Environmental Symbolism: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
One way for authors to subtly (or overtly) convey and reinforce the mood of a scene, episode, or even the genre of the work is to make the environment symbolize it. Much like a character with an [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]], a setting can be made rife with
Generally, the whole setting itself will reflect the overall mood of the show, while a special location for a given scene will display the current mood of the characters.
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== Anime & Manga ==
* Pretty common for the theatrics in ''[[Death Note]];'' a death always carries a grittier or grainier air, and some stuff glows more than it should (like open doors, police flood lights and windows).
* Planet Gunsmoke in ''[[Trigun]]'' is a drought-stricken, Old West-ish place. Vash The Stampede is a depressive, Old West-ish guy. When he {{spoiler|and Knives land on the planet and he cries over Rem's death, his tears are echoed by the falling debris of the SEEDS ship}}, and when he {{spoiler|defeats his brother in the last episode}}, the nearby townsfolk who've been drilling a well finally strike water.
* The Soul Rooms in both the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]!'' manga and anime reflect the psychological state of their owners.
* The first of ''[[
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' likes to use this to emphasize some of the character's tragic [[Backstory|Back Stories]]; series lead Negi's [[Doomed Hometown|home village]] [[Snow Means Death|in the snow]], [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|immortal]] [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampire]] Evangeline's war-torn battlefields in the 1400's, Asuna's colossal, [[Tron Lines|rune covered]] tower at dusk in which she was the tower's [[Barrier Maiden]]. Akamatsu loves his characterization (expect [[Cherry Blossoms]] during [[Love Hina|happy scenes]]).
* [[Exaggerated]] in the Other World segments in ''[[
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* ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''. See Literature.
* The Graveyard from the infamous showdown scene at the end of ''[[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly]]'' emphasised the finality of the paths of the three principle characters. Sergio Leone had so brilliantly set up a situation where all three men couldn't possibly leave alive.
** Not to mention it was designed to look like a Roman circus, as if the graves of the dead were watching the three men fight.
** Most of the bits of architecture in the film resemble gallows, a running theme of the film.
* A blatant example is ''[[Star Wars]] Episode III'' with Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel on a ''lava planet''! The eruptions are about Anakin's state of mind and him bursting into flames was about his final transformation.
** Tatooine in ''A New Hope'' is a barren wasteland to emphasize that Luke really has nothing to live for on this planet, relatives notwithstanding.
** Another ''[[Star Wars]]'' example: the battle in the Emperor's throne room in episode VI featured severely muted colors, and twisted if angular structures. The only splashes of colors, the red Royal Guard, were pointedly sent away. The only colors in the fight are the lightsabers and Luke's face.
* In ''[[The Incredibles]]'', the Insuricare offices are soul-crushingly drab, to better convey how much Bob Parr hates that job. Contrast that with the gorgeous jungle and [[Raygun Gothic]] architecture of Syndrome's island to see how much Bob loves being a superhero. The Parr home, with its Googie architecture, falls somewhere in the middle, since Bob doesn't appreciate his family until it's almost too late. And Mirage points out the link between the brilliant-but-unstable Syndrome and his chosen home:
{{quote|
'''Mirage:''' A volcano? My employer is attracted to power. As am I. It's a ''weakness'' we both share.
'''Mr. Incredible:''' Seems a little... unstable.
'''Mirage:''' I prefer to think of it as misunderstood.
'''Mr. Incredible:''' Aren't we all?
'''Mirage:''' Volcanic soil is among the most fertile in the world. Everything [[No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine|at this table]] was grown right here on this island. }}
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]: The Two Towers''. While King Theoden is under Saruman's control, his hall is dark and colorless. After he regains his right mind, the lanterns and fires in his hall are lit.
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* The town in ''[[Edward Scissorhands]]'' is a bright and cheerful, if slightly [[Stepford Suburbia|off]] '50s suburbia, and thus has lots of bright pastels. The Professor's/Edward's castle, by contrast, is dark, empty and mechanical, in black and white. Since the whole thing is ([[Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory|possibly]]) about mental illness, the emptiness of it may symbolize Edward's loneliness, as well.
* As tempers rise over the course of ''[[12 Angry Men]]'', the room seems to get more and more claustrophobic; that's not an effect: the actual walls were gradually moved closer in as the film goes on, making the room smaller and smaller.
* ''[[Inception]]'' - Limbo is a barren wasteland, representing Cobb's lifelessness and apathy due to his obsession with his wife's death. Level one of the Fischer job is wet and rainy, literally because the dreamer went to sleep needing to piss.
== Literature ==
* ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]''. Kansas is described as "grey". This is reflected in [[The Wizard of Oz (film)|the 1939 film]], too.
* In [[China Mieville]]'s ''[[The Scar]]'', the city of Armada is a congealed mass of ships, which is perfectly appropriate given that [[Pirate|its inhabitants]] steal almost everything they need. Additionally, the vampire who rules one section lives in a freakish-looking ship that sails on moonlight.
* ''[[House of Leaves]]''
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== Live Action TV ==
* The coral-based design of the current TARDIS interior in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' is supposed to show that TARDISes are organically grown. It also reflects the age of the ship and the [[MacGyvering]] repairs.
* More properly, ''[[Firefly]]'' used this in both the design of each character's room (in Kaylee's case the engine room as well, since we saw her there more often) and the kitchen/dining room, which had wooden chairs and crafty decorations to give it a homey feel.
** Also, the Alliance ships and buildings are sterile grey and blue, to fully emphasise the difference between them and the warm and friendly ''Serenity'' and the dry, earthy planets on the Outer Rim.
* The ''[[Star Trek]]'' ships.
** ''[[Star Trek: The
** ''[[Star Trek:
** ''[[Star Trek:
** ''[[Star Trek:
* ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'' is set in a [[Retro Universe|Retro World]] full of bright and cheery colors. The fish-eye perspective and high color saturation convey the [[Magical Realism]] of the setting.
== Video Games ==
* In ''[[Devil May Cry]] 4,'' Nero's battle with Dante (all of them) take place in some classy room to show it isn't a completely serious fight, and Dante isn't serious about killing you (more like toying). The {{spoiler|final battle in the Savior's heart is much darker and more climactic}}
** In 3, Dante's first battle with Vergil is on the top of the tower in the moonlight and rain. Its obvious since the sun isn't rising any time soon and the rain isn't stopping either, Dante wont be winning. Their 2nd fight is in a much grimmer and dingier area, because neither is going to win. Their final battle is completely climactic ([[Ominous Latin Chanting|Orchestra and latin playing in the background too]]).
* This is a ''huge'' part of the ''[[Silent Hill]]'' series.
* ''[[No More Heroes]]'' has each battlefield and the city itself reflect the characters... [[Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory|maybe]].
* The ''[[Need for Speed]]'' games are a reflection of this. ''Hot Pursuit 2'', for example, has shiny glass-and-steel cities, lush forests and heavenly sunsets in a tropical island to match its laidback arcade racing with supercars. ''Underground'' has a shiny metropolis with glowing streetlights and ''Underground 2'' also has a graphic filter that highlights neon, paint and street lights to highlight the ''[[Fast and Furious]]''-style glamour of the street racing scene. ''Most Wanted'', meanwhile, went for a glass-and-steel metropolis under the glowing daylight [[Real Is Brown|with a brown filter]] to give it a gritty city feel, while ''Carbon'' replaced the gritty brown with modern, cutting-edge blue to emphasize how much of a [[Serious Business]] is street racing in Palmont.
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== Web Comics ==
* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'': The eponymous Court is massive and maze-like, with a muted color scheme and many dark corners. It fits well with the story's focus on the mysterious and the (slightly) macabre.
== Truth In Television ==
* Fast-food restaurants use bright colors like yellow and bright green so that patrons will eat and leave quickly, while real restaurants use warm colors like red and brown to make people feel comfortable.
* It might be accidental or deliberate, but [https://web.archive.org/web/20100107164929/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4878 this slideshow] shows an eerie match between Pyongyang's drab, mass-manufactured looks and the stark, oppressive dictatorship of North Korea.
{{reflist}}
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