Classic films are an excellent resource for images. Let’s take a look at two movie scenes that left me with some images in my brain. The kissing sequence in ‘Metropolis’ and a piano shot from ‘Stage Door’, featuring a young Ginger Rogers.

‘Metropolis’ is a German silent film from 1927 directed by Fritz Lang. For well over two hours, I engaged in this movie from start to finish. A beautiful thing about the silent film era is that actors worked extra hard with their body gestures and facial expressions. Being that cinematography was quite rudimentary and photography still very influenced by traditional painting, there’s often a sense of flatness in most scenes that’s reminiscent of classical art. The kissing sequence on ‘Metropolis’ is something that stroke me in a big way. Although cheesy and ordinary, I couldn’t help having a response to the sharp contrast actors Brigitte Helm and Gustav Fröhlich made against the dark background, it was as if they were cut out of a neoclassical painting.

I couldn't resist taking a closer look at this rehearsal scene with Ginger Rogers on 'Stage Door,' a movie released in 1937, just about ten years after 'Metropolys.' I enjoy watching how she's leaning on the piano with a relaxed expression. I think her posture can lead to some fantastic compositions. On a side note, I find it interesting how leading actors in black and white movies wore clothes that made them stood out. There, you can see how significant fashion style must be during the pre-production stage when building a scene.