Researching Color Schemes

Hey readers, and welcome back! As a part of preparing for my film opening, I have furthered my research on different elements involved in production. For today's research, I have learned all about color schemes. 

What are Color Schemes?

    Color in general is a very important marketing tool for companies and institutions. Color is based off of perception. Color is the result of what each person sees when light is reflected off an object. Color is so important that 90% of a person's decision on if they like a product is based on coloring. In film, color schemes are picked out and used to help create atmosphere and/or a certain mood. Colors are intentionally picked and combined to serve a specific purpose. Color schemes are a powerful tool used by filmmakers to evoke a specific emotion through different scenes in a film and are used specifically in setting a scene. 

The Color Wheel 

    

    The color wheel plays a vital role in creating a color scheme. The color wheel which is shown above can be broken down into primary colors (red, yellow, blue), secondary colors (colors created from just primary colors), and tertiary colors (colors made from both primary and secondary colors). There are cool hues on the left and warm hues on the right. The most important thing about the color wheel when it comes to film is how the coloring can carry meaning or emotion. Colors are associated with feelings and emotions (like red can be passion and love, or blue can sometimes mean sadness), and this can be manipulated by anyone to help market products. A color scheme is a result of the combination or arrangement of these colors.

Color schemes are typically created in three ways:

    

    These three techniques for creating color schemes all center around the color wheel. Complementary colors are opposite colors, and color schemes containing complementary colors often are used for contrast or differentiation and making things stand out. Analogous colors and colors close to one another, when analogous color schemes are made, usually one color is the main color while others are more there for support. Analogous schemes look good together and can help guide someone's gaze. Lastly, triadic colors are evenly spaced around the color wheel and help in doing what both complementary and analogous colors do: make things pop but also harmonize.

    In horror films, usually tones are desaturated, leaving for a more washed-out, lifeless coloring to create more of an unease. Colors like gray, maroon, blues, etc., are all used to create suspense and evoke fear. Color schemes are important to films because they create atmosphere. In horror films this is especially important because atmosphere is what allows films to actually create fear and scare their audience. 

Example:

    An example of a color scheme used by a horror film could be the one used for It (2017) shown above. The red in this color scheme stands out compared to the more muted other colors. This red is used to emphasize danger, as it was associated with the main antagonist and was used to market the film.

Takeaways:

   All this research on color schemes has gotten me thinking about my color scheme for my film. I'm not sure my exact plot for my film opening, but I do know it is a horror film that revolves around witchcraft and tarot cards. Because purple is often associated with magic and the supernatural, I've been thinking of many an analogous color scheme with purple as its main color. Examples are shown below. 

    

Credits: 

“Basic Color Theory.” Color Matters, 29 Jan. 2025, www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory.

Decker, Kris, and Kris Decker. “The Fundamentals of Understanding Color Theory.” 99designs, 21 Dec. 2022, 99designs.com/blog/tips/the-7-step-guide-to-understanding-color-theory.

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