When reading a book, watching a film or even a basic TV soap opera, have you ever noticed how the actual weather plays a part in the story?
Writers and film directors are often very conscious of how the backdrop of weather can serve to enhance the mood of a particular scene and will equally as often use certain weather events to give the viewer a clue to an impending change in mood of the story line.
Here are just a few of the weather metaphors that are commonly used by writers and directors in their works. If you have noticed any more, please share them with us!
Spring: Will often indicate a new beginning; or occasionally, false hope and deception.
Summer: Tends to portray a realization and growing maturity in the main characters.
Autumn: A story line set primarily in Autumn will very often have a melancholy or sinister twist in the plot.
Winter: A plot which is set mostly in winter will very often be focused on family relationships and dilemmas.
- Rain: Used by writers to enhance a sombre mood of a particular scene.
- Thunder: Distant thunder in a storyline may indicate that a death of an important character or relationship is imminent. An overhead storm is often used in the climax of a plot and that the storyline will change for the better
- Sunshine: Very often used to bring a renewed feeling of hope, or an impending end to a particularly melancholy scene.
Here is a short but very dramatic clip of a movie entitled ‘Open Water 2: Adrift’ (2006) which makes heavy use of the symbolic aspects of weather to enhance the tragedy of the scene.
Extract C/O Pathe Studios. Music by Gerd Baurmann
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrbFJtmgxb0&feature=youtu.be
