ovies 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 metaphor to 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 symbols are those you 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. 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.

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 2.22 I/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 of Citizen 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, immortality, rebirth, order
Bird Freedom, flying, between higher and lower worlds
Dragon Money, fame, danger, myth, fire
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 sight, fear
Dolphin Playful, spiritual mediator between worlds, helper
Butterfly Metamorphosis, rebirth, false lover, transformation, soul, summer, joy, witches
Dove Peace, messenger, holy, renewal of life, vulnerability, sensitivity, spirit
Peacock All-seeing, pride, vanity, solar glory, royalty, immortality, love, beauty, paradise
Owl Wisdom, scholar, occult powers, all-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 flowers, love, devotion, 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
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 heaven and 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 Symbolic 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, fertility
Ice cream Pleasurable, sensual tastes
Quartz Becoming more powerfully expressive
Satellite Communication
Shoes Grounding, in touch with life (Weird shoes mean new change.)
Waves Ups and downs of life
Anchor Stability, grounded, sanctuary
Bell Warning, disaster, death, alarm, religious
Fire Passion, desire, anger, destruction
Spiral Rebirth, learning, evolution, path
Sun Creative energy, male, transformation, higher consciousness, light
Moon Unconscious, intuition, female, cycles, changing
Dent Unfortunate event
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 Spiritual awareness, death
Coins Wealth
Grapes Fertility, wine, pleasure, harvest
Falling leaves Harvest, dropping, letting go, surrender
Crystal Clarity of perception
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 Identity, nationhood, allegiance
Ladder Ascent/descent, spiritual transformation, stages of work, death
Occupation Metaphoric Meaning
Butcher Death, rejuvenation, bloody, violent
Outlaw Rebellious, anarchy, lawbreaker
Queen Female authority figure, ruler, political
Artist Inner creative force made physical
Banker Authority, manager of resources, wealth
Doctor Healer, authority, 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 things beautiful
Lawyer Server of justice, shark-like instincts
Solider 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, purification, 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, duality, indecision, balance, 2 sides, opposites, relationships, root,
mother, indecision, indifference, making choices
3 Third time a charm, things always come in 3s, 2 failures to 1 success, triangle,
harmony, freedom, completion, relationship/balance, holy divinity, power,
God's halo
4 Square, strength, stability, Mother Earth, heart, 4 directions, 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 The Wizard of Oz begins as a
golden spiral (based on 5) to symbolize transformation).
6 Structure, balance, order, function, time, weights, intuition, practical
7 Magical, God, spiritual, cycles, excellence, myth, luck, musical harmony,
crystals, rainbow, chakras, religion, virgin, dreams, voices, sounds, higher self,
levels
8 Renewal, death/resurrection, nourishing, resonance, cosmic breath, chessboard,
moon phases, limitless growth, goddess, traveling between higher and lower
worlds (spider), atom groups, natural vibration
9 Completion, spiritual awareness, pregnancy, gift, highest attainment, ocean,
horizon, ultimate extension, worship, essential elements, cosmic ruler
10 New beginning, high honor, whole family, perfect, top score
11 Master number, mystical, 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.

Character History Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in Script

Strange rituals in family for Blue shrine full of glass bees in character's bedroom.
immortality.
Weird hobbies for character in Royal sporting axes hung on walls.
position of authority.
Character feels trapped in old Character eats partner's pet bird to relationship.
symbolize loss of freedom.
Dangerous person. Pet alligators and venomous snakes crawl around backyard.
Well-educated and cultured Has a grand piano delivered to house.
upbringing.
Misses lost love. Carries a picture, gift from beloved, or ribbon from hair.
Artistic side. Artwork displayed.
Most prized possession is an old Letter is kept in a secret draw in a gold case.
love letter.
Character is very happy and Wears rainbow suspenders, has a pinball machine in his
playful emotionally. 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 Wears gloves, disinfects chairs before he sits down, wipes
sick. off phones, wears a surgical mask outside.
Character thinks the good old Character drives a 1957 Chevy and wears vintage clothes.
days were better.

Backstory Information Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in Script

Leader of film world as an outlaw
Social order of people in town
Lay of the land with edge of the
known world said to be forbidden
Important heroes who character
admires
Past catastrophic event
Picture of king surrounded by gun collection framed on
the wall.
Rich people wear bright colors, walking poodles; poor
people wear gray and are sweeping the street.
Mural featuring a map with the edge of world full of
monsters; characters call it "the edge."
Temple devoted to dead hero in middle of town.
Pitch-black historical memorial site with a big flame still
burning.

Character Trait Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in Script

Leader Uniform, medals on chest, ribbons, special gold scepter.
Professional Superhero outfit, mullet, gold chains with wrestling medals around neck,
wrestler 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 girl's name on heart, carrying fresh picked flowers, digital effects
slight golden glow aura.
Humble Character hiding from recognition events, awards.
Welleducated 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 neatwith 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

Create Character States. Think of three ideas to show character states using metaphors and
symbols somewhere in your film.
Character State
Someone not what he or she seems
Wise shaman head of tribe
Person going crazy
Loss of life force
Relationship status negative
Lost-love memory
Revenge for death of loved one
Midlife crisis
Obsessed with food
Scientific mindset
Losing important object
Spiritual epiphany
Needs to control every little thing
because of fear of chaos in world
Needs to feel clean in a dirty business
Character hitting bottom
Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in Script
Reflection in funhouse mirrors
Says he only "drinks out of ancient skull"
Gory disturbing art project the character is making
throughout film
Crops in field dying
Couple fighting over the color of drapes
Pendant with old picture around neck
Handmade knife from loved one's family
Character buys Harley-Davidson motorcycle
Character digging around for hidden candy bars
Has vision looking into liquid inside heated glass beaker
Dog floating down the river
Shaves head or cuts off hair to symbolize new beginning
or mindset
Arranging objects in straight lines
Taking very long and meticulous grooming shower with
lots of special lotions and shampoos
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 shark fin 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 Metaphoric/Symbolic Image Description in

or Another Area Script
 Death
Rebirth/resurrection
Losing important relationship
Someone about to steal
Catastrophic event coming
Rough emotions
Spiritual epiphany
Murder
Lots of work to be done
Angry emotions boiling over
Black crows on a snow-covered black winter tree
Springtime shots of flowers blooming, little birds in nests
chirping, sunny skies, green grass
Dog watching a ball roll into storm drain and looking upset
Fox in henhouse stealing chickens
Comets (lens-flare effects) in sky
Big waves crashing on rocks
White animal being born in a barn
Blood running into water
An anthill or bees in background
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
surreal dreamscape in a 3D or 2D photo collage, and use bluescreened
characters flying or drifting over areas.

NOTE

Write Down Your Dreams. If you have problems remembering your dreams, just tell yourself
before you go to bed that you will remember them and keep a notebook with a pen nearby so that
you can write them down as soon as you wake up. You may even want to tell yourself to dream
that night of certain themes or questions to see what comes up. Write all dreams down even if
they do not make sense, because they might reveal their meanings later. Sketch any cinematic
elements of dreams next to the description if you have time.

Using Your Dreams to Help Create a Personal Visual Language

Many of us have developed a personal system of metaphors and symbols from life experiences
hidden deep inside our subconscious, and these often show up in our nightly dreams. Maybe
whenever you dream about playing chess, you are having to think strategically about changing
some situation in your daily life. You may want to keep a dream journal and get a sense of how
your mind thinks about metaphor and symbol, which you can then work into your films. The
more you write down your dreams, the more you understand how you personally think in visual
symbols and metaphors. Dreams can often help us find new ways to communicate visually on a
deeper subconscious level, to show emotions or situations that may be hard to explain with
straightforward dialogue or action.

Shot in Fire Walk with Me Metaphoric/Symbolic Meaning

Someone smashes a TV set during
one the TV show Twin Peaks.
FBI detective has a safe strapped
around his body.
David Lynch makes a cameo as an
This film is going to be different from of the opening
shots.
"He cracked the Whitman case," meaning this man is
good at solving mysteries.
This is important information, so pay attention.
FBI boss.
Dancing girl in a red dress comes out Sour face means problems with the local authorities.
with a sour-looking face and does a
quick pantomime.
Dancing girl's eyes are both blinking. Trouble higher up with sheriff and deputies.
Dancing girl has one hand in pocket, The local authorities are hiding something, and they are
and one in a fist. going to be belligerent.
Dancing girl starts walking in place. This case will involve a lot of legwork.
Different colored thread has been Tailored dresses are code for drugs.
used to alter the girl's dress to size.
Blue rose pinned to dress. No such thing as a blue rose. More experienced detective
tells the other one, "Can't tell you about that."
Hermeneutic search symbol.

Creating Film Puzzles with Metaphors

Films are like puzzles and people like to try and figure things out in their heads. What was
"Rosebud" a metaphor for in Citizen Kane? This is the dying Kane's last word at the start of the
film, and the rest of the movie is a search to discover who or what Rosebud was about. Film
geeks continue to argue about the true meaning of "Rosebud" whenever the subject comes up.

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 A mystery event, crime, or situation needs to be
she is trying to find out what it is by using solved.
visually metaphoric clues.
Key character says something puzzling and One character is trying to find out the truth about
then disappears. someone/something that is not what it appears to
be.
The character is displaying puzzling The character is trying to understand a strange
behavior, which is discovered to be situation. The character is in such a setup,
connected to a past and forgotten trauma. alternate reality, or dream.
The character finds a strange object or Use multiple story lines, different character
information he has been tracking down. 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
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.
Harvey is 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 best
approach 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.
Exploration of character.
The blurry line between sanity and
insanity.
Violence as cost of individuality.
Cost of deception.
Power of love can change fate.
Character getting beat up trying to get what he wants.
Searching for meaning of last word uttered on deathbed.
Show all the characters acting crazy but functional.
Hip, artsy, unique criminal characters.
Pet cat found hanging on clothesline by antagonist.
Character screaming so loud that he wins game of chance
to save lover.

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
reconstruct memory 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 the way
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?