atmosphere
Aleksei German once said “I am not interested in anything but the possibility of building a world, an entire civilization from scratch.” While “worldbuilding” has turned into a sort of buzz term, it’s fair to say that he did succeed in creating a meticulously detailed world that is as equally claustrophobic and terrifying as it is expansive and daunting. Aleksei German’s final film Hard to Be a God, an adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s novel of the same name, turned into a subject of curiosity given the thirteen-year production, dense source material and the death of the director before the film’s release.
The link between film and art is well-documented, especially how filmmakers are influenced and inspired by their favourite artists and paintings. One of the best and most famous examples is Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, where many scenes imitate classical paintings from the 1700s. There are plenty of contemporary examples too.