What makes film so beautiful? What makes cinematography so unique? The answer is COLOR. To create the perfect color for a film, one has to understand the look and feel they are trying to achieve. Are you creating something dramatic, comedic, scary, informational? It is all about color. But why is color is so important? Color sets the mood for EVERYTHING! If you watch a horror film you will notice that the colors in the film seem washed out and dull, however the blacks are very dark and saturated. This is all done purposely to set the mood of fear. When things are dark, they can easily give off the the sense of fear.
Dramatic films have different looks. They can be shot with slightly more vivid colors but not too vivid otherwise it can give off the look of a home made video. As you watch your next movie, pay attention to the colors! Which colors are embraced and which colors are suppressed?
Once you start understanding why certain colors are used for certain genres you will begin to use similar coloring techniques in your own footage? I recommend to shoot in LOG mode. What is LOG mode? This mode is usually only available on professional colors. What this mode does is it flattens out all the colors making them seem dull and not vivid. This is the best picture profile mode you can use with your camera because it gives you a lot options in post production. If you set your camera on any other color mode, you may not have as many options in post production color correction. If you have subscribed to my newsletter, you will receive an email on how to properly edit colors.
