Portfolio Project: Color Analysis in Guilty of Romance
Throughout my years analyzing and creating film, I have always struggled in deriving meaning from lighting and color. However, the skill is something I have been working on in hopes that I can use the techniques I see in the films I watch and apply it to my own creations.
In my film opening, I would love to use color to represent characters and their emotions, and to reflect their current or future intentions. I know, that sounds very vague, and that is because it is vague. I am still not sure exactly how I would like to use color for my characters specifically, and what emotions I want to highlight. I am hoping this research post will lead me in the right direction.
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| Guilty of Romance (2011, dir. Sion Sono) |
Guilty of Romance (2011, dir. Sion Sono) follows Izumi, a housewife who turns to sex work to satisfy her desires. The scene I am focusing on (timestamp 1:26:14) occurs after Izumi's first instance of prostitution, which was forced onto her by her 'prostitution mentor' (for lack of a better term) Mitsuko. Mitsuko is leading Izumi down this path of depravity in an attempt to show her the meaning behind words, which mean nothing without experience, without the use of words. She wants to show Izumi what true self-value is, and how to find it by selling your body.
Looking at these two screen-caps, it is clear who has authority. Izumi cowers, scared, confused, and most of all scarred, as Mitsuko towers over her (an obvious use of high and low angle shots to display a power disparity). The scene is shot with low-key lighting, accentuating the use of color and creating a dark tone. Blue light washes over Izumi. She is scared and sad. Right now, she is afraid of Mitsuko, but deep down she trusts her and is shattered she let Mitsuko down. A red/orange backlight tells us Mitsuko is dangerous, and powerful. Mitsuko thrives off sex, becoming the monster she is now when engaging in sexual acts as an escort.
Mitsuko now explains how Izumi has earned this money with her body. It is her value as a woman that the men paid to have sex with her. As Mitsuko closes in on Izumi, Izumi's face also takes on a red hue, alongside the blue lighting on her right side. She is conflicted, because to some extent, she agrees with Mitsuko, but still holds on to the value she perceives as having been trampled upon.
It is also worthy to note that Mitsuko's red can represent Satan and sin, with this scene being an allusion to the story of the Garden of Eden. Upon seeing Mitsuko's character for the first time, I was immediately reminded of a serpent, exclusively visually. In this scene, her character plays the exact role of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, extorting the weaker individual (Izumi as Eve) to succumb to sin by framing it as something that is positive.
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| Eve takes the fruit. It is important to notice that Mitsuko is shrouded in the same blue light as Izumi, and she is knelt at the same level as Izumi. Izumi is more trusting of Mitsuko when she can relate to her, which is what Mitsuko initially approached Izumi with, saying Izumi reminded her of her past self. |
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| Satan's true intentions, but later framing it as something positive. |
Now, Mitsuko shows signs of remorse for her treatment of Izumi. A hint of green falls on her face, breaking the harsh red. Green is easy on the eye, especially after the intense red and blue tones reflecting the volatile interaction between the two. As the viewer's eyes are put at ease, the tone of Mitsuko completely changes. Instead of intense and authoritative, Mitsuko reassures Izumi that she has value.
Izumi is finally beginning to understand Mitsuko. Her respective shot now includes green. Where green first represented a diffusion of emotion, it now represents internal value through monetary gain. As on the nose as it is, green represents money, which is adhered to in the first shot of the next scene.
A green palette utilized and the eye drawn to the money peeking out in the bottom right third reaffirms what has been established. Izumi smiles, finding her value in the money. However, Mitsuko's words hover over Izumi. The red light is the Devil on Izumi's shoulder.
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