What my project will be / My experiments

Because my final major project focuses on a very specific  period in time and a specific setting I wanted to explore new ways to try to get a similar feel in a different period/setting/ genre by exploring the mechanisms of how to convey a similar atmosphere to a contrasting setting.

My FMP focuses on Victorian Culture and the Gothic fiction that was so wide spread in that period which had a real love of the macabre and death.This project will explore how elements of the Gothic genre can be used in other settings to generate the same mood and atmosphere we associate with the genre.

To start with I wanted to list the Gothic elements which separate Gothic Fiction from other genres:

The Atmosphere-

Gothic Fiction can be defined by its very stylised atmosphere. often having a sense of mystery and oppressiveness with a feeling of darkness, fear and doom.

Elements-

-Supernatural Elements
-Associated genres: Romance and thriller. mystery.
-References to murder and death.
- Psychological plot
- Grudges, Curses and Vendettas

-Setting-
-secluded and gloomy . run down and decrepit buildings and structures.

-Protagonists-
- Isolated and Alone, either physically or emotionally
- Self Imposed

-Emotions-
- Emotions run High
-Characters are passionate and strong willed
- Often defiance of others and common sense in the pursuit of their goals.
-Inner torments


A sense of Foreboding  with Ominous Implications , Unlucky omens and Dark Forces.

An Overall Impression of Decay  or a slow process in decline. Either in Landscape or characters.

An Emphasis of high emotion , with a heightened sense of drama such as Kidnappings, Murder, Madness , Tragic Illness Etc.



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Knowing this list of Gothic Elements can help me transfer my characters and narrative into another setting where I can then relate and evaluate against the list to see if my story would still work in that setting by using mechanisms that help to portray the genre well.

There are various Ways I could explore this :

colour- how colour and lighting can change a piece of work .will it change the mood or how the narrative is perceived? 

Abstraction - by framing my characters doe this make the setting more dramatic through light, colour and perspective. 

periods or genres. - by putting the narrative and characters in a completely opposite setting to the ones the suit the gothic genre doe it change the whole look of the images and characters.does the dynamic of the scene change? 

wordless narrative. is the scene impaired by words? or is wordless just as effective. does it read differently and is this a good thing for my work?

Influences and Artist research - Can i learn something from looking at the work of specific directors or artists for genres or periods that I have chosen . By analysing their work and drawing my own response and experiments based on elements and methods that we can distinguish as something that is unique to their work. 

- Lighting

-Costume
-Composition
- Tone
-Line work


I will be taking a section of my FMP work , exploring and then transferring it to another setting but experimenting to see how I can keep the gothic elements intact.