What If? Metropolis - Online Greenlight Review - Thomas Sherwood

The OGR For my What If? Metropolis.

Maya Tutorial - Cube

Adobe Animate - Session 5 - Halloween Animation

This is the finished product of my Halloween animation. I've Successfully demonstrated Secondary Motion after the ghost looks at his watch, a demonstration of the Arc happens with the YoYo and I have demonstrated spacing and timing, and Squash and Squeeze regarding the ball.

Film Review - La Belle et la Bete (1946)

(Figure 1)

La Belle et la Bete made in 1946, simply put, is a fairy tale of love, the two men who want Belle as their wife, Avenant is beautiful on the outside but ugly inside, the other (The Beast) is ugly on the outside but beautiful within, at first Belle wishes to marry neither to tend to her father who needs her, she is forced to stay with the beast as a forfeit from the fathers debt of stealing a rose with the beast in his castle, she is at first horrified by him but eventually she warms to him and grows to care about him.

(Figure 2)

The Film is brilliant to watch in this time because it is utterly whimsical and surreal, the idea of this lowly girl becoming this fairy princess in a world of magical enchantments is oddly pleasing to see. There are elements of this film which is quite terrifying to see, for example, the interior of the castle, for the first time when we witness it, there are arms sticking out of the walls holding chandeliers, they move independently and can even bend physics as they let go of their sticks and point, and the candelabra is suddenly floating in mid air. "This hirsute being lives in mysterious seclusion in his enchanted mansion whose lights are held by arms that protrude through the dark walls. (Did Polanski take something from this for his nightmare scenes in Repulsion?)" (Bradshaw, 2017) the castle is also filled with other surreal elements which play a huge part in influencing other directors such as Walt Disney in his adaptation as Animation, such as inanimate objects gievn to organic life, for example, the table has an arm which pours Belles father a drink, or the Busts which are actual heads which look on silently, glance around the room or eye the characters suspiciously.

"Children believe what we tell them. They have complete faith in us. They believe that a rose plucked from a garden can plunge a family into conflict. They believe that the hands of a human beast will smoke when he slays a victim, and that this will cause him shame when a young maiden takes up residence in his home. They believe a thousand other simple things.I ask of you a little of this childlike sympathy and, to bring us luck, let me speak four truly magic words, childhood’s “Open Sesame”:Once upon a time…" (Aldredge, 2017). From the outset the Director is trying to set a surrealist mood, he asks us to look at it is if we were children, instead of with an adult understanding, it can be argued that we are held to acknowledge the understanding between director and audience that this isn't real. that this is simply a story with a happy ending, with some magical and whimsical elements to create an idea of surrealism or a false reality. 

(Figure 3)

This film was made directly after the end of World War 2, the reason that was given for making it the way it was is that, it was reasoned the population needed something that wasn't depressing or influenced by, or reminiscent of the recent conflict. This influenced Andre Paulve to create something completely the opposite in terms of content and focus on this fantastic idea of magic and fairy tales. "Beauty and the Beast was made immediately following World War II after producer Andre Paulve decided that audiences needed something escapist to forget the horrors of the Occupation." (Scheib, 2017) 

Bibliography:

Aldredge, M. (2017). Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast : More Than Meets the Eye - Gwarlingo. [online] Gwarlingo. Available at: https://www.gwarlingo.com/2012/jean-cocteau-beauty-and-the-beast/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].

Bradshaw, P. (2017). La Belle et la Bête – review. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/belle-et-bete-review [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].

Scheib, R. (2017). Beauty and the Beast (1946) (La Belle et la Bete). Director - Jean Cocteau. Stars: Jean Marais, Josette Day. Fairy-Tale. Moria - The Science-Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review.. [online] Moria.co.nz. Available at: http://moria.co.nz/fantasy/beauty-and-the-beast-1946-la-belle-et-la-bete.htm [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].

Illustrations:

Figure 1 - La belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément - Movie Poster (1946)
Figure 2 - La Belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément -Movie Still (1946)
Figure 3 - La Belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément -Movie Still (1946)

What if? Metropolis - Thumbnails 1-74 and Initial Influence Map

The Designer I'm working with for this project is Issey Miyake. A Japanese Fashion designer born in Hiroshima, surviving the Atomic Blast, influenced originally as a child by the Hiroshima peace bridge. Now makes revolutionary fashion involving the idea of climate change and increasing population. Clothing that lasts more than one season, are durable and purposeful.

(Figure 1)

I'm influenced by much of Issey Miyake's work in fashion, I've looked into what has influenced him as well and found out much about his life. I feel with this information I can successfully create a City which screams Issey Miyake and his ideals around Design. 

Here are my first 26 Thumbnails, I am trying to be loose and follow the nature of fabric and how it folds and moves. These are influenced primarily from Issey Miyake's Exhibitions titled 'One Piece of Cloth' and 'Pleats Please.' I've tried to keep them simple and purposeful in design, there is a tree next to most to help represent scale. 

The further down the page we do the buildings begin to get more purposeful and ecological and start to move away from the nature of fabric. It is also important for me to note now that my city needs to be made from natural material or from recycled material as Issey Miyake likes to do in his Fashion Design work.

Some Digital Thumbnails to help with digital drawing, my designs need to become more simple and focused on the climate, population and primary use, whilst maintain a certain style.

The last few on this page were redraws of ones I liked the most during my thumbnailing, 34, 71 and 73 are the same building from different angles and with different adaptation. I am particularly fond of 53 because it seems aerodynamic, and in line with my designer. 24 and 72 are the same building with adaptation, this design also appealed to me for being eco-friendly to climate change and population growth.  

Illustration

(Figure 1) - O’Flaherty, M. (2017). Issey Miyake. [online] Howtospendit.ft.com. Available at: https://howtospendit.ft.com/house-garden/46863-issey-miyake [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].

Maya Tutorial - common shaders

Maya Tutorial for various textures and lighting on balls. 

Digital Painting - Production Design 01

Ive been tasked with creating a 'Bench' with the reference of an 'Ant', I've looked at lots of imagery to help tailor my design which is visible below. 

I wanted to go for a more organic look to my design so I looked into the nature of the Ant and its form, I have used the idea of the Abdomen and the nature of Ant nets, where there are millions of ants together in a tightly knit, organic space.

Ive created a 2 point perspective of my Bench, i used the idea of the rounded abdomen to create curves, and the idea of millions of Ants together to create the texture of the seating. The bench curves from facing one side to the other and is welded to the floor by two points. 

My Digital Drawings: perspective, front, side and top. 

Film Review - Alien (1979)

(Figure 1)

Alien is a Sci-Fi horror film with the simplest of plots going. A bunch of people are trapped with a monster, the monster slowly picks them off one by one. Such a simple idea in the right way creates something iconic and long-lasting, which has been ingrained in our psych and probably will be for a very long time. 

Ridley Scott the director of 'Alien' managed to create an environment which wasn't like other futurist films out in the period. instead of creating a positive, utopian idea of space travel he managed to create a space which was inhabited by rough miners in a civilization completely comfortable with space travel and long periods of isolation, this is continuously brought back to focus. "Scott, aided by his special effects team, headed by Brian Johnson and Nick Allder, and many others who deserve to be mentioned but can't be, creates in the confined space of his main set a sweaty little world on its own that responds ideally to his obsessive close-ups and restless, magnifying style. Hurt has said that it was more a matter of reacting than acting, and one can well understand what he means." (Malcom. 2017)

(Figure 3)

"What’s especially interesting is the materials art director Roger Christian drew upon to help create the Nostromo. Instead of filling the ship with blinking, unfamiliar doodads that hearken towards a dated idea of space-age technology, Christian and director Ridley Scott drew upon World War II bomber parts to create the interiors and outdated cathode ray tube TVs to serve as the ship’s displays. Combine the grimy, shopworn look with the film’s abundance of natural lighting—and the many shadows it casts across the ship’s narrow corridors—and you’ve got a realistic setting that helps achieve the sense of claustrophobia Scott hoped to conjure." (Colburn. 2017)

(Figure 3)

The preliminary Sketchwork and concept for the film began exactly in the same way but on a much smaller scale. This is an interesting point, the original idea was for there to be a small ship, a small planet, small crew and a medium sized creature. Aspects of this have been exaggerated in the final cut, the Nostromo is gargantuan, 800 feet long. this environment is huge, especially for a crew of only 7 including the cat. This makes the set seem daunting, ominous and terrifying because it is unknown and isolating. The creatures environment, which is the planet and the crashed ship which dwarfs the landscape is like a religious icon paid to this creature. What have they let themselves in for? There is a clear divide between these two worlds. "When a draft was handed to artist Ron Cobb for preliminary sketchwork, he described it thus: "A small, modest little ship with a small crew land on a small planet. They go down a small pyramid and shake up a medium-sized creature. That's about it." And that was about it, except with "small, modest, little" replaced by "fucking huge": the ship, commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, ended up being 800 feet long, and the "small pyramid" became a derelict spacecraft as big as a skyscraper." (Newman. 2017) 

Bibliography:

Malcolm, D. (2017). Derek Malcolm's Alien review from 1979. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/13/derek-malcolm-alien-review [Accessed 19 Oct. 2017].

Newman, K. (2017). Alien. [online] Empire. Available at: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/alien/review/ [Accessed 19 Oct. 2017].

Colburn, R. (2017). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] News.avclub.com. Available at: https://news.avclub.com/let-s-take-a-moment-to-appreciate-alien-s-set-design-1798262027 [Accessed 19 Oct. 2017].

Illustrations:

Figure 1 - (Alien, Steve Frankfurt and Philip Gips, Movie Poster 1979)

Figure 2 -(Alien, Ridley Scott, Movie Still 1979)

Figure 3 - (Alien, H.R. Giger, Concept Art 1979)

A 'Whose Who' - Mike Gabriel

A 'Whose Who' of Mike Gabriel.

Invisible Cities - 'Art Of' Sophronia

Compilation of art in preparation for my final city design.

Invisible Cities - Final Presentation

Invisible Cities final Presentation for Friday 20th October 2017

Life Drawing - Session 5

My drawings from this weeks life drawing session.

I was particularly happy with the torso in my first image, by leaving out some of the detail it allowed more to be added in by the eye. This is the first time I've accurately drawn hands too. I need to work more on proportions.

We next had five, five minute poses, the idea was to do a continuous pose but I had a little difficulty doing this so decided to just draw as best I could. I worked on proportions more here.  

Finally our model did a series of different faces, whilst maintaining a constant body pose. I focused on the faces more because I need more practice at them. I am particularly happy with the bottom left because I can accurately depict the emotion displayed whilst maintaining good line economy. 

Maya Tutorial - Old Alley

The beginning of the Maya Tutorial for the Old Alley.

Maya Tutorial 03 - Scooter

Animation - Adobe Animate - Session 4

This is a display of secondary motion in animation, it is important to get this right as a follow up to the primary object to show that not everything is connected and possesses the same momentum and weight, for example:

 Above there is a ball with Primary momentum and weight, it demonstrates this with Squash and Squeeze during its arcs. Attached to the ball is a rope and a small figure being dragged behind, they do not possess the same weight or rigidity as the ball so move independently of the primary object. 

 Above is another example how I have used the idea of creating a rigid flag pole and a loose, cloth flag to show a different variable for secondary movement, it remains stiller but still has its own momentum and weight.

Above there is a simple character with a lolling tongue, he eyes have a separate weight to the body, as well as the tongue which is more like the first example.  

Life Drawing - Session 4

First image is of my life drawing of the male model using a red and a blue pencil.

The second image is from a series of ten, one minute sketches which I felt worked well, I've not worked in the abstract much and enjoyed trying to convey posture and structure simply with a line. It is messy.

We later spent time on a final drawing, I used a yellow and a brown pastel chalk which I felt worked well, I tried to black out the outside of the figure to give more focus to the posture.

Film Review - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C Clark is an incredibly bold and intense story, it is about the contemplation of our place and our consciousness in this universe. It uses little in terms of Vocal communication and instead uses a mix of to-this-day stunning  visuals accompanied by classical music to speak to a level of human intellect more in common with emotion rather than intelligence."This is the work of an artist so sublimely confident that he doesn't include a single shot simply to keep our attention. He reduces each scene to its essence, and leaves it on screen long enough for us to contemplate it, to inhabit it in our imaginations. Alone among science-fiction movies, “2001" is not concerned with thrilling us, but with inspiring our awe." (Ebert. 2017) 

(Figure 1)

" Kubrick takes Clarke’s idea, and turns it into an epic meditation on human consciousness," (Journey to Perplexity. 2017) 

One of the things I felt moved by was the computer HAL 9000, i found the representation of this machine utterly uncomfortable and disconcerting, During the interview with the crew they remark that "It's like having a Sixth member of the crew with us", this machine is perceived as the pinnacle of human intelligence and logic, it can process everything aboard the spaceship and is even capable of mimicking emotion like anger and frustration. As a machine we aren't accustomed to this and it can be likened to the Rogue AI of Skynet from the Terminator Series by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. "When HAL is being shut down he repeats a line of dialogue that no computer should ever logically speak … “I can feel it". This not only supports the idea that HAL represents a real person, but it may even be a link to the physical act of touching the monolith."  (Ager, R. 2017). It is arguable that HAL 9000 is a Parallel to Haywood Floyd throughout the film, It would be apt considering they spend a huge amount of time on the ship together, If we look at the moment in the film where Haywood is talking to Smyslov on the moon, when questioned about news from the base he is travelling to he answers in a cold, calm and monotone reply, HAL is seen to mimic this throughout the Film. 

(Figure 2)

The film constantly suggests we contemplate what is happening and relate it to our understanding of consciousness and what we know to be real. The Surrealism is incredibly prevalent during the final thirty minutes of the film where Bowman traverses to his 'Human Zoo-like' bedroom where it is almost dream-like as he gazes at himself in the mirror at his older-self, then into the main room at himself again sitting eating a meal. Considerable time has passed during this camera angle change and leads us to consider it is a dream in this context, we then once again change to Bowman as a dying man in bed who once again witnesses the black obelisk which began the very first evolutionary boom. Finally we see the embryo of a baby, this symbolises the birth of a higher intelligence in human evolution, one which is now prepared to meet other intelligent life in the galaxy. "In a timeless state, his life passes from middle age to senescence to death. He is reborn, an enhanced being, a star child, an angel, a superman, if you like, and returns to earth prepared for the next leap forward of man's evolutionary destiny. - Since an encounter with an advanced interstellar intelligence would be incomprehensible within our present earthbound frames of reference, reactions to it will have elements of philosophy and metaphysics that have nothing to do with the bare plot outline itself." (Ager, R. 2017).       

(Figure 3)

Bibliography:

Ager, R. (2017). 2001: A Space Odyssey - in-depth analysis - by Rob Ager 2008. [online] Collativelearning.com. Available  at: http://www.collativelearning.com/2001%20chapter%201.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017].

Ager, R. (2017). 2001: A Space Odyssey - in-depth analysis - by Rob Ager 2008. [online] Collativelearning.com. Available at: http://www.collativelearning.com/2001%20chapter%2010.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017].

Ebert, R. (2017). 2001: A Space Odyssey Movie Review (1968) | Roger Ebert. [online] Rogerebert.com. Available at: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-2001-a-space-odyssey-1968 [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017].

Journey to Perplexity. (2017). 2001: A Space Odyssey. [online] Available at: https://iamyouasheisme.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/2001-a-space-odyssey/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017].

Illustrations:

Figure 1 - (2001: A Space Odyssey. Stanley Kubrick. Movie Still 1968)

Figure 2 - (2001: A Space Odyssey. Stanley Kubrick. Movie Still 1968)

Figure 3 - (2001: A Space Odyssey. Stanley Kubrick. Movie Still 1968)

Animator Review - Don Hertzfeldt

Don Hertzfeldt draws stick figures for his animations. Hertzfeldt is different in a very humble way, his drawing skill depicted in his work isn't up to the standard of the CG film found in huge budget films currently in productions, but through composition, narrative good and humourous story unravels. Detail isn't previlent in the Animation so emotion is conveyed in the characters very subtly by small changes to line work which make up parts of the face, or body. Its a very precise art considering Hertzfeldt hasn't left himself much room in which to manoeuver.  "Austin-based stop-motion animator Don Hertzfeldt projects the complex psychologies of his characters through minute enhancements of facial features. Yet he hasn't given himself much creative wriggle room, as the stars of his movies are all near-featureless stickmen with dots for eyes and a single line for a mouth." (Jenkins, 2017)

I find this relevant because its not about the skill of an animator at drawing, its also about the narrative and ways to convey interesting story. 

(Figure 1)

Bibliography

 Jenkins, D. (2017). Don Hertzfeldt: the best animator you've never heard of. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/may/02/don-hertzfeldt-animator-beautiful-day [Accessed 9 Oct. 2017].

Illustration: 

Figure 1 - It’s Such a Beautiful Day (Dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2012)

Animator Review - Lotte Reiniger

Lotte Reiniger produced the very first full length animated film to be released in cinema, it was make between 1923 and 1926 in Germany. The technique in which she used was to draw figures and objects onto card, if it is a character or has moving parts then separate parts are drawn and connected later with lead hinges, then she creates silhouettes from the card by using a light box set up, then through the process of stop-motion Animation where you take a picture of small movements and combine them, to create motion. "Even though her work reduces images to their very basics, there's incredible grace, complexity and variety to the "performances" of the paper actors. It's impossible to see exactly how she accomplished it - there must have been some sort of magic involved." (O'Neil,. 2008)

(Figure 1)

This applies to me and animation because when we learn to use Adobe Animate the same principle is occurring but on a digital plane instead of a physical light box. Reiniger creates animations around Fairy tales and was heavily influenced throughout her life which lead to her into this. "Film was Reiniger’s passion: as a child she was delighted by the trick films of Georges Méliès, and later the dreamy horrors of Paul Wegener. She was also an enthusiast for the Chinese art of shadow puppetry, creating her own silhouette spectaculars for a parental audience." (Hutchinson, 2017). 

Bibliography:

Fernando Katz. 2009 The Art of Lotte Reiniger Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvU55CUw5Ck Accessed:09/10/17  

Hutchinson, P. (2017). Lotte Reiniger: animated film pioneer and standard-bearer for women. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/02/lotte-reiniger-the-pioneer-of-silhouette-animation-google-doodle [Accessed 9 Oct. 2017].

O'Neill, P. (2017). DVD review: Lotte Reiniger - The Fairy Tale Films. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/29/lotte-reiniger-fairy-tale-films [Accessed 9 Oct. 2017].

Illustrations: 

(Figure 1 - The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Lotte Reiniger’s 1926 film. Photograph: YouTube)

Film Review - King Kong (1933)

(Figure 1, King Kong Movie Poster 1933)

King Kong (1933), an iconic and hugely influential film of our times which keeps satisfying audiences time and time again, in the words of Leonard Maltin on KingKong "it is so much a film of its time, it is timeless and yet it is very much 1933" (American Film Institute (2009). The films set design was cutting edge for its time, there is a giant animatronic ape head with real moving mouth and eyes, stop-motion animation in regards to any scene which contained a dinosaur or King Kong and sets made from painted glass layers, I can only imagine the terror which brimmed through that first audience, as it the was the most realistic thing they had seen other than real life. Another moment during this screening as well was one of the most famous deleted scenes, which people walked out on as being too graphic, the moment the crew falls into the chasm after being tossed off the log by Kong and are devoured by a dinosaur, a giant crab and various giant spiders. 

By todays standards it would arguably not be allowed for release to the public, it was a different time back in 1933 and cultural acceptance and equality has come on a very long way since then. There are plenty of sexist remarks, and racist thrown about which audiences aren't so on board with in regards to acceptance. For example the way the Natives are portrayed, on this remote East Indian Island as African Tribals', the captain of the ship also seems to know the language they speak which assumes the Natives have the same language as African tribes as well as the grass skirts, and the bamboo mud huts, basically tarring them with the same brush and removing their individuality. "Critics have drawn connections between the capture of Kong and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, with Kong’s disastrous escape in New York symbolic of the perceived “disaster” of granting black people in the U.S. true freedom." (Blay. 2017)

 Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) is also subjected to many sexist remarks by John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) "King Kong is full of sexist undertones. The woman, Ann, represents a sexual object- someone whose main purpose is to serve as the object of affection for a large group of men. In both the 1933 and 2005 movies, the white men compete with the natives and King Kong over her. She doesn't seem to have any power or any purpose other than to be a sexual object." (Gumtow et al,. 2017) 

Bibliography:

American Film Institute (2009) Leonard Maltin on King Kong Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=44&v=r2WqVpYgl2s Accessed: 09/10/17

Blay, Z. (2017). This Video Breaks Down The Racist History Of 'King Kong'. [online] HuffPost. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-video-breaks-down-the-racist-history-of-king-kong_us_58c19101e4b0d1078ca4d309 [Accessed 9 Oct. 2017].

Gumtow, T., Heerjee, R., Ward, K. and Maenza, J. (2017). Sexism. [online] Available at: http://kingkongkingdom.weebly.com/sexism.html [Accessed 9 Oct. 2017].

Illustrations:
Figure 1 King Kong Movie Poster (1933)

Animation - Adobe Animate - Session 3

Here we have a Demonstration of a ball with synthetic physics applied regarding weight, you can see we demonstrate this by making sure the object maintains a relative mass throughout its arcs using squash and squeeze to show momentum, the ball is soft and therefore its surface ripples when impacting.  

Next we have a demonstration of three different objects with varying weight and solidarity, from left to right we have a ping-pong ball which is light and hard, it holds its shape well and it bounces multiple times because its mass is low. Then a bowling ball, a very dense, heavy mass means it falls very fast and bounces very little, finally a tennis ball, this is in the middle, a soft, hollow ball demonstrates more squash and bounces less due to momentum being absorbed through surface movement.

Contextual Studies - Preliminary Presentation

Presentation for Contextual Studies - A Preliminary View.

 

Life Drawing - Session 3

The first time drawing a male physique.

 Used a graphite pencil to do this first drawing, I was still limbering up I felt.

 Used a blue pastel to try and simulate light against the black paper.

A series of graphite pencil poses, composition was a little off as i managed to cover some really interesting parts which I liked in my work, next time I will space and size better.  

Invisible Cities - Online Greenlight Review

Below is my Online Greenlight Review for the Invisible Cities project.

Film Review - Metropolis

Directed by Fritz Lang and co-wrote by his wife Thea Von Harbou the Film 'Metropolis' Made in 1927 is an iconic and incredibly influential film, if you've never seen it then it is a sure bet you have seen something referencing or relating directly to this film in modern film, imagery, architecture and indeed the entire science-fiction genre. 

Metropolis is set in a fantastic and futuristic city divided into a utopia filled with reading halls, universities, libraries, skyscrapers, an entertainment district, a pleasure garden and even an Olympic stadium which which we see at the beginning of the film. The inhabitants are free, happy and completely unaware there is a dystopian underbelly to the city. Below the ground there is another city of grey block buildings to house the poor, huge metal stilts and miles upon miles of machine halls, the bowels of the monstrous city. 

There is a huge biblical reference "The language of Metropolis -- the themes, the images, the characters -- are all rooted firmly in the language of Judeo-Christian theology." (D M Wharton. 2003) mainly in the scene construction as the city is depicted as The Tower of Babel, this was a tower built by man from earth to god. Lang's parents were married with ties strongly in Catholicism, as a child this heavily influenced his ideas and perception of life, there is a very strong possibility this could have lead to the techniques and construction of the set and the film in general.    

The film was made in 1927 after the first world war, and when the second world war was looming, you can see it is influenced by German expressionism in its architecture and set design. "The sense of horror conveyed during the introductory scenes (and especially that of Freder’s first time witnessing the machine which caused a hallucination of Moloch) was indeed representative of Expressionism." (Ci. 2016). 

Tall, towering and imposing structures, an theme of Art Deco which was seen as futuristic at the time is prominent throughout all give rise to the autocratic feel of this film."The film-with-a-message exhibits the influence of historical events occurring during its time frame of the burgeoning Industrial Revolution, including a time of economic misery and the rise of fascism in a pre-Hitler Weimar Republic Germany following the war, the rise of the American labor movement and unions during the 1920s due to oppressive working conditions," (Dirks. 2017). I would agree with this because we are all influenced firstly what we experience in our lives and this gives fuel to creativity, it is only natural that the films set design came out in this way due to the current architectural themes, the ideation of futurism and the threat of another war with a rising fascist world super power.  

        

Bibliography

Wharton, D. (2017). Crucified to the Machine: Religious Imagery in Fritz Lang's Metropolis. [online] Strange Horizons. Available at: http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/articles/crucified-to-the-machine-religious-imagery-in-fritz-langs-metropolis/ [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017].

 Ci, S. (2017). German Expressionism – Fritz Lang and Metropolis – cc. [online] Oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg. Available at: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/sohc0014/germanexpress/ [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017].

Dirks, T. (2017). Metropolis (1927). [online] Filmsite.org. Available at: http://www.filmsite.org/metr.html [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017].