Silence

Due to the fact our film has to be a silent one, as a class, we went to the National Gallery of Art in Trafalgar Square. This helped us to observe and decode paintings to unravel the story behind them. Through this we could learn and understand more innovative ways to tell a story without the use of excessive dialogue.
We saw a painting called The Ambassadors by Holbein and at first glance it seems simple and old fashioned however when we began to analyse the elements of the work new associations surfaced. On the left a person who seems to be a monarch of some sort or at least someone of very high importance and on the right, due to his collar possibly a priest or vicar but definitely someone who represents religion within the picture. It is my belief that the picture was set up in this way to present opposites and make the viewer question their significance. As i continued to evaluate the painting and the objects on the table between the two men, i believed my conclusion even more. On top of the table are objects, such as a globe, that show knowledge, exploration and discovery. In contrast to this, below on the second level of the table there is a guitar and a fiddle alongside an open book. I therefore assume these items to be more recreational. Relating back to the idea of opposites and contrasts. So overall, the painting portrays two men of different social status but both showing importance differently, hidden meanings behind inanimate objects that actually depict the message that to have an education and knowledge is much more the prioity in life than to have fun! That is why the utenciles used for learning were on the top of the table. From one image i can see a million messages and this helped me to feel more confident about making a silent film - something i have never attempted to do before.