COLOUR PALETTES IN FILMS

Colour palettes in films

Colour in film is very important as it can be used to show moods and emotions but to also tell the audience when the scene is set in (time period) and it adds information about characters and settings. The colours used within films can also help determine what genre the film is, but this can also be turned on its head as directors may put it in just to make you think or it helps put emphasis on the other colours, for example if you take a film like trolls, it has very bright colours which help set the mood of it being a happy bright children’s film whereas, if you take a film like The Blair Witch project, it’s very dark and has a very neutral to dark colour palette throughout which helps set the mood that its not particularly going to be a very bright and happy film. If you take something like the cabin in the woods, it uses both bright colours like the clothes the girls are wearing but its set in a very dark and isolated place so it can be used for contrast. 

 Certain colours denote different things like red is used to denote passion, danger or power. pink signifies innocence, femininity and beauty. Yellow is associated with joy, naivety and insanity. Black is probably the colour with the most possible meanings it could mean for example power, fear, mystery, strength, authority, elegance, formality, death, evil, rebellion, and sophistication. When a colour has so many possibilities of what it could connote in a certain scene it leaves us guessing as to what message it really has behind it.

 

Colour aesthetics can be approached in three different ways, impression, expression and construction which basically means visually, emotionally and symbolically. The colour palette begins a direct visual interpretation of the script that makes it a reality in the film, where it then takes on a subtle character of its own.

 

In horror dark colours are used to help create a sinister mood. Typically, the protagonists, when uncovered are in dark colours such as black, blues and browns. As the lighting is dark the darker colours help mask the person and their actions. Colour is a key aspect of horror.

When Millie and I come to do our preliminary task we will ensure that we think carefully about the colour palettes that we use in order to make it as horror like as possible. Typically in horror the colour palette is dark. In this early stage I will think about challenging codes and conventions of horror like colour for example like they do in sin city. Although its not a horror it is a dark film where they use bright colour which highlights particular plot points this is something I would try and do as it might be a unique selling point.