Studio Practice: Studio Brief 1 - To Kill a Mockingbird

Marble Photography

During the opening sequence of the film, marbles were used which for me mimicked the characters of Atticus and Tom. Tom could be represented by the black marble and Atticus being white but supportive of the black community so had black lines across the white marble. Based on this imagery the idea was carried further through using similar marbles to represent these characters with plain white marble to represent the white community.

The marbles used were black, white and coloured striped which when photographed in black and white looked white with a stripe. The series of photographs played with the concept of Atticus and Tom being surrounded by the white community evoking a sense of oppression and minority.

Initially the marbles were structured into formations with white marbles surrounding the black marble however these looked too staged. Using a white background for the images kept the images clean and also emphasised the tones of all the marbles.

Taking the pictures at a slight angle meant there was not as much reflection in the marbles and it also created a sense of depth in the images, like a crowd pushing towards the black and striped marbles. This angle also meant that white space could be left free for the typography that would be used on the book cover.

The second batch of photographs focused on the concept of using singular marbles to represent the different types of characters / people within the book. Using just a black and white marble would comment on the two sides of the racial intolerance. A black , white and white striped marble makes reference to Tom, Atticus and the white community. Splitting the marbles into two pairs of white marbles and a black marble and white striped marble reflects the two sides in the courtroom. With Tom and Atticus on one side and Mayella and Bob Ewell on the other side. The reflection on the glass top that the marbles were on, created quite an interesting effect, which simulated more marbles than their actually were.