Transcript of Visual Foreshadowing — Why It’s Everywhere, and Why You Should Use It
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0:00my mother there. She's as harmless as0:03one of those stuffed birds.0:05>> You can tell an audience what's going to0:07happen, or you can show them. We often0:11think of visual foreshadowing as Easter0:13eggs that are later spotted by IMDb0:15trivia users on their sixth watch.0:19But nearly every filmmaker uses a form0:21of visual foreshadowing to create a0:23narrative that has a feeling of inertia0:25and logical cause and effect.0:30So, what is visual foreshadowing?0:37We hope this is a bit of foreshadowing.0:39By the end of this video, you'll hit0:42subscribe and enable notifications.0:48We'll be spoiling the following movies.0:51Let's look at some hints. Are you0:54watching closely?0:55Foreshadowing is a technique in which a0:58storyteller gestures to events that will1:00happen later in the narrative.1:03Foreshadowing can be split into two1:05categories. Direct foreshadowing, which1:08explicitly lays out future events, and1:10indirect foreshadowing, which more1:12subtly indicates what will happen.1:16For more on these two types, check out1:18our video on the subject.1:21Visual foreshadowing is largely1:23indirect, priming an audience for what's1:25to come without telling them forthright.1:28A smart filmmaker is always employing1:30visual foreshadowing, whether it be in1:32their production design, their1:34cinematography, or their editing.1:38Visual foreshadowing undergards a story1:40with a level of innate coherence.1:43It ensures that when a plot point1:45occurs, it doesn't feel unearned, even1:48if it is surprising.1:55Let's take a closer look at how this1:57works in production design.2:02Production design with its many2:03variables has lots of opportunities for2:06visual foreshadowing.2:07Think of a simple prop like the many2:10pens Amy uses while journaling in Gong2:12Girl. An audience might not think2:14anything of it at first.2:15>> I'm so crazy stupid happy. But when we2:19realize what Amy has been up to creating2:22fictional journal entries, the pens are2:25part of the visual evidence that have2:26been there all along. This kind of2:29indirect foreshadowing is extremely2:31subtle, subliminally adding to a plot's2:34texture without giving anything away.2:37>> You need a diary. Minimum 300 entries on2:41the Nick and Amy story. Start with a2:44fairy tale early days. Those are true2:46and they're crucial. You want Nick and2:48Amy to be likable. After that, you2:52invent.2:54>> But foreshadowing in production design2:56could be more overt while still2:57remaining indirect.3:00Take the iconic opening sequence of Blue3:02Velvet. Production design plays a large3:05role in establishing the themes that3:07will be present in the film. The white3:10picket fence, the old-fashioned fire3:13truck, the green manicured grass.3:17All these idilic suburban images are3:20subverted by the writhing insects that3:22end the montage.3:25The foreshadowing here isn't hard to3:27see.3:30In this picturesque community, something3:32darker is lurking, but we don't know3:34what it is or how it will manifest. So,3:38the foreshadowing instead puts us on3:40edge without spoiling the horrors to3:42come.3:47More obvious foreshadowing in production3:49design can also operate as misdirection.3:52This is a go-to strategy for the Final3:54Destination franchise, especially3:56Bloodlines.3:58>> I see you. You4:01>> directors Zack Leovsky and Adam Stein4:04know that the audience is expecting4:06characters to die, so they load each4:08scene with a plethora of ominous4:10details. Some of these set elements end4:13up being part of a character's demise.4:20But others are red herrings simply meant4:23to keep us guessing.4:27>> Eric,4:28>> ma, grill's ready.4:30>> Costume design can also operate as4:32visual foreshadowing.4:34In the World's End, for example, the4:36characters who end up being revealed as4:38robots are dressed in blue, which also4:41happens to be the color of the insides4:43of the androids.4:52Double Indemnity, meanwhile, opens with4:55an image of a man in a cast making his4:57way toward the camera on crutches.5:00For much of the rest of the movie, the5:02audience is on the lookout for this5:04injury to reappear. And when it does, we5:07know it is somehow important.5:09>> You like a chair?5:13>> No thanks.5:15I'd rather stand.5:17>> A similar idea can be carried through to5:19character design in animated films.5:23>> In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,5:25Dr. Live Octavius is made up of5:27octagons. So, it's only fitting when5:29she's revealed to be Dr. Octopus.5:36>> Can I assume that your friends call you5:38Doc O?5:39>> My friends actually call me Liv. My5:41enemies call me Doc O.5:45>> Visual foreshadowing can also extend to5:47choices in cinematography.5:56Foreshadowing in cinematography can take5:58many forms. A framing choice can speak6:01volumes. In Jojo Rabbit, for example,6:04Taika White has Rosy's shoes be the6:07center of attention in several shots,6:09which makes the devastating reveal later6:11in the film feel all but fated.6:27Framing can also hint at character6:29dynamics to come. In the wind that6:31shakes the barley, the distance between6:33the two brothers is often made literal.6:36Here, a long pan emphasizes the split6:39between the two men and in turn6:41foreshadows the conflict that is6:43escalating.6:46A common bit of cinematography6:47foreshadowing in horror films is6:50utilizing a handheld shot from afar,6:52which signals to the audience that6:54someone may be watching the characters.6:59Cinematography can also create visual7:01motifs which gesture to later plot7:03points, such as the repeated mirror7:05shots in Black Swan, which foreshadow7:08Nah's split personalities.7:13Camera techniques can also underscore7:15foreshadowing that is happening on the7:17page. In Vertigo, for example, we are7:20introduced to Scotty's difficulty with7:22heights early on, which foreshadows the7:25trouble he'll have in the film's climax.7:27Hitchcock's use of the dolly zoom both7:29times, however, draws an even clearer7:32parallel between both events. We are7:34visually reminded of Scotty's7:36affliction.7:43Color, too, can function as visual7:45foreshadowing. The Matrix's green sheen7:48gives it a distinct aesthetic. Yes, but7:51it also hints that Neo's world isn't7:53natural and links it to the green text7:56we see on the computers.7:59Staging choices can also hint at things8:02to come. Think of this famous shot from8:04Citizen Kain. Charles and his sled8:07remain in the center of the frame even8:08as our focus turns to what's happening8:10inside.8:12Orson Wells therefore visually links8:14Charles and his sled with the event that8:16completely changed the direction of his8:18life. This link is a bit of8:21foreshadowing for the answer to the8:22film's central question, Rose.8:27Who or what is Rosebird?8:34A filmmaker can further hone their8:36visual clues in postp production.8:39>> Ghosts are real. this much I know.8:45>> Even if you've covered absolutely no8:47foreshadowing on set, there is plenty of8:49foreshadowing that you can create in the8:51edit.8:52>> People are always asking me if I know8:54Tyler Deran.8:58>> It can be as simple as cutting to future9:00events as Bob FSY does in All That Jazz.9:03We see flashes of Joe in a hospital bed9:06throughout the runtime of the film,9:08making his ending up there feel9:09inevitable.9:17A similar but more direct form of9:19foreshadowing in an edit is a more9:21extended flash forward. In Oppenheimer,9:24for example, we see the trials the9:26scientist is put under after his9:28creation of the nuclear bomb. The9:30so-called derogatory information in your9:33indictment of me cannot be fairly9:35understood except in the context of my9:37life and my work. This directly tells us9:41that his privileged status within the US9:43government while he is building the palm9:45won't last.9:46>> 80 babies delivered the first year. This9:49year we've had 10 a month.9:52>> Birth control is a little out of my9:53jurisdiction, General.9:55>> Clearly,9:56>> General9:59But flash forwards don't need to be so10:01direct. In Afterson, we see an older10:05version of Sophie, but it doesn't tell10:07us much about what will happen in the10:08main story line. Beyond that, this is an10:10emotional resonant memory for her.10:13>> Oh, that's so embarrassing.10:14>> That's not embarrassing.10:16>> In the editing room, a filmmaker can10:19create loaded juositions which act as10:21signs of things to come. In the opening10:24of Don't Look Now, the death of Jon's10:26daughter is juxtaposed with red ink10:28spilling over a photo of the church10:30he'll be working on.10:32This combination hints at the climax of10:34the film where Jon chases a red-hooded10:37figure into the church, and it also10:39helps us understand why he chases them.10:42He, like the viewer, associates that10:44image with the death of his daughter.10:53Wait, wait.11:00>> Music can be its own form of11:02foreshadowing. In a scary movie, for11:05example, we often hear eerie music11:07before we are exposed to a scare.11:14>> Are you okay?11:21But it can also be more intricate than11:23that. In Star Wars, John Williams' theme11:26for Anakin uses melodies from his theme11:28for Darth Vader, which foreshadows who11:30the innocent seeming boy will become.11:33>> The chosen one the boy may be.11:36Nevertheless,11:38grave danger I fear in his training.11:41>> Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word. I11:45will train Anakin.11:59bulletproof vest. GREAT FLAKE. GREAT12:02FREAKING FLAKE.12:03>> Visual foreshadowing is everywhere in12:05film making, even if it's not on the12:07page.12:13It's a sign that a director intimately12:16understands the story they're telling12:18and know how to weave its elements into12:20every frame.12:21>> If you take them off before then you're12:23complaining.12:24>> Let this video foreshadow the creation12:27of your own movie. Get started with12:29Studio Binder pre-production software.12:32Your one-stop shop for story building,12:34scheduling, and much more.12:37With that, here's our own hint at the12:40future. We'll see you next time.12:42>> That's a new one. Blue sky on Mars.12:44>> Been married long.12:46>> 8 years.
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