I realize that part of this may be stepping on the Art Director's toes, but how much does color come into play with cinematography? I've been working on a project where the color of the subject seems a bit contrasty (in a bad way) with the color of the background (not my shoot, BTW) and I wasn't sure if that decision was solely Art Director or if it's common for some DPs to weigh in on the issue. I'd be interested in learning more about color theory in regards to video/film, not so much as part of the storytelling process, but more in the realm of making a pleasing image with the knowledge of how to control how much or less "vibrant" I'd like to for it to end up looking.
Cinematography and Color
- Thread starter Gary Huff
- Start date
Bruce Watson
Veteran
Get a copy of Bruce Block's The Visual Story. An excellent book, with lots on color, contrast, etc. The short answer to your question is "lots". Mr. Block's book supplies the details behind that answer.
djkarn105
Well-known member
I think you're looking at it from entirely the wrong angle. The DP and the art director should be working together very closely. The look of he film is determined by the combination of both of your work. The set design should be taken into account when deciding on the stock/ picture profile and lighting design and vice versatile. It won't do much good for you to pick a stock with highly saturated colors if the set is going to be in grayscale. Likewise, Those bright green curtains will just look white if you are shooting black and white. As to who makes the final call, it's the great decider, the director.