Color Correction

A few weeks ago I took a course on color correction, and I don't think my eyes will ever be the same again.

I learned a lot during the course, but it didn't really effect me until I started doing the color correction for my documentary. Now I just can't see colors the same way I used to. I'm hyper aware of color changes in T.V shows now, and I completely don't trust my own eyes.

Our brain does a lot to try to make sense of the world around us, and color is no exception. Take this illusion for example:

The two gray squares with the yellow dots are actually the same color, but our brain tricks us into thinking otherwise. It's super trippy, and this type of realization can really make you question the way you see things. Now that I'm beginning to understand color more, I'm not sure I can ever return to seeing it the same way.

Evoking Warm Weather With Color

Animal Collective's music video for "FloriDada" is a technicolor ode to the Sunshine State. It mixes the palette of resort wear with the nonsensical nature of Dadaism for a really bizarre, uncomfortable, but compelling four minutes. I actually didn't like this song until watching its music video, which is a testament to the influence of visuals--specifically, in this case, color--on a project's reception.

From what I have seen of Saint Lucia, it is colorful in the same beachy way as Florida: hillsides of pastel-painted shacks, blue waters, light sand. Just as they do above for "FloriDada," these colors convey the mood of the place; they communicate its warmth, its vegetation, its landscape. I think it is not only appropriate but imperative, in order to establish and characterize the setting, to douse the frame with the colors of the land.

boats docked in Saint Lucia

houses in Saint Lucia

We are going to scout out colorful locations for wide shots once we arrive. I have also contacted an illustrator already with the hopes she can create whimsical, animated designs for our marketing materials and/or title card(s). I think the use of color and of graphic design will help even out the darker heaviness that our subject matter is bound to carry into this film.

the opening shot of "FloriDada"-- especially colorful!

The Pentatonix and Todrick Halls' "Wizard of Ahhhs"

The Pentatonix are an amazing a cappella group that became famous by winning the third season of The Sing-Off. They combined in 2013 with Todrick Hall, a semi-finalist on American Idol and a YouTube star to create a music video based off the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. In a sensational way they managed to use modern songs to tell a six minute version of this movie. They of course included the films most renowned song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, at the end of the video. The lighting was a mixture of flat and natural elements that brought out different feelings throughout the length of the video. For example, it was very bright during the Munchkin City sequence since it was supposed to be happier, and used a lot of darker and green lighting when they met the Wizard of Oz since it was supposed to appear more sinister. One thing that definitely stood out was the coloring. In the beginning, the colors were very desaturated and a sepia tone to go along with the theme of being on a farm during that specific time period. It very closely followed the coloring of the original movie. When it transforms from the drab farm to the land of Oz, the colors become very bright and saturated and make it seem more mystical and dreamlike. The editing of this video consisted of a lot of dissolves into the dreamlike state and cuts when the actions were supposed to be portrayed as more chaotic. They used a lot of closeups of the different characters which really enhanced their presence. Obviously, the main part of this video is sound, and a lot of it is diegetic. It is seen on screen because everything that you hear is coming out of the mouths of the singers and beat boxer. The sound that is created is the motivator for all of the actions on screen and the music describes what they are doing in a creative and different way.

Benoît Delhomme and The Theory of Everything

Over break, I decided to watch a few movies that were going to be nominated for Oscars. When I first heard of "The Theory of Everything," I thought it was going to be a bland documentary on the life of the well renowned scientist, Stephen Hawking. However, I was drawn in immediately by the beautiful opening sequence. Contrary to the seriousness of the subject of the film, the opening was filled with sunlight and radiant unfocused shots that brought in the audience and made you feel a sense of lightheartedness and beauty. Just from these shots, it was obvious to predict that the movie was going to be shot beautifully. Benoît Delhomme put an amazing amount of effort into the cinematography of this film.






The colors and bright lights that are brought into the film are exaggerated and push the boundaries of what these places and scenes would look like in real life. Colors can bring out so many different emotions, and Delhomme definitely took advantage of that fact. The different scenes were enhanced with colors and effects that made the audience feel like they were inside a story.



Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Stephen Hawking was breathtaking. In addition to his acting, the way that Delhomme continuously lit his face with bright lights made me feel more connected to the character than I thought I would be. Delhomme used tons of natural light with windows, and I especially remember the shot of Hawking looking outside the window of a train. In an interview, Delhomme states that, "I wanted to see the power of the light everywhere in the film. I thought it was a way to express that Stephen needs the universe around him. Many times I have strong light on him, maybe strong sunlight on his face, because that's the energy he needs."










Overall, the shots in the film were all very rich and bright. In addition to the cinematography, this movie was a beautiful story that I recommend everyone to watch. The acting is tremendous, and there is never a dull moment throughout it. The director, James Marsh, in collaboration with the brilliant Benoît Delhomme created a film that is definitely one for the books.

Movies In Color

Calling all art directors!!  I have stumbled onto a really incredible resource.  It is a blog called http://moviesincolor.com.  Essentially it takes the color palettes of films and breaks them down to their color spectrums, which it shows underneath a still of the image.  You can view a complete list of the films by clicking the Films link at the top of the page.  Some of them are no longer available, but there are still some great posts available.  I found it particularly inspiring for my film.  You can also sort the posts by Cinematographer.   The blog was originally created because the writer loved the cinematography of Skyfall, in particular the color palette.   I am a big fan of Roger Deakins' work and his stills are particularly captivating.

Here is the still from the establishing shot of Scotland in "Skyfall", Deakins used a lot of tans, off yellows and grays to establish this.  We see this throughout the setting.  

In "No Country for Old Men", Deakins used a great range of yellows and reds to convey the bloodiness of the film.  

Overall this blog does a great job of showing how the colors of major motion pictures contribute to their overall tone and message.   I like the "Skyfall" image above for our film as well.  We are going to be doing a lot of exploring with blues and grays.  This will really hold well with the messages and themes that our film is going to be showing.  When we introduce our love interest, she will most likely be in red, which will be a great way to pull emphasis and give the moment weight.  We are really excited to finalize how the art is going to come together!  I hope this helps others with their color palettes for their films!