Following on the from the experimentation I did into different transitions and timelines, I decided to watch the film Joel recommended called Mystery Train.
Watching the film also is a way I could get some ideas for the plot of my film, as I am struggling a bit to come up with a plan at the moment.
The plot of the film shows 3 different timelines following 3 groups of people: a Japanese couple visiting Memphis, two women who end up meeting and sharing a room, and one of the women’s ex boyfriend and his friends.
There are many different scenes in the film that link each timeline to each other, but ultimately the three stories are connected by a hotel and the spirit of Elvis Presley.
There are a few cues throughout the three stories that make it become apparent that the scenes are occurring simultaneously. For example: the first two timelines end with a gunshot, and we never find out what it was, until the third story, where we find out what happened.
Colour:
Notes taken while watching the film, commenting on use of colour.
The colour red:
Throughout the film, the use of the colour red stood out to me the most, as throughout the three stories, the colour red suggests different things. In the first story, the red shown in lipstick and their suitcase, could represent the couples love. They carry the suitcase with a pole through the handle, and they hold either end. This physically connects them together so I think the use of a bright red really compliments and expresses the emotions of the couple, which might not be obvious is their actions towards each other.
Scenes from Story 1, in Mystery Train (1989)
However, in the third story, the use of red could indicate danger instead, as the three guys are driving a red car through the streets of Memphis, after impulsively stealing liquor and shooting the shop owner.
Scenes from Story 3, in Mystery Train (1989)
The colour red is scene I think most saturated and brightly when associated with the hotel staff on the front desk, as he is wearing a bright red suit, juxtaposing the lobby boy wearing a plain grey one. The difference in outfits alone shows the levels in power of the two men.
Hotel staff use of red, in Mystery Train (1989)
Colour schemes:
There is also quite a few uses of complementary colours throughout as well. Green and pink is used in the first story when the man is looking out the window, and red and teal are used in the third story when the trio of thieves are in their car driving around the city.
Complimentary colours in Mystery Train (1989)
Red and green is also a popular combination of colours frequently seen throughout the film, most specifically seen in the hotel rooms and lobby.
Green and red used in Mystery Train (1989)
Other Techniques:
In the three storylines Elvis seems to be the main connection between them. The girlfriend of the Japanese couple in story 1 loves Elvis, the girl from Rome in story 2 actually saw the ghost of Elvis in her hotel room, and Johnny in story 3 gets called Elvis all the time.
In each of the guests rooms there is also a photo of Elvis, used in different ways to show the characters reaction to him, each time becoming more comical. The radio is used in all of the scenes too, on which Elvis songs are playing. The use of the radio helps the audience to understand the narrative and piece together the timeline, and to understand when certain things would have happened at the same time.
Jarmusch uses a lot of tracking shots of the characters walking through the streets of America, and his scenes are quite long and slow, playing out the scenes as they happen in real time. The repetition of these walking shots link the stories together, as at one point, the first couple and the second woman walk on the same street, and the shoot is exactly the same.
Walking/tracking shots in Mystery Train (1989)
Conclusion:
Overall, the film as really fun to watch and I really liked the use of multiples stories throughout, and I have definitely not got more ideas for my own film, and I shall start to storyboard ideas for it tomorrow.
References:
Mystery Train (1989), Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Amazon Prime)
Amanda (2006), See This Film, Mystery Train, Available at: http://seethisfilm.blogspot.com/2006/06/mystery-train.html (Accessed 28/3/22)
Screenshots from:
Film Grab, Available at: https://film-grab.com/2013/07/12/mystery-train/ (Accessed 28/3/22)
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