Cinematic Color in Storytelling | Tomorrow's Filmmakers

Summary

This video from TomorrowsFilmmakers.com focuses on how color can enhance storytelling in film. The host explains how filmmakers can use specific colors to evoke emotions, establish symbolism, and guide the audience subconsciously. By setting color schemes early on, such as associating blue with safety or red with danger, directors can subtly communicate moods and key plot points. The video also references popular films like 'The Village,' 'Chernobyl,' and 'Blade Runner 2049' to demonstrate how color influences perception and supports narrative development. Additionally, the video promotes a comprehensive film course offering advanced filmmaking techniques.

Takeaways

• 🎥 Cinematic color is an essential storytelling tool that influences audience emotions without being overtly noticed.
• 🟡 Establishing color significance at the start of a film helps communicate subconscious feelings to the audience (e.g., yellow represents danger, blue represents safety).
• 🔴 M. Night Shyamalan uses red in his films to signify important or supernatural events, while avoiding its casual use throughout the rest of his films.
• 🧪 In films like *Contagion*, color helps establish disease and safety: yellow signifies illness and danger, while blue signifies health and safety.
• ☢️ In *Chernobyl*, green is used to represent radiation and danger, while blue indicates safety, with transitions between these colors subtly communicating the severity of situations.
• ⚔️ Color battles are a key visual element in films, such as *Star Wars*, where red and blue are used to signify good and evil, especially during Kylo Ren's struggle.
• 🍊 In *The Godfather*, orange is associated with death, symbolically foreshadowing upcoming death or danger.
• 🧥 Character evolution can be shown through color, as in *Breaking Bad*, where Walt's clothing darkens as he becomes more morally corrupted.
• ❤️ In *Her*, the color red is tied to the relationship between Theodore and Samantha, with red fading from the film as their relationship ends.
• 🎨 Filmmakers should establish a consistent color scheme and use it throughout to communicate themes, emotions, and character journeys without the audience being consciously aware.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on the use of color in cinematography and how it can be used to convey emotions and tell a story in films.

Why is color important in film storytelling?

Color can make an audience feel a certain way without them being consciously aware of it. Filmmakers use color to establish mood, emotions, and even symbolism, helping to tell a story more effectively.

How can filmmakers use color to influence an audience's feelings?

Filmmakers can establish colors at the beginning of a film to represent certain emotions or concepts, which then subconsciously influence how the audience feels when those colors reappear later in the film.

What example does the video provide about M. Night Shyamalan’s use of color?

M. Night Shyamalan uses the color red in his films to signify something significant or foreboding. For instance, in his films like 'The Sixth Sense,' red objects indicate an interaction with the supernatural.

How does the movie 'Contagion' use color to represent danger?

'Contagion' uses the color yellow to represent danger and disease. Whenever a character is infected or exposed to the virus, the scenes are washed in sickly yellow tones.

How does the TV series 'Chernobyl' use color to communicate safety and danger?

In 'Chernobyl,' green is used to represent danger and radiation, while blue is used to signify safety. This color distinction helps viewers understand the risk level in different scenes.

What is the significance of color in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' during Kylo Ren’s inner struggle?

In 'The Force Awakens,' red and blue are used to visually represent Kylo Ren's internal struggle between the dark side and the light. As he makes his final decision, the blue light fades away, leaving only red, symbolizing his choice for the dark side.

What role does the color orange play in 'The Godfather'?

In 'The Godfather,' the color orange is consistently associated with death. Before major characters die, the presence of oranges or an orange hue foreshadows their impending demise.

How does 'Breaking Bad' use color to reflect Walter White’s character transformation?

As Walter White's character darkens over the course of 'Breaking Bad,' his wardrobe changes from bright colors at the start to darker shades, reflecting his moral decline and transformation into a more sinister figure.

How can filmmakers apply the concept of color palettes to their own projects?

Filmmakers can apply color palettes by first establishing good and bad colors or symbolic colors at the beginning of the film and maintaining consistency throughout. This can also include using saturation or desaturation to further convey emotional or narrative shifts.