Elements of Design
Aesthetically, the film The Matrix gave a whole new appreciation of special effects to a new generation of movie goers. It introduced the effect of ‘bullet time’ for the first time – an effect which sees the live action being slowed down so that the character appears to be bending time to meet their needs, something which the characters are able to do whilst in the Matrix. The film’s design drew on classical science fiction, steam punk and dystopian ideas to produce a strongly modern film which, far from ordinary, drew on its design to enhance the audience’s experience and produce a new spin on an old story.
Its Directors, the Wachowski Brothers also wrote the film, meaning that it was their vision to begin with. This immediate spark of an idea is what drove the film to its full blown conclusion. A director’s role is to control the film’s artistic and dramatic aspects and in this instance, the Wachowski Brothers wanted The Matrix to appears futuristic and cyber punk-like in its appearance – something which was greatly enhanced by the bullet time photography. The Production Designer, Owen Paterson, was in charge of the film’s overall appearance and it would seem that everything stemmed from the Wachowski Brother’s desire to see the film as being intelligently composed and executed in a way which made the audience feel as though the boundaries of the Matrix were non-existent. The art direction was controlled by Hugh Bateup and Michelle McGahey and their roles were to carry out the design wishes of Paterson, the Wachowski Brothers and also to guide the cinematographer, Bill Pope in his overall view of how the film should look. In this particular scene, up on the roof as Neo attempts to dodge bullets for the first time, the audience is privy to a sublime example of bullet time photography as Neo leans back at an abnormal angle and the camera pans around him as we see the bullets streak past him – narrowly missing him. This is essentially the design team showing off what they can do but it is also done to demonstrate how Neo’s character is developing into ‘the one’ – the central premise of the film itself.
In the scene, the lighting is not particularly notable as it is designed to look like ‘the real world.’ However, in most of the film’s scenes as the characters are in the Matrix, as in this one, the scene has been given a green filter which helps to make it seems less real and more computer-like. Throughout the film, we are shown images of the Matrix code moving down a computer screen – it’s a lurid green colour and in placing a green filter over these scenes, it is a subtle reminder that the characters are not in the real world and that it is possible for anything to happen. This is further enhanced by the scene’s setting in which, Neo and Trinity are on the roof of a high-rise office block. Its setting is remarkably mundane and is deliberately indistinctive as the aim of the scene is to enhance the ‘normality’ of it amidst the abnormality of the characters’ ability to move in obscure and physics-defying ways. The setting serves one purpose and that is to juxtapose the ‘real world’ against the ‘Matrix’ and to reassert the idea to the audience that they may well be in the Matrix at that very moment in time.
The costuming of the characters is quite central to the film’s plot and this design feature is deliberately delivered in such a way that we are reminded of who is who in the two warring factions. The ‘Agent Smith’ characters are always seen wearing a very plain, brown suit which bears no special features and this is designed to demonstrate their inane ‘jobsworth’ image in their relentless pursuit of Neo and co. Neo and Trinity are seen, throughout the film, wearing various assortments of black clothing – as are the rest of the crew. This has been deliberately chosen as the colour black suggests that they are unnoticeable – that they ‘blend’ in with their surroundings. The design of these costumes is central to perpetuating the film’s plot: the suppression of the human race by the Agent Smith characters and the freedom fighting of Neo and the crew. Equally, hair and make-up of the characters is designed to further enhance their images: Agent Smith is very plain with ‘normal’ skin tone (i.e. he has no tan and is quite pale) whilst his hair is a very boring, simply crew cut style – everything about his appearance has been designed to suggest ‘clone.’ Whilst Neo and Trinity both appear to have their hair and make-up done again, so that they appear pale (as they live without the sun) but their hair allows their individual personalities to be displayed.
The film’s overall mise-en-scene is cleverly devised to perpetuate the idea of good vs. evil. The audience is left without any doubt as to whose side they are on and the costumes, in particular, help to define the different roles within the film. The overall look of the film is clever and when the film was originally released, its effects were all anyone wanted to talk about because the bullet-time was revolutionary. In achieving this, the various design team members were able to create a film (and in this instance, a scene) which portrayed a futuristic world inside a computer where anything was possible. The scene discussed here fits in brilliantly with this as it demonstrates the progression of Neo’s character whilst further presenting the idea that anything is possible as he dodges speeding bullets.
References
Movie Clips. (2011). The Matrix: Rooftop Showdown. Retrieved from http://movieclips.com/ePfg-the-matrix-movie-rooftop-showdown/
Wachwowski, A. & Wachowski, L. (Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture]. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.
