Colours on the screen

Figure 3.13 Cohn, B. (2017) The Color of Melodrama: In The Mood For Love and Julieta. https://medium.com/@ theperksofhavinganemail/the-color-of-melodrama-in-the-mood-for-love-and-julieta-9709ab91a4af (Accessed: 22 November 2019)

Colours, like features, follow the changes of the emotions

Pablo Picasso, 1930

The Mood for Love, 2000: the colour of melodrama

The Mood of Love directed by Wong karwai has an intensive use of colour to deliver a strong emotion of the characters. The primary colours used signify the strong, singular emotions the characters have. For instance, the use of dark red and blacks to display a painful restraint and emotions in a romantic melodrama. The richness of these colours effectively expressed how absurd their emotions are.

Based on my observation, a film maker should think of all aspect when making a movie. Producing movie is like creating a whole new world. And one of the methods is with the use of colour. Through this film, the emotions being captured strongly with colours whether its passion, sadness or yearning, it just makes you follow with the action and moods on screen.

On screen film, helps to visualised how colour can be used in a different point of view. Combination of colour to express different feeling where it is beyond our limit to experience them with our own eyes.

Figure 3.14 Cohn, B. (2017) The Color of Melodrama: In The Mood For Love and Julieta. https://medium.com/@ theperksofhavinganemail/the-color-of-melodrama-in-the-mood-for-love-and-julieta-9709ab91a4af (Accessed: 22 November 2019)

This scene signifies a long moment when Wong’s emotions seems to magically draw out of them. The colour particularly the effect of smoke used in this scene is very particular on focusing the message Wong wants to deliver.

Figure 3.15 Cohn, B. (2017) The Color of Melodrama: In The Mood For Love and Julieta. https://medium.com/@ theperksofhavinganemail/the-color-of-melodrama-in-the-mood-for-love-and-julieta-9709ab91a4af (Accessed: 22 November 2019)

Wong breaks his colour palette, leaving a bright spot of green delivering a contrast and a moment of ending of the story when finally, the characters have left each other.

Precedent Studies

Maggie’s Centre, Oxford // Wilkinson Eyre Architects

Year of completion: 2014

Maggie’s centres aims to provide programme of support to strengthen the physical and emotional wellbeing of people with cancer and their families and friends. Built in the grounds of NHS cancer hospitals, Maggie’s centres are places with professional staff on hand to offer the support people in need. Spaces and ambience of the rooms are especially important elements in order to make people feel no pressure when they visit the centre. The internal layout of the centre is divided into three wings with the dining space as the central of the building. It is designed to make the patients to feel more like a home when visiting the centre. With this in mind, all rooms are linked to the central welcoming heart of the building where the kitchen, dining table and stove are located.

Colour is one of the key elements to create a cozy space and feels supportive to the patients. With the right choices of colours and with having glass connecting the partition walls to the ceiling, it brings in the light into the building. Together, it creates a strong relationship between the internal spaces and the natural surroundings, which offers views and light from every corner of the building.