Below is a full colour script of part of the incredibles movie by Pixar.In this it clearly shouts excitment in colour and the influence that they will have on the viewer.Each shot shows clear areas of interest and changes within mood from one board to the next.As we can see it is obvious to tell that the top right 4 images has a clearly gloomy mood to theme while the middle section incorporates excitement and action from the deep red hues to the shadowy shades of blue,While the end 2 images show a much more calm and collected mood with tints of blues and no colours and are too bold or provoking.The story seems to flow through with colour by its side leading the way, each shot flows to the next in colour relating to the previous and the one after.By doing this Pixar are able to achieve a relationship between each shot making sure that the viewer is always drawn into the movie and never lost between shots.Clearly the life within the Pixar movies comes partly from there use of colour.

The overarching themes

Pixar has lead the way through there films always following a clear structure to what they do and how they produce films.There use of colour is amazingly perfected every time an the way they use it to tell there stories is influential.There clear use of all colour theories brings there stories to life and tell the audience exactly what is going on with any words needing to be used.As previously mentioned Saturation seems to be a major player within there work to create the emotional connection that each story needs while there use of broken colours help to bring out there clearly well composed scenes and emphasize exactly where the focal point in the scene is.The audience are lead through there films hand in hand and are told exactly where to look,There use of tints and shades allow the viewer to be drawn into each scene making areas pop out and others fall into darkness.They show a understanding of colour in a much more meaningful way and adapt there colours to help tell the story.By using there colour scripts they can easily plan out what is going to happening with the colour in each sequence and make sure that every part has the emotional connection it deserves.

Here we see all areas of colour theory in one. The saturated and desaturated areas of the middle bottom image of the colour script, the deep hues and harmonious colours of the third colour script, the use of broken colours in the bottom right image,the use of colour proportion in the second from top colour script and finally the use of tints and shades in the top left image.All of these areas adding up to what makes a very influential and strong colour/story lead film.

Tints and Shades

Tints and shades can be used in the most simple ways but can be used to go a long way within a scene.In the image below from up in can be seen that only tints and shades have been used this allows for a very interesting and different looking scene.It clearly demonstrates how by just using one colour and its tints and shades the whole image can be brought to life.the shadows areas still seem rich in colour while the much bright areas pop from the image emphasizing what is meant to be seen.The eye is directed to the focal point and we understand exactly what is going on.By  limiting the colour palette the scene can become a lot more interesting and different, allowing the audience to be transported to another place and pulled into the scene. it clearly shows that by limiting your colour palette this does not necessarily you will be removing the life from the image.

Saturation

Saturation is a simple colour theory but can be used in amazing ways. Pixar show this in all there work and try to incorporate it in every area they can.

In the images above we can see how they differ so much from one another,the top image shows a clearly desaturate tone within the image and tells the story and mood in a simple way.We can see how the character is feeling and the use of colour helps to influence this.Saturation can either bring a scene to life or push in back into a much darker and gloomy place.By mastering this it can be seen that anything is achievable and what ever mood you would like to create can be done in the simplest of ways.In the second image we can see how it is much more saturated and full of life,the use of bright purples and the bright yellow/white bulb creates a strong complimentary while the saturation brings all the areas of the scene out into focus.Again by doing this the colour has a strong influence on what we believe is happening within the scene and in general influence the mood in which we see.If this scene was more desaturated.I believe the story would not be read or understood the same and the same for the first image.If the first image was much more saturated it would clearly not show a gloomy mood and many of the audience may become confused on what is happening,the audience are lead through in a way that means they do not have to think as much about what is happening and instead can sit back and enjoy what is being shown to them.

Influence on colour

Setting the stage Pixar have shown a strong interest in the way colour affects story and by doing so they have influence many other animation companies to follow in  there footsteps. Ofcourse colour theory has always been around and has always been used but in my opinion Pixar has shown everyone exactly how it can be used so well.They clearly think about every shot as it comes and try to incorporate there colour theory into it so that each shot has its appeal to the audience.



Companies such as Blue Sky Studios and Dreamworks are just a few animation studios which have shown that they want to incorporate this use of colour into there films too.From the images below it can be seen that all have used colour theory to benefit there story.Whether that be making the characters clearly noticeable and different from each other or whether that be to make a scene bold and exciting to look at.Colour theory seems to have become a inherent part of animation story telling and without it it seems the case that animation is not as successful as telling a story.I feel that by using colour the animations can contact the audience in a much deeper way and allow the viewers to relate to what is happening on screen.It could be said that by getting the colours right in your animations your half way there to contacting your audience in a way that brings the story to life.

Up

From the moment you start watching up it can be seen that the design of colour has been thought about throughout. The opening sequence of this film clearly incorporates how colour can be used to lead the viewer through the film and create a emotional impact.The colour script  follows a formulated theme as the film progresses through this sequence showing how as Carl meets Ellie his world is lit up in colour but as shee grows ill and passes away the colour is withdrawn from the shots and it becomes very desaturated emphasizing the way his emotions have changed.It is only when Russel enters carls house that the colour is placed back on the film representing the way Russel brings the light back into Carls life. Pixar didn't do this by accident it is only y clear design that they are able to do this and by doing so they can create a emotional connection to the viewer getting into the audiences mind.

As well as a clear emphasis on the colour scripts within there films it is also seen that colour proportion is used to a great effect.By Pixar selecting specific colours and amounts of colour they are able to create a focus within there shots and lead the eye of the viewer as seen in the image below.By having all the background as a similar blue and the house as a much more brighter and bold set of colours this allows the smalls but intense amount of colour on the house to pop out from the background.This is all due to the colour proportion within the image and the way the small amount of saturated colour allows it to become the focal point.Without this the scene would become very flat and not interesting in the slightest but by having this slant  in the colour balance it really brings out the interesting areas with it.

Wall.E

Wall.E is just one of those films with its amazing art style and clear design features it isn't hard to tell that this film is another Pixar one.

Pixar being Pixar have clearly decided within this film that the key is to transport you into another world and take you to that place never seen before and to do this colour is a big contributor.the way they use broken colours allows them to bring out them bright bold colours and keep the scene on a very similar colour scheme.This makes it seem very believable and attractive to the eye due to each colour having its relation to the next.Tints within this particular shot help to make Wall.E and Eve stand out from there surroundings while he shades help to build the scene up.

From this colour script above it can be seen that Pixar have gone for some really rich hues making each area pop from its surroundings and truly add that life it needs.This helps to add a clear focal point to each shot and understand how the contrast between colours focuses the eye in particular places.Still using broken colours this helps them to make these hues jump out and still relate to the underlying
 colours within the each shot.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille...Pixars take on the life within food.This simple story of a rat who wants to be a chef is a simple one but without colour the life and soul of this film would without a dought be missing.

 

Within this colour script above there is a use of broken colours to help desaturate the scenes and make them scene sucked of life.Tints and shades are used to empasze shadowed areas and make the scene seem very gloomy in places,each scene seems to flow together in a effective way from the use of colour,helping to make each shot relate to the next.

 

 

When Remy decides to start cooking the scenes burst with life as the colours increase in intensity and emphasize the way his life is effected by food.In the shot above it amazes me to see the way Pixar can use such viberate colours that work so well together.There is a clear emotional connection and mood set within this scene and i feel it brings across a sense of excitement and drama to the shot.The use of comtrasting colours on the rat heps to make him stand out from his surrounding and make him the focal point of the action.

 

Pixar show within this film that colour is a art and that without this life can be added or taken away in such simple yet effective ways.Each shot has been clearly thought about and this is what makes it so good.

 

 

Car's

 

Within cars we can clearly see how Pixar use bright vibrant hues to bring out each cars different team colours and there unique accessories that are applied to the car. Pixar clearly have thought about each car as a sepereate character and tried to get variety within each to make sure they can easily be distinguished and related to. When Pixar produced Cars they travelled along route 66 to gather research and develope ideas, by doing this it can clearly be seen that they have incorporated these ideas. The use of colour and lighting sets the scene and really transports the viewer to the life of route 66.The bright desert sun and sandy setting helps to really immerse the viewer as well as make the cars in the scene pop from their surroundings.

 

 

In this colour script below it can be seen that Pixar have used broken colours to bring out the shadows and make them visually relate with other colours in the shot. Keeping this type of colour scheme has allowed them to make the cars that are highly saturated pop out from the scene and emphasize the visual focus within each shot. The broken colours have made these scenes very effective in their appeal and helped to emphasize the way shadows and light effect the scene. As well as this the use of colour emits a clear state of danger within the scene and emphasizes the way light is the danger approaching lightning McQueen.

Pixar Quote of the day

Today i was scanning over twitter and found this amazing quote that was tweeted by Pixar.

Disney•Pixar‏@DisneyPixar Pro Tip: Never underestimate the power of lighting. Good lighting creates a mood, bad lighting pulls the audience out of the moment.

This easily sums up exactly what i have been saying and the way Pixar aim to achieve a very effective use of colour to create moods for the audience.

The Incredibles

From all of pixars colour scripts , I believe this one by Lou Romano for the Incredibles is most interesting. In these scripts, He really delves deep into colour with each scene being split into its basic colours  sometimes only using 3 or 4 as a limited palette,yet the scene still feels alive and interesting at every point explaining exactly what is happening. These scripts really take into consideration the space surrounded by the colour and shows exactly how each colour will interact with the others.The scripts are so simple yet it answers every question we could have about the scene in simple blocked out areas. 

In this shot in particular below we see how Pixar have considered the feeling /mood of the character and how you as a viewer feel when you venture to a hard and stressful day work.It shows a very desaturated shot that has been drained of all life just like how the character is feeling at this point.Its such a simple concept but for this it works so well at every point that it is used.Pixar no this is exactly what will tap into your subconscious and pull you into the scene,getting you truly involved..

Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo, Pixars attempt at transporting you to the world of being a fish.You would expect in this film that the colour palette would be very limited and emphasize the blues of the sea but this isn't the case Pixar allow for a much more vibrant use of colour that brings the whole world of being under the sea to life.

From this colour script it can clearly be seen that colours are not limited and they are really trying to push what is being seen.The world feels full of life and all around there to something interesting to look at. Nemo, his father Marlin and Dory all show how Pixar have thought about how there characters should look and exactly how these particular fishes will work within the scene.It is obvious to most that they didn't just chose these particular fish because they liked the look of them but rather picked each fish to work out how there colours would work within the scene.

The bright highly saturated and bold colours within the image above clearly show what can be achieved with a bit of thought.Each Character pops from there surrounds while still as audience feeling transported to this underwater world.Within the background of this shot we see how most of the plants have a purplish hue by doing this it means that they are able to play with the tint and shade of the colour.This doesn't just limit the palette but also makes the whole scene have its underlying pure hues that are able to be related back to at all times.The way Pixar do this is incredible and without fail there films achieve this type of use of colour in every single one.

Monster Inc

In Monster Inc Pixar seem to try to push what colour can achieve making for a much more colourful and exciting film.I feel they try to do this to inform a much more exotic place and a non natural location that we are not use to seeing.We actually feel transported to a place where monsters could in theory live.

It can clearly be seen that Pixar stick to a limited colour palate within this film and instead try to incorperate the use of shades and tints to bring out each colour for what it is,using it for its full potential.For Monster Inc it really creates drama and exciting and brings a real life to hat we see on screen.The characters feel full of life and alive in nature.Characters such as Sulley and Mike both show how simple colours allow the them to be easily recognised and associated with.Children watching this movie could easily understand what is what and enjoy it as much as any other person.It could be said that this type of use of colour makes it feel a lot more cartoony in style and incorporate that familiar idea that we are use to seeing.

As we can see from this particular shot there is a clear use of complementary colours to add drama to the seen and allow for a much more exciting and interesting look.Even with this high saturated lighting set-up it still feels natural and relatable. This is Pixar at its best showing exactly what colour can do,allowing to add a clear focal point that gets the attention it deserves.

Toy Story 2

Moving through the Pixar films we find Toy Story 2 another of Pixars steps towards being so well known as it is today.Just as before the colour is placed down in a colour script seen below giving everyone an idea of what is trying to be achieved within each shot.

In the image below it can clearly be scene how complimentary colours have been uses the warm orange in the sky allows to create a sense of time and atmosphere within the scene as well as allowing buzz to be lit up by the orange sunset sky contrasting him again the blue house in the background.This means that he pops the front of the shot and creates for a much more dynamic and eye catching image.It could be said that the strong orange hues allow us to feel engaged with what is happening and allowing to pinpoint exactly what we should be looking at.

Within this shot below we find ourselves looking at a less clearly coloured scene but on closer inspection we see how there is a strong pale yellow light that brings the characters to the forfront of the scene allowing us to again pinpoint where we should be looking.By using this pale yellow and a pale blue in the left it has allowed woody and the other characters to pop from there background and clearly give a warm and friendly atmosphere to the whole scene.we feel relaxed and calm with what is going on within the scene and the colours used help to support the story in this way.

Bugs Life

Next up, Pixar's step towards taking you to another world.A bugs life was Pixars second movie and to keep up with the huge hit that was Toy Story they continued to use colour theory to there advantage.

From there colour script above it can clearly be scene how colour influences our judgement of how we feel about what is happening on screen. I remember being just 6 when this film came out and the fear that ran through me when Hopper arrived on screen was terrifying.By Pixar using deep dark blues to darken the shadows and some strong bright contrasting colours to exaggerate forms it has allowed them to make hopper seem more menacing and scary than he may normally look.It can clearly be scene that colour is used by Pixar to arc the mood within the story.

Shots such as the more adventurous scenes and opening scenes for instance have a extremely different set of colours.We see how the film is coloured in bright strong complementary way's as well as some more harmonious colours in places.We feel much more relaxed and calm as a viewer and feel welcomed into the warm world that is a Bugs Life.

As a example the shot below was taken from a bugs life . This shows the way Pixar used colour to have a cool calm atmosphere with the cool aqua blues and the complementary shiny purples and pale blues of the ants skins.As a viewer we feel relaxed with what is happening with the colours behind again arcing the story and what is happening between the characters.

Toy Story

Iv always been a keen fan of Pixar movies and there innate ability to pull you in whatever age you may be.They attract huge audiences all looking to be transported into the film and be taken to another place.It could be said that one of Pixar's biggest sub-concious elements that help them to achieve this is there use of colour.

Toy  Story was Pixar's first feature length movie and right off the bat they began to show what colour can achieve.Below is a colour script they used for just a few scenes of the movie.

Here we see the importance of colour to display the feeling and atmosphere of the story without the need to say anything.The use of complementary colours and harmonious colours allows Pixar to present a mood to each seen whether that be when there is danger approaching and the scene becomes desaturated or when the main characters are more relaxed in the opening sequence and the colours are vibrant.