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santeethrash · 03-05-2004, 01:28 AM

im not sure were to start my incoherent rambling... haha

of course color will draw more people to a theater. if there was no color clueless wouldn’t have a gimmick to sell... haha. anyway color is more stimulating even to those of us who have learned to appreciate the intentional use of black and white film. but black and white film still really has its place in my heart and the heart of many enthusiasts and I believe that’s why studios still continue to make them.

I think it all comes down to the directors vision. you can use color or black and white with lighting to accomplish many things. effect emotions , detail of environment, visual connections, visual divide, as well as sense of reality... etc. think of the first time you got punched in the face... its funny cause you close your eyes and actually see red. you can use certain colors to trigger certain feelings or emotions. there are huge corporate and state studies on how colors effect the subconscious. directors can use a similar approach as suggestion to the audience. its harder to get detail in black and white in things such as moss or dampness and small things like that a detailed. sense of environment can really liven a scene. you can use a color as a characters signature just think of the ninja turtles for example haha. you can use tint as a differentiating tool as is the case in traffic. you can also use color and black and white to separate fantasy from reality, or as a symbol much like the wizard of oz. you can wash colors to give a more cold feeling sepia to give a dirty feeling, black and white to exaggerate contrast with composition and lighting (most photographers favorite)... as you pointed out to detatch the audience(you realize its not real because its not in color) and I think one of the biggest reasons for directors using black and white is to simply give a vintage look.

as far as witch movie works well in black in white... that is a very complicated question. as I stated before I think its up to the director if he sees it in black and white from the beginning that’s what it should be. but to say either of those movies wouldn’t work in color that’s really hard to say. I think its safe to say a movie like the man who wasn’t there would not work in color(that is my favorite film right now, the lighting and composition is flawless).

im pretty sure clerks was filmed in black and white cause its cheaper for film and to process. and i think a big part of the reason it gained popularity was the simple fact that it was visually different then most other films in its genre. the dialog does have obvious through backs though.

art is just a outlet its hard to call something good or bad its all a matter of opinion. some may not have worked as well as others but none that stand out particularly in my mind.

this is a complicated subject more than enough to right a book about.

sorry if this reads like a bad middle school essay i dont want to spend a year on it haha.

03-05-2004, 01:28 AM	#2 (permalink)
santeethrash Supporting Actor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: santee	im not sure were to start my incoherent rambling... haha of course color will draw more people to a theater. if there was no color clueless wouldn’t have a gimmick to sell... haha. anyway color is more stimulating even to those of us who have learned to appreciate the intentional use of black and white film. but black and white film still really has its place in my heart and the heart of many enthusiasts and I believe that’s why studios still continue to make them. I think it all comes down to the directors vision. you can use color or black and white with lighting to accomplish many things. effect emotions , detail of environment, visual connections, visual divide, as well as sense of reality... etc. think of the first time you got punched in the face... its funny cause you close your eyes and actually see red. you can use certain colors to trigger certain feelings or emotions. there are huge corporate and state studies on how colors effect the subconscious. directors can use a similar approach as suggestion to the audience. its harder to get detail in black and white in things such as moss or dampness and small things like that a detailed. sense of environment can really liven a scene. you can use a color as a characters signature just think of the ninja turtles for example haha. you can use tint as a differentiating tool as is the case in traffic. you can also use color and black and white to separate fantasy from reality, or as a symbol much like the wizard of oz. you can wash colors to give a more cold feeling sepia to give a dirty feeling, black and white to exaggerate contrast with composition and lighting (most photographers favorite)... as you pointed out to detatch the audience(you realize its not real because its not in color) and I think one of the biggest reasons for directors using black and white is to simply give a vintage look. as far as witch movie works well in black in white... that is a very complicated question. as I stated before I think its up to the director if he sees it in black and white from the beginning that’s what it should be. but to say either of those movies wouldn’t work in color that’s really hard to say. I think its safe to say a movie like the man who wasn’t there would not work in color(that is my favorite film right now, the lighting and composition is flawless). im pretty sure clerks was filmed in black and white cause its cheaper for film and to process. and i think a big part of the reason it gained popularity was the simple fact that it was visually different then most other films in its genre. the dialog does have obvious through backs though. art is just a outlet its hard to call something good or bad its all a matter of opinion. some may not have worked as well as others but none that stand out particularly in my mind. this is a complicated subject more than enough to right a book about. sorry if this reads like a bad middle school essay i dont want to spend a year on it haha.