Motifs

A motif is any recurring element that has significance in the story. A motif can also create a theme or mood through its recurrence. 


Motifs are often used to enhance the viewing of a film and to make it more interesting to watch. A film can include 1 motif or several.


One of the most famous Motifs, in film, is from the film Jaws (1975) directed by Steven Spielberg. In the film jaws whenever the shark is present there is a unique film score that plays. This film score is a motif because it reoccures throughout the film and establsihed its self as a tune that strikes fear whenever it is heard. Whenever this score is heard it creates fear, even if there is no image present the sound of this is enough to create a tension that most films would need images to create.


The Sixth Sense (1999) directed by M. Night Shyamalan. This film has a very obvious motif throughout the film and this motif is in the form of colour; the colour red. throughout this film the colour red appears e.g:

• wife in red dress
• red flowers
• red lipstick
• dead cyclist has red helmet
• red doorknob at malcolms house
• church doors are red
• red balloon floating up the staircase
• anti depressant pills are red

The use of red in this film is used to give a hint into the twist at the end of the film and to make the auduence have this subconsious feeling about death and ghosts.




Our opening sequence will not be containing any motifs.
Although if we were to do this again we would mostlikely try to add in a few motifes to make the film more enjoyable for the audience.