Understanding Color & Exposure! (Research)

 Why is it important?

Color and exposure are extremely important to understand and be able to use effectively as a cinematographer. Both concepts work together to produce a good shot. Without the other, the entire shot falls apart. But how do they create meaning separately and together?

Color!

In the video below, it explains how cinematographers use color to subconsciously change the audience’s emotions.

Colors can help the viewers psychologically and guides how they interpret the scene. For example, warm colors can express comfort/nostalgia/calmness and cool colors may express distance/sadness/fear. Saturating the colors makes the shot more dramatic/bold, while desaturating makes it feel more realistic/grounded. 

Repetition of specific colors creates motifs that can further help the audience understand the scene better.

Schindler’s List (1993)
Famous example of using color as motif in film. The red symbolizes the girl’s innocence and contrasts her to the other people.

Exposure!

Exposure is the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensors. To simplify, it helps determine how dark or bright an image will be. This video helps to explain how deciding exposure is so important.

Exposure helps build mood through light, contrast and visibility. Changing the exposure also changes the tone of the scene alongside it. 

Controlling exposure can show what is revealed and what is hidden in the frame. Having good exposure maintains detail in important areas so the meaning of the shot stays clear. High exposure makes the shot feel more energetic/safe/open and low exposure makes the shot feel intimate/mysterious/tense.

Se7en (1995)
This film often uses underexposure in order to create an uncertain and fearful mood.

Both!

Color and exposure often (if not, always) work together in cinematography to create meaning and shape how the audience feels/understand a scene. Exposure is usually set first, helping to guide the viewer’s attention, then the color palette is layered on top to give emotional clarity/context. For example, in the still Se7en above, using underexposure and dull/muted colors creates a sense of dread and even moral decay. When both are use purposefully/correctly, they help tell the story without any words.