Why Do Good Movies Use Just 3 Colors

The “Three Color Rule” in filmmaking is a guideline suggesting that a film’s color palette should consist of a primary color (60%), a secondary color (30%), and an accent color (10%). This rule is employed to focus the viewer’s attention, maintain a specific mood, and convey messages through color.

How the Three Color Rule Works:

• Balance and Harmony The 60-30-10 rule is about creating a balanced and harmonious color scheme. The dominant color occupies most of the frame, while the secondary color supports it, adding depth. The accent color provides contrast and draws the eye to specific elements.
• Cinematographers, DOPs (Directors of Photography), and editors use the Three Color Rule to focus the audience’s attention on the story.
• Color Grading Great films maintain consistent color grading to sustain a mood or direct attention, using color to communicate with the audience.

Examples of Films Using Color Effectively:

• Her In Her, the primary color is brown, the secondary color is red, and the accent is a subtle blue.
• Mad Max: Fury Road This film uses vibrant oranges and blues to create a visually stunning desert landscape and evoke feelings of intensity, danger, and urgency.

• Amélie Features a warm color palette with greens, reds, and yellows to mirror the film’s whimsical and romantic nature.

Color choices in film are used to enhance storytelling, develop characters, and create immersive atmospheres. Each color carries its own associations and meanings:

• Red Signifies anger, passion, desire, and violence.
• Blue Represents faith, peace, calm, and trust.
• Green Symbolizes healing, nature, renewal, and envy.

The use of color in film is a deliberate choice by filmmakers to make a statement and add depth to the story.

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