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For this option, create your own Film Movement! Create your own - include inspirations/reasons why you included certain rules. Look at other film movements and see what you like and add new things. Reflect a post pandemic film movement? i.e. All films were shot completely indoors. All footage is vertical to appease social media platforms. OR it can have more progressive themes/narrative to match cultural context of 2023…up to you!

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For this option, create your own Film Movement! Create your own - include inspirations/reasons why you included certain rules. Look at other film movements and see what you like and add new things. Reflect a post pandemic film movement? i.e. All films were shot completely indoors. All footage is vertical to appease social media platforms. OR it can have more progressive themes/narrative to match cultural context of 2023…up to you!

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For this option, choose a color palette to frame you film around. Wes Anderson is a director who is really good with this. Attached is a color theory in film resource as reference

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For this option, choose a color palette to frame you film around. Wes Anderson is a director who is really good with this. Attached is a color theory in film resource as reference

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A filmmaker is a visual artist. To be a great visual artist you need mastery of the color palette. Many of the greatest Directors, Cinematographers, and Production Designers have extensive backgrounds as visual artists themselves. There are many ways to use color in film. We're going to break down the key approaches as well as offer you a free E-book. The ebook is an excellent tool for better understanding the use of the color in film, and how to master it.

color in film

Before there was color in film

Black and white cinematography dominated the first decades of filmmaking. Companies like Technicolor began experimenting with color film proecesses in the '20s. But it wasn't until the 1950s that color cinematography replaced black and white as the predominant style.

With the explosion of color in film, a new approach to the movie color palette had to be created. The artists who'd used light and shadow to tell stories now had far more tools at their disposal.

It was what you might call a game changer.

COLOR PALETTES IN FILM

How can color tell a story?

The primary reason for using color in film might be obvious: to make the images colorful, dynamic, and beautiful. But there is a secondary reason that facilitates visual storytelling. That's right, the best uses of color in film also tell a story.

Lewis Bond's color theory video, posted on Channel Criswell, is not only a practical analysis of how movie color palettes enhance storytelling, but also an engaging historical recap on the maturation of color in film. Let's use this video as a primer for our discussion on film color theory.

Color in Storytelling by Criswell

Color in filmmaking is a huge part of mise-en-scene, or the overall effect of everything we see in the frame. Color can affect us emotionally, psychologically and even physically, often without us becoming aware.

Here's a breakdown of how Wes Anderson uses color in film to balance tone. Specifically, how Anderson tends to have depressed characters dealing with personal trauma while being surrounded by the brightest and most optimistic colors.

This is a huge part of Wes Anderson's directing style.

Color in film can build harmony or tension within a scene. Bring attention to a key theme. And that's just the start.

When telling a story, colors:

Elicit psychological reactions

Draw focus to significant details

Set the tone of the movie

Represent character traits

Show changes or arcs in the story

We know that color in filmmaking can be used to tell stories but how? What do the individual colors represent or suggest? And how can they be combined to communicate multi-layered meaning? Let's continue with a quick look at the psychology behind film color theory.

psychology of color

The psychology behind colors in film

A well-designed movie color palette evokes mood and sets the tone for the film. When choosing a particular color, remember that there are three main components - hue, saturation, and brightness.

Hue - the color itself

Saturation - intensity of the color

Brightness - The darkness or lightness of a color

As Bond mentions in his film color theory video, many viewers will have predictably similar reactions to certain colors. A strong red color has been shown to raise blood pressure, while a blue color elicits a calming effect (more on this when we discuss lightsabers later).

Stanley Kubrick's directing style relies heavily on color to create highly impressionable images and scenes. With color in mise en scene, Kubrick is a filmmaker that understand that color has a direct and powerful impact on the viewer. Here's a breakdown of the color palette across all of Kubrick's best films.

In one of the best M. Night Shyamalan movies The Sixth Sense, red color is used to represent fear, dread, and foreshadowing; whereas, in Pleasantville, Gary Ross uses red to represent hope, love and sensuality. Red creates an experience in the viewer, so target its presence in your film color palette carefully.

Color Theory in Film * The Sixth Sense

You can already see how choosing the right colors for the right spots can create emotions your audience may not even be aware of. But don't just start picking colors for your movie color palette out of a hat. One way to bring color into your projects is to create a mood board.

This can be done with a mood board app or by using a free mood board template. Creating a mood board is just one of many early ideation steps in the Pre-Production Process. If you've done some work with mood boards, the next step is to bring your movie color palette ideas to life with dedicated storyboard software.

To show you what we mean, we've put together a handy dandy infographic that you can download for reference. We've grouped the major colors on the color wheel with their most common emotional associations. As you considering color in your next project, it might help to start with the emotional resonance of the scene and base your movie color palette around that.

Color Theory in Film * StudioBinder Mood Board

Color theory norms should be understood by filmmakers, but never seen as a limitation. So, choose your color palettes wisely! Like every other part of filmmaking, you should consider the use of color in film from the very beginning.

As you do, make sure that you keep your film color palette in mind. Let's move on to look at color schemes, movie color palette examples and all the beautiful and meaningful ways color in filmmaking is used.

Balanced movie color palettes

What are the types of color schemes?

There are a few different ways to achieve a balanced movie color palette.

The complementary color scheme, monochromatic color scheme, analogous color scheme, and the triadic color scheme are all methods we will discuss:

Four color schemes for a balanced color palette

Although single, recurring colors can hold a deeper meaning, a more fleshed out film color palette (or color scheme) is most effective in communicating the thematic context.

A balanced movie color palette and scheme refers to the harmonious relationships of colors on a color wheel. Let's look at some movie color palette examples and the various ways they are used.

color schemes in film

Movie color palette examples

So, creating a balanced color scheme might be trickier than initially thought. You can't just have every image on your shot list be red.

While it doesn't necessarily sound "balanced" to have a movie where everything is blue and orange, those colors are complementary on the color wheel. So, that would in fact be a very balanced use of color in film.

Let's go over the types of color schemes you can employ to create a balanced movie color palette.

MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEMES

We'll start off with the monochromatic color scheme.

A monochromatic color scheme is when a single base "hue" is extended out using shades, tones, and tints. Tints are achieved by adding whites, and shades by adding black.

Example of monochromatic color palette: The Grand Budapest Hotel

As you can see in this image from one of the best Wes Anderson Movies The Grand Budapest Hotel, his team utilized a monochromatic color scheme. Light pink gives way to deeper purples. The result keeps the chosen color tone intact, but it allows you to create contrast within it.

Monochromatic color schemes come in shades of a single color such as red, dark red, and pink. They create a deeply harmonious feeling that is soft, lulling and soothing.

One of the best action movies, is another good example of a monochromatic movie color scheme. Nearly every scene set within The Matrix itself utilizes a green color palette. Shades of green permeate everything in the frame to create an unnatural, sickly effect.

Example of monochromatic color palette in The Matrix

Monochromatic color schemes don't require that your film be homogenous in its look. It just gives you a color hue within which to create contrast.

COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEMES

Complementary color schemes are when two colors from opposite sides of the color wheel are used in conjunction with one another to form the color palettes.

The goal of complementary color palettes is to create a visual 'life' in the frame. Red and green, in the instance of , both pop more in the presence of their complementary color.

Example of complementary color pallettes in film: Amelie

Contrasting drama (i.e. warm vs. cool), complementary colors live opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, orange and blue are complementary colors commonly used in the color palettes of many blockbuster films.

Dueling colors are often associated with internal or external conflict. No matter the color selection, complementary colors combine warm and cool colors to produce a high-contrast, vibrant tension in the film.

ANALOGOUS COLOR SCHEMES

Analogous color schemes utilize colors that are next to one another on the complementary color wheel. They tend to occur in nature and create a harmonious feeling that is pleasing to the eye.

Good examples of neighboring colors that can create analogous color schemes are red & violet, or yellow & lime green. Since the colors lack the contrast and tension of the complementary colors, they instead create a kind of visual unity.

In general when creating an analogous color scheme, one color is chosen to dominate, a second to support, and a third (along with blacks, whites and grey tones) to accent.

Children of Men's analogous color scheme seemed to match the dangerous state of its world in which no more children were being born. By focusing on analogous colors (and thereby eliminating the rest), the dire situation is matched with a dire color scheme.

An analogous color palette in movies: Children of Men

In one of the best crime movies, , color schemes are used in multiple ways - to establish each parallel story and to connect them to each other. Essentially, these analogous color schemes end up creating a different kind of complementary color scheme.

For example, the scenes featuring Michael Douglas use an analogous color scheme of blues. The scenes featuring Benicio Del Toro use an analogous color scheme of oranges.

Example of analogous color scheme: Traffic

Being one of the best Steven Soderbergh movies, it's pretty crafty to give different story lines their own color schemes. This, in turn, uses juxtaposition to create a completely different color scheme. No doubt, this master plan was aided by a complex mood board and storyboarding process, resulting in an excellent example of color in film.

TRIADIC COLOR SCHEMES

A triadic color scheme is when three colors that are evenly spaced around the complementary color wheel are used in conjunction.

One color in the triadic colors scheme is chosen to be the dominant one with other two used in complementary fashion. Triadic color schemes are somewhat less common because they can look a bit cartoonish, especially when the HSB are all elevated, like in .

Example of triadic color scheme in Superman

But does that mean that a triadic color scheme can only be used in movies like Superman? No, of course not, and the way around this is to keep avoid HSB lower: less bright and less saturated.

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Symbolism in movie color palettes

How to use color in film symbolically

There are many ways to create symbolism in a film, but using different types of color schemes might be one of the most effective.

Even if the audience isn't entirely conscious of the symbolism coming from the color palette (like maybe they are with discordant color schemes) they will be affected by it. We'll cover a few different wants to creating powerful connections between ideas and themes through the use of your color palette here.

DISCORDANT COLOR

Discordant use of color in movies can help a character, detail, or moment truly stand out from the rest of the film. For example, the color blue in Amelie, or the color red in The Sixth Sense.

Examples of color discordance in movies

Discordance is a deliberate choice by the director to deviate from the balanced types of color schemes and color palettes we've mentioned to refocus attention.

Why? Well, for one by creating discordance you create a pretty obvious symbol. A movie color palette could all be one way, learning towards one direction, but then suddenly one element sticks out like a sore thumb.

For example, the girl's jacket in one of the best WW2 movies, Schindler's List. The girl's red jacket, in the otherwise black and white film, is a clearly meant to be symbolic.

Schindler's List uses color discordance to create a powerful symbol

Not all examples of discordance in movie color palettes are so clear cut. But when a director and design team make a choice like this, they make it for a reason. It's one way to create symbols with color in film.

In neo-noir classic (not to be confused with film noir) , the sudden discordance within the color palette is a reflection of graphic artist Frank Miller's style.

It also helps make certain elements "pop" in an attempt to capture the look and feel of Miller's original graphic novels.

Color discordance: Sin City has a playful color palette

A movie's color palette is yet another place where storyteller's can create conflict and drama. All it takes is mismatching colors in the right places. In the next section, we'll talk about how to use color in film to represent characters, ideas, and themes.

ASSOCIATIVE COLOR SCHEMES

Associate colors in film refers to when a recurring color or scheme represents a theme or character in a film, thereby connecting visual spectacle with emotional storytelling.

In one of the top Christopher Nolan movies, The Dark Knight,both key characters in the drama have their own associative colors palettes.

Example of associative color palettes in The Dark Knight

Contrasting with Batman's dark blacks and grays were The Joker's slightly muted clown colors of purple and green. The clash between them came to represent a clash between the simple order of dark tones and the funhouse horror chaos of the Joker's mismatched colors.

One of the most famous associative uses of color in movies was the role of orange in one of the best mafia movies, Francis Ford Coppola's all-time classic The Godfather.

Orange is associated with death in the film, often as a precursor to sudden and messy violence.

Example of associative colors in The Godfather

Unlike the gangster films that had come before, The Godfather approached violence in a more brutal and ugly fashion. So, it made sense that in a world of crushed blacks and desaturated tones, a bright incongruous orange tone would indicate the coming violence.

Quentin Tarantino loves to play with different types of color schemes, and in one of his best movies (Kill Bill: Vol. 1)he gave his central character "The Bride" her own color: bright yellow.

Exemple of associative color palettes in Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Of course, a lot of the time blood red was also her color but that's neither here nor there. Due to The Bride's insatiable thirst for revenge, drenching her in bright yellow helps us make a connection between color and character.

In one of the best sequels out there, The Empire Strikes Back, associative colors are use both with the characters, and their position in the story's main conflict. Darth Vader is black, with a bright red lightsaber, contrasting to Luke's lighter earth tones and whites, and blue lightsaber.

These colors combined to convey an emotional state from the character. Black and red are violent and menacing where blue and white are cool and comforting.

When a recurring film palette or color represents a character or larger theme in the film.

In , the bright green is used as a callback to when main character Scotty first became transfixed with the woman he was supposed to be investigating. Much later, after the woman's death, he spots a look-alike and begs her to try and look more like the woman he first fell for.

Vertigo * Associative Color Schemes

Using color palettes to create powerful connections between your characters and meaning is a tool no filmmaker should ignore. The more examples you study, the better.

TRANSITIONAL COLOR SCHEMES

Transitional color usage is when a change in colors and color palette indicates a shift of some sort. This could be a shift in mood or tone, between different movie genres, or within the characters themselves.

Over the course of the classic anti-hero series Breaking Bad, Walter White lives a double life as alter ego Heisenberg. Walter White lives a double life as a mild-mannered science teacher and his vicious, drug kingpin alter ego, Heisenberg.

How to Use Transitional Colors in Film

Walter White's color palette is lighter, softer and has a use of cooler primary color palette. Heisenberg has a much darker, yet still analogous color palette.

The transition of iconic character Luke Skywalker was less obvious, but still well reflected in a major shift in his color palette.

Originally he was clad in lighter earth tones. This both reflected his 'farm boy' upbringing, but his place on the 'light side' of the force. Once Luke has gone through his Jedi training, and learned of his true identity as the Darth Vader's son, Luke shows up in all black.

Transitional Film Color Palette: Luke Skywalker

It both reflects the serious and adult quality the 'kid' is now imbued with, but also that he has a dark streak in him, and a potentially dangerous connection to evil.

In the case of , following the Pixar storytelling formula, the shift in color palette represents a change in story tone. A happy gleeful time has given way to a dark depressing reality. The darker reality is shown in shadow, with a bleak drab color palette.

Example of transitional colors in Up

The Up movie color palette shift isn't necessary - we can see for ourselves what has happened to Carl and his wife. But the color shift amplifies the emotions on screen. It brings that intangible element to visual storytelling that we feel more than we see.

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up next

A step-by-step guide to shot listing

Making your visuals work in a coordinated effort with your story need not end with types of color schemes. You can bring the same thoughtful approach to camera angles in your shot list, lens uses, set design, and even props.

The best thing you can do as a filmmaker is get to know all your options, and truly understand the visual power of the medium. From there you can begin to shot lists and storyboards to test out some of your color scheme theories. Next up, check out our post where we walk you through the process of creating a shot list.

Tags: Amelie, Breaking Bad, Children of Men, Color Theory, Gary Ross, Kill Bill, M. Night Shyamalan, Pleasantville, Quentin Tarantino, Schindler's List, Sin City, Star Wars, Steven Soderbergh, Superman, The Dark Knight, The Godfather, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, Traffic, Up, Vertigo, Wes Anderson

A freelance writer and producer, Mary has worked on a wide variety of independent and commercial projects, in addition to her ongoing work as a digital comedy writer. Currently, Mary works with several notable YouTube channels including Legend of Katie, Chocolate Ghost House, and Nani Nani Kids. She is also a co-founder of Infinititty Comedy, a female-centric sketch group dedicated to placing women in the film positions which offer creative control.

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In this post, we are analyzing the overall psychological effects of color in film and how you can tell better stories. Free e-book on color included!

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For this option, choose a film genre or style to frame you film around. Attached is a good overview of Film Noir as an option

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For this option, choose a film genre or style to frame you film around. Attached is a good overview of Film Noir as an option

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For this option, see our handout on Film Theory/Movement to choose on that your short film will be inspired by.

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For this option, see our handout on Film Theory/Movement to choose on that your short film will be inspired by.

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13 Film Movements That Shaped Cinema - 2023 - MasterClass

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From silent movies to modern-day blockbusters, you can break down the history of feature films into about thirteen essential film movements.

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For this option, you'll try to create a film that represents the style of a popular auteur. Attached is a link to the style of director Christopher Nolan

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For this option, you'll try to create a film that represents the style of a popular auteur. Attached is a link to the style of director Christopher Nolan

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6 Ways Nolan Directs A Movie (In His Own Words)

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A guide to Christopher Nolan’s directing style by analyzing his movies. Go deep into tips and techniques from some of his most iconic films.

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For this choice, pick on of your favorite scenes and try to recreate or "remix" it. Here are some important scenes in film history for inspiration.

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For this choice, pick on of your favorite scenes and try to recreate or "remix" it. Here are some important scenes in film history for inspiration.

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Top 10 Most Important Moments in Movie History

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Film color palettes might be one of the most underutilized parts of your filmmaking process. It can be the difference between immersing your audience in a world or boring them to tears.

We all remember the first time we saw The Wizard Of Oz. There's that magical moment where we go from the sepia-tone to full color. The world explodes off the screen, and for a moment, we understand Dorothy's amazement as she enters Oz. Here at No Film School, we're big believers in the power of color to help harness your storytelling capabilities.
Table of Contents
How a Film Color Palette Can Make You a Better Filmmaker [W/ Infographics]

Think about your favorite movies.

What ate their color schemes like, and what do those film color palettes add to the story?

Today we're going to talk about what the use of color can bring to your film, and study how film color palettes can help amplify your work. As Roger Deakins said: "It's easier to make color look good, but harder to make it service the story." So this will be fun. And hard. And we'll all learn a lot.

Let's get started.

Film Color

So what is film color?

Well, film color can refer to your movie actually being shot in color instead of black and white, but today we're going to talk about colors used in film elicit emotions from the audience.

We're going to focus on Film Color Theory today.

Film Color Theory Definition

The definition of Film Color Theory is a theory that states that certain colors in film illicit certain emotions from the audience. Manipulation of these colors can be used to guide the audience toward the intent of the author, juxtaposed against one another to send a message, or subverted to create dramatic irony.

To properly utilize Film Color Theory, you first have to take a look at the color wheel in a film.

A color wheel or color circle is an organization of color hues around a circle, which shows the relationships between primary colors, secondary colors, tertiary colors, and other color combinations.

The infographic below details all the different kinds of colors and color combinations in cinema. It's an important tool for any director to keep by their side. This can help them decide how their sets should look, which costumes will pop on camera, and how scenes should be lit.

Directors wield a lot of power when it comes to what appears on the screen. Collaboration with the art department, cinematographer, and costume design people is so important. Color is not just how you balance the camera, but also how people are dressed and how sets look on screen.

Think about all the magnificent work done by Wes Anderson. His movies are defined by their color palettes and what emotions are expressed through those images.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
The colors expressed in this frame gives us the poppy world of this movie and set the dark and depressed tone of the film.

Anderson also can capture the opposite.

A world of adventure and a girl who wants to take on the world.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
To understand how all this still works, you're going to have to understand how color works. And how you can manipulate colors to get what you want on the screen.

So let's break colors down.

What Goes Into a Color?

Hue

Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined as "the degree to which a stimulus can be described as similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow." What it actually means is that hue refers to what color you're looking at. Or the color itself.

Hue is great, but you need some other elements to deepen your color knowledge and express color on the screen.

Saturation

Saturation is another color property that describes how intense of a color we're getting. It's the deepness of the color at hand. The infographic below shows you how saturation works.

To truly appreciate how hue and saturation work, you need to look at color value.

Value

The value of a color describes whether or not a color is dark or light. A dark blue would have a higher value. A light blue, a lower value.

Now that you understand how to choose and describe the colors you'll want in your movie color palette, let's check out how those colors can manipulate emotions on the screen and in the audience.

We all know that film is an empathy machine. A great story can take you pretty far, but film is a visual medium. We're not meant only to read things; we're meant to see things. And colors help us see the intentions behind what was on the page and what the director wants from us.

The below infographic sets up which colors will help you assign which emotions to scenes or parts of your movie or TV show.

Here's a quick guide from one of our other posts on color:

As you can see, many colors take on specific feelings. You need to support the color with actions and set pieces within the screenplay. You can't just add color blobs. You need to have artistic intention behind every frame. Take this image from Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burton is trying to set up an idyllic neighborhood to juxtapose against Edward's mansion. So he uses these pastel colors to make each house pop and to make the suburban lifestyle feel like a utopia.

Now that you understand how color is used, it's time to understand the "deeper why" of how it's used.

Time to grab your Freud book and to dig deep into Color Psychology in film.

RED - anger, passion, rage, desire, excitement, energy, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence

PINK - love, innocence, healthy, happy, content, romantic, charming, playfulness, soft, delicate, feminine

YELLOW - wisdom, knowledge, relaxation, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard

ORANGE - humor, energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant

GREEN - healing, soothing, perseverance, tenacity, self-awareness, proud, unchanging nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy

BLUE - faith, spirituality, contentment, loyalty, fulfillment peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, sky, water, cold, technology, depression

PURPLE/VIOLET - erotic, royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning, power, sensitive, intimacy

BROWN - materialistic, sensation, earth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity

BLACK - No, power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger

WHITE - Yes, protection, love, reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile

SILVER - riches, glamorous, distinguished, earthy, natural, sleek, elegant, high-tech

GOLD - precious, riches, extravagance. warm, wealth, prosperity, grandeur

What's Color Psychology in film?

This is the study of what complex emotions each hue can create when mixed with saturation and value. That's right, all our lessons are coming together! Let's take a look at this chart and really pull back the emotions and tone you can add to your stories.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
Let's take a look at three drastically different films and how they use color.

First up, take a look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

This is a somber movie. It's all about ending a series and the ending of many lives. That's not a joke. It's just a fact. So the movie thrives on the blues and greens, and not only of Lily's eyes. But you can't use bright blue and green. It has to be understated. That's where hue, saturation, and value come into play. It's muted, understated, and somber.

What about something that's also dark, but needs to inject humor into its dead veins?

The Corpse Bride does exactly that by pushing more into primary color territory. It can be cold and somber, but these colors also give mystery and excitement.

And sometimes you can also find stuff that's cold and warm. Like the movie Frozen.

Frozen combines the color schemes of the above two films, but pushes everything back into vibrant territory. It's a movie that plays off the cold of the snow but relates us to the warm characters searching for love and acceptance and family.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
These colors work well together. and there's a reason for that.

There are four main types of color schemes based on color concepts that work well together. Let's explore them.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
Four Types Of Color Concepts

As you dig into color palettes in film, you're going to need to learn four color concepts that will help you choose what works in your film or TV show. Check out this other infographic that describes all of the four color concepts, and we'll break them down below.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
Monochromatic

Let's start with the most straightforward of the color concepts. Monochromatic color refers to a color scheme based around only one color. Like how The Matrix is based around the color green. It's in almost every frame, and becomes part of the movie.

Monochromatic doesn't have to be sad or somber. You can also have brighter monochromatic movies. Like how Grand Budapest Hotel thrives on different versions of pink with variations in saturation.

Okay, we understand how one color works. Now let's try adding different colors to the mix.

An analogous color scheme in film or TV refers to colors that are neighbor on the color wheel. Filmmakers often choose from either warm or cool colors for their analogous schemes because they generally fit the theme of the movie or TV show. The idea here is to get colors that find balance or harmony together.

Check out this image from Moonlight. See how it's full of purples and blues?

The same goes for this image from Mary Poppins. All these colors work together and sit near one another on the wheel.

Again, this works with warmer tones, like this shot from Ang Lee's Life of Pi.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
Some colors on the opposite ends of the color wheel work together too. We call those colors "complementary."

Complementary

Complementary colors are colors that are on the opposite ends of the color wheel but still look good together. You seem them used on screen a lot, but you also see them in movie posters a ton.

The idea behind these posters has to do with complementary colors that also play into our psychology. You can see how the manipulation of hue, saturation, and value plays into the tone of each of the movies represented in these posters.
Credit: @CinemaPalettes
You can try your hand at it with our movie poster template!

Outside of marketing, complementary colors also matter in storytelling. Like if you're trying to bring a couple together and to show their chemistry as well. And set them apart from the backdrop.

Credit: @CinemaPalettes
Playing off these two complementary colors, we can add a third with the triadic color scheme.

Triadic

Triadic color schemes are schemes that use three colors from even distance on the color wheel. Like this poster for Inherent Vice.

That's poppy and neon, but what about something understated like the red doors in the Sixth Sense, juxtaposed against the yellow sand blacks in the rest of the movie?

Here we have impending doom and a highlighted thing for the audience to key in on as Bruce Willis's character moves toward the door.

But what about when filmmakers use colors that don't go together at all?

Discordant Movie Color Palettes In Film

Ahhh, it is true that opposites attract. Discordant colors are those that are almost opposite each other on a color wheel. In color theory, a complementary color is the one directly opposite of a color. That means yellow and purple are complementary colors because they are directly opposite each other. Which makes them discordant. Makes sense?

Yeah, it's confusing. But let's jump into some examples.

Often, directors use discordant colors to make something stand out. Like the girl in the red coat in Schindler's List.

Or the woman in the red dress in The Matrix.

It also thrives in movies like Pleasantville, which are all about colorizing a world that's decided it's okay to be mundane.

What about colors that get generally associated with a character or place?

Associative Color Palettes In Film

The associative color palette in film or tv are basically the flag you fly when someone walks into a room. It's Umbridge's pink coat or Heisenberg's blue meth. It's the color we associate with the person or place.

Like the red of the entire rebel army in Star Wars. So we can also make the dirt under the salt red. Letting them fly their colors as they travel into battle.

So if colors mark a character, and we have a character arc, you may need to transitional colors to help monitor that change.

Transitional Color Palettes in Film

You know I love a good character arc. If you're following my Free Screenwriting Seminar or Free Pilot Writing Seminar, you know that character arcs are incredibly important for dramatic conflict. You can mark these transitions with color to help emphasize them to the audience. Look how we used Walter White's transition into Heisenberg by darkening his attire and surroundings.

It doesn't have to be that drastic either.

One of my favorite recent films is Gone Girl. Look how Fincher uses the first and last scene of the movie.

In the beginning we see a cool toned woman, her innocence on display. The cool colors give us the feeling of death.

In the end, he's warmed it up, but now you know she's capable of anything. She's very much alive. and if you mess with her, you might wind up dead.

You can even use color to track characters and their tone over time.

Look at all these different takes on Superman over the years. And how his colors were used to represent the tone of the movie and character.

It can be hard to choose colors on your own. That's why working with a crew is wonderful. And so is utilizing a film color palette generator.

Film Color Palette Generator

I scoured the internet and thought that the folks at Colormind have a pretty great color generator tool. Colormind is a color scheme generator that uses deep learning. It can learn color styles from photographs, movies, and popular art. You show them the colors you want, they pull them for you. It's very intuitive and sort of works like Shazam for colors.

I also like the work done by Movies In Color. They actually pull the colors and color spectrums from movies and make them accessible to people all over to understand how people achieve what's on screen.

Summing up Color In Film

I hope this post has helped broaden your understanding of film color palettes and how they can be used to make your story pop off the screen. As you saw in our film color palette examples, having a great screenplay is a good start, but the story can only be intensified with excellent production design, editing, and color work.

So whether you want to learn about color grading, film colorists, or you're just obsessed with the way David Fincher uses color, you know you can find it all here.

Special thanks to the Twitter handle, @CinemaPalettes, where we got most of our images for this post.

What are some of your favorite uses of color in film?

Are there times color has taken you out of a story?

What are some great color tools for beginning and experienced filmmakers?

We want to hear your thoughts on making the colors in your movie color palette in the comments!

If you're interested in digging deeper on color, check out our post on how the colors of Wonder Woman help add dynamic action to the story!

Till next time...

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How a Film Color Palette Can Make You a Better Filmmaker [W/ Infographics]

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We take you through the importance of color psychology, film color theory, and color palettes in film and television. You can become a better filmmaker if you master these techniques.

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Genre is a film style that matches with the plot of a movie. It can be very broad, like action or horror, but it also includes specific styles like comedy and drama.

Genre is important because it helps you define what kind of film you're going to watch before you even get started.

Action films are often based on real incidents in history, such as World War II or the Civil War. They focus on the fight for survival and victory against overwhelming odds.

What Are Genre Conventions?

Genre conventions are the rules that govern how a genre works. Genre conventions include the usual suspects:

Characterization: What characters do we expect to see in a given genre? This includes things like gender, race, and age.

Setting: What setting does the story take place in? How does it affect the story?

Theme: What is the theme of the work? Is it about something larger than itself (philosophy) or smaller than itself (self-discovery)? Sometimes these themes are very obvious; sometimes they're not so evident at first glance.

Plot: What happens in the story? How does it happen? Where is it set? Does it take place during one time period or another? Do you have any idea when it was written or published? Why did they write it this way?

This style of film involves lots of violence, high stakes, and lots of tension.

Comedy films are usually about everyday situations that turn funny over time through misunderstanding or miscommunication.

They often feature socially awkward characters who have trouble expressing themselves clearly or finding common ground with others around them.

The best comedy films have little plot and have several plot twists throughout the story line that keep viewers guessing what's going to happen next until the end credits roll."

What Is Genre Defined By?

Genre is defined by the general theme or mood of a story. Genre can be broken down into subcategories such as horror, comedy, romance, etc. However, to understand genre you need to know what makes it work. What makes a story work is its characters and plot structure.

For example, if you were to look at Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare it would be a tragedy because of the death of two teenagers who loved each other but there was nothing they could do about it. It would have no suspense because we know that they will die in the end.

The dramatic irony would make this play unique because we know what will happen but they don't which makes us feel bad for them and want them to have a happy ending.

Aspects Of Movie Genres

* The setting is where the action takes place.

* The characters are the people involved in the story.

* The theme is what the movie is about, or how it relates to the audience.

The setting is where the action takes place. The setting can be anything from a beach to an office building. It's also important to note that a film may take place in one place, but still show us scenes of other places such as an airport or train station.

For example, we see many scenes of New York City, but not just during rush hour traffic; we also see a street fair in Brooklyn and a family gathering on the Upper West Side.

The characters are the people involved in the story. A film has many characters including main ones like our leading man and woman, supporting ones like their best friend or best enemy, and even minor ones like a waiter at a restaurant who's only role is to deliver food orders to customers at tables around him or her (think of someone like Meryl Streep playing this role).

Many movies have multiple main characters who are not related by blood or marriage but are related by some kind of friendship or relationship such as being coworkers

Setting Affects Genre

The setting of your story has a huge impact on the genre and tone of your story.

For instance, a horror story is typically set in a dark and foreboding place. It's not just about the scary things that happen; it's about how those things are set up and what they say about the characters and their relationships with one another.

A romance is also typically set in a place where people can easily interact with each other. In this case, it's not just about how two people meet but also how they interact with each other over time and through interactions with other characters.

An action-adventure story is usually set in an unfamiliar place where the hero has to go against all odds to achieve his goal. This could be something small or large - it just depends on what kind of character your hero is and what kind of goal he wants to achieve by taking on this challenge.

Western Genre Examples - Quigley Down Under

Quigley Down Under is a Western comedy that follows the adventures of Ned Quigley (Will Ferrell), a man who has been mistakenly identified as the notorious outlaw Quigley. He decides to go on a journey from New York to Sydney so he can prove his innocence and get back his job as an attorney.

Along the way, he meets some interesting characters and experiences many exciting adventures.

The movie begins in New York where Ned goes to work for his father's law firm. He quickly learns that there are many things that people expect lawyers to know about the law, but Ned does not have any idea what they are talking about.

This makes him feel like an idiot and causes him to take on all kinds of cases without doing any research first.

One day while taking care of some business at home, Ned gets a call from a man named Harry Lime (Richard Pryor). Lime tells Ned that he has been falsely accused of being an outlaw known as Quigley and wants him to represent him in court so he can clear his name once and for all.

Ned agrees right away because it sounds fascinating and exciting - something different from what he usually does during his day job!

Ned travels

Settings Are Characters, Too

It is hard to imagine the world without characters. We are surrounded by them in every aspect of our lives, whether it be at work, school or play. They are not just characters, but also settings where we live out our lives.

The settings for our characters' stories are just as important as the characters themselves. As I mentioned earlier, settings are an integral part of storytelling because they help tell the story through a character's eyes and mind.

The setting can help set the mood for a particular scene or chapter, which will help make it more powerful to read about or watch on screen.

Settings also affect how people perceive a book or movie. For example, if you were reading a book about two boys who go camping in the woods and one of them gets bitten by a spider that bites him on the leg, you would probably think that your friend was allergic to something when really it was just a spider bite (which he would probably have gotten anyway).

But if that same scene took place in an apartment instead with little details like books on shelves and his mom making dinner while he watches TV then you might wonder why she didn't call

Genre Conventions

Genre conventions are the rules and patterns of behavior that we expect in works of a specific genre. They're not universal. Some genres have more rigid conventions than others, such as science fiction novels and horror films, but even within those genres there are conventions that apply only to certain subgenres.

The most common convention for genre fiction is that it must be set in the real world (even when it's not). This is based on the assumption that readers want to read about characters they know and understand, and who speak idioms they can understand.

A character from another planet or dimension would be difficult to understand; just imagine trying to read "The Lord of the Rings" in High Valyrian.

Another popular convention is that genre fiction should be easy enough for everyone to enjoy reading. That means it shouldn't require any special knowledge or skills on the part of the reader; even if you're not an expert on your subject matter, you should still be able to follow along easily enough.

Production Design Genre Conventions

Production design is a highly specialized area that involves the creation of everything from sets and props to costumes and makeup. This is a list of production design conventions that can help you identify the type of project you're working on, as well as provide some examples of how specific techniques could be applied.

The first thing to look at is what genre your project falls under. There are several different genres within the production design world, but each has its own set of conventions. In general, these include:

- Comedy: The set and props need to be simple and functional while still retaining a sense of humor that will appeal to the audience. This can include things like neon signs or giant inflatable animals that have comedic value, but not necessarily be funny in their own right (i.e., they wouldn't make you laugh out loud).

- Horror: The set and props must be realistic while still being spooky or scary enough to entertain the audience without scaring them away (i.e., they wouldn't make you jump out of your seat because they're too intense).

- Drama: The set and props need to look authentic and reflect the time period in which it takes place (i

What Is Genre Determined By?

When you see the word genre, you might think of a particular style of music or literature. But what is genre? It's actually a lot more complicated than that.

Genre is the way in which a piece of writing is classified and named. Genres are established by something called the "genre system," which is based on common elements and shared characteristics that define one kind of work as distinct from another.

For example, no one will argue that "prose fiction" is a genre, but they may argue whether it's literary or not.

Genre comes from the Greek word genos (which means "birth"), because genres were thought to be born from an author's experience and personal talent. The first known use of the word was in 17th century France when it referred to the specific kind of writing produced by a writer or group of writers.

The earliest genres were different kinds of poetry; for example, epic poems about gods and heroes followed by ballads about kings and queens who were pitted against each other in battle by their enemies. The oldest form of literature was oral storytelling before it was written down in books called scrolls or papyrus scrolls (which were made from papyrus plants).

Characters

The characters in a story are the people who are involved in it. A character is a person or animal that appears in a work of fiction (a book or movie). The characters in a story are usually presented as real people, though some authors make their characters fictional.

A character is an individual with distinctive qualities or motivations. The word comes from Latin meaning "to carve." In this context, the word refers to a person who is depicted as having particular qualities and characteristics that distinguish him from other people: for example, Melville's Ishmael and Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

Characters also have names, which can be used to identify them even when they're not being identified by name.

In many cases, a character will have more than one unique quality or trait that distinguishes him or her from others or sets him apart from other characters within an author's work. Some authors may use their characters' quirks as sources of humor in their stories; others may use them as ways of exploring deeper issues around human nature and morality.

Anti-Heroes: What Makes Them Different?

In the world of superhero fiction, heroes are a dime a dozen. But what makes them different? What makes them special? In this paper we look at the anti-heroes and examine their impact on popular culture and society.

We will explore how these characters have been used as a vehicle to explore issues such as violence and morality, classism and sexism, politics and religion. We will also discuss some of the more controversial anti-heroes that have been created over time.

The first type of anti-hero is the villainous antagonist of a story. These characters tend to be evil or morally reprehensible in some way but they still have some measure of humanity. Their motivations are usually selfish but they often have redeeming qualities that make them sympathetic to readers.

They can be very complex characters who struggle with both good and evil impulses within their hearts at once; for example Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne or Magneto from X-Men comics series by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby respectively.

The second type of anti-hero is more common than you might think if you look at current movies like The Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman or Marvel Comics' Daredevil TV series starring Vincent D

Genre Conventions In Film

Genre conventions are the rules and conventions of specific genres, such as slapstick comedy, westerns, or horror. Another way to describe genre conventions is by using examples.

The most common usage of genre conventions is to give a brief description and example of what you are talking about. When using a genre convention in your writing, try to include examples that show how it is used in film and television.

For example, if you were writing about how to write a thriller, you might use these two examples:

A man is chased through the streets by an unknown assailant who only he can see. He runs down an alleyway where he finds himself surrounded by darkness, but just before he loses consciousness he hears footsteps approaching him from behind. He turns around and sees his pursuer who then attacks him with a knife.

A man is walking down a lonely country road late at night when he hears footsteps coming up behind him. He turns around and sees his pursuer who then attacks him with a knife until finally being killed by the victim's gunshot wound to the chest

Plot Affects Movie Genre

The plot of a movie can be considered the main character, the story line or the theme. Plot is the most important aspect of a movie because it determines whether it will be successful or not.

A movie has to have an interesting plot and it has to keep you interested until the end. The plot affects movie genre because if your story doesn't go anywhere then it is not going to be a good movie.

The plot affects movie genre because if your story doesn't go anywhere then it is not going to be a good movie. If you don't understand what's going on in your own life then how can you expect someone else to understand? I think that everyone should try to write their own stories so that they can tell them better than other people are able to do in real life situations.

We all need a little bit of creativity in our lives and if we don't get any then we will just become bored with life and give up on everything, including being creative and having fun!

Genre Characteristics In Film

Genre is a big word that can mean different things to different people. It's also a term that's become so common in pop culture that it's easy to forget its meaning. Genre is part of Hollywood's DNA, and it plays a crucial role in the way movies are made, distributed and consumed.

The concept of genre is simple: Movies fall into genres because they share certain characteristics. These characteristics are what make them recognizable as belonging to a particular genre, which helps audiences identify them with one another.

Genre Characteristics In Film

Genres have been around since the beginning of cinema (and probably even before then), but they didn't quite exist as we know them today until the early 1920s when filmmakers began consciously creating them for audiences' entertainment. The first successful examples include mystery, action and adventure films such as Sherlock Holmes (1922) or The Ten Commandments (1923).

What Is Genre - Wrapping Up

It's time to wrap up! We've covered a lot of ground in this series.

We've talked about genre, how to find your own, and what it means to be a genre writer. We've also talked about how you can use the tools of your trade (plot structure and character development) to tell your story in the right way.

Finally, we've looked at one of the biggest problems with writing: getting stuck on a particular idea or sentence and not knowing what to do next.

So now that you have all this information in mind, what can you do with it? The answer is simple: write! If you want to get started writing now, grab some paper or open a new document on your computer or tablet and get started! If you want to learn more about writing fiction... well... maybe read some books or watch a few movies first? You could also try these other resources:

The Write Practice (free website) - This site has lots of practice exercises designed for writers who want help with their skills.

Write-A-Story (free app) - This app lets you write stories while talking through them and sharing them with friends.

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What Is Genre? Definition & Examples of Genre Conventions * Filmmaking Lifestyle

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Genre is a film style that matches with the plot of a movie. It can be very broad, like action or horror, but it also includes specific styles like comedy and drama. Genre is important because it helps you define what kind of film you're going to watch before you even get started.

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Explore the cinematic movements that shaped film history

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Early filmmakers showed the world that a movie director could be an artist. But not every movie director. Because part of auteur theory is knowing how to define auteur directors. Before auteur theory, Directors were important, but the other factors were still more significant. Stars. Studios. Producers.

People referred to a 'Clark Gable movie' for example, because in the 1930's stars ruled the day. Auteur theory came in the early 1950's, and it changed all that. It shifted some power away from actors, producers, and studio moguls. It shifted power towards directors. Towards specific types of directors. And it ultimately led to a kind of director-crisis. We'll get to that later...First, let's define auteur and auteur theory.

auteur definition

What is Auteur Theory?

Auteur Theory is the idea that the director is the author and primary creative force behind a movie.

At first, it seems strange to call the director of the film the "author."

After all, Didn't someone else write it? Why isn't the writer considered the film's author? Well... we all know how Hollywood treats its writers...

Another reason is that scripts often change. So writers come and go.

Casablanca, considered one of the greatest movies of all time, has five credited writers. At least one more uncredited.

Film credits can be their own minefield to navigate, so if you want to know more on that check out this post on understanding film credits.

Back to "authorship"...

As much as everyone depends on the quality of a script the end product of a movie is a result of the execution.

And the execution?

That often comes down to the director. The director will be the one helping each department execute the script.

So if you ask who made a movie, the answer will invariably be:

The Director.

Auteur Directors

Not just any director...

Auteur theory states that the director is more than a conduit for the script. More than a conduit for the project.

The auteur director shapes every part of the movie. Their fingerprints are visible on every aspect.

Many directors, in fact, most, are NOT auteurs. Not according to Auteur Theory, anyway. There is a particular set of rules for defining a director as an auteur.

The auteur of a film is the film's true artist. The visionary behind it. The prime mover. But you can't have that credit just by being the movie's director.

Before we get into the rules, let's back up a moment. Who created all this thing in the first place?

origins of auteur cinema

Where does it come from?

Auteur theory comes from a French publication in 1954 of Cahiers du Cinema.

Cahiers definition is "book", or "notebook". The title loosely translates as "notes on cinema." The publication had been around since 1951. Then in 1954 Francois Truffaut, yes the soon to be legendary French director, wrote a scathing piece on the state of French movies at the time.

He held up as a far superior example, certain American films, and their directors.

In particular, he championed Alfred Hitchcock and Howard Hawks. It's no accident that a future filmmaker was the one to get the auteur theory ball rolling. Peter Bogdanovich would later spend years interviewing the great directors, celebrating auteur theory. He went on to make his movies.

American critic Andrew Sarris was the one who referred to Truffaut's manifesto as "Auteur Theory."

Film critic Andrew Sarris helped create the auteur definition

Truffaut famously claimed "there are no good or bad films. Only good or bad directors." Why?

The theory is that a director isn't necessarily a film artist. But an auteur is.

AUTEUR DEFINITION

What is an Auteur?

While the auteur definition in french is literally "author", in the dictionary it now reads:
"An auteur is a filmmaker whose individual style and complete control over all elements of production give a film its personal and unique stamp."
Creating meaning that only he can, using the tools of filmmaking, through the lens of his mind and personality.

A bad movie from an auteur was at least the work of an artist. The excellent film from an average director was not.

Good news Tommy Wiseau!

So why Hitchcock and Hawks? There were plenty other prominent name directors at the time.

Bigger, in fact. Even more celebrated.

The quick answer:

Hitchcock and Hawks seemed to have signature elements to all their movies.

In many ways Howard Hawks was the prototypical auteur.

Which brings us to this question:

auteur filmmaker requirements

What are the rules of Auteur Theory?

When Andrew Sarris took the auteur theory to the next level, he laid out three basic rules:

1. Basic Competency

"A great director has to at least be a good director." Which is to say that the director's movies must be technically competent.

You can't have an auteur who's movies fail to clear some of the fundamental hurdles.

Sorry, Tommy Wiseau...

2. Signature Style

"Over a group of films a director must exhibit certain recurrent characteristics of style which serve as his signature."

This one is pretty self-explanatory. If a director isn't doing this, then he's not an auteur.

You need to know it's Howard Hawks just by looking at it. Hawks is a great example because he made movies across genre. Hell, he practically defined every genre.

The gangster genre with the original Scarface.

Romantic comedy with Bringing Up Baby.

Westerns with Red River.

Adventure with To Have and Have Not and Only Angels Have Wings...

Hawks' oeuvre is one genre-defining classic after another. The common thread to each? The Hawks signature elements.

It's also interesting to note that Howard Hawks was not celebrated by his peers, this piece goes a little deeper on how auteur theory changed the perception of Hawks and why.

3. Interior Meaning

"Interior meaning is extrapolated from the tension between a directors personality and his material."

Hmm. Huh?

It seems what Sarris meant here was that the director's innermost soul must come through in the movie.

One of the only ways to know that is what the director went through to get the movie made. Did he have to fight hard against a studio for certain things? Or against the script? Are there specific moments that go beyond a familiar stylistic flourish? Moments that feel more like a little piece of that filmmaker up on the screen?

An example of this might be a moment distinct to the director, but that doesn't belong in the movie. An odd thing to celebrate... but more on that later...

Interior meaning is a tricky thing to get at with a director. How do we know what strange elements they came up with... or where odd little accidents?

That's the LAST rule, or guideline, to defining auteur directors.

That vagueness is what leaves open the great debate that can rage on and on...

best auteur directors

Who are Greatest auteur directors?

Think of it as a debate over who is the greatest one-on-one basketball player. Some people will say it's Michael Jordan. Some younger people might say Lebron James.

But the problem with those types of debates is that they cross an uncrossable distance of time and space. We can never see prime athletes matched up against one another across eras.

But...

We can judge great movies, from great directors at the height of their powers, against one another.

Auteur directors? Kubrick, Fellini, Welles, Ford, and Hitchcock

How does Spielberg stack up against Hawks? Scorsese vs. Ford?

Let the debates rage on!

Who's the better auteur Hitchcock or Tarantino?

Well if you ask me, a writer-director doesn't really fit within the auteur definition.

Why? Isn't a writer-director a much more obvious choice for an auteur?

Maybe.

But the strictest auteur definition applies to directors only, as they are the ones imbuing a written source with a unique artistic interpretation. In other words, an auteur director uses only their directing skill to create meaning.

Auteur or noteur?

Who are the best auteur directors?

So Quentin Tarantino really isn't an "auteur" in a classic sense . But Steven Spielberg could be. This goes against the assumption that an auteur is "artsy" versus a more commercial director like Spielberg who churns out audience-friendly mainstream fare.

To be clear: Wh y is Spielberg more an auteur?

Because whether he starts with a script about dinosaurs or the Holocaust, his stamp will be all over it.

Tarantino conceives of all his films on the page first. So, of course, his stamp is all over it.

This probably won't make Tarantino very happy. But it's the truth if you consider the classical source of the term.

Although, if you ask most people of Tarantino has a signature directing style, the answer would be a resounding "YES." But if you dig deeper, you could make the case that Tarantino's signature style is really found in the writing - and he upholds this writer's vision when directing.

It's okay Quentin! We still love you even if you're not a film auteur!

It's also part of the auteur backlash. Because this distinction is a bit silly.

Billy Wilder is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He made movies in every genre, same as Hawks. His films have his signature qualities.

Wilder co-wrote most of them, if not all of them. In fact, he started out as a writer. This is part of why he was such a great filmmaker. You could make the case that he was a more "complete" storyteller than Hawks.

What about Paul Thomas Anderson? Or Wes Anderson?

How can Hawks and Spielberg be on a auteurism scale that excludes Wilder and Tarantino?

Hmm. This type of endless coffee shop debate is what makes auteur theory so interesting and timeless.

AUTEUR THEORY HATERS

Why do some people hate auteurs?

Many people are not fond of the reductionist qualities of the auteur definition, or any similar theories.

Critic Pauline Kael led the charge against auteur theory. She and Sarris went back and forth over the subject.

Not before she poked some large holes in it.

John Huston, for example, was an excellent director of Hollywood's golden age who "gets no love" from the auteur theories and theorists.

Instead, he's passed off as having made actors films. Kael dismisses this as being arbitrary.

Other problems with the theory are that it seems to champion lesser films. A bad movie by a great director is notable because it has some of his signature elements.

Another quality that has come under fire is the idea of the interior meaning.

If a director forces his 'style' upon a movie where it might not belong, is he a "good" director?

The auteur theory says yes.

DEFINING AUTEUR THEORY

Auteur theory endgame

The auteur theory was part and parcel of the first generation of cinephiles.

The study of film and film directors became more and more popular. Film schools sprung up.

This is John Ford. Does he look like he cares about auteur theory examples?

Early directors like Hawks and John Ford, saw what they did as something of a trade. Not an art form.

When Peter Bogdanovich followed them around with a notepad, they thought he was crazy.

The generation of movie fans that became directors started churning out the movies of the 1970's that would become classics.

Scorsese. Coppola. Friedkin. Altman.

Auteur theory breaking point

Auteur theory consequences?

Things reached a breaking point. Studios started handing these auteurs huge budgets, and some of the results were catastrophic.

After The Deer Hunter director Michael Cimino got a blank check from United Artists.

The auteur theory was starting to pay big.

But Cimino's attention to detail left the production in ruin. It bankrupted the studio. United Artists was sold to MGM.

Cimino's career never recovered.

Meanwhile, something else was happening in film. Other members of that generation made the first true blockbusters... Jaws in 1975 and Star Wars in 1977 showed Hollywood a better way to make money.

Auteur theory changed the way people think of directors and movies.

It went to some extremes at times, but the fundamental notion that a filmmaker is an artist comes directly from auteur theory. The idea that studying a director and his or her work can make you better also came out of it.

But there is a limit to what the Director's power should be. Without checks and balances in place, things can veer into disaster.

A production is a group effort. The finished product is the result of coordinating many artists and technicians. Boiling it down to one person and placing their influence above everyone else makes for bad movies.

The original auteurs themselves would agree.

Up Next

How to easily copyright a script

Auteur theory also applies to writers (or at least it should). And that means protecting your original written works. Next up, we'll discuss the easiest and most ironclad way to how to copyright your scripts.

Do you want claim credit over your own work? Then make sure to copyright your script ASAP. We'll show you how.

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The Ultimate Guide to the Best Auteur Directors

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A definition of auteur theory, what it really means, where it comes from, who are the best auteur directors, and why it all matters.

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11 Elements That Should Be in Every Scene in Your Screenplay

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Do your scenes have these key elements inside them?

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Film Theory: 40 Things You Need to Know - NFI

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Film theory is a way of analyzing films to understand them and their place in society better. Film theorists break down films by looking at their elements.

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'Auteur Theory' is a weekly film discussion podcast where hosts Nicholas Edward Jones and Christopher R. Smith explore the complete filmography of an acclaimed film director.