Whether you’re new to the world of cinematography (check out our ‘how to become a cinematographer guide’ here), or you simply want to broaden your skills, learning about colour theory is an excellent way to add some maturity and nuance to your films. While you may think that colour palettes are merely an aesthetic feature in film, it turns out, they are actually designed to assist with the visual storytelling.
In this article, we’ll be discussing the importance of colour. We’ll cover everything from basic colour theory principles, to detailed colour palette analysis, to tips on using colour in your films.In this article, we’ll be discussing the importance of colour. We’ll cover everything from basic colour theory principles, to detailed colour palette analysis, to tips on using colour in your films.
What is Colour Theory in Film?
In film, colour theory states that various colours have the power to illicitly specific emotional responses in the audience. By manipulating colours as a director or cinematographer, you can instantly create a mood for your film, thus helping to tell your story. Various colour combinations and juxtapositions are said to have an impact on the viewer.
In order to understand colour theory, you will likely need to study a colour wheel. Colour wheels organize hues in a circle, and show relationships between colours, depending on where they sit on the wheel in relation to each other.
In film, colour can do quite a lot. It can create psychological reactions in the viewer, draw the attention to visual details, create an overarching tone, represent characters, and illustrate story arcs.
The History of Colour Theory
Of course, film hasn’t always used colour for emotional impact. Until the mid 20th century, films were shot in black and white. Prior to colour, filmmakers used light and shadow as the primary tools in visual storytelling.
Nevertheless less, colour tinting was occasionally used to suggest emotion. In Intolerance, the director used a wide range of colour tints to demonstrate various time periods. In the 1922 Swedish film Haxan, red tints were used to show fear, danger, and passion, while blues were used for the serene scenes.
As filmmakers experimented with colour tinting, it became clear that colour was a crucial aspect of visual storytelling, thanks to its ability to invoke emotional responses from audiences. This brings us to the psychology of colour.
The Psychology of Colour
Colours are traditionally associated with specific emotions and moods. Understanding the psychology of colour can help you to plan your film’s colour palette accordingly. Let’s take a look at some of the most common colour-emotion associations.
Red
Red colours are typically associated with:
- Love
- Passion
- Lust
- Danger
- Anger
- Violence
- Rage
- Heat
- Fire
Red is often associated with big, passionate emotions like love, hatred, passion, and rage. Seeing the colour can cause our blood pressure to rise and our breath to speed up.
One of the most famous “red moments” in film is the memorable bathtub scene in American Beauty.
Pink
Pink colours are typically associated with:
- Femininity
- Sweetness
- Nativity
- Cuteness
- Love
- Romance
- Delicate
Pink is often associated with softer, gentler feelings and with more childish, naive characters. While red is a passionate colour, pink is more often linked with caring and nurturing. While pink is usually a calming, positive colour, some studies have shown that the colour can become agitating with over exposure or negative associations.
Famous pink moments in film include Professor Umbridge’s office in Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire and pretty much every scene of The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Orange
Orange colours are typically associated with:
- Friendliness
- Warmth
- Humour
- Happiness
- Peace
In psychology, organs are associated with energy, as it is a combination of yellow and red. It brings feelings of excitement and warmth. It’s a bold colour that is often used to draw the eye’s attention.
Examples of orange being used in film is, of course, the famous repetition of oranges in The Godfather to symbolise death.
Yellow
Yellow colours are typically associated with:
- Sickness
- Madness
- Sunshine
- Imagination
- Deceit
In psychology, yellow is used to signify happiness and hope, because it is the colour of the sun. This is where the term “sunny optimism” comes from.
In film, yellow was significantly used in Moonrise Kingdom as the basis for the entire colour palette.
Green
Green colours are typically associated with:
- Calmness
- Nature
- Freedom
- Contentment
- Jealousy
- Envy
Green as a variety of associations, depending on the shade and saturation of the colour. When mixed with yellow, it can have sickly, uncomfortable associations. However, a deep, vibrant green can be calming and have associations of nature, freedom, and youth. In some cases, bold greens are used to suggest envy.
In film, green can be seen in The Matrix, The Shape of Water, and The Joker.
Blue
Blue colours are typically associated with:
- Loyalty
- Calmness
- Unity
- Friendship
- Safety
- Order
- Depression
- Coldness
- Sadness
Blues are often linked to feelings of melancholy, reflection, and calm. The colour can be quite cold, unlike reds, oranges, and yellows.
Blue is used significantly in The Corpse Bride to evoke a cold eeriness.
Purple
Purple colours are typically associated with:
- Magic
- Mystique
- Royalty
- Fantasy
- Other-worldliness
Purple is a bold, unusual colour that is rarely found in nature, which gives it a mystical, ethereal feel. It is often associated with fantasy, magic, and luxury.
Purple was used significantly to evoke magic and mystery in Avatar and Frozen.
How Do Filmmakers Use Colour Theory in Film?
Now that we’ve examined individual colours and their typical associations, let’s take a look at what happens when we start combining various colours. Here are the typical colour schemes that filmmakers tend to use and some movies with colour symbolism.
Monochromatic
Monochromatic colour schemes consist of one colour or hue wash that dominates the screen. When the screen is consistently filled with one hue, the film is usually dominated by one overwhelming feeling. This colour scheme will unfailingly create a real, inescapable mood for your film.
Wes Anderson often uses monochromatic colour schemes to instantly place his films in his own specific worlds. Moonrise Kingdom, for instance, is filled with yellows, giving the film a quirky, innocent mood, while The Grand Budapest Hotel is filled with pinks, giving the film a soft, delicate feel.
Analogous
Analogous colour schemes use a series of three colours that sit near each other on the colour wheel. The effect of an analogous colour scheme is slightly less overwhelming than that of a monochromatic colour scheme, as there are a few more hues mixed in. Nevertheless, these colour schemes are generally pleasing to the eye, and tend to create a harmonious feeling.
Complementary
Complementary colour schemes are made up of two colours that sit on opposite ends of the spectrum — for instance, red and green, or blue and orange. These types of colour palettes make both colours pop in the frame. The direct contrast is startling and noticeable to the eye.
Because complementary colours are completely contrasting, they create a sense of drama and conflict. Using this colour scheme can be an excellent way to make a character’s inner turmoil more visual, or to bring some life to highly dramatic moments. For instance, Amelie is famous for its unusual red and green colour scheme.
Many popular movies use an orange and blue colour scheme. See most superhero films or action films for an example!
Triadic
A triadic colour scheme uses three colours that are evenly spread out on the colour wheel. The most common example is the primary colours, red, blue, and yellow. It’s fairly uncommon but is usually associated with the Superman movies and the french film Une Femme est une Femme.
Discordant
Colour discordance is when the director or cinematographer uses a pop of colour that sticks out and doesn’t seem to fit in with the colour scheme.
A famous example is the red coat in Schindler’s List. By choosing a bold pop of colour, the filmmaker can draw the eye to the object or person who stands out. It’s a bold, unapologetic way of instantly creating tension and emotion.
Associative
Associative colour palettes are used to refer to specific characters or ideas. Some directors like to choose specific colours to represent individual characters and contrast them with other characters. In Harry Potter, for example, Professor Uxbridge always wears pink and sits in an entirely pink office — this comes to symbolise her sickly sweet demeanour.
In other cases, a colour may represent a theme or an idea. In The Godfather, orange comes to symbolise death and is always present in scenes that involve death. This is one of the best examples of colour in film symbolism in action.
Transitional
In some cases, directors may want to change their colour scheme over the course of the film. A transitional colour scheme can show a character arc, or an emotional arc in terms of the story. So, if a character goes from being naive and sweet at the beginning of the film to being violent and hardened at the end, a director may choose to let changing colour palettes reflect this transition. Breaking Bad is often used as an example for the transitional colour palette in action.
How to Create a Colour Scheme for Your Film
While you may wish to follow convention and choose a tried and tested colour scheme format, like the ones discussed above, it can be equally effective in some cases to go against colour traditions. By using a colour scheme that feels inappropriate for the emotional tone of the film, you will be making a statement. The film may feel off-putting, odd, or even uncomfortable — if this is the desired effect, then experiment with flouting convention and using unexpected colours and colour palettes.
Whatever method you choose, here are some tips on creating a colour scheme and using it throughout the filmmaking process.
While you can sit down and analyse the themes and ideas in your film in order to create a corresponding colour scheme using the principles of colour theory, it’s often best to get creative and intuitive. When you imagine your film in your mind’s eye, what colours do you see? Usually, your first instincts will be a good guide.
Another excellent approach is to create a mood board for your film. Collect evocative images that create the emotional response you desire. You could even use a film colour palette generator to create a specific palette using these images.
Nevertheless, there may be some instances where you can use colour theory to great effect. For instance, if you are looking to create a scene with a strong emotional impact, consider using a burst of colour to make this emotion appear visually on the screen. Or, if one character in your film goes through a dramatic journey over the course of the film, consider giving them an associative colour that transitions over the course of the film.
The more you experiment with colour in your films, the more intuitive you will become. Eventually, selecting colours and colour palettes will come like second nature!
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Colour theory is a crucial aspect of filmmaking. Ever since colour was introduced into films almost 100 years ago, filmmakers have been exploring how colour and emotion are connected. Using the notions of the psychology of colour, you can elicit emotional responses from your audience and enhance your storytelling.
Before you start producing the production’s costumes and props, consider the colours you want to use. With a cohesive colour scheme in place, every department can work together to bring your vision to life.
Start by experimenting with colours. Start to notice how specific colours make you feel — this way you can use these colours in your next film to elicit the same emotion in your audience. Be creative, but specific with your choices, and your films will instantly feel more pulled together and will be far more interesting to watch.
