Orange in cinema

In the first article I talked about red color in photography, painting and cinema starting from the definition given by Wassily Kandinsky. Orange is another important color in movies, it has the strength of red but also the vitality of the yellow. Of course is an hot color, it can be used to communicate different mood or to give different aspect to a scenography. Let’s start with the definition taken from The spiritual in art written by Kandinsky, father of modern abstractionism.

Orange is like a man sure of his strength, who gives an idea of health. The sound resembles that of a bell inviting the Angelus, or of a robust contralto, or of a viola playing a broad (The spiritual in art, Wassily Kandinsky).

Now some practical examples in cinema. Orange is similar to red but it doesn’t express passion, love, violence. It may express health, strength, dynamism, and vitality but also hot weather. It is the main color in Mad Max: Fury Road‘s palette, orange emphasizes action and the heat of the desert.

In Only God Forgives directed by Nicolas Winding Refn the orange is associated to the main character (Ryan Goslin), it expresses strength, health, security, determination, action.

Orange is associated also with the sensation of heat, hot weather; it’s suitable for exotic but also hostile environments, such as the desert or sci-fi scenography creating tension and also mystery. It is often blended with various shades of red.