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Crash Visual Signifiers

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Crash by Paul Haggis, and Amores Perros by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu are filmed in popular cities, yet each film shows perspectives of the city that people who do not live there are not often exposed to. Set in Los Angeles, Crash shows few of the visual signifiers those who are not familiar with the city would use to identify the film’s setting. That said, there are many visual signifiers within both films which denote class difference between the characters. The differences in the classes are primarily shown to the audience through their clothing, and through their interior spaces, like their homes and cars.
In Crash wealthy characters drive expensive cars and live in large houses while lower income families live in smaller spaces, and …show more content…

Characters misunderstand one another because they are always separated, whether it be because they are in their own interior spaces, or because they make assumptions of one another based on a how they look or are dressed. However, even in this state of separation, the characters find ways to interact with each other, primarily through crashing. These “crashes” both, literal and figurative, are visual representations of the relationships between the characters, and instigate changes in perception where there was formerly bias based on the visual signifiers each character possesses and the attitudes they …show more content…

This process affects the entire film and makes certain colors, like green, appear more vibrant while desaturating other colors. By using the color process in combination with the visual signifiers of indoor spaces, Iñárritu provided the film with a unique color scheme which is perfectly symbolic of its overall tone.
Were I to make a film about ethnic, racial, and class differences within a city, I would use clothing, interior space, modes of transportation, and belongings as visual signifiers. I would set the film in Los Angeles, but like Crash would try to leave out key identifying elements of the city, and instead focus on the relationships between the characters rather than the city

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