Hello Charlie !
Today, as a cinema nerd, I’m going to talk a bit about cinematography and how it affects the true identity of works, such as movies or TV shows….
I think I'm gonna make several post about cinematography in general (maybe little "chapters"... ) and so, this one is about...
Colours
The use of colours in cinematography can be central in many ways. It can define a character, foreshadow an event, or show feelings.
Here's a concrete example :
One of the most striking and best (in my opinion) use of colours in a TV series is probably Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan. Most of the characters have a colour attached to them, and the protagonist’s evolution is shown through darker and darker shades of his clothes.
methamphetamine ( it’s a drug. Don’t do that, guys, drug is bad!) so he can provide to his family after his death. The colour mainly associated to everybody working in this business is yellow.
Purple being the polar opposite of yellow, it means that she has NOTHING to do with the methamphetamine business.
Smart, eh ? Or maybe I’m the just the only enthusiast XD
Of course, you have plenty of other examples of great colours use, cinematographically speaking...
Annette, by Leos Carax, where blue is synonymous of jealousy, and demise
The TV show Daredevil, created by Drew Goddard, where the neon lights (very colourful, in contrast with the dark atmosphere) are representing New York
Black Swan, by Darren Aronofsky, with its peculiar lighting, especially red, representing the different stages of the main character's decaying sanity...
And many more !
So yeah, colours can be just as important in cinema as it can be in a painting !
I hope you liked this post, even if it was maybe just a bit too "cinema nerd-y", and maybe next time you're watching your favourite TV Series, you'll notice the different colours used, and their meaning :)
Have a great day or night or whatever !
Bye bye, Charlie !
I really liked this article for many reasons. I thought that it was very complete and interesting. I never really noticed that colours actually had a signification, and that made me realise that even small details really matter. The fact that the interpretations of each colour worn by a character were so precise really made me think about the colours worn by the characters in my favourite shows!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, and did not think it was too nerdy ;) ! What are your favourite shows ?
DeleteThis is extremely interesting, i had really never noticed or even thought about it. Is it something that has been used since the very start of color cinema, or has it appeared only 20 years ago? I will definitely be paying more attention to those details in my favourite shows.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a great question ! I don't know exactly when it started (It could be very interesting to know the first movie who made this choice) but I'm pretty sure it's quite an old thing, even it is probably a recent choice to push it THAT far. Obviously, even today, not all movies or TV series have that kind of symbolism behind colours, but there has always (when I say always I mean it's rather ancient :D ) existed, in painting for example, a ''dictionary" of colours (red being often passion, or violence, pink being innocence, green being bad luck, yellow, sickness... etcetera. )... So I'm sure some of the early colour film-makers where already thinking of this !
DeleteI found this article very interesting. I never notice that kind of details, but I find it amazing that it's all part of the process of making the film. I often find it hard to put words to explain why I get strong impressions about certain movies or shows, but that's because I don't pay close enough attention! I'll think about looking more closely at the colours now. Thank you very much, I really enjoyed reading this!
ReplyDeleteWow, I find this article extremely interesting, as a casual movie and TV show enjoyer I don't usually pay much attention to details like these but going forward I will definitely be paying more attention to detail as I really love searching for depth and hidden meanings in cinema but as I am watching I usually get carried away by the story and forget about my original plans lol
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this article!