Cinematography technique · used in 3 films

Seasonal Color Deterioration

Dividing the film into seasons and shifting the color from warm and rich to cold and washed out. The changing colors track the characters' decline.

Examples

3 films that use it

  1. Requiem for a Dream (2000) poster

    Requiem for a Dream

    Darren Aronofsky · 2000

    The film is divided into 'Summer', 'Fall' and 'Winter'. Summer looks warm, golden and almost nostalgic. Fall cools down. Winter is blue-gray and washed out, with all the warmth gone. The colors tell the same story as the addiction. The warmth was always heading somewhere colder, and each chapter marks a stage of the descent.

    Where to see it: The cut from Fall to Winter. The colors turn colder, so you see things getting worse before anything in the plot confirms it.

  2. Brokeback Mountain (2005) poster

    Brokeback Mountain

    Ang Lee · 2005

    Rodrigo Prieto's photography gives the mountain sequences warm, rich color. The valley scenes of ordinary married life get steadily cooler and more washed out. The change in color shows the gap between the life lived and the life wanted.

    Where to see it: The summer mountain sequences against Ennis's lonely trailer at the end. You see the same man in warm color and in cold color, and they are 2 different existences.

  3. Lady Vengeance (2005) poster

    Lady Vengeance

    Park Chan-wook · 2005

    In Park's Fade to Black and White version, the film starts in full color and the palette drains scene by scene. Geum-ja's blue coat gives way to a black leather one. The color loss follows her as she moves toward the revenge.

    Where to see it: Geum-ja's coat scenes. Her blue coat turns into a black leather one as the film moves toward the killing.

Questions

Quick answers

What is seasonal color deterioration in film?
Dividing the film into seasons and shifting the color from warm and rich to cold and washed out. The changing colors track the characters' decline.
Which films use seasonal color deterioration?
Requiem for a Dream (2000), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Lady Vengeance (2005).
What kind of technique is seasonal color deterioration?
It is a cinematography technique. Related cinematography techniques include Rigged Camera Placement, Landscape as Sacred Geography.