Color in Films: a Critical Overview

Abstract

The use of color in cinema involves explanations and associations at different levels: (1) the physical, in the way that color can affect the viewer giving him/her a more or less pleasing feeling; (2) the psychological, because color can stimulate psychological responses; and (3) the aesthetic, because colors can be chosen selectively according to the effect they can produce, considering their balance, proportion and composition within the film. This article will consider these three characteristics of color and some film examples, in order to discuss about the role of color in cinema.