Colour in Films

Colour working on the subconscious mind to create certain mood. Hospitals and dentists use pale colours in their waiting rooms, such as pale blues and greens, this is said to have a calming effect on the mind. Each colour has its own connotations, which may have been influenced by the culture of our beliefs, For example Christan's see the colour White as a symbol of purity where as in Indian religions white is seen as the colour of mourning.
In the early days if a film maker wanted to use colour it would be painted on the shots afterwards. Technicolour introduced their new system in the early nineteen thirties that colour film began to see a commercial possibility.
Colour film was nearly thirty per cent higher than black and white, the effects where so dramatic that major film makers where eager to use it. Today we expect films to be in colour, and anything in black and white is added for effect. In the early days it was the opposite and colour was only really used for fantasy films.

Red- Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence.

Pink- Love, romance and excitement.

Beige- Unification, Quiet, Pleasantness, Clam and simplicity.

Yellow- Joy, Happiness, Betrayal, Optimism, Idealism, Imagination, Hope, Sunshine, Summer, Gold, Philosophy, Dishonesty, Cowardice, Jealousy, Conventousness, Deceit, Illness and hazard.

Blue- Peace, Tranquillity, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conversation, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.

Turquoise- Sophistication, Feminine appeal.

Purple- Royalty, Nobility, spiritually, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning.

Lavender- Femininity, grace and elegance.

Green- Nature, enjoyment, Healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigour.

Brown- Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity and comfort.

Grey- Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring, silver symbolizes calm.

White- Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, snow, good, sterility, marriage (western cultures), Death (eastern cultures), Cold, clinical.

Black- Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical colour, mourning, death (western cultures).



In the film Shindler's List the girl shown below, was shown wearing a red coat while the rest of the film was in black and white. This is done to show  you that the girl is of some importance, it also makes her stand out to the audience while in the film not much attention is payed towards her.