Because film is a visual medium, color plays an important role in characterization, setting, and psychology that goes just a little bit deeper than “RED MEAN RAGE!” A color palette is a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) way to epitomize tone and feeling via mise-en-scène. A new video essay by Lily Mtz-Seara travels through the color wheel over some Vivaldi and uses an array of films to make its case about why color in production design and lighting should not be overlooked.
From Spring Breakers to American Beauty, Skyfall to The Darjeeling Limited, the essay showcases the clever and sometimes overlapping nature of each with regards to color palettes. Red, for instance, is both a sign of violence in The Shining, but it is both violence and passion in Only God Forgives.
The essay is well-structured and flows rather seamlessly, moving at a fast clip as it traverses colors. Pay attention to color palettes, and another layer of visual storytelling reveals itself. See the video below, with a hat tip to NoFilmSchool, and check out another video essay on the history and importance of color in storytelling.