Color Use

Color Use

~ Power of Color ~

Background:

    At the beginning of the opening sequence, where Jaden Davis is seen putting up missing person posters, it is nighttime, so the background is completely black. As a result, this evokes a fearful mood as the darkness provides a sense of mystery. Thus, the audience might feel paranoid about the fact they cannot see anything behind him. Specifically, black is associated with evilness and death, which further emphasizes the horror of the plot as he is engulfed and surrounded by this color, and it adds more suspense when a shadow appears to quickly run behind him. It can be automatically assumed that something bad will happen to him, and he is likely to die from the black background that forbodes this.

Filtering:

    During the flashback, there will be white filtering in order to indicate that it is a flashback, so the audience isn't confused about how the story went backward or into the past. Additionally, there will be a slight green filtering to evoke an unsettling mood from the nauseous and ominous color. Plus, white represents a new beginning, and green represents rebirth, which is the purpose of the fight scene, where Jason breaks free from his brother's grasp and control, as he refuses to take his medications, packs his things, and runs away. Hence, this illustrates the new power he has obtained over his life and will do what he desires, which could be dangerous, leaving an uncomfortable mood from the heated fight with the dark thoughts of what he might do now that he is off his pills and is on the loose.

    Another usage of filtering is blue filtering during the phone call between Jaden and Anna when he talks about Jason (his brother) and his disappearance as he expresses his sadness. In more detail, blue usually symbolizes depression, so it helps emphasize that he misses his brother and wants him to come back. However, it can represent a bad omen, especially since the vase behind him drops and shatters during the scene and he speaks about the weird and strange occurrences that have been happening around him. Not only does it demonstrate his sadness, but it shows his fear and uncertainty as there are clear signs bad things will happen to him.

Costuming:

    Jason Davis has the most interesting costuming involving color. For example, his first costume has him dressed head to toe in black from his shirt, pants, and boots, to illustrate the darkness and evilness within him and the deaths around him. It is not completely certain that he is the murderer, but the use of color helps hint or suggest he is the antagonist of the story. Moreover, his second costume is the clown costume which is made up of an arrangement of different colors, but it has mostly red elements from his hat, nose, and outfit to indicate danger, blood, and caution from the mysterious clown in the dark forest. The audience can automatically feel apprehension and can quickly realize he is a dangerous character and should not be trusted. Additionally, the use of red really helps emphasize his props of an axe and trash bags that a gruesome murder took place there as well. Thus, the black and red of his costumes exhibits the dangerousness and threat of this character to others.

    Also, Anna wears a completely blue outfit with her blue shirt and jeans to display her peacefulness, trustworthiness, and clear thinking. She is a comforting supporting character towards Jaden as she consoles him over the phone and listens to his issues, showing that he trusts her and relies on her. Plus, she has a clear mindset, providing reliable information and bringing Jaden back to earth, since he is going through conflicts within himself and Jason since he ran away as he misses his brother and is grieving. On the other hand, Jason is obviously not trustworthy with the fact he is off his medication and has run away and there is no information about his whereabouts. Thus, Anna provides that calming and dependable character to balance the instability of both of the brothers and help evoke a peaceful and stable mood amongst the suspense.