A film is a vision come true on the screen. It is brought to life through writing, directing, producing, music, editing, acting, make-up, cinematography, casting, costume, and location. For many films, there is a strong connection between the color scheme chosen and the atmosphere, items of focus, genre, and flow of the film.

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Bright colors in movies are often linked to dream states, eccentric minds, or joyful, bright, happy moments. Pastel hues feature in romances, hazy lenses, and period dramas. Darker tones bring foreboding, fear, melancholy and serious associations. But the meanings can always be skewed depending on the film. Everything on screen plays a part in the viewer's experience.

The Matrix Films (1999 - )

the matrix

The Matrix series uses color to define two worlds: the world of the Matrix and the real world. When Neo is inside the Matrix, a simulation of reality, there is a green tint similar to technological programming and data shown on earlier computer screens.

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It is an artificial world. When he is in the real world, the film has a blue tint - a cool atmosphere outside the false warmth of the Matrix. It is the blue of a world destroyed. Another example of where real-world and fake world coloring distinction is used is in The Truman Show (1998)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

edward scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands (1990) introduced viewers to a lonely stranger and submerged him into a world of bustling life, colorful personalities, and what is considered "normal."

The film uses the contrast between the dark that surrounds Edward and his home and the pastel vibrancy of the world he was introduced into. The end of the film blends the two worlds together by placing color in Edward's home.

Amélie (2001)

Amélie colors

Amélie (2001) creates the illusion of depth, innocence, imagination, and Amélie's own dreamy world through the use of warm, saturated tones - the vibrant, enriched greens, the call-to-childhood reds, bold blues, and sunny, sleepy yellows.

Amélie's mission to help others find joy surrounds her, despite her own isolated and deprived upbringing. Each scene leaves viewers with a lasting impression, imprinted in their mind's eye.

Corpse Bride (2005)

corpse bride colors

Corpse Bride (2005) is a stop motion animation piece that brings to life two separate worlds: the land of the living and the land of the dead - only it isn't what viewers would expect.

The land of the living is muted, faded, and lifeless. The residents looking more corpse-like than any of those down in the graveyard, while the land of the dead is bursting with fluorescent, saturated colors of greens, blues, reds, oranges.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

pride and prejudice colors

The shades of Pride and Prejudice (2005) glimmer in the film's subtle lighting, embracing the natural environment while the characters' clothing reflects both their personalities and the theme of the film. This romantic period film features pastels, as well as bold colors. Jane Bennet wears light, joyous colors, while Elizabeth Bennet wears soft earthy tones and neutrals.

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Mr. Darcy wears darker-colored outfits, lifted by light undershirts to highlight his mystery. The prominent colors in the Bennet, Bingley, and Darcy properties show the differences in their status and home life.

Her (2013)

her red color

The film Her (2013) uses the color red for romance, compassion, hope, and passion. The film's protagonist, Theodore, is often surrounded in some way by the color: his clothing, the walls, windows, furniture, and flowers.

It is due to this that he is visually distinct - set apart and lonely. Blue, a color that is usually associated with futuristic time periods and technological cities is replaced with muted, warm, earthy, natural tones.

Moonlight (2016)

moonlight 2016 colors

The dramatic indie film, Moonlight (2016)casts a dreamlike glow over every scene while challenging the extremes of contrast, shadows, and glints of light.

The lush, verdant surroundings intentionally clash with the dark challenges of the characters' lives. The film uses rich and lustrous tones, neons, and heavy saturation to enhance the storyline while having a dazzling impact on viewers.

Joker (2019)

joker 2019 colors

Joker (2019) follows Arthur's internal struggle with how he is treated by society and what it leads him to become. Throughout the film, the distinct color palette is that of blue, red, and yellow - each color representing a crucial stage of Arthur's journey. The colors blend and transition to guide viewers, even changing a moment replayed at another time with a different color to show the truth or how Arthur is feeling.

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Blue is dominant at the beginning of the film, mainly concerning Arthur's interactions with society - the subway, his work, his therapist, the hospital. Red signifies the rarer joyful moments - the warmth and confidence he feels. Yellow is associated with Arthur's strength, defiance, and eventual spiral into madness. His Joker suit includes all three colors, and in the end, all three facets of his personality become one.

The Pianist (2002)

pianist colors

The Pianist (2002) is a heartbreaking film based on the experience of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist who survived the Warsaw Ghetto and the Holocaust. The film places great emphasis on color scheme, flawlessly transitioning from richer, brighter tones of elegance and comfort to the gradual draining and greying of color.

As the world around Szpilman and Szpilman's mental and physical state deteriorates and darkens, so does the color gradient. At some points, the rich colors return, but not as vibrant as before, muted as they merge with bleak reality. The lavish tones make an appearance at the end of the film, as Szpilman plays piano for a large audience.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

TGBH Colors

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) imbued color into its entire storyline. Every relationship, time period, emotion, and location was highlighted by an endless selection of hues. Wes Anderson is known for creating films with precise, detailed, and symbolic coloring, making it a significant player in each and every one of his cinematic worlds.

In The Grand Budapest Hotel, there is the nuance of saturation: coloration ranging from the communist period "olive green and orange" to the 1930s "wedding cake," rich and full-bodied tones, as well as the distinctive colors of the other hotels.

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