hi i somewhat agree with this post, but as a film production student interested in production design (especially in regards to color) i have a slight bone to pick
i like black and white movies, and they’re interesting and shouldn’t be dismissed due to their lack of color. but color design is actually a really important part of modern day filmmaking. it sets the mood and tone of a scene before a single word is spoken, and can be subverted in many interesting ways.
scenes with a warm color scheme are usually happier, having to do with love or safety or joy. scenes with a cold color scheme indicate something out of place, evil, dark, or just plain sad.
in good will hunting (1997) for example, the color scheme of the movie is usually very cold, with blues and muted greys making up a majority of the background. however, sean’s office, where will goes to therapy, and scenes with skyler, his girlfriend, are warmer. these are the only places in his life where will feels safe, happy, and content with his life.
these tropes can be subverted as well. in spotlight (2015), the majority of the color was cold as well. the offices of the boston globe, where most of the story takes place, is again a lot of muted blues and greys. the scenes that take place in churches are warm and welcoming, like you would expect a church to be. however, spotlight is about the sexual abuse scandal that the globe uncovered in the catholic church in 2002. priests would prey on unsuspecting boys and girls who viewed the church as a safe place to be. by using warm tones, which are familiar to the audience and associated with church, we as the audience are initially led to believe that there is nothing wrong with the church. how could there be? it’s so warm and inviting. it’s only when the pieces of the puzzle start coming together that the subversion is realized
anyway all this is to say that while black and white pictures are amazing and very intersting (some like it hot is one of my all time favorites!) color is a very important part of the design of movies and shouldn’t be overlooked!!!
EDIT: there’s a very interesting book on the subject of color in film that explains it in WAY better detail than I just did called “If It’s Purple, Someone’s Gonna Die” by Patti Bellantoni. Check it out if you want!
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