Light or dark, shadowed or lit, high and or low angle, quick cut or long take, it doesn’t matter what you’re shooting for, there’s always going to be a million questions you’ve got to ask yourself in the planning of a film. And as much as I would like to delve into all of the above, today I’m going to looking at colour.
The use of colour in film is both amazingly well taken note of/revered by critics and filmmakers alike, but criminally overlooked too. It is something so simple and yet complex it can make or break the visual style of a film. Too much and the shot can become saturated, not enough and it can look bleak or lifeless, the ‘wrong’ choice and an object character or scenery can become jarring or unnerving. Although, this can sometimes be a very intentional thing, being a choice made by the director on purpose for a specific reason.  It’s simple; it merely depends on character, context, lighting, angle, the set/scenery, the objects within the set/scenery, and tone (and much more I’m sure). See? Simple.
This is predominantly so due to the ‘psychological colour theory’; a subconscious effect which dictates our views and interpretation of the light/colour spectrum. For example: the colour white has become synonymous with purity, surrender, innocence, heaven, and childhood. Reds are passion, love, hate, blood, fire, warmth. Blues are cool, calm, open, but also cold and sterile. Black night, darkness, evil, dread, death, corruption, but can stand out and accentuate and define those around it. Brown is earthy, humble, yellow is inquisitive, purple is wise (and gansta), and so on.
Because of this we can almost instantaneously know so much about a character because of what they wear as well as their choice of surroundings. It’s just a matter of knowing what to use and when. It is an incredible tool when utilised correctly. But what about when it’s not used? Black and white films can be just as powerful with their choice of shades than their more colour counterparts. Many of the most revered and acclaimed of all time are shot in black and white, some even with the availability of colour at the time. In 1960, director Alfred Hitchcock made Psycho, a black and white film hinged on its use of shadows and light. In 2015, George Miller created Mad Max: Fury Road with the directors’ cut being in black and white. James Mangold soon followed suit with Logan in 2017. But why? Form. As said earlier the colour black and define its surroundings, accentuating shapes and tones. It creates a direct contrast between black and white, highlighting direct and specific choices of position and shape whilst not detracting from the film itself. One critical aspect may be ‘lost’, but in its place it allows for everything else to become even greater.
regardless of stance, colour will always play a crucial role in any medium. And just as cinema genre has gone through cycles of genre, so too will colour.  From black and white up until the 50’s, the dark embellishment purple and ‘deep’ colours in the 80’s, to the domination of the pairing of orange and blue in the 2010’s. Its trends and uses may vary and change, but its effects and the role it plays on our screens will not.  It’ll be exciting to see what the future holds for the next cycle.