OUAN404 - Study Task 2 - Paprika

Paprika is a 2006, Japanese made animated film that was co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon. The premise of the narrative is based around the idea that there is a device developed by a research psychologist that allows therapists to help patients by entering their dreams. This type of therapy is appropriately named 'dream therapy'. This kind of plot in itself allows for imaginative and innovative visuals and isn't confined to a certain style due to the elaborate plot line.

I want to start off by saying the visuals for Paprika are stunning, the colour scheme is borderline over the top when it comes to realism within the context of a pretty realistic anime, but pulls off the vibrant style really well. There is a hybrid of realistic tertiary tones and vibrant colours. Appropriately, Paprika herself is often seen in bright red clothing, to coincide with the colouring of her hair and of course the spice. The lighting used throughout Paprika is quite realistic in terms of how light would behave in reality. There is a mixture of natural and synthetic light sources that produce realistic lighting, yet ambient at the same time. During the film we also see a mixture of warm and cold lighting within certain scenes, which gives a good range of varied colour schemes throughout the film. The environments are heavily detailed in the film and are used almost as detailed matte paintings to set the scene before we are taken to the action. The level of detail in these big scale shots is really impressive, and at first glance they look almost real due to the level of texture and use of realistic lighting. Space is another factor that gives the piece its serious and authentic feel, whilst large scale cityscapes are used effectively to make the environment feel vast and open like the real world. The forms like previously mentioned are very accurate and emulate real life in this sense, they do however have some slight exaggerations when it comes to features that define aspects of a character whether that be wide eyes or a strong jawline. In terms of the environment the forms are very real, and I believe that references were used of real locations to make the environments and their forms feel as authentic as possible whilst remaining in the animated style so they sit well with the characters and the on screen action. The overall tone of the film is a serious one due to the realism that has been incorporated in so well, however due to the science fiction elements it possesses there is some room for exaggeration and some hints of the implausible or the eccentric such as the colour schemes in various scenes and the expressions of characters. The composition varies throughout different scenes, and there is a great range of different shots of the landscapes and environments, I noticed a lot of shots were composed form high up so you are constantly looking down at some of the locations, giving you a greater sense of scale due to the amount of detail and distance featured in the shot.

To be more specific, the use of environments in Paprika sets the tone for the film. The way this is done is by giving them as much realism as possible through the use of composition, lighting and detail when making the shots so that the initial style the audience gets introduced to when a scene starts is the realistic and authentic one that these environments hold. This is done via the technique of setting the scene with an environmental shot. The colours of the environment are the washed out and faded tertiary colours that you would expect to see in the real world, especially in a built up location. Furthermore, the tone and feel for the narrative is guided by the idea that this is not meant to be a light hearted story, shown through the implementation of this down beat and sincere imagery.