for kids (we already thought that because of Disney). Even though adults enjoy animation, in this era of film, most animated movies were marketed towards kids. Animation also allows the characters to exaggerate their movements, making them seem larger than life.
COLORS: The colors in this film are very intentional. Deep blues and oranges... blues to represent the nighttime, blue skies, and magic, oranges to draw attention to the desert sand and orange sun we associate with Arabian lands. |
CELEBRITY: Robin Williams does the voice of the narrator, and the voice of the genie in this film. In the early 90s, Robin Williams was a huge celebrity, and most viewers immediately recognize his distinctive voice. A-list celebrities are often used to sell a movie, and with their famous presence, comes all the associations that come with that celebrity. In this case, Robin Williams brings...
HUMOR: Although Aladdin is a serious tale in some ways, it is also very funny. We immediately see the humor in the salesman. He speaks directly to the camera (another attention-grabbing technique), and makes silly jokes about the products he is pushing on us. For those who like this kind of humor, they are immediately pulled in. |