Color Theory and Wes Anderson's Style - Sad Characters in a Colorful World

More on Wes Anderson's Color Palettes ►► bit.ly/anderson-color
How to Use Color in Film ►► bit.ly/color-film
Chapters:
00:00 How Wes Anderson's Style Subverts Color Theory
01:15 Color Theory - Hue, Saturation and Brightness
02:10 Color Bipolarity in The Royal Tenenbaums
03:12 Color Bipolarity in The Grand Budapest Hotel
04:18 Associating Color Palettes with Characters
05:00 Chas Tenenbaum and Red
06:14 When Happy Colors Meet Sad Subjects
06:58 Color Psychology in The Darjeeling Limited
07:34 Final Takeaways on Wes Anderson's Style
08:13 Learn More About Color Theory in Film
Wes Anderson - a filmmaker with a completely distinct visual style (aka the "Wes Anderson Style"), and a director with an eye for color psychology. In fact, of all his director trademarks found in films like Rushmore, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, it is his color palette that invites the most praise and analysis. In this video essay, we’ll take a specific look at how Wes Anderson often uses a bright and saturated color palette to balance out the darker subject matter of his films.
Color theory (or color psychology) suggests that certain colors have particular characteristics in how we relate to them. The color wheel, in other words, might represent the gamut of all human emotions. In Wes Anderson movies, he doesn’t typically favor one color over another - but he does use color palettes that pop on screen.
In movies like The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited, the production design is a feast of colors. But considering the subject matter of those films (dysfunctional families, revenge, death), the color palettes don’t quite fit. And that’s the interesting part of the Wes Anderson style - the tone is balanced with contrasting color schemes.
With such bright and saturated fairy tale color palettes, Wes Anderson movies can touch on deep, existential issues without bumming people out. And if it weren’t for the dramatic content, the exaggerated colors would be unbearably optimistic and cheerful. In standard film theory, color in film is usually seen to “support” the tone of the subject matter, but Wes Anderson movies complicate those expectations. This is advanced color theory executed by a filmmaker with a complete grasp of the color wheel who challenges our predisposed notions of color in film.
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[@fullmetalpsyche7755]

Can't wait for The French Dispatch

[@StudioBinder]

High hopes!

[@imranasfandi7664]

Hell yah

[@abhy301]

Yes!

[@tliaxolotl7240]

Maldito corona virus que la retraso... me too I can't wait for the french dispatch

[@jmd1770]

Yeaaaah same!

[@ruly8153]

The world needs more Wes Anderson’s He just creates alternate worlds and that’s so fresg

[@StudioBinder]

And color plays a huge part in making these alternate worlds!

[@kccambe]

Ruly manatee i rlly wanna be a director and wes anderson’s style rlly inspires me so yknow if that ever happens

[@ruly8153]

Katy Elizabeth You should watch this if you like Wes anderson..,, kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXiukGaBnL-cpdU It gives you allot of incite into how he makes his films and with his influences and that

[@ruly8153]

Omar Capaso That doesn’t seem to mesh

[@omarcapaso7156]

Ruly manatee not trying to be conventional here, and stick to one thing. I like to mix and make a new thing that fits to my liking. Every director has a multitude of influences I just don’t see one as the main influence yk?

[@slickdaddy6257]

The fact that StudioBinder gives us free filmmaking knowledge is just wholesome! Thank you team StudioBinder.

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@misswuz2717]

Wes Anderson is my favorite director because the simetris composition and color theory ❤

[@StudioBinder]

Those are his hallmarks!

[@kitkellison3087]

I was going to say that symmetry and repetition are as important in Wes Anderson compositions as color is.

[@trompodearrachera1284]

i feel ya

[@marktsundokupasha9995]

Grand Budapest enthralled me 😍

[@StudioBinder]

We loved it too!

[@rrqkuaci]

La La Land, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Tree of Life, also has an amazing color

[@StudioBinder]

Iconic color use in 2001, one of my favorites!

[@williamfellows6267]

Don't forget most of Edgar Wright's movies, especially Baby Driver

[@rrqkuaci]

@@williamfellows6267 and every CG scene in Scott Pillgrim vs. the World, but i'm not really think that use of color is his main style, Edgar Wright use of editing is his most iconic style, fast transition, jump cut, snap zoom, slow mo 😂

[@stacystracener1393]

Matrix-green is mandatory.

[@christophermay2400]

I generally prefer really colourful movies (Kubo and the Two Strings, The Neon Demon, Hero) but I have to say I loved David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" for its desaturated colour palette. Those Harry Potter movies sure did get gloomier with every installment, but there was something about "Half Blood Prince" which showed how darkness and desaturation can suggest mystery, not lifelessness. It has an amazing duel sequence in a bathroom with the blonde villain in a bright white shirt getting injured, his red blood a shocking contrast to the ambient gloom of the rest of the movie, which often verges on monochrome. That movie gets more visually interesting every time I see it. Big ups to the cinematographer too I guess. Thanks for another great vid, StudioBinder.

[@StudioBinder]

Very detailed breakdowns!

[@dinoschachten]

True! Half-blood prince is quite amazing, especially that bathroom scene. Aside from the colour, everything about that scene is so rich: Malfoy as villain that is not really a villain at all, Harry as a protagonist who - in blind anger and without knowing what he does - completely oversteps the line and uses one of the most terrible spells and nearly kills a fellow student, a morally ambiguous Snape who is the only one knowing the origin of the spell, taking on the role of a healer with quite a strong religious tone as he repeats the healing spell, and seemingly not even interested in punishing Harry for nearly killing a fellow student (there is so much non-verbal understanding with Snape in general)...

[@SharpDesign]

If I finish the book I want to write and a film was adapted, I would probably want Wes Anderson to direct it.

[@StudioBinder]

Many writers would 😂

[@eatatjoes6751]

Oh, I definitely would too!

[@nabarundey537]

This channel is literally one of the best channels in youtube...By the way, your reply to my comment in your previous video made my day😃😃😃...Thank You

[@StudioBinder]

Hope to see you here next week too :)

[@JaspreetSinghArtist]

@7:14 well in India if someone die people wear white or light color cloths in west people wear black clothes. in marriage west bride wear White in India mostly Red color or saturated colors like yellow orange.

[@StudioBinder]

Yeah, the colors were practically motivated by the story and setting, making their use even more effective

[@bibhabasumohapatra]

Wes Anderson is the legend n this century , after watching RUSHMORE i have watched all his movies 7 to 8 times . With his background score , colors , dialogue and the actors , heagain and again reminds us that we are watching a movie , a different world.

[@StudioBinder]

Amongst the best at world building for sure

[@BadKarma714]

Wes Anderson is a genius I love the life aquatic and the Royal Tenenbaums I think I watch too many movies on August 31 I turned 47 and I’ve watched a lot of movies in my life

[@StudioBinder]

watch too many movies? Not sure what that means 😂

[@_moonfall_]

Potentially interesting info: with the Indian funeral in Darjeeling, while it is obviously his intention to contrast attitudes between the two cultures, the wearing white isn't a Wes-choice, it's actually the cultural colour of mourning in India, as black is in the west!

[@danielkbarton]

Good video, never thought about the ideas for the color palette used in movies, but noticed immediately the colors in Wes Anderson's movies because they stand apart from all other movies. Then again, the quirkiness of Wes Anderson movie's are always stand alone from all others. Using repeat casting choices is reason enough to look forward to his movies.

[@Ambar42]

My favourite colour patterns are from Amelie. Also my favourite film.

[@StudioBinder]

Oh definitely Amelie. Masterclass on color

[@OakViewFilms]

One of the (many) reason I love Wes Anderson movies is his use of color. A lot of filmmakers nowadays seem to be afraid of using color in their movies. As much as a I love a lot of movies, I don't care for the flat, grey looking grading/color choices a lot of movies use nowadays.

[@StudioBinder]

Definitely agree on filmmakers not taking risks with color. That's one of the criticisms of the MCU - the films all look the same

[@kor2525]

I’m sad this is over, I’m happy I got to see it, he’s one of my favs hands down

[@StudioBinder]

One of ours too :)

[@marshayame]

Grand Budapest Hotel is my favorite movie and actually the first Anderson film I watched. This led me to watching all of his other films and absolutely loving the journey!

[@manikanadan5519]

Hai ... studio binder where is the video about Iso,shutter speed.

[@StudioBinder]

On their way!

[@jhors7777]

Thank you for posting this! I love Wes' movies! Very original.

[@VoltesWithElias]

I'm not a big fan of Wes Anderson but this video has made me rethink my position. Thanks for sharing.

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@ruata4cabin20]

Its the only channel is visited every day. Every video open a new things for me. Thank You SB

[@StudioBinder]

Happy learning!

[@eli_r_q]

I would love to see you do a video on French-Canadian Director Xavier Dolan. He has a range of compelling filmmaking tropes such as aspect ratios as well as a distinct use of montages and colour. I'd find it so compelling if you delved into the intricacies of his style. I'd also like to say I adore your channel, and this video is marvellous. My film teacher actually used on of your videos to demonstrate the utilisation of the Dutch tilt in filmmaking. So thank you for the consistently incredible videos.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion! And that's great to hear our videos are being used in classrooms ❤️

[@JITENDRASINGH-ym5gu]

You made my evening.... Today it was so nice... Learnt something new...

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@morenofranco9235]

Excellent documentary. Love it. Thank you.

[@vesselunseen]

This was a wonderful insight and well edited

[@StudioBinder]

We appreciate it!

[@Angels-3xist]

I dunno. Seems like alot of this could be misinterpreted, or things that weren’t considered, like taking off the red track suit was more obviously because you know. Black = funeral. A joke more than symbolism, but variety of interpretation is interesting. Alot of the scenes he does seems to be derived from sort of old school photo albums and other outdated photography or scenes of nostalgia. I’d say if you wanted to get similar ideas, go through a million albums you buy from a garage sale or antique store or ask other people what they think is nostalgic. It is interesting where it develops or diverges in a way you don’t quite expect, like the Darjeeling Limited seemed to have alot of Indian nostalgia, or when scenery is arranged in dioramas or where he uses a very unique visual like the shootout in the hotel looking like a fancy cake which is reenforced by having fancy cakes in other scenes or the silent film style in the chase scenes or the grocery store in Mr. Fox kind of looking like a 90’s dairy ad.

[@StudioBinder]

His aesthetic is also due to simply him wanting it to look that way, but this analysis of his color palette holds up across his filmography - he's always using bright color palettes with surprisingly dark subject matter

[@katrinaceleste1485]

i really love the use of colour in xavier dolan's "heartbeats" (especially the contrasting love scenes)

[@StudioBinder]

Great choice!

[@balintnk]

I think that bright saturated colours together do not always make you feel joy - like seen in your Kubrick video with the Shining within. Bright colours mixed can be toxic when not balanced, and Wes Anderson can use this uneasyness directly, not just through imbalance with the subject matter.

[@joaquinhernandez6940]

Names for directors and their future directing style videos. - Spike Lee - The Activist - Michael Bay - The Demolitionist - Greta Gerwig - The Individualist - Christopher Nolan - The Philosopher - Guillermo Del Toro - The Alchemist - Steven Spielberg - The Adventurer - Ridley Scott - The Architect - Robert Rodriguez- The Multitasker Pretty great adjectives, don't you think?

[@xxh2022xx]

Pretty good, - Quentin Tarantino - The feetish

[@StudioBinder]

Really like The Architect for some reason

[@laHagans]

Excellent

[@arkadeepsharma]

I love Stephen Spielberg's. The Architect as well. Nolan's however, I'm not sure. There are many other directors that are overt philosophers way more than Nolan. He's not a bad director, I love his films but they're not extensively philosophical in nature. Give Terrance Mallick that title, or Darren Aronofsky. Charlie Caufman is a master regarding this as well based on the movies he has written and directed but he's directed too few movies to include him here.

[@joaquinhernandez6940]

@@arkadeepsharma Darren Aronofsky's video has him as "The Behaviorist." Thanks for the feedback, though.

[@anthonysalciccioli6052]

What an outstanding video. I learned a lot from it.

[@thedownloshow]

Thanks for this! I love trying it in my videos

[@drewo.127]

7:38 This tip is perfect not just for stories and films, but also kind of a good tip in life in general!

[@shreyangaurab7519]

Now that was a very COLORFUL video

[@StudioBinder]

Vibrant, right?

[@bertiebrown581]

The entirety of “The Fall” by Tarsem Singh

[@StudioBinder]

Solid choice!

[@mayafigurelli5108]

Wow great video, I'm doing a big article about Wes Anderson and this will be of great help! Thankss

[@MrAnuraag77]

This video is gold!

[@Maros_Mari]

Thanks for this. I love Wes Anderson's movies and his style. Please, if you can do similar essay about Jean-Pierre Jaunette, would be great.

[@esther1994]

Wes Anderson's style has the "its life!" feel, that's why the story and colour/music are at an odd contrast, sometimes.

[@StudioBinder]

Great point!

[@salemalifilms8508]

Do a Christopher Nolan directing style

[@weirdlynx]

Nolan doesn't left fingerprint and style in every movie like Anderson!

[@kafka8253]

#skirt

[@KushagraaDubeyy]

Weird Lynx Contrivingly creating a superficial “wow” moment through seemingly complex intellectual hogwash is quite strong of a fingerprint !

[@IshaanGupta00]

Kushagra Dubey Oh really? You you mean to say that concepts such as Shepard’s Tone, Penrose steps, Time Dilation, and Entropy are hogwash?

[@IshaanGupta00]

Kushagra Dubey It’s a shame that there are viewers like you who don’t even appreciate the amount of effort that a filmmaker puts into their films.

[@WillAdamMusic]

3:13 Well done and thank you for pronouncing Budapest correctly 🙏🏻

[@StudioBinder]

Of course 😉

[@user-is2zg4cc9n]

I just love this channel

[@StudioBinder]

❤️

[@fabio146]

I love this channel.

[@sergejisd]

He is certainly inspired by French film directors like Luc Besson, Jean-Jacques Beineix and, especially, Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Not forgetting photographers Pierre & Gilles.

[@dylanroemmele906]

how you going to list french directors without putting godard, his actual biggest influence

[@robertsvoboda3508]

Everything around us is in fact bright, colorful and beautiful. And strange, tragic things happen to us in this very same setting. That's why, I would argue, Wes Anderson's movies are quite lifelike.

[@fouadelouarradi8517]

My fav gem demonstrating colors is '' The Fall''

[@StudioBinder]

What do you like about the colors?

[@hussainlali4630]

Great vid as always

[@StudioBinder]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@Kladium]

Great video!

[@cainazzo1]

I like the use of colors in Suspiria by Dario Argento

[@StudioBinder]

Great choice!

[@linasen2958]

Great video! ❤️

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@lillifeldeborn9591]

I love your videos so much but I would love to see more about female and divers directors!

[@Lucas-yj1eu]

Hey studiobinder! I have been rewatching all of Edgar Wright’s films this last week and thought that maybe you guys could do a video on him? He has a very unique style that really appeals to me, and probably millions of others! I thought it could be an interesting video :)

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@florianhofmann7553]

One frame is usually enough to recognize a Wes Anderson movie. I'd like to add that the images are also very low in contrast. So in summary one might say: coloured high-key lighting (high brightness, soft lighting, low contrast), high saturation, simple and uniform hue

[@abhy301]

In North of India the traditional colour to wear on a funeral is white. It's not a deliberate choice by Anderson rather he immersed into the tradition to highlight the whites in Darjeeling Limited funeral scene.

[@intpeeko1]

I hope this randomly reccomended in 2022 !!

[@Toxxsicklemons]

Maaaan I’m sorry for not watching any of this mans film 😅 but great, great video !

[@alex.afshar-film]

Good job!

[@oussamamabrouk5273]

Thank you.

[@HAPPYMERCS]

Love this! I was just learning about the 3 color rule yesterday. Hey, can you do Tim Burton Color next time please?

[@StudioBinder]

we might!

[@HAPPYMERCS]

@@StudioBinder great

[@macmahoney9995]

liked, subscribed, and saved!

[@shashsrivas]

For monochromatic scenes is the color given digitally or does the production team pick every prop of that particular color?

[@StudioBinder]

every shot is color graded, but it all starts with the set design

[@mikeberry2332]

So what you're saying is that the bright colors of his films sometimes contrast with the dark subject matter?

[@hereisduyn]

He is the only director i can remember cuz of his style

[@bollywoodfightactionreacti9189]

Nice video

[@LegendaryLife]

Full color, brightness, saturation, deep focus and perfect symmetry that's him. Exact opposite of me😂.

[@StudioBinder]

Stylistic differences :)

[@swastiknandgaonkar8307]

Just a note:- in the movie The Darjeeling limited another reason for white colour in funeral scene is Bcuz in India people wear white clothes for funerals not black

[@bibhuranjandutta470]

Sir , please show directing style of Alfered Hitchcock

[@StudioBinder]

Definitely on the list!

[@bibhuranjandutta470]

Thank you sir

[@esther1994]

Where is that clip in which Wes says "making movies" ?

[@alexanderashmore]

Great video! Wes Anderson is one of the greatest unique directors. What’s the song at 5:50?

[@StudioBinder]

"Lullabye" by Emitt Rhodes

[@lamasiareels]

Great!

[@jamessheppard5271]

could you guys do a video(s) on making an anthology series?

[@saraszoke6215]

3:13 thank you for pronouncing Budapest right. 😁

[@StudioBinder]

Of course 💯

[@bandiharshith2678]

My favourite colour panel is from La La Land movie. BTW Great video as always.

[@StudioBinder]

La La Land has a great color palette 👍

[@dinoschachten]

I would really say combining the darkness with bright colour and humour is a gift, not exactly a challenge for the audience. But maybe my mind is more Anderson than I realised. :)

[@twiglet2214]

On a vist to a Picasso exhibition in London a few years ago i decided to use the audio guide which explained the artists use of tone/colour/symbolism in their work and it was a complete game changer for me.A red triangle on top of the subjects head,for example conveyed a message about identity/history and location of the subject that to the uninitiated would be,well just a meaningless red triangle ! In the same way when watching world cinema - i believe it was Pauline and Paulette ? - the directors cut - an extra on the DVD menu - the director talked about the use of colour palette and symbolism in the film and ever since we have a much richer experience watching films.Many memorable shots have we seen but a couple worth a mention are the sugar cube dipped into the coffee and seeing the sugar cube absorb the coffee - which was experimented with until sugar of exactly the right consistency was found and the other was a hand mark made by a warm human hand momentarily touching on a highly polished piano top - and seeing the hand impression evaporate over several seconds - impermanence written in images.Thanks for such high quality information and sharing your knowledge and insights into the mysterious and wonderful world of film making. Sugar Cube kzbin.info/www/bejne/opqll5aHd7poqsU

[@growthhacking9126]

Hey Studio Blender, what's the name of the song at the beginning?????

[@NoMoneyProductions]

He is a colourful person in real life too❤️

[@StudioBinder]

Yeah, just as interesting as his films 😂

[@shahariarshahed2175]

Birdman has amazing use of colors

[@StudioBinder]

We agree!

[@lumaw982]

Thanks

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching :)

[@Ruffahhhoruwork_part2]

Thanks for this I am a learner from srilanka

[@alanhyt79]

In The Life Aquatic, the red caps were worn because the characters were divers. Red caps and their red flags in the water help keep them visible. It's a standard in diving.

[@StudioBinder]

Yes, but that is still an intentional detail of production design on Wes Anderson part - there are so many divers shown in movies but most of them we don't remember how they look!

[@maufernandez4270]

One of my favorite color palette is in "the aviator" by Scorsese ❤️✌️

[@abhinavdp7376]

How are your videos so amazing??

[@StudioBinder]

teamwork makes the dream work

[@JaspreetSinghArtist]

why this channel still don't have million subscribers

[@StudioBinder]

working on it 😅

[@agusfirmansyah9983]

Great video, What's the song at 2:57

[@zepol6566]

What song was playing in the beginning?

[@ULTRA0ALIEN]

Edgar Wright pleaseeee! best channel on the interweb.

[@miguelantelo1499]

Do one about Alfonso Cuaron started by children of men this filme have one awesome long take and use emphasis in the colors green and gray.

[@StudioBinder]

we've got a breakdown specifically on one of the long takes in the film! kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3qsf3aeibmsntU

[@saranr4394]

Please do, the directing style session for PTA

[@StudioBinder]

We don't have a directing style yet but we do have 3 great videos breaking down his techniques kzbin.info?search_query=studiobinder+paul+thomas+anderson

[@ayushgovind6260]

Hey would be great if you could make a video on Peter Jackson.(hobbit and LOTR) 👍🏽 you guys are amazing

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@off-axis]

Does anyone know the song in the intro? Thanks.

[@promitbhowmick1721]

Plz explain wong kar wai's film making style

[@krutikastudio]

amazing video... Thank you so much #krutikaanimationstudio

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@andresoliva1348]

Does anybody know what's the music at 0:40?

[@frankkoehlerseg]

Jean Pierre-Jeunet directing Style please!!! 🙏🙏🙏. Thks for this wonderful video

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@themaximusfilms3194]

Does anyone know what song is this? 2:57

[@farizshadier6324]

Where can I watch his movie?

[@saeed_kia]

Could you please intruduce a book about colour in films or colour science except yours which is on website?

[@itzzz6525]

Iam a TAMIL but your Videos are More USEFULLY Thanks u so much😊

[@StudioBinder]

Glad they're working!

[@itzzz6525]

@@StudioBinder 💚

[@Bkkunwar]

what is the name of music in the starting