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Petty, I am really interested in colours and cinematography after reading all your posts. So what are some resources(books, videos, articles, courses.......) you would suggest for a newbie like me. Thank you for doing the work you're doing.....I pray you keep doing it for a veryyyyyyy long time.❤️

Oh! I love this question because I love a good list of sources, but I want to clarify that the items I'm mentioning are in English and aren't cinematography focused or even centered on color theory. The sources fall more on the visual storytelling and color psychology side, but hopefully they will still help. Also, although I'm writing about visuals, I operate in the realm of text, so these ten sources are textual in nature, but some do include videos:

If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die: The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling

Although it came out in 2005, and some of the scientific studies Bellantoni mentions are outdated, this is no way lowers the value of this book. Bellantoni, a color theorist, uses accessible language and plenty of examples from well-known movies to easily explain visual rhetoric. Ask anyone who studies colors in visual media, and eight times out of ten, this is the go-to book. Many public libraries have this book, and I know the Internet Archive does as well.

Color Theory for Dummies

If the previous book was easy to comprehend, this is even easier! This is one of the newer books on my list since it just came out in 2022. The first three parts of the book are useful for understanding color theory and color psychology, so I think those parts would be more helpful to someone just starting out in the field. Eric Hibit, a visual artist, wrote the book, so part four and five are more focused on what an artist would need to know about colors, and although they are great because they are coming from an expert in the field, they are less relevant to a person who is only reading it for theory rather than application.

The Psychology of Color in Film (with examples)

No Film School is a good website for people who want to understand any aspect of filmmaking from the best camera for certain shots to setting up a scene to build tension. This particular piece is about how filmmakers can use color psychology in their work to evoke emotions, and although it is brief, it has multiple embedded links and two videos that do a fantastic job of highlighting what color psychology looks like in visual media.

Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America

This book isn't about visual storytelling, but Jo B. Paoletti is a dress historian whose work focuses on fashion, clothing trends, and gender studies, so I included her because sometimes we get so involved in the art aspect of the colors that we miss the real-world implications of them. Her 2012 book serves as an anchor to remind us that these visuals aren't just for aesthetics but have cultural connections that go beyond the screen. Sometimes, it helps for us to see the bigger stereotype picture.

The Meaning of Colors in Horror

I wanted to offer something spooky since I personally tend to stay away from los espookys, and Slow Burn Horror is the perfect website for just that! Shannon Lewis is a Mexican-American writer who loves the horror genre. She and her fellow horror enthusiasts created this website to showcase different aspects of horror, and she specifically writes about color symbolism in horror films. Because Lewis is a writer, the way she presents each color is engaging, and her knowledge of the genre makes the connections between the technical elements and their emotional impacts clear to anyone reading her work.

The Visual Story: Creating Visual Structure of Film, TV, and Digital Media

A textbook written by Bruce Block, who is a professor of Cinematic Arts & Design, is a good general resource for all things regarding visual storytelling. Only chapter six deals with colors, but the book, which released its third edition in 2020, covers a solid range of topics for people interested in learning more about creating visual structures or simply understanding them better.

Interaction of Color

This book is a classic in the color theory field published in 1963 by Josef Albers, a revered Yale professor in the department of design, and it had its 50th-anniversary edition released in 2013. It's not my favorite, simply because I'm not a color theory person and the writing style feels more speech-like, but my color theory buddies swear by this book, and as far as color theory books go, this one is easily the best.

Color History Books

There are several table books out in the wild about colors that have really pretty pictures and quick quirky facts about them, but these three books aren't those and never want to be. They are doing far more heavy lifting in regards to research, but much like Pink and Blue, they are showing how color as we know it today has evolved from centuries of influence to shape how we interpret our world. They aren't what you asked for, but I included them because I think it's good to mix up the fun with the educational:

On Color - David Kastan (2018), a Yale English professor, with the support of a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, unpacks how color exists in our eyes and our brains. It's not really a history book nor a science book, so I would consider it more about the rhetoric of color and how we talk about it/them.

The Secret Lives of Color - Kassia St. Clair (2017) is a historian but this isn't a boring stiff history book. It's the gossip column of the color wheel and each shade has a scandal, a tragedy, or a love story hidden in its history. Also, the edges of the pages are colored, so it's a beautiful book too!

The World According to Color - James Fox (2021) makes documentaries for BBC in his spare time, but his day gig is art historian, so his book journeys from ancient caves to modern screens to trace how colors shaped empires, religions, and the way we see everything.

If anyone has something more specific to suggest for the ask, feel free to share. I always love adding more references to my ever-growing list.

#thanks for the ask #hopefully‚ something on here looks interesting to you #my list is made up of mostly academic sources #but those can be a bit dry #so I tried to find the ones I personally enjoy #the colors mean things #visual rhetoric #visual storytelling

TICKET TO HEAVEN – BARTH BREAKS THE RULES

OK so I just noticed this – in the screenshot above, heavy with symmetry, Tanrak and Barth are starkly separated by the crucifix plunging vertically between them (which is an immediate visual metaphor punching home the message of how the Church and its teachings will be a key force keeping their emotional lives apart as well).

The symmetry communicates formality and orderliness and is perfectly in keeping with the suggested atmosphere of stifling adherence to rules.

Now Tanrak is shown to us standing well within the order of things – he's immobile and neatly framed by the ogival arch of the votive alcove beyond. And this is visual storytelling informing us that he's the good boy here, the rule-abider, the one who lives his life within the lines and confines set out by others.

And where is Barth? He's standing outside the lines, defiantly breaking with the symmetry and balance. This is more visual rhetoric informing us that Barth is going to be the disruptive force in Ticket to Heaven, refusing to live his life hemmed in by pre-existing strictures.

I have no doubt that this composition was absolutely intentional – in real life Gemini is a fair bit taller than Fourth, but here they've got Fourth elevated so that he meets Gem's gaze horizontally. The end result is that Gemini/Barth's off-center placement stands out as the one visual element breaking the stiff, hardline symmetry – he's the rebel here, breaking the rules, and the visuals are saying so as well. 😍👍

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#ticket to heaven #fourth nattawat #gemini norawit #visual rhetoric #visual storytelling

Rhetoric and Grammar of Images

Walking down the Boston streets that towered with skyscrapers, I came across a red neon sign in the shape of a simplistic heart. My immediate reaction was “Oh! That’s cute! I should go check it out.” I quickly realized after that the logo was of CVS. Reflecting on that now, it was probably what the designers were going for: something welcoming.

In this week’s reading, Image-Music-Text by Roland Barthes and Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design by Gunther Kress and Theo can Leeuwen, they discuss the intricacies of image in relation to what messages they sent and how they can be used alongside words to better convey their meaning.

Like I briefly did with the sign, Barthes analyzed an advertisement in his piece, going through the subtext of the images displayed and how they enhance the words. He came to the conclusion that contrary to what many linguists believe, images don’t limit meaning from its obscurity but rather, enhance it.

Likewise, Kress and van Leeuwen recognize the importance of visual rhetoric, especially in education. With images incorporated, messages will be more immersive, relatable, and imaginable, just like I thought with the CVS logo.

#rhetoric #logo #visual rhetoric #images

There are so many visual resources for determining the credibility of sources & making good decisions about what kinds of information to share. What I appreciate about this infographic from NewseumED is that it doesn’t look like it was designed for children—although both the content & design seem accessible enough to work for a wide range of purposes & audiences.

I like flowcharts because they’re interactive & immediately understandable thanks to the use of simple questions, a basic yes/no system, and then a final answer. In this case, the “answers” are emoji that indicate whether the information is worth sharing. The use of green, yellow, and red to indicate facial expressions (smiling, neutral, frowning) also makes sense as U.S. culture associates those colors with specific actions (green=go).

The chunking of information, use of simple shapes (circles and squares), light gray background, sans serif fonts, repetition of colors to associate different content in the flowchart with content in the right column, & alignment all work together to make this document easy to use. Sometimes infographics are structured into different sections, which can result in a fragmented design. The vertical line of square enclosures on the right side of the page extend all the way down the page, connecting the different elements of this infographic. The repetition of colors, fonts, and shapes also helps with this.

[img description: Infographic from NewseumED titled “Is This Story Share-Worthy?” includes an introduction to the purpose of the chart (“[N]ot every story is worth your text, tweet or share. This chart can help you find the good stuff and get rid of the garbage”), followed by a flow chart that leads the viewer through the following questions: Is it real? Is it well-made? Is it news or opinion? Is it supported by facts? Is it biased? Is the bias open or sneaky? Does it entertain and/or raise awareness? Depending on whether the answers are yes or no, you are led to a green smiley face (tagged as “definitely share-worthy,” a yellow neutral face (“maybe share-worthy,” and a red frown face (“probably not share-worthy”). On the right side of the page are seven boxes that correspond with the questions in the flowchart and adopt the color of each question for ease of use. Each square enclosure includes a brief description with a few prompting questions and advice, e.g., “Is it real?” is followed by, “Does the EVIDENCE hold up? Is the SOURCE legitimate? Run a search for the source name and key facts, people or images from the story to weed out the fakes.”]

#doc design #visual rhetoric #viz rhet #infographic #information literacy

Yeah I am losing my mind over this

#visual rhetoric

WR 2310 Infographic Blog: Starting from Scratch

It turns out that my group’s draft was not as self-explanatory as I thought... But we were not far off. It was a great place to start. Now, we have decided to basically start over but with a different perspective in mind, using the bare basics of our original idea. This started from specifically identifying our audience and our purpose. It was pointed out to us that we were not clear with who we were exactly appealing to. So, we thought about it this way:

Biology and Biotechnology is one of the few majors dominated by women at WPI

> We should make this specific to the female population of WPI prospective students with a potential interest in biology

We want to inspire these students to want to come be a part of WPI and to make it ethically appealing. From this I thought, “I’m from Ohio... I can care less about goats. In fact, I almost did not choose this school to attend WPI because of the mascot...”

> We should make the audience even more specific to places where there are goat farms and or at least where they are common to make it more relatable to our intended individuals. Perhaps, southern states in America?... this could be a little farfetched but it’s still an idea

Jennifer pointed out that there is a lack of diversity racially in the biology field at WPI

> We should pinpoint women of color to inspire them to come to WPI into a field where they are supported and can still stand out in a great way

After establishing this, it became clear that we could do even more, but that we were creating something that we weren’t even interested in to begin with. We plan on incorporating more pictures and using a pastel color pallet to be more attractive. Also, because our audience is made up of females, we are going to include a more feminine font, like sans serif. All of this is going to be put on a display that resembles a “callout”, like one that you would find in a biology textbook. There are more things to be discussed but they are still under development.

#visual rhetoric

Since The Love Never Sets is a Dee Hup House production, I knew I was going to like the visuals (even though I don't trust the company's endings) like Ice believing Saint doesn't hear anything he says, yet everything he says hits Saint directly in his heart.

Or that even though the girls started off with a barrier between them at the bar,

The girl who likes mermaids ended up kissing the girl named Sea in a nice circle focusing only on them.

So with only two episodes aired, I'm going to write about what I like so far about the long-time duo Director Tee and Cinematographer Jim's latest show.

I like that there is a barrier between Saint and Ice in the past when Ice figures out that Saint is bullshitting about needing a tutor.

And he immediately brings the barriers back when he thinks Saint is bullshitting with him again in the present.

Like when Ice questions Saint about why he decided to audition for the role opposite him, yet Saint doesn't have a solid answer.

I like when Saint is lovingly looking at Ice while they are laying down in the grass that Ice is wearing a shirt that says "Amore" (love).

But I really liked that Saint said that growing up, he only had one picture of his family, so when he fell in love with someone, he planned to take lots of photos.

And we saw all the photos he took of Ice in his room in the present.

As well as fake sunflowers.

We know the red sunflower is the most important to them even though when Saint gives Ice his shoes at the bus stop, everyone else has red roses.

And Saint and his red sunflower are depicted on the sheet that had fallen out of Ice's journal during Ice's fight in the first episode.

But when Saint hands the sheet back to Ice, he makes sure the lyrics side of it was up, so Ice won't know he saw that the back was about him.

I like that Ice states the red sunflower is called a Midnight Sunflower.

And the film they are acting in is Midnight Sun.

Which made me appreciate that the second episode was titled "Eclipse."

So I'm hoping beyond some blacks and whites that based on the red duct tape and the red sunflower that red will be their 'thing'

I also like that even though Saint said he only had one picture of his family growing up, we constantly see that Ice only has one photo of his family too.

I like that when Ice goes to throw the bear with the red sash he got for Saint in the trash, he noticed something else in there first.

Because whatever it was, it looks like Saint got it out of the trash, taped it back up, and now it is also in his room on his desk next to his special heart-eye panda.

And that Ice ended up keeping the bear.

Because it has been his companion when he has been a prisoner of his life.

Each and every time.

Damn

#the love never sets #visual rhetoric #visual storytelling #dee hup house #we have beef but I'm gonna let it slide because these visuals are visualing #and hopefully the colors mean things #but it's always hard to pinpoint in Tee and Jim's work #I'll be here all season to figure it out though

Hello petty here's something I wanna ask, which is the best barrier scene that u cannot forget about or want everyone to remember the beauty of that scene.Here are the hearts to show my love.💜💛

Oh my goodness! This is so difficult to answer because I love all barriers! I'm a sucker for good visual rhetoric, but if I'm having to pick, some of my favorite barriers mean more than just conflict between two characters.

Like I need a barrier to hurt me! I need it to be another character! I need it to bring me pain!

And I need it to matter when a character crosses the line.

(Oh and don't even get me started on when a person is the barrier!)

For example, Parasite does an excellent job with lines and levels and crossing them, but I was in awe of how class was represented in the film through the windows. The rich people get these huge clear windows so they can see everything because their wealth grants them freedom and seclusion.

While the poor folks have a smaller dirty window cut into portions with bars on it because their poverty imprisons them and exposes them. They don't get to see the full picture. Their world is fragmented.

So when I saw Li Ming imprisoned not only by his poverty but by his sexuality in Moonlight Chicken, my whole heart went out to this tiny fictional character.

Or when Zo had a barrier between him and heterosexuality as he struggled to accept Joke's love in Hidden Agenda, I was also distraught.

But barriers are a specialty of Director Tee who is behind Hidden Agenda, Jack and Joker, Knock Out, I Feel You Linger in the Air, I Saw You in My Dream, Step by Step, and many other Thai QLs.

So in I Feel You Linger in the Air and I Saw You in My Dream, the barrier represented how one of the characters was fading and possibly leaving/dying.

PAIN!

While in Knock Out, the barrier was there to not only show the issues between the two characters.

But the fact that they could overcome them, together with love.

But it's just not Thai dramas that do such a great job at using barriers to reinforce the narrative like The Boy Next World when the barrier immediately came up the second Cir no longer recognized Phu.

South Korean dramas excel at this, and the barriers used in Our Dating Sim showed that Shin Ki Tae was respecting Lee Wan's boundaries even though he could've easily gone around them.

And Japan always knows what it's doing with a barrier like when it made the barrier glass in When It Rains, It Pours to show that Sei was splitting himself in two and imprisoning himself while Kazuaki wanted to be free.

But Taiwan always pushes the barrier a step further for me (pun intended, you'll see).

Like in W Series: Love Yourself, the barrier showed a clear shiny world behind the main (dead) character, but he was on the side that was tarnished and ruined.

Because for Taiwanese dramas, the barrier is never just one thing. It's good versus bad; it's freedom versus imprisonment; it's the desire to be let in versus the need to keep others out; it's everything like it was in We Best Love.

Which is why if I had to pick just one barrier, it would be the red line of fate in Unknown.

The red line won one of my annual Colors Awards because it was an evolution that began when Qian decided to cross the red barrier and feed Yuan who was withering away in the darkness.

That red line was symbolic of their destiny but it also was a major barrier that boxed them in because Qian could only see them as brothers. He couldn't ascend beyond their past. He couldn't move forward nor up. He was stuck.