Use of color in movies as a strong tool for visual narration

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ABHISHEK JAIN
ME09B001

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3. 3
Brief history of color in cinema

4. Hand colored films 4
Pathé Color, dating from around 1905
Hand coloring evolved to a fairly high level of
sophistication, as can be seen in the frame from The
Last Days of Pompeii produced in Italy in 1926.

5. Kinemacolor 5
 First successful color system
 A simpler system using two colors
was developed in 1906 and then
Kinemacolor was born
 Kinemacolor was one of
Technicolor's primary rivals in the
period prior to 1920.
 The Delhi Durbar (1912) – British
color documentary

6. Cinecolor 6
 Cinecolor Corporation came into being in
1932
 Cinecolor used two films in "bi-pack", meaning
that two films were placed emulsion to
emulsion
 The first feature film to use the process was The
Gentleman from Arizona
 Color recording capability of Cinecolor was
not accurate, it was, nonetheless realistic
looking.
 1948 Super Cinecolor with three colors came

7. Kodachrome (1935) 7
 Subtractive color processes proved
far more practical to exhibit than
were additive systems. This is because
standard projectors could be used to
show the films which had only one
composite color record for each
frame.
 Recorded its color records on
separate frames, using a camera
carrying two negatives

8. Technicolor 8
 Technicolor Corporation was founded in 1915.
 Two color additive system
 System 4 : 3 color- Technicolor (1932-55)
 Flowers and Trees by Disney (32)

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Personal Experience
Tradition/Culture
Nature

10. Blue & Red 10

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12. COLOR SYMBOLISM 12
anger passion rage desire
excitement energy speed strength
power heat love aggression
danger fire blood war violence

13. RUN LOLA RUN (Tom Tykwer, 1998) 13
Lola has twenty minutes to find
100,000 marks to save
Manni‟s life. Red is her visual fuel.
THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
Ruby Slippers : Red – Power

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“ If it’s
purple, someone’s
”
gonna die
- Patti Bellantoni

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DO WE
REALLY
SEE

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DO WE
REALLY
NEED TO SEE
color is often used to communicate what is NOT said

17. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966 Interview 17
“ At the moment, I don't think color film is anything more than a
commercial gimmick. I don't know a single film that uses color
well…….
In everyday life we seldom pay any special attention to color.
……
On the screen color imposes itself on you, whereas in real life
that only happens at odd moments, so it's NOT right for the
audience to be constantly aware of color. ”

18. Vertigo – Alfred Hitchcock – 1958 18
MADELINE
JUDY
MIDGE
SCOTTIE

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Green : possessive and materialistic Red: Danger; Romance

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Yellow: warmth; comfort; real
Purple: selfhood

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Ruby Necklace putting a stop
Red: Jealousy to the obsession
Blue: gulit; sad

22. Use of color by M. Night Shyamalan 22
 The Sixth Sense, 1999
 Unbreakable, 2000
 Signs, 2002
 The Village, 2004
 The Happening, 2008
 Devil, 2010

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Red Objects: connection with the dead
The Sixth Sense

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Hero Villain
Unbreakable

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Mother
Signs

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Repel „Creatures‟ Attract „Creatures‟
The Village

27. Bhansali‟s Saawariyan 27
Blue: Melancholy Red : Love, sensuality

28. Anurag Kashyap 28
Red: Power and Danger
Gulaal (2009)
Red: Anger
Black Friday (2004)

29. The Wizard of Oz (1939) 29
Yellow - Wealth, Knowledge
Emerald Green : Life, Harmony
Green : Virulent
Ruby Slippers : Red – Power, Blood

30. Lusty , Powerful & Defiant 30

31. Visual Name : Girl in the red coat 31
Her coat is not pink, the color of little girls. It is
red, robbed of its power.
The irony of personalizing this color that symbolizes
both birth and death sets us up for the shock when
we last see her, lifeless, in the pile of nameless
corpses traveling to a mass grave.

32. Yellow : Obsessive, Caution 32
Taxi Driver (1976) by Martin Scorsese Age of Innnocence (1993) by Martin Scorsese
Travis Bickle, stalks his dream girl. Newland sends Ellen yellow flowers instead of red

33. Blue : Powerless 33
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) The Sense and Sensibility (1995) by
by Frank Darabont Ang Lee

34. Purple: Murder, Mystery, Illusion 34
Chicago (2002) by Rob Marshall Dick Tracy (1990) by Warren Beatty

35. Sin City : Color in Black & White 35

36. Memento : Use of alternate colored 36
and Black & White sequences

37. Peeping Tom : Saturated Colors 37

38. References 38
 http://people.ucalgary.ca/~tstronds/nostalghia.com/TheTopics/On_
Color.html
 http://filmdirectingtips.com/archives/157
 http://www.rogerebert.com/scanners/vertigo
 http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-
green.html
 If it‟s purple, someone‟s gonna die by Patti Belantoni
 http://en.wikipedia.org
 http://www.widescreenmuseum.com