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Media Journal In video production, how can color be used
for symbolic purposes?
Generating Meaning with Color
Broadcast and Video Production I
Terms Color: Is the property of light, not of object
or liquids. Hue: Describes the color itself.
Red, blue, green, and yellow are color hues
Terms Saturation: Saturation describes the color
richness-the color strength. Saturation is sometimes called chroma, which is
Greek for “color”. White, gray, and black have no chroma (actual
color saturation) and are therefore, called achromatic colors.
Terms Brightness: Indicated by how light or dark
a color appears in a black and white photograph. The brightness of a color depends on how much
light the color reflects. Black and white TV’s produce images that vary
in brightness only.
Informational Function of Color Color tells us more about a scene; we
simply get more information from a color picture than we do from a black and white one.
Choosing Colors Surrounding Colors: The way we perceive a
color is greatly influenced by the surrounding colors.
Similar Colors: When you use the same color for the foreground object as for the background, you will have a hard time seeing the object.
Contrast Colors: Just as similar colors can lead to poor pictures; so does too much contrast between foreground and background.
Colors and Feelings Colors seem to influence our perceptions
and emotions in fairly specific ways. Certain colors seem warmer than others; some
appear closer or more distant. Some colors have high-energy and excite us;
other have low-energy and calm us down.
Examples A box painted with a warm color seems
heavier than the same-weight box painted a cooler color.
In a room light with red light, we seem to feel that time moves more slowly; in one illuminated by cooler light, time seems to go a little faster.
Color Energy Is the relative aesthetic impact a color has
on us. The energy of a color depends on: The hue, saturation and brightness attributes of a
color. The size of the colored area. The contrast between foreground and
background colors.
Color Energy and Graphics To draw attention to a title or graphic area,
use a high-energy color set off against a low-energy background. High Energy: “loud” or “bright” colors – pure reds,
yellows, blues Low Energy: washed-out or pastel colors –
beige, pink, light blue, grays
Expressive Function of Color Color is intended to make us feel a specific
way. Colors can: Express the essential quality of an object or
event. Add excitement and drama to an event. Help establish a mood.
Color Symbolism Cool Colors (blue, green, violet)
Tend to suggest tranquility, aloofness, and serenity
Tend to recede in an image
Warm Colors Suggest aggressiveness, violence, and
stimulation Tend to come forward in most images
Lighting All video uses some sort of lighting, whether it be natural
light (from the sun) or artificial lights. The goal of video lighting is to choose the best source(s) to achieve your goals.
First and foremost you need enough light. You must ensure that your camera is able to record an acceptable picture in the conditions. With modern cameras this is seldom a problem except in very low light or strong contrast.
Lighting Assuming you have enough light, you must then
consider the quality of the light and how the various light sources combine to produce the image.
If you have clashing light sources (e.g. artificial interior lights with sunlight coming through the windows), you may find the colors in your image appear unnatural. It's best to control the light sources yourself if possible (e.g. turn off the lights or close the curtains).
Contrast Ratio The difference in brightness between the brightest and
darkest parts of the picture. Video does not cope with extreme contrast as well as
film, and nowhere near as well as the human eye. The result of over-contrast is that some parts of the
picture will be too bright or too dark to see any detail. For this reason you need to ensure that there is not too much contrast in your shot.
Lighting When moving between
locations, think about what light source you are using. If you move from an outside setting to an inside one with artificial lights, the amount of light may seem the same but the color temperature will change according to the type of lights.
In this case you need to white balance your camera for the new light source.
White Balance White balance basically means color balance. It is a
function which gives the camera a reference to "true white" — it tells the camera what the color white looks like, so the camera will record it correctly. Since white light is the sum of all other colors, the camera will then display all colors correctly.
White Balance Incorrect white balance shows up as pictures with
orange or blue tints:
Correct Too orange Too blue
White Balance You should perform this procedure at the beginning of
every shoot, and every time the lighting conditions change. It is especially important to re-white balance when moving between indoors and outdoors, and between rooms lit by different kinds of lights.
During early morning and late evening, the daylight color changes quickly and significantly (although your eyes don't notice, your camera will). Do regular white balances during these periods.
White Balance A camera with a manual white-balance function. There
should be a "white balance" button or switch on your camera.
Point your camera to a pure white subject, so that most of what you're seeing in the viewfinder is white.
Activate the white balance by pressing the button or throwing the switch. The camera may take a few seconds to complete the operation, after which you should get a message (or icon) in the viewfinder.
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