CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

How Movie Directors Manipulate Your Emotions With Color Temperature


gizmodo.com: Color temperature is critical component of how we perceive a photograph or a slice of film. (It's that whole "white balance" thing we nerds are always blabbing about.) As this video explains, we often don't even notice the ways in which an image's color temperature affects us. When directors are playing with color, they're playing with your emotions.

1 comment:

AnnaAzizzyRosati said...

I know very little about working on a professional stage, and when it comes to lighting, I have exactly zero hours of experience. However, since arriving at CMU, I’ve toured the tension grid, walked above the fly space, and had a class in the light lab. I’ve learned the primary colors of lighting (red, yellow, and blue- NOT the same as for painting), the difference between a lamp and a bulb, some of the benefits and drawbacks of LED and incandescent lamps, and several variations of lamp bases. Although I’m sure I’ll struggle to keep these mountains of information in my head, so far I’ve found lighting fascinating. It really does amaze me! It’s like painting, a medium I’m fairly familiar with, but with a substance you can’t feel or hold. Yet, it has the power to fill so much space and completely change an area or emotion. This video was super interesting, especially because it was through the lens of film. (Pun totally intended.) My brother is a film major and I’ve worked with him on set before, so it was cool to see how similar film and theater lighting can be, especially in controlling the viewer's emotions through temperature. This video and the information I’ve learned so far in class has me excited not only to learn more, but to work with lighting designers in the future!