SEQUENCING WITH COLOUR

The earlier sequences added the extra layer of colour. As I considered how I could create suspense in the first stage of the one-minute sequence, I considered the obstruction of one image by another. This was naturally occurring as I worked with large letter-pressed letterforms and an image of a woman in a red dress. The framing created by the form and counter-form of the letter was working to conceal the image beneath in a very beautiful and evocative way. Interestingly, the red dress began to look like other things when glimpsed beneath the heavy black letter frame; a splash of blood, a mark on the floor, a piece of fabric, an old movie poster. The colour was also operating on a more emotional level that I enjoyed. Rather than using layering to gradually reveal words from the original narrative, the gradual revelation of this red dress carried a stronger emotional undertone and sense of tension. As I continue to build this one-minute re-telling of “The Black Dahlia” – this red dress is becoming as much a clue as a verbal cue from the novel. I am able to build a real sense of mystery around hints of this image. This sequence might work best as the emotional flavour of the final piece – it operates on a more intuitive level than anything else; more to be looked at than ‘read’.