Research: Colors

 Colors

Color is one extremely important part of a production that is not given its credit. Color is used to create certain emotions in the audience. In this blog, I will be providing the colors that will be used in my horror opening and will explain why I will do so.

Red

The color red is a huge part of most, if not all, horror films. It is the color of blood, which is seen across the genre. It is also used to create a sense of fear, anger, and violence. All three of these are large parts of horror films, so I will make sure to use red in my opening. Red also represents evil, shown in many films.

Shown above is red being used to represent the villain/evil in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).

Blue

The next color I will use in my Portfolio Project is blue. After researching, I found that this color creates a "chilling" effect for the audience. Blue is commonly used throughout horror films as it creates many moods. It can make the audience anxious, while also highlighting night time. I want the time of my project to be at night, so blue will definitely come in handy.

Shown above is from A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), exemplifying the use of blue highlighting night time.

Black

It would be a disadvantage to not use black in my opening because of how many effects it can create on the audience. Black symbolizes death, evil, anxiety, horror in the shadows, etc. It is the color of darkness. I will be using black as much as I can in my opening video.

Shown above is black representing evil/villains in the Star Wars series.

Note-taking

Lastly, in class, I took notes on different colors and what they represent.

Shown above is the notes I took in class titled, "Color Psychology."

Resources

Lewis, S., The Meaning of Grey in Horror – Slow Burn Horror March 17, The Meaning of White in Horror – Slow Burn Horror April 1, & (required), N. (2022, April 1). The meaning of black in horror. Slow Burn Horror. Retrieved February 26, 2023, from https://slowburnhorror.com/2022/03/17/the-meaning-of-black-in-horror/

Embed. (n.d.). Slides.com. https://slides.com/oliviareilly/colour-in-horror-films/embed#/0/5

The Color Wheel of Horror - Creating Mood with Color Lighting. (n.d.). Fotodiox, Inc. USA. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://fotodioxpro.com/blogs/news/the-horror-color-wheel-the-color-lighting-used-in-horror#:~:text=Using%20color%20is%20a%20great

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Lewis, S. (2021, September 24). The Meaning of Red in Horror. Slow Burn Horror. https://slowburnhorror.com/2021/09/24/the-meaning-of-red-in-horror/

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Lewis, S. (2022, March 17). The Meaning of Black in Horror. Slow Burn Horror. https://slowburnhorror.com/2022/03/17/the-meaning-of-black-in-horror/

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