Introduction to Color in Film Preliminary Exercise 5 (Primary Colors)

Paragraph 1:  The objective of this lesson was to create a color wheel Semiotic Analysis Organizer based on Roland Barthes' Theory of Denotative and Connotative Signs. In film, color plays a significant role in mise-en-scene. Color is important to the audience because it can influence our emotions. A film's tone or mood can be established through the use of color. Exposure, lighting, and art direction are the three codes a film uses to illustrate color. Exposure is the amount of light admitted into a camera. The lighting in a film creates a visual mood in the atmosphere. In a film scene, art direction is the overall aesthetic of the scene. There are many people responsible for color in film. Some of these people include screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, and production designers. 

Paragraph 2: My group's goal of the preliminary exercise was to create a PowerPoint showcasing our knowledge about color and its effect in films. The two other people involved in my group were Renee P. and Ashley S. (both in period 4) We did this by analyzing movies of our choice and describing how the connotation of each color has an effect in the movie. For example, the color red (primary color) is usually known to symbolize passion, excitement, and desire. When thinking of the color blue (primary color) tranquility and stability comes to mind. Yellow (primary color) is thought of to be a bold, optimistic color. 

Paragraph 3: During this assignment, I learned about the importance of color in film. I also learned about different variations of color such as saturation and value. Color has many different elements that are included in filmmaking. To complete this task, my team and I did research on the connotation of each color and applied it to our designated movie that we each had. We found it beneficial to have a good understanding of denotative and connotative symbolisms before completing the PowerPoint.