3D Materials and Concepts: Color Psychology in Film

Below are examples of how color is used in film making.

Color psychology, is defined as the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior. Color evoke emotion in our brains. It’s been proven time and time again that hues of blue are most often associated with cool, calm feelings, while stronger colors like red stir up strong, aggressive emotions. It’s these underlying perceptions that help photographers and cinematographers alike bring about a certain feel and aesthetic to a particular image, be it still or motion.

In the four-minute montage, Mtz-Seara explores vimeo.com innocence, passion, insecurity, sociability, madness, eroticism, and more as the colorful video transitions from one masterful scene to another. From David Fincher’s Fight Club to Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, the video shows how clever use of colors and composition subconsciously evoke emotions as the respective directors and cinematographers create and capture the scenes of a film.
Text and image source:https://wecommunication.blogspot.com/2018/01/how-can-color-tell-story-color-theory.html

Yellow Dick Tracy

Yellow is the color of caution, it brings power, energy and anxiety. Dick Tracy wears a bright yellow coat and hat, the screen becomes energized whenever Tracy enters. The color is brash, daring, it is the color of obsession , there is a reason poisonous reptiles have yellow skin. Tracy is the obsessive detective caught up in his case .

Blue Shawshank Redemption

Blue can be a tranquil pond or a soft blanket of sadness. Throughout Shawshank the film is surrounded by the color of blue. A smog of grey blue surrounds the film. Shawshank is a film of sadness, and is this emotion that cinematographer Roger Deakins wanted the audience to feel throughout the film. That we are amongst the prisons. When Andy escapes the prison he finds his friend Red on an island, with vibrant green land – the first time vivid colors have been used throughout the film.

Orange The Godfather

Orange is the welcoming color, warm sunsets and Halloween pumpkins. In the opening scene of The Godfather the Don’s office is lit with an amber and orange light. The film is lit romantically with pastel orange shades. Throughout the film the orange shades turn more red as more is revealed within the crime underworld.

Green Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Green can signal health, danger or decay. It is the color of fresh vegetables and spoiled meat. In Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Jen and her master Li Mu Bai are about to have a fight in a green vibrant bamboo forest. The fight is non-violent Jen’s master is afraid that Jen is turning evil, he chases her through the forest, she disappears diving into a green lake. The oppositional nature of green plays a significant part in the story.

Purple Chicago

Purple the color of mystery, the paranormal and death.In Chicago purple is used to show both death and delusion. Roxy stands on stage she looks out into the crowd purple light covers her and the piano player. Roxy is imagining that she is a famous singer, the story is about the glamorization of criminals. Purple is consistent throughout the deaths that take place in the film.

Additional sources:

https://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/design/color-theory