Ways Film Directors Use Color
Film is often said to be a director’s medium. They’re the person who has the most creative control and who makes all the key decisions. One of the often overlooked ways directors can make specific narrative and tonal choices that inform how the audience absorbs the story is through the use of color, shaping the mood of a scene, the way a pinnacle moment dazzles, and, in-short, the feeling of an entire film.
The idea of using color can be multi-layered. You can utilize set design, art direction, or specifically color coded props to help tell your story. The Wachowski Siblings (Lana and Lilly Wachowski) accomplished this during their film Bound. They created a large red wall with two black boxes on it. When the two protagonists are trusting each other they are both framed in one of the boxes. When they’re uneasy or suspicious of each other, they’re depicted in separate boxes. The red wall acts as a constant reminder of the conflict they’re undergoing.
When talking about color in film the art of cinematography can’t be overlooked. People like Roger Deakins and Bill Pope create unforgettable, richly hued spectacles whilst working under the supervision of directors. Take for instance Deakins’ work on the James Bond film Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes. In the middle of the film there’s a climactic fight in a building made exclusively with glass. One of the most striking visual sequences put on film (view ), it’s a visual allegory for the obfuscation and struggle of the espionage world. Needless to say, it’s a sequence that will live on well past the initial release of the movie.
Another film that is told primarily through color is Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy. The film utilizes yellow almost exclusively, a color gives the film an added tension. Everything feels hot and uncomfortable, as if the summer heat is melting even the film that the movie is being shot on.
In fact, all of Denis Villeneuve’s films have an intense color palette. Whether it be the stark greys and blues of Prisoners or the intense earth tone of Sicario, colors nearly acts as characters in and of themselves and everything is meticulously sculpted to fit a single narrative.
Next time you’re watching a movie, ask yourself, “Why is the director choosing to have the colors be this way?” and, “Why does the director want to tell the story like this?” “What does it say about the narrative that it’s being pushed forward in this hue, this color palette?” “How does my visual experience inform the narrative that’s being told?”