The Power of Colour.

''Colour can have political religious and cultural connotations, represent gender and as believed by Kandinsky, have emotional and physical effects on us…..improves our memory, influences buying decision and indicates meaning and tells stories.'' Robert Mills. 

Colour is all around us although we don't pay attention to our colour surroundings in everyday life it's suggested to have emotional and pysical connections that simulate our actions and emotions. 

An interesting point brought up when reading 'colour as a semiotic mode.' by Gunter Kress was the idea of language of colour, the grammar of which is the basis of the meaning of colour understood by all across varied cultures. Unlike the grammar of language its self of which society understands and although differing according to social situations there is a ground work of facts in grammar of language that we work from. 

'There is no large or sufficiently powerful group which colour sustain a shared understanding of the meaning of colour across 'all of society'.Instead there are specialised interests of small groups or individuals, all with their very specific professional or personal interests.' Gunter Kress.  

When looking at colour in the arts e.g. film, television, art, makeup artistry and advertisements. Colour is analysed in the context of the work. film makers for exarmple are prodominatly very careful when selecting the colour choice for miss en scene of which is the creative choices made to manipulate what the audience sees within the film. This can either be in costume, set design or lighting. 

The colour red for example through research done by Patti Bellantoni over a 20 year period on a range of his students at the school of visual arts in New York, discovered red can activate anger, compulsive behaviour, aggression and a heightened sense of power, tension and warning. 

This is shown for example in 'The wizard of Oz.' the colour red used within the costume for Dorothy selected perposfully by the film makers. The red shiny shoes as a symbol of power, Dorothy needs power to walk down the hazards of which the 'yellow brick road' hold (again the choice of the colour yellow known to produce anxiety fuelled situations). This is the opposite to her pale blue dress which dose not send a strong enough signal to ward of the scary encounters Dorothy faces along the way. 

When reading 'If its purple, someone's gonna die' by Patti Bellantoni i found an intense interest into the descriptions of colour further how these related to many films across time and society. 

The way although colour dose not have a direct understood gammer within society it evokes emotions subconsciously that are experienced similarly by all shown by Bellantoni's last study. Each participant chose similar colours and patterns when painting to describe the feelings of 'rage' the participants used reds, yellows and blacks and 'traquility' using pale blues, peaches, greens and whites.

Bellantoni found colours can simulate the five sense: taste, smell, touch or sight is because these are already available sources to us tasting something that may not look red can embody the red sense for example cinnamon is brown but embodies the fiery hot passions of the colour red this makes the colour easier to explain to others in society similarly to use colour to explain emotions the saying 'i saw red' when someone lashed out in anger. 

Therefore when using colour in film the film makers have to be very conscious of there colour choices as this could manipulate the audiences understanding of the film. using a slightly wrong shade of yellow could turn a sunlit tranquil dreamy scene into a dangerous and anxious situation. 

Patti Bellantoni 

Colour Explanations: 

RED- a colour that is bold in your face can activate anger, sexuality, compulsive behaviour, speeding, heightened sense of tension and waning/aggressiveness.

Reds vary in tones they can either portray romance or death pain and power.

Yellow- an all yellow environment can actually be anxiety producing, we associate yellow with danger ( the sun) although can also be associated with powerful life and energy- yellow can be a scene stealer.

Pale yellow- innocence and elegance

Bright- hazard

Golden light yellow- magical

Blue- tranquil, soft blanket of sadness quite and aloof, In a blue environment people become passive and introspective. ‘environment we think to but not to act’ – powerlessness. Inspires openness and interaction.

Blue green- happy loss concept of time

Pale blue- wanted to be quite and still

Blue can have contradictory traits as it’s the coldest colour in the spectrum.

Orange- warm and welcoming- (nice) we respond prossitivly with colours of the earth. Versatile orange can also react as erotic. 'don’t expect orange to stimulate analytical activity.'

Green- colour of fresh veg and of spoiled meat/ Heath and vitality or danger and decay. Powerful tool for irony.

Purple- no real effect in the physical realm at all, spiritual and mystical rather than royal. Sends signals that something or someone is going to be transformed. Something will die or be lost when purple appears on screen. 

References: 

Bellantoni, P. (2005). If it's purple, someone's gonna die. 1st ed. Burlington, MA, USA: Elsevier/Focal Press.

Kress, G. and Leeuwen, T. (2014). Colour as a semiotic mode:notes for a grammar of colour. 1st ed. [ebook] Cardiff. Available at: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.126.7669&rep=rep1&type=pdf [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].

Mills, R. (2013). Robert Mills » Colour and Storytelling in Films. [online] Robertmills.me. Available at: http://www.robertmills.me/colour-and-storytelling-in-films/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].

Moviesincolor.com, (2014). Movies In Color. [online] Available at: http://moviesincolor.com/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].

The Shot Mise en Scene. (2014). 1st ed. [ebook] pp.Part 3: P.111- P.158. Available at: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0073535109/963721/Ch04_The_Shot_Mise_en_Scene_cpp.pdf [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].