Pop culture commonly regards The Wizard of Oz (1939) as the first feature film to use Technicolour. While it certainly made a splash in the industry and revolutionized the use of colour in film, it was not the first to do so. As it turns out, it’s quite hard to pinpoint one singular pioneer of colour film. The earliest attempts to use colour in film were hand-paintings of each individual frame, which ended up being rather unpopular. Filmmakers then resorted to tinting, which again did not fully evoke the emotions it promised. A two-colour process was then devised, inspiring a wave of films in pinks, browns, and blues. Finally, in the 1930s, Technicolour introduced its revolutionary colour process using three strips of blue, red, and green. Walt Disney first used it in his 1932 cartoon, Flowers and Trees, and in 1935, Becky Sharp was released by Pioneer Films as the first feature film in Technicolour.
Long-winded as its journey was, colour soon came to define films as we know them today. A film’s colour scheme is an inextricable part of its rich identity. The iconic bright yellow suit from Kill Bill, the sneaky, premonitory oranges in The Godfather, and pretty much any Wes Anderson movie; every one of these examples has come to be identified in some way by colour.
Often without our own realization, the colour palette of a film becomes an important conduit for emotion and mood. It tells you how a character is feeling without explicitly doing so and is thus more powerfully stirring. A single colour can pertain to more than one emotion, so the way a colour is used is just as important as which colour is used.
Red is one of the most visually potent colours. It is a common alert to danger, so it is often used to create a sinister atmosphere or a feeling of impending doom. On the other hand, it is also the colour of roses, so it can show emotions associated with love and passion. Stanley Kubrick’s obsession with colour is no secret, and his intense use of red is notable in 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining.
Pink is a motif for all things sweet and innocent. Whether this is genuine or not is left to the viewer to find out. Movies often use the colour to draw attention to something that is initially pure and innocent but is tarnished over the course of events. Wes Anderson’s use of pink and rosé in The Grand Budapest Hotel makes for stunning imagery and the beautiful storytelling of childlike love.
Orange is often associated with warmth and vitality. It creates a glow and makes you feel hopeful for the future. Contrastingly, it can also be a signal to alert or warn the viewer of something. In The Godfather, oranges serve as strong symbolism and appear whenever death is in the air.
Yellow is perhaps one of the most contrasting pointers to emotion. It commonly linked with happiness and naiveté because of its bright and sunny connotations, as used in the initial scenes of Moonrise Kingdom. But in a different light, yellow can appear sickly and lurid, hinting at madness and obsession.
Green is yet another colour with contrasting implications. Its association with nature is obvious and can signify growth and new beginnings. However, there are many instances of green being used to signify evil and ominous undertones. The Matrix uses a predominantly green colour scheme, arousing a feeling of uneasiness and oppression in the viewer.
Blue creates an atmosphere of calm and serenity. At an extremity, it may also hint at loneliness, detachment and alienation that a character may be feeling. It also invokes feelings of safety, positivity, and affirmation, which is why the ‘good side’ in movies is often decked out in blue.
Purple tones are visually decadent and heavy, but so appealing. It’s almost seductive in the way it lures you into the story. It instantly creates an ethereal, unearthly atmosphere, and can be a great contrast between two worlds, as used in Avatar and many films of the MCU. It’s also great to add mystery or dramatic flair to a scene.
Images via Studio Binder
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