In the end of September 2024, we attended an intensive course, or what one might call a block seminar, in the Czech city of Olomouc. The topic of this seminar which was part of the broad spectrum of cultural studies dealt with the properties which colour has in film. Colour in film has variety of roles. It can convey meaning, show contrasts, give hints to the viewers, assign roles to characters, and sometimes it even has no purpose at all. Colour on its own does not have any inherent meaning; it is only a ray of light which reaches the inside of our eyes and is then turned into a property of an object. Sure, to most people a shade of green appears greenish. That this shade of green means the same to all of us, however, is not guaranteed. To some it might signify hope, while other might think of it as something that reminds them of nature. Then again, others might not be able to associate anything with the colour. The bottom line of our diverse lenses of perception through which colour enters our minds is that colour always depends on its beholder’s interpretation of it. In its most basic form, it is just paint for a canvas or a vessel for form itself. While it might seem that the writer has a nihilistic view of colour, this is certainly not the case. Hardly, any usage of colour in a film happens in a vacuum. From the very first second onwards, a message is sent, a point is made, a meaning is conveyed. Even in a black and white-coloured film light, and therefor, colour play a role. It goes without saying that every artist trying to convey meaning with colour will by following colour-coded system sent a message. Naturally, colour’s meaning is therefor highly dependent on the context it is shown in. However, if a colour is embedded into a system of meaning and if the film maker is following that system and if their viewers are therefor able to understand its meaning, it does not matter which shade of a colour a person is seeing. Due to the system implemented over the course of the film, the viewer is enabled to even change their classical connotations of colour. Colours that were previously coded negatively might, subject to an unconventional colour system of a film obtain a new meaning opposite to its previous meaning. Sometimes, the mental gymnastics coming along with such unconventional usages provide us with perspectives not taken before.
It is in line with this thought that our group tried to look at a different entity of films also connected to colour. As previously established, colour can also be a vessel for form. A vessel for colour on the other hand, or something that is given a form by colour depending on how one assigns the roles in this reciprocal relationship is smog. Smog consisting of steam or smoke or other aerosols can only take shape become visible if colour is projected onto it. Regardless of the violent character it is mostly associated with, smog can even appear beautiful, if a colour pleasing to the eye of the viewer is seen on its surface. Just like colour, its meaning is assigned to it by the viewer. Smoke or smog on its own is not necessarily harmful. While it can signify pollution, it can also be a sign of a warming fire lit. Smog in film, like colour, is embedded into a context, relying on its viewer’s interpretation. Owing to this complex and reciprocal relationship of smog with the viewer, as well as with colour, we made a video with respect to the various encounters of colours with smog.
by Falko Reents & Klára Mrkvičková & Julie Pförtnerová
