10 Most iconic color grades we get to see in movies

There are many important elements in a movie, and communicating the atmosphere and emotions of the movie through color and color grading is an important technical aspect in films. The work does not stop at the production stage, as color grading is a post-production technique, which is responsible for enlivening each scene of the movie with the right color, contrast, and saturation.

From the dimly lit scenes of In The Mood for Love, which evoke the protagonists’ need for companionship, to the icy, blue, and cool-toned use of blues and greys in The Revenant, which symbolize the harsh brutality of nature, color grading is an essential aspect to bring out the beauty of a movie. Here are 10 iconic color grades as seen in movies.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Matrix, and other movies with iconic color grades

1. Blade Runner 2049

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and others, this neo-noir sci-fi movie is a sequel to the 1982 film, which was also known for its futuristic use of color grading. The movie is about a blade runner (Gosling), who must save society from a dangerous secret. As a neo-noir film, the movie has a rich color palette that spans from neon to orange mist. The movie uses shades of pink and purple neon to emphasize its futuristic backdrop.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins makes sure that each scene is accentuated through accurate use of colors. The sandstorm in Las Vegas creates the iconic orange fog scene, which is a great backdrop. Deakins uses camera angles in such a way that there is a sense of dynamism and there is diegetic lighting. Some critics pointed out that yellow stood for enlightenment in the movie, while pink and purple symbolized sensuality.

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2. Fantastic Mr. Fox

A Wes Anderson movie is bound to be on this list. The director is known for employing a signature color palette in each of his films, and this animated adventure comedy is not far behind. The movie is based on a novel by Roald Dahl and features the voices of Meryl Streep, George Clooney, and others. The film is about a fox (Clooney), who is a robber, but whose activities threaten to cause harm to his family.

As an animated movie, Anderson employs color grading boldly to lend a whimsical feeling.The film is saturated with yellows, browns, and oranges. This color palette is central to the movie and is seen in each of the scenes. The colors also serve the function of creating moments of suspense and a moody atmosphere. There is almost no use of cool tones and the film looks rich with its use of denser colors.

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3. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this epic sci-fi movie has a plot that takes inspiration from multiple short stories and essentially revolves around a group of space crew who travel to Jupiter to investigate an alien monolith. Starring Keir Dullea, this popular space exploration movie was ahead of its time and was lauded for its use of excellent color grading. A product of the late 1960s, the film used the older techniques of the Hazeltine Collar Analyzer to produce vivid and expansive shots.

The analyzer used a calibrated color monitor that was connected to a scanner, where each adjustment had to be made manually. Despite this tiresome process, Kubrick made sure that each shot of the movie depicted the vast uncertainty of space. The sharp shots of the illuminated space station juxtapose against the deep black of outer space. This mixture makes the movie tense and unnerving. But when there are scenes of importance, the screen shifts into multiple colors.

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4. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Another Wes Anderson directorial that is famous for its color grading is this comedy drama starring Ralph Fiennes. The movie is about a concierge (Fiennes), at a mountainside resort in Europe, who is framed for murder and must take an adventurous journey to clear his name and find a fortune with the help of a protégé. The movie has a unique visual style, which makes it whimsical and ethereal.

Even though it is not animated, it has a similar appeal. Hues of pink wash over every scene of the movie, and the film is cool-toned to depict the cold mountainside resort set in Europe. An abundance of pastel colors defines the movie, and the hotel scenes have vibrant flushes of red, purple, pink, and yellow. A fantastical film, its beautiful colors hide the reality of war outside the resort doors.

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5. In The Mood for Love

Directed by Wong Kar-wai, this romantic drama focusses on a man and woman, whose partners cheat on them and the two begin to fall for each other. The movie is a classic of international cinema and is critically lauded. Wong Kar-wai is another director who fills his movies with colors, which play an essential part in the movie and set the mood for the film. The cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, uses a rich palette, which symbolizes the repressed emotions of its two central characters.

From emerald shades to deep crimson hues, each and every scene is like a painting, which is accentuated by the 1960s Hong Kong setting. The dimly lit lighting in each scene further lends a neo-noir setting. Gradients and various tones shift through to express the character’s unexpressed feelings and symbolize themes of longing and connection. The color grading in the movie is therefore an important part of the characters’ persona.

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6. Avatar

Directed by James Cameron, this epic sci-fi movie stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington and depicts a futuristic society where humans colonize a distant space system known as Pandora. The colonization for a mineral leads to a fight between the humans and the natives of the planet. The popular movie is well known for its visual effects and extensive use of colors. Blue is a prominent shade used throughout the film, along with the green hues used to denote the lush habitat of Pandora.

Light, color, and CGI are used to reflect bioluminescent trees and the shining bodies of the Navi. The color grading shifts from neon to the natural and is a visual treat for the viewers as they experience the ethereal quality of an alien world. The movie won an Oscar for cinematography, and cinematographer Mauro Fiore used reflective paint to differentiate it in post-production. He controlled the lamentation of the movie entirely.

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7. The Matrix

Directed by the Wachowskis, this sci-fi action movie features Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne and revolves around a computer hacker, Neo (Reeves), who realizes that humans are trapped inside a simulated reality created by advanced and intelligent technology. Neo proves to be the one who will fight against the machines and leads a rebellion. The futuristic movie uses color grading to an important effect in the movie.

Green and blue is the major color palette used in the movie, and the green tint washes over every scene of the movie. It also symbolizes a futuristic and sterile society, which is controlled by humans, and therefore the use of green and blue, which are cool-toned colors, is used. The popular movie depicts a dystopian world, and scenes inside the Matrix have a green tint, while those in the real world have a blue tint.

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8. La La Land

Directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, this musical romantic comedy drama is an epic love story between a jazz pianist and a struggling actress, who fall for each other, while trying to be successful in Los Angeles. The movie gained praise for its cinematography and visual style, which consists of bright and vibrant hues of pink, purple, and blue.

Cinematographer Linus Sandgren blends classic Hollywood glamour with modern techniques. Light plays an important role in the movie, which further enhances the colors used in the movie, especially in scenes where the skyline of Los Angeles is visible. The film has a dreamlike and fluid quality, which is enhanced by its use of flowing colors and pops of neon. The color grading also enhances the movie’s musical scenes and emotional highs.

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9. Mad Max: Fury Road

Directed by George Miller and starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, this Australian post-apocalyptic action movie is set in a futuristic wasteland where basic resources are scarce. Amidst all this, Max (Hardy) and Furiosa (Theron) join forces to battle against a warlord. The movie is shot primarily in a desert, and therefore its color palette plays with warm and golden hues of sandy browns.

Color grader Eric Whipp makes sure that this post-apocalyptic movie is saturated, unlike other movies of the genre that are bleached. He also increases the sharpness to create a gritty effect, which lends rawness and a distinct clarity to the scenes with sand and sand dunes. Each shot is framed well with appropriate shading, and even the night shots have cool, blue-toned palettes. Since there is little dialogue, the film relies on its cinematography.

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10. The Revenant

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, this epic western action drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio is based on a novel by Michael Punke. The film is about a famous frontiersman, Hugh Glass (Leonardo), who gets seriously injured while fighting off a bear and is abandoned by his crew. He must then use his skills to survive and take revenge on the people who betrayed him. The film is shot exclusively in the wilderness and, as such, uses cool-toned blues to vividly portray the icy wilderness.

Each shot is stunning, and the color grading is naturalistic and earthy in nature. The colors allow the viewers to immerse themselves in the harsh wilderness and feel the unforgiving cold and the struggle. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki uses natural light and is inspired by the raw brutality of the wilderness. Blues and greys abound, with the surprise addition of visceral red during fight scenes with wildlife.