Tuesday 15 February 2011

Sherlock Wallpaper - Analysis

Here is a wallpaper I created using Serif PhotoPlus X3, with the purpose of promoting the BBC television show "Sherlock" to friends in online forums. The wallpaper was created at the request of an associate who was eager to see a wallpaper that featured the two main characters only - and their only aesthetic request was that I also incorporate the colour 'blue' as heavily as possible (as it was the client's favourite colour).


Taking into consideration this restriction, I have heavily influenced the mood of the image by using filters and specific blue-toned shades. Blue generally gives the impression of coldness - possibly from the association of water / ice / sky being cold and blue - and also sadness. Therefore, by using blue as the predominant colour for the image, I was aiming to get across the idea that the protagonist (Sherlock Holmes) is, in fact, a rather cold, sad, almost lonely character. The character of Sherlock Holmes, in all representations - books, films and now this television series - has always been seen as a solitary figure: that is to say, it's almost as if he is the only man alive who has such an extraordinary talent. And as is hinted at commonly across the realms of heroes / super-heroes, being a paragon protagonist even with friends / family providing support is incredibly difficult to face without feeling like an outcast from society. Characters like Superman / Batman / the Doctor (Doctor Who) and Merlin (from the BBC show of the same name) are all incredibly powerful and incredibly unusual, and more often than not are forced to hide their true identities for fear of persecution or betrayal. Each character hides a great deal of themselves from the majority of the world, thus demonstrating just how easy it is possible to become cold and lonely when in a position of great importance. This is also true for Sherlock.

As the original character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle existed in a much older time-period, I decided to immitate the intentions of the show's producer, Steven Moffat - who wanted to place the same old-style characters into a modern-day setting - by combining new and old elements together within the image. The outfits both characters are wearing are modern - leather jackets / long trench coats and a stylish scarf and hairstyle. These represent the modern day setting of the show. The old-style streetlamp, clockface and brass door knocker for 221B Baker Street, however, are more authentic-looking and were included to represent the original era of the characters. This was my way of achieving the same old/new combination as the show's creator intended.

By splitting the image in two - using the 'wall' of the image on the right one side which seems to cut through the centre of the image - I have managed to draw the viewer's focus to the protagonist almost straight away. This is because he is shown having a much bolder, darker tone and is also much more heavily detailed, as well as being positioned in the foreground of the image. By adding in filters to harden the edges of the 'Sherlock' on the right, it demonstrates that he is the main character of the story. So for people who have never seen the show, it should be easy to spot who is the protagonist. By including the title of the show - and the character's name - I am also able to reinforce the importance of this character. The final trick to show that this is the first part of the image I wanted viewers to see, I added a strongly contrasting colour to this side of the image - the Yellow of the streetlamp. Due to its intense contrast with the blue of the rest of the image, the eye is easily drawn across to it, and thus their attention will then be drawn to the main character, who is positioned directly below the item of contrast.