CIARAN SHARP FILMAKING
Light and Colour
Colour is an important tool in film. Using warm or cool colours can be used to create a mood cool colours implying sadness compared to warm colours which can be used to create feelings of comfort or anger. Emotion is created in shots by using different colours. Colour can evoke moods in people, brighter colours will stand out from an image, and can feel energising whereas darker colours can create a dark gloomy image.
Colour theory is the idea of using more than one colour together. Cool and warm colours create depth. Cool colours recede into the background, in contrast to warm colours which are brought forward, this means using both will suggest distance. Having a scene completely in one primary colour, and using secondary and tertiary colours that are analogous can help emphasize a mood, whereas using secondary and tertiary colours that are complementary can create high contrast in emotions between characters. Hue saturation and luminance describe colour. It affects a mood, more saturated colours create a more positive
Colour theory is the idea of using more than one colour together. Cool and warm colours create depth. Cool colours recede into the background, in contrast to warm colours which are brought forward, this means using both will suggest distance. Having a scene completely in one primary colour, and using secondary and tertiary colours that are analogous can help emphasize a mood, whereas using secondary and tertiary colours that are complementary can create high contrast in emotions between characters. Hue saturation and luminance describe colour. It affects a mood, more saturated colours create a more positive
Here we can see two similar colour palettes being used in different ways.
In Three Billboards (left) we can see red is being used to symbolise the anger the mother is feeling, and the fact she is wearing in blue could show her sadness.
Whereas, in Bladerunner 2049, red is being used to show the passion between the two people, and the blue surrounding them to show the emptiness of the world around them.
Lighting is used to illuminate a scene and set a mood.
There are four different types of light. Tungsten , which is cheap and great for colour rendition, is easy to break and can get hot. Fluorescent tubes , also cheap, provide a soft light but also flicker and are not colour accurate. HMI provides a high light output and mimics sunlight however they use a lot of power and are expensive. LED lights have a long life span , but are also expensive and not colour accurate.
Colour temperature is the warmth of light source. The higher the temperature produced the more blue it is, whereas the lower the temperature the more warm the light is. This temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin.
Hard light is direct from the source, this means it is brighter and creates dark shadows. This is helpful to emphasize texture or add drama to a scene. Soft light is indirect from the source, as it has been diffused or reflected, and creates softer shadows. This works well for emphasizing tones or making people look good.
Modifiers are used to shape light, keeping the dark shadows but used to direct the light. An example is a cucoloris. Diffusers are used to make light soft. Diffusers are placed in front of lights lowering its intensity. An example of a diffuser is a soft box.
My cinematography poster
