The Semantic Use of Colors in Science Fiction Cinema

Colours are powerful phenomena, both scientifically and psychologically. Whether we are aware of it or not, we feel them in almost every aspect of our lives. Sometimes they give new meanings, sometimes they make existing meanings more visible and understandable.

In science, this subject is known as “colour theory”. Isaac Newton's studies of colour spectra and Goethe's colour wheel are the cornerstones of this field. Since then, various colour wheels (primary, secondary and tertiary colours or various mixtures) have been created and some have been accepted as laws.

There is, of course, a human side to this. If you are a fan of a colour that is generally less preferred, for example brown, that colour may become dominant and prioritised in your visual memory. Emotions and the feelings that colours evoke in us play an important role here.

Apart from that, the most valuable use of colour is undoubtedly in all kinds of artistic activities. I realised today that I had unintentionally started this topic.

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Recently, although I have no visual design skills, I have created some simple designs. I was looking for colours and shapes that were pleasing to my eyes and aesthetic, but there were moments when I did not know what to do. It was at this point that I decided that the most logical solution would be to look at existing designs. Remembering the theme of 'book cover appeal' that I mentioned in my previous articles, I looked at what was included in foreign editions. In particular, I found the work of the great names of the period (1970-1990) to be very successful, and the analysis is very heart-warming. Of course, my aim was not to create a design like theirs, but to allow the use of colours that would dominate or reveal the main theme.

Since the visual aspect of the books consists of the fixed designs on their covers, I wanted to make this idea more fluid and I thought about science fiction cinema. I examined their posters and skimmed some scenes and sections to look at the colours that reveal their themes. And once again I came across colours that I could easily guess, colours that did not surprise me. What I realised was that I had already internalised these colours. It didn't take long to associate them with the genre, the narrative, the theme, perhaps the faction, the symbol or symbols involved in the production. Because films have either shaped these colours in their era, or they have not hesitated to find ways to satisfy us psychologically.

Photo by Christina Rumpf on Unsplash

So I devoted some time to science fiction cinema, which is my favourite, and I acted on the basis of colours rather than films, so that the main colours that came to mind actually presented me with narratives that were actually obvious.

It's not always as simple as saying, "Well, the colour red means love and romance. It can be used in romantic scenes, but if it is a romantic comedy, the colour red will probably not even be mentioned. That's why I wanted to point out that I didn't do any research based on theme or work. Also, this should not always be seen as a single colour.

For example, let's look at red-orange and its shades. Maybe we can add some yellow to it. What themes does it bring to mind? Warm colours, isn't it? Maybe you can start there. Now turn up the heat, more and more. Burn, scorch, until there's nothing left but dust and sand.

Personally, the first thing that comes to mind is “post-apocalyptic”. You may have been reminded of films and scenes from science fiction that are more primitive and wild, or that feature interesting handmade technologies. You may have thought of “Mad Max”, for example, or perhaps some scenes from “Blade Runner 2049” (apart from the dominant purple-pink neon colours). The “Dune” series is another good example. Yes, the common denominator is actually sand dunes, desert or wasteland with no greenery. Can you imagine using a blue filter to describe that? If the colour blue didn't have a fictional meaning, it would be absurd and funny. But the essentially chaotic and seemingly independent structure of orange can adapt to the lifelessness and stillness of the background.

“Dune Part Two” and “Blade Runner 2049” Movie Posters

Let's try another colour. This time we're going to keep it green, but not in shades, a bit more monotonous. We can add a little bit of black, which can be added from time to time. When we say green, unlike the example above, what we associate with it is vitality, life, birth, happiness and pastoral themes. But the example I am going to give is a little different.

What I want to mention is a production that belongs to the “cyberpunk” genre. I am talking about the “Matrix” series. Now the green is in its place, isn't it? This time vitality, happiness or pastoral elements are replaced by pessimism. Even the subtext of birth and life is presented in a dystopian framework. Green, one of the colours of technology and appropriate to the genre, is engraved in our memories with the seemingly random flow of codes. The mysterious structure of this colour saturates the philosophical narrative, which is omnipresent but not immediately comprehensible. In the scenes where it is combined with black, it gets its shadow without needing another tone, and the two complement each other. Throughout the film, we understand that we are dealing with a production that is fluid, full of surprises, serious but with artificial and technological elements. And there it is.

“Matrix Reloaded” and “Matrix Revolutions” Movie Posters

I would like to emphasise this. A production cannot be completely monochromatic, but it is possible to see the dominance of one colour in the outstanding and stamping scenes. In scenes with different themes, there will be other colours associated with them, but when we look at the whole production, the dominant colours are obvious.

Another important point is that colours can play an effective role on the basis of characters, as well as having a clear meaning as a theme. Perhaps we can see these as colour transitions.

When the film begins, as we get to know the characters, the basic colour tones of the narrative become apparent. At the beginning, the director presents the theme with these colours; in the following scenes, as events unfold, changes in the colour palette are observed. The character will encounter an obstacle, look for ways to overcome it, and so on. As this flow of events progresses or a resolution occurs, we will also see the colours change.

Compressed image of the dominant colours in each scene of some films - Source

Maybe we are witnessing the birth of a character who has been pulled in a bad direction as an antagonist, and we are encountering darker tones or black itself than before. Can you think of an example? In the “Star Wars” series, for example, Anakin Skywalker's innocent white-blue (wisdom, protection, good side) becomes the dangerous and frightening red-black (anger, destruction, dark side) when he becomes Darth Vader.

On the other hand, a character who finds a cure, a method, or who directs his quest in a positive direction and brings victory, may gradually begin to be adorned with light, enveloped in light tones, and gain vitality. The “death” of the grey (balance, mediation, neutrality) Gandalf and the emergence of the white (purity, leadership, hope, enlightened transformation) Gandalf from “The Lord of the Rings” series can be taken as an example.

In short, in both cases the colours are not only the aesthetics of the clothes/items, but also an indication of the psychological and spiritual position of the character. Anakin's desire for vengeance and a change of allegiance leads him to hide in the darkness and make treacherous plans. Gandalf's humble, world-watching form in grey is complemented by his transformation into a wise leader in white.

In this way, the colours also give us an idea of the character's development, or we can understand that the character's journey is complete.

In short, colours are dominant and can shape the work, if not the whole genre. If we consider them separately from the theme, they can also convey important points such as the moods of the characters, the transition between scenes, the portrayal of another character, the focus on a symbol. In other words, we see the director writing the film with colours rather than words.