Some Color Food for Thought.

A few months back I discovered this magical chart while working on my entry for the 3D art competition, Dominance war.

Now granted there are no finite rules. Much of this chart is based on cultural significance. For instance in America we tend to associate red things with anger, but in China it is a color of celebration. Now I know what you might be thinking, "Emotional ties to a color? What nonsense is Chris talking about now?" Believe me, those were my thoughts exactly when I first saw this chart. Then I started looking around and paying closer attention. To my surprise, in many cases I found it strikingly accurate.

Here is just a taste of other artist works that make excellent use of these ideas:


by Anton Lavrushkin

Look at how the red, orange and yellow create excitement where as the blue gives off a more sorrowful mood.


by AOgnian Bonev

Notice how green transitions from a more sublime yellow color to a darker value and slight hue shift that invokes a fear, showing the darker side to the soldiers.


Again, I don't want to set strict rules with color and how it relates to our film. I am just suggesting this is another tool to go in our ever growing tool chest. Color, or lack there of, can be a powerful tool to help set the mood of our story. To conclude here is an example of that:


Before and After shots of the game Zelda Twight Princess. Color changed from a desaturated gray to the colorful effect on the right half way through the game's production. Huge change in mood.