Well known Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson use a strong color palette in all of their films. It allows the film to be more visually appealing to the eye and attract a larger audience. Below I will list popular color palettes that are used frequently in editing and the effects each color posses on the human emotions.
White holds the strong sense of purity, innocence, cleanliness and mourning. It's used frequently in Hospitals and schools.
Red can create the sense of anger, aggression, strength, masculinity, and compassion. Even though it's used often in romantic environments, it can be beneficial for fights or bloody scenes.
Blue expresses intelligence, clear communication, serenity, calmness, trust, and holds negative effects such as bitterness, lack of emotion, and death. Scenes with swimming pools, interrogations, or interior office buildings works excellent with cooler blues.
Yellow holds the power of optimism, hope, confidence, self-esteem, friendliness, creativity, cowardice, fear, emotional instability, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Used frequently in toxic environments and war movies.
Orange: Food, hunger, deprivation, frustration, immaturity, passion, security, warmth, sensuality. Used frequently in: Kitchens.
Green: New beginnings, growth, harmony, money, stability, balance, refreshment, rest, restoration, environmental awareness, boredom, blandness, enervation. Used frequently in: Produce Advertisement, outer spaces, spa's, dull environments,
Purple: Vision, luxury/expensive, truth, spiritual, authenticity, quality, suppression, inferiority/power, mystery. Used frequently in: Cathedrals, Fabric.
Remember contrast can lead the viewer and the actor's eye to a certain object resulting in obligation or movement. Ex: To open a door with a red knob, as shown in The Sixth Sense (1999).
Try leaving one color centered around the main character that follows them. Ex: Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) Early on we see a high contrasted blue which resembles the intensity of Adele's love. Later on the blue becomes faded to express dying love.
Life of Pi (2012)
Gathered from Digital Synopsis. Rights to Roxy Radulescu.
To further your experience I recommend watching The Royal Tenenbaums, Inglorious Bastards, Django Unchained, La la Land, Blade Runner 2043, and the Dark Knight. Pay attention to the color used within each scene and during heightened moments. Also, what is the character wearing and how is it expressing their personality?
Comments