Drama: Pan's Labyrinth

In the art of cinema, the set design is the framework of the film. The style, views and possibly even themes of the film can be clearly presented in the design of the sets. The location, costumes, furniture, cars, colors and lighting can all be used to assist the viewer understand the film in a more complete way. The sets are not just background that sits quietly behind the action, but representations of the story and themes in the film. In class, we watched the film Pan's Labyrinth. The film was a perfect example of set designs in film.

When attempting to categorize the styles of set designs in film, we first distinguish if the design is from a realistic of formalist view. Films can take from both styles, but most of them rely more on one to enhance the expressions found in the script. Realistic sets will convey more true to life visuals. Beauty, in itself, will not usually be the center of the action. The sets will be filmed outside without exploiting the beauty surrounding. Realistic sets wish to put more of the focus on the action in front of the camera. With more of a formalist view, the set designs will differ greatly from those of a realistic film. The sets will exploit any beauty found, creating a surreal experience. The sets will reveal the theme in a more blatant fashion. These sets are most commonly created in studios, rather than filmed outdoors. In a studio, the director and set designers can create whatever they need to. This gives them more freedom to seperate themselves (and the viewers) further away from time and reality.

The setting in a film needs to embody the overall message and theme of the story. Pan's Labyrinth is a great film to watch in terms of set design. Del Toro took elements of realistic and formalist filmmaking to create a beautifully haunting film. The film is about a girl named Ofelia in post-civil war Spain in 1944. Ofelia is moving to a military post with her mother to be with her new stepfather. Her stepfather is Captain Vidal, a very strict and sadistic man attempting to root out Spanish war guerillas. Ofelia, a fan of books and fairy tales, becomes wrapped up in her own fairy tale. She meets a faun that tells her that she must complete three tasks to return home and be the princess of her kingdom. This is an amazing film that combines the elements of reality with elements of a fairy tale. The set designs truly carry the story, helping the film bounce back and forth between realistic and formalist. Half of the film follows Captain Vidal and his hunt for Spanish guerillas. In these scenes, the film is shot outdoors. Colors are bland, and beauty is hidden. These scenes have such a bleak tone, helping the film stay grounded in reality for those particular scenes. The other half of the film follows Ofelia as she fulfills her tasks. Many of the scenes (such as the toad's tree and the baby eater's lair) were probably filmed in a studio. The colors are very lively with beauty being exposed in the more fairy tale oriented scenes. The constant jumps between realistic and formalist sets added so much to the storytelling. In a five minute span, you can view a gritty and realistic scene followed by a beautiful scene with strong themes drenched in fantasy.

Set designs are a characters in themselves. The director can manipulate and use the design to help enhance the story, just as they can with an actor. In Pan's Labyrinth, we were able to directly see the differences between realistic and formalist set designs. The set designs allowed us to witness the gritty and violent world of Captain Vidal while still immersing us in Ofelia's fantasy drenched story.