MDTG: Color Thoughts

My roommate asked for some thoughts and help with the color design for the film that he’s currently working on. As I’m an absolute sucker for color (And seeing as he is my buddy) I happily obliged. Above is a comparison of thoughts - what Pat handed me and what I, in turn, handed back to him as food for thought. Some of my accompanying notes:

•  Avoid using gray for a basis of color. It has an unfortunate talent for draining the life out of the hues around it, and tends to make the eye choose desaturated, sickly colors to try and match it: This can work in some instances, but there is ultimately a great deal of warmth in the story Patrick is telling with this film; it may serve better to reflect that in its color design. Pat’s also going for the warmth and sophistication of renaissance painting - gray as a neutral is about as far from that visually as one could get. Best avoided.

• Try not to use pure white for anything accept the glint of white light in the eyes. In this case, the same thing goes for gray - No touchie. Sepia tones will treat this design with more kindness - and better evoke the warmth found in renaissance painting. Emilio especially is a child with a  great deal of life and spark to him, like a little candle flame Whereas. Mia Talbert, in my own in-progress film, Caravan, was the polar opposite in her color design - she was supposed to look drab and miserable, like a plant that’s been kept indoors too long. Emilio, on the other hand is a happy, healthy child when tucked away in his own little world of imagination. You want him to look like he has blood running through his veins - a sense of warmth. Using a color tone for his shadow - I used a deep brown on a multiplied, low-opacity layer here, for example, and various tones of off-white to tan (all in warm hues) for Emilio’s colors helps. He instantly looks cheerier and more comfortable.

A quick, fun collaboration. More may be on the horizon. You can find much, much more on Pat’s film, My Dad The Giant, here at its official production blog.

♥Mel