I want to talk to you about something going on in the films/ movies you watch that you perhaps didn't know about. Filmmakers are using colors to manipulate your emotions!
WHAT?!!? Yes! It's true! They are doing it as we speak! Actually, you aren't supposed to notice. It's supposed to be an enhancement to a story, like a moving score or good acting. Before we get into any examples of the usage of color, let's talk about what colors mean:
Blue: Loyal, calming, too much can cause depression, it's recommended that bedrooms are painted blue to maximize relaxation.
Red: Passion, love (red roses for example), war.
White: Purity, Doctors and hospitals utilize white to convey sterilization, death (white roses for example)
Black: Authority, power.
Yellow: Incites happiness, friendship (yellow roses for example).
Purple: Royalty, wisdom.
That's enough to get us started. There are many more meanings for the colors above and there are many more colors that have meaning but you don't have all day, now do you?
The movie that best exemplifies the use of color in my opinion (that stands out in my mind right now anyway) is "Moulin Rouge". I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but I saw this one 15 times during it's run in theaters.
At the start of the film we see Ewan McGregor's character "Christian" living alone. He's secluded, depressed and friendless. Director Baz Luhrmann arranged for Christian to wear a blue suit and chose to light his apartment by the blue light of the moon.
He's clearly miserable, very depressed. The color is also fitting for what we learn later, which is he's extremely loyal to his woman and his friends (once he meets them).
Soon after meeting Christian, we meet Satine (played by Nicole Kidman), she is passionate and "love" is her job. She's a courtesan (read: prostitute). When we see her she is clad in red and her apartment is lit by the light of the Moulin Rouge, also red.
Then later in black (she's got the power, she's in control).
Christian falls in love with Satine and she eventually returns his affection. At this point, Christian conveniently spends more time in the red aura of the Moulin Rouge illustrating their mutual love for one another.
Enter the Duke. The financier of the play that Christian wrote and Satine stars in. He too has amorous feelings for Satine and courts her against her wishes. She can't very well tell him about Christian, they would lose their financing. As the ultimate sacrifice, she agrees to a date with the Duke. As you can see in the scene below, the way it's lit, it is bereft of any passion whatsoever. The best word that I have to describe the composition of this scene is "cold". The Duke had just covered Satine's neck in "ice" as well.
Satine gazes down from the balcony and glimpses Christian on the street below. The red glare from the Moulin Rouge and the fire in the trash barrels call to mind an image that is indicative to hell. This entire scenario is Christian's hell.
At the end of the film, Satine succumbs to her illness and collapses and dies shortly after her star worthy performance. As you can see she was showered by congratulatory rose petals, red and white. As I mentioned above, this signifies the entire theme of the film: love and ultimately death.
What do you think readers? Did you notice this use of color in the film? Do you think Baz was subtle in his use of color or does this seem heavy handed to you? Please comment in the comment area with your thoughts.
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