Color in Mad Max: Fury Road

The toxic storm at the end of act one, and one of my favorite shots of the whole movie.

Over fall break, I flew to California on a United flight. (It wasn't great... The flight, I mean). However, I did have an excuse to watch a movie that I really liked when I saw it this summer, Mad Max: Fury Road. The Mad Max films are set in a post-apocalyptic Australia where a former cop named Max essentially loses every person in his life he cares about and switches into survival mode. Mel Gibson stars as Max in the first three films, Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, released from 1979 to 1985. In the Mad Max world, pretty much everything has turned to dust literally, the currency is oil and bullets, and the world is running dangerously low on food and water.

This guy was my favorite. <3

This time around I chose to focus on the colors in the film. I noticed many shots with orange and blue.

Like Cole wrote in his blog, I also used the The Colors of Motion website to look more closely at the colors and sure enough, it wasn't just me, it was a lot of orange and blue.

Part of this was obvious to me. Orange and blue are complementary colors, which means that when placed in close proximity, they contrast. In films, contrasting colors are important because they draw your attention to different things on the screen. You might remember learning about complementary colors when you learned about the color wheel in elementary school art class.

Color grading has been around for a while now, but the Coen brothers are credited for starting the orange and teal trend in their 2000 movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? Since then, more and more films have used this complementary color palette when color grading. It's especially common in action movies because explosions are typically bright orange. Since it's become a convention, one theory suggests that it is used to make movies look more like movies. Another theory suggests that digitization in color grading made it easier to apply a uniform color scheme to multiple scenes at once. This then speeds up the process for color graders. A blogger named Todd Miro suggests that we just love seeing the contrast of orange and blue on screen.

Lots and lots of orange and blue in these movie posters.

Once you notice this trend in one film, you see it in a lot of other movies. I presume this trend will eventually become less common and a different color scheme will be used. I have no idea how long this will take, so I guess I'll just have to get used to seeing orange and blue for now.

Off the Air

Are you a weird person???

Do you enjoy watching video compilations on Youtube of random shit???

Well have I got a treat for you.....

XXX\\\  OFF THE AIR ///XXX

This show is a cluster fuck of the most obscure and strange videos on the internet. It was put out by Adult Swim a few years ago, and only air at unholy hours of the night. Probably to mess with all those people tripping on LSD at 3:00 in the morning who are the only people watching adult swim at that hour. 

Now, all jokes aside, even though this is a ridiculous show and there is little to no possibility of understanding it there is some interesting things going on within each episode. All the clips that they compile into one show are related in some manner. The themes of each show are the title names of the episodes.

 

 Some title names are Food, Animals, Liquid, Falling, Color, and Hair. These may not seem like actual themes however if you were to watch one of the episodes to analysis it, you would find that the show actually does do a good job of choosing bits and pieces of different media on the internet to relate to the theme that they put forward.

Here are just a few stills out of some of the different episodes to give an idea of some of the things you can expect to see in the show. 

The Colors of Motion and The Godfather: Mostly Black

After Arturo briefly showed us the website The Colors of Motion in class today, I had to give it another look. The website basically breaks down the color palate of a film, making a sequential gradient that follows the color design of the film shot-by-shot. Of course, if you are just absolutely in love with a particular color breakdown, the website has poster-sized prints for sale. Oh, America. Anyways, I chose to take a closer look at one of my all-time favorite movies, The Godfather:

At first, it doesn't really seem to make much sense. Its just a bunch of colors. But you are able to click on each specific color, which brings up a still from that particular shot of the film. Pretty sweet.  It doesn't just have major shots or major scenes of the movie, it has every shot in the film. It takes into account every establishing shot, every cut away, and every close up. 

Just like the subject matter of the film, the color design of The Godfather is very dark. A lot of "earthy" tones come through in the films. Browns and greens dominant the color scheme, all very drab and unsaturated to mirror the somber mood of the traditional family crime syndicate stuck in a time of change in American culture. Oh, and of course all of the laundering, bribing, and murdering that takes place over the course of the film. 

 The iconic opening scene, mostly for its use of chiaroscuro lighting and slow rhythm that help to build tension and a sense of dominance in the scene. As far as the color design, it sticks pretty true to the overarching dark, earthy theme, except for the blood red rose positioned almost dead center in the frame:

Another example of the earthy, drab colors in The Godfather:

While The Godfather  might have its brief moments of color, it is clearly dominated by these heavy, dark tones that we associate with a crime drama. Even the portions of the narrative that take place in Italy, the farthest we ever get away from all of the murdering and crime have light browns and greens, consistent with the old Italian world in which the main character Michael is hiding in. 

The Colors of Motion website has a range of movies on it, from The Lion King to Se7en, each broken down by shot just like The Godfather. Seeing these color breakdowns lets you visual the color of a film in its entirety, and truly see how this subconscious element really does help to shape the story. Going forward,  I hope that the production design in Doll House will be an active element of the storytelling process. While not always blatantly evident, color certainly helps to tell the story. 

The Use of Color

So I've been thinking a little bit about color this week. As an editor, this is something I need to consider when getting ready to finish the final product, as the color can alter the feeling of a scene completely. This technique has been used many times throughout the years, and is used in the majority of movies and tv shows, whether you initially notice it or not. For instance, ever notice during certain scenes in Breaking Bad, the primary color in focus is yellow?

That's because throughout the show, they have used this shade in scenes where tensions mount. Or have you noticed that in The Matrix, the majority of the movie is green?

These subtle, yet noticeable, details help to create a certain mood which the director is trying to convey. This is why is horror movies, you will see lots of blue coloring, due to the melancholy nature of the color, or grey in post apocalyptic movies. The use of color is really just as important as any other aspect in creating the mood you are going for, so going forward it's always a good idea to consider it. After all, a regular scene can become something special when more meaning is put into it.

Creating Depth in Art, Film, and Photography

Although 3D imagery is becoming more prevalent in blockbuster films, the fact still remains that depth is something established in 2D imagery.

A recent post on zevendesign.com outlined 8 pain ways to establish depth it art, photography, and film.

• Atmosphere 
• Color
• Linear Perspective
• Light
• Shadow
• Solidarity
• Focus
• Movement

We've all read or watched something that teaches us about creating depth, but the examples they used in this post were so beautiful and unique I found it necessary to share.

1. Atmosphere

The man stands holding an axe in front of the misty forrest that slowly fades off in to the distance. This form is depth is created by having the background less clear then where you want the focus to be.

2. Color

Maybe I'm just a color kind of guy, but I find this form of depth to be the most interesting. The repetition in color palette reveals some of the science behind creating depth.  

The opposite is also true with a white background.

3. Linear Perspective

Linear Perspective is probably an obvious one and usually one of the first ways we thing of creating depth. It's what your second grade art teacher called "the vanishing point". All of the material in your drawing is aimed at one focus point.

4. Light

Obviously if you point your light on to what's in the foreground the attention is going to focus there. But in this post they used light to show that when something is lit in the background, you get a very interesting effect. 

 In the picture below I feel pulled in to the scene. That path is beckoning for some quality strolling down.

The Light here is used in a much more metaphorical way. The focus in this painting ties in to religious beliefs on where our focus should be in life. Although we may first look at the man, that is not where the attention is pulled in the painting. 

5. Shadow

One the flip side of the last one, attention can be brought to what is not in the light by using shadows.

6. Solidity 

Solidity refers to the level of detail in different parts of the image. Solidity differs from focus in that it is usually used in cartoons and paintings. With this technique, the foreground has more attention detail then what is in the background.

7. Focus

Focus is the most common way to achieve depth in film and photography. It can also be achieved in computer art and animation, as they show in a couple of these examples:

 And hence forth the term "Bokehlicious" was created. 

8. Movement

Movement is another common technique used in film in photography. When your subject is on the move, moving the camera with them can blur stationary elements and bring focus to the subject. 

Which is also a synthetic effect I used in our promotional poster to give depth to the room:

The opposite of this (stationary subject with a moving background) is another way to achieve this effect. (Shout out to that time we made Cracked).

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Of course, many of these examples are not limited to their exemplified use. Often times, it is the combination of several of these techniques that create depth in a scene. It's up to you to decide which ones will fit your image for the right effect.

Director of Photography-ing(?) FOR DUMMIES

Oh hello there. Didn't see you there. No, don't go! As long as I have you here, we have a very important matter to discuss. For centuries (or at least for a little while), there has been a daunting question on people's minds. What exactly does a Director of Photography (or cinematographer) do for a film production? Hmph, that's certainly a tough question. Let's go to the expert to try to find an answer to this inquiry.

...

What's up, guys?! You know me. I'm that guy. From that thing. You know, that thing? No? Ah well, might as well just give you what you came here for. So you want to know what a director of photography does, huh? Well you're in luck! It's time for this week's "...FOR DUMMIES!"

Like quite a few other crew positions (Producer, Director, etc.) the director of photography's (or DP for short) job stretches out over all three stages of production: preproduction, production, and postproduction. They really don't get any sleep, but who needs sleep?! Let me break it down for you.

Obviously, we start with preproduction. Duh. The DP begins his/her job with discussing the director's vision for the overall film as well as scene by scene. Based on what the director is looking for, the DP determines what exactly is needed for each scene, and, following that, hires a camera crew and organizes and purchases any equipment and supplies that will be needed. When deciding what's needed for each scene, the DP works with many other departments--including sound and lighting--to coordinate production needs. In summary, the DP uses his preproduction time very wisely. He pretty much plans out every shot and gets any and all the tools he'll need to acquire these shots.

After many months of planning, the DP's job moves into production. The most essential thing the DP must do during this step of the process is to coordinate the crew while working closely with the director to make sure every scene and shot is set up to match the director's vision. If the director doesn't get what they want, may Hitchcock have mercy on your soul. Here's where the difficult stuff comes in. For each and every shot, the DP must decide on: the best combination of cameras (oh yeah, filters and lenses, too), the placement of the cameras, what the lighting should look like, AND when the best time would be to shoot. On particularly large films, the DP often oversees several cinematographers who supervise different camera set-ups. He often ALSO manages the photography budget, so the DP is kind of like a part-time production accountant.

Finally we come to postproduction (yeah right, we're not done yet). The first step of the third step of the three-step film production process begins with the DP working with the processing lab to make sure the film retains the color and the mood that he and the director were aiming for. If this part of the process gets screwed up, then a big chunk of all the hard work and planning goes right down the drain. The DP also reviews dailies as well as cuts of the film throughout the editing process. It's important for the DP to participate as a critical eye throughout postproduction.

Alongside the film director, the director of photography has some of the most creative control of the entire crew. They decide what we see and how we're going to see it. Often times, the DP is the person who makes a good film into a film that we'll never forget...

Or they can be the person who absolutely ruins it. Either way, they're really important.

Color in Film

After our conversation about the importance of color in film, I was interested in researching more about it. Color and the art direction of a film needs to be carefully chosen to make sense with the script. The color palette can convey meaning, evoke emotion, and add symbolism to a film. Basically, color can make or break a film.

I've found that specific movie genres have specific color palettes. Horror movies heavily use the color blue. Apocalyptic movies are gray and faded. Disturbing movies use green a lot.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the meanings of different colors, and this is what I found:

1. RED – anger, passion, rage, desire, excitement, energy, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence

2. PINK – love, innocence, healthy, happy, content, romantic, charming, playfulness, soft, delicate, feminine

3. YELLOW – wisdom, knowledge, relaxation, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard

4. ORANGE – humor, energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant

5. GREEN – healing, soothing, perseverance, tenacity, self-awareness, proud, unchanging nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigour, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy

6. BLUE – faith, spirituality, contentment, loyalty, fulfillment peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, sky, water, cold, technology, depression

7. PURPLE/VIOLET – erotic, royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning, power, sensitive, intimacy

8. BROWN – materialistic, sensation, earth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity

9. BLACK – No, power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger

10. WHITE – Yes, protection, love, reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile

11. SILVER – riches, glamorous, distinguished, earthy, natural, sleek, elegant, high-tech

12. GOLD – precious, riches, extravagance. warm, wealth, prosperity, grandeur

It's important to know that different cultures have conflicting meanings for colors. For instance, black symbolizes death and mourning in Western cultures, but in Eastern cultures that's what white symbolizes.

With this newfound information, I looked up some films that I know use color in stunning and smart ways.

Some films that portray a good use of color are Oz the Great and Powerful, Memento, (500) Days of Summer, and The Matrix.

Oz the Great and Powerful uses color to tell part of the story. The first portion of the movie is in black and white (just like The Wizard of Oz). Once Oz travels to the magical land also called Oz, it slowly turns into color. And not just color, but an extremely vivid, blows-your-mind color. Just like in The Wizard of Oz, the black and white symbolizes the boring reality in which the characters live, while the bright colors symbolize the thrilling fantasy of the beautiful Oz.

The Production Designer, Robert Stromberg, talks about the use of color and says, "This was a tribute from black-and-white to Technicolor. In 1939, Wizard of Oz used this amazing three-strip Technicolor. People's eyes were blown out because they'd never seen color like it, so we played with that concept of going (from black-and-white) to really vivid color to jar the senses."

In Memento, some scenes are black and white while others are in color. The black and white scenes go chronologically and the color scenes start at the end and go backwards. Differentiating the scenes using color makes it easier to understand - especially the second time around, once you really understand what is happening. It sounds confusing, but you should really watch it if you haven't.

(500) Days of Summer goes against the norm and uses blue to symbolize love and happiness. The protagonist's love interest, Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel, was either always wearing blue or surrounded by the color blue. In the dance sequence after he spends the night with Summer, the color blue is used so much that it's almost obnoxious - but obnoxious in the best way possible. Zooey Deschanel talks about her character and the color blue:

"They wanted me to stand out in the movie. To have a colour that was only used once. It was used in the dance sequence, because everyone reminds him of Summer. But no- one else was allowed to wear blue. If I wasn't wearing a lot of blue, there would be a big blue thing, like I'd be right next to tons of blue wallpaper or a big blue poster. There would be something giant and blue somewhere in the shot! It was a cool cinematic thing. It was Marc's idea."

The Matrix uses greens and blues. A green tint saturates the picture when in the Matrix, and in the real world, a blue tint is used. The green color palette is used to represent the green text code of the Matrix code. The green color also gives it a slightly uneasy feeling. Differing colors not only symbolically show the opposing worlds, but also make the movie clearer to the audience.

In the Matrix

In the real world

I could go on and on with more examples of movies that have a great use of color. If you want to read more about it, here's a pretty cool article: http://www.fullsailblog.com/5-innovative-uses-of-color-in-film/