The Meaning of Color: An Aesthetic Analysis of Film

Abstract

In Color : A Practical Guide to Color and Its Uses in Art, the author states that, “More than any other element, color shapes the way we see the world by evoking emotion.” Naturally then, color is also a fundamental element of symbolism in film and literature. For example, if one was to try to convey a sense of danger in literature or film, one might emphasise the color red somehow. If a bull was angry, it might be “seeing red” as it were. This implies that red is in some way catalyzing the bulls anger. Indeed, red has been shown to be a color of stimulation. Increase of heart rate and evocation of feelings of alarm are a few examples of its effects on the individual. This occurs because of the body’s response to the color, in part, but it can also elicit a more social response. A new driver is taught to make the association that red means stop. Objects and devices meant to signal a driver to stop, often intentionally use red in order to draw off the societal association that red means stop, allowing the driver to respond more quickly. Regardless of whether or not it imparts some kind of meaning on its own, or it imparts feeling in order to strengthen symbolic meaning, color remains an important facet of modern symbology.