Cinematic architectural space as a physical expression of characters in film narrative

Abstract

At the turn of the 20th century, cinema became the prevailing instrument of mass culture and expression, hailed tor its capacity of capturing new perceptions and representing cathartic scenarios. As cinema progressed, cinematic architectural space (CAS) was no longer considered an inactive background, but held a vital role in extenuating emotion and strengthening the narrative. This study alms to analyse three case films: Ex Machina, Snowpiercer and Enemy, all of which exhibit a clear relationship between the CAS and the characters in the narrative. Such a relationship assists in gaining an understanding on how the space is an identifying projection of the personas and a manifestation of their arc. The study builds on the premise of narrative as a cause and effect chain of events, organised within a spatial and temporal platform. This explores cinematic reinterpretation of architecture, intended for atypical motives beyond these found within the built environment and in the case of this dissertation, as a physical expression of the character in film narrative.