Color Palette - The Works and Genius of David Fincher

Paint it Black?
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette
by Juan Hernandez
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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David Fincher has been labelled all variations of a 'prince of darkness'.
Perhaps rightfully so, as his movies mostly are crafted with a signature
color palette (the colors and tones used throughout a film) which consists
of dark tones, mostly green and blue. Beyond aesthetics, why does Fincher shoot his movies this way? Because it looks cool? Or is there an additional layer of meaning to the colors in his films?
In this Fincher Film School article I will give some examples on how
Fincher uses tones and colors to amplify emotions and feelings of the
story, supporting the actors' performances, the musical score and staging.
There’s a scene in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo where Henrik
(Christopher Plummer) begins to tell Mikael (Daniel Craig) the story of
the day when Harriet disappeared. The scene is filled with shots of them
talking and flashbacks of the story Henrik is telling.
Compare the tones of the frames and you see they are both yellow.
But the ones of the present day are a cold yellow, the ones from the past
are much brighter and a warm yellow. You have heard people refer to the
'the good old days'. This is how Henrik remembers those days; as warm,
happy and much brighter than his present which is cold and empty.
1
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Henrik Vanger remembers the day Harriet disappeared.
As the scene progresses there’s a point where the tones and colors of the
present day frames begin to get warmer and brighter, just as if Henrik
gets happy about remembering and talking about those 'good old days'.
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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This could also express that by hiring Mikael there’s a small chance
Henrik might get those days back, which is why as he talks to him the
frames get warmer and warmer, his faith in finding Harriet, begins to
grow more and more.
2 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Henrik Vanger and Mikael Blomkvist discuss the case.
There’s another interesting example of how Fincher uses color to express
a character's feelings in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: The scene when
Lisbeth returns to her home after being raped. A continuous shot approaches Lisbeth from behind, ending on her head upside down. The
visual choreography literally says Lisbeth's world is turning 'upside
down'. Yet the color also suggests something very important — Lisbeth's
burning anger. Her emotions are so vivid in this moment. It is as if she
had a fire inside her.
The tone of her face, accordingly, is red. When usually it is pale, in
this shot it is a vivid red that lets the audience know how she feels.
3
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Lisbeth Salander burning with anger.
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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You're still awake at 3:30 in the morning, and you feel all tired and kind of
dry? Fincher uses color in Zodiac to convey this very feeling: When
Graysmith and Melanie are waiting for Avery's call.
As you can see in the frame, the colors are dried in comparison to the
colors in the beginning of their date. As the colors of the frame dry, the
characters' energy also begins to dry. The tiredness of the characters
could be express in a line of dialogue, through posture, or as in this case
— emphasized by the tones in the frame.
4
Zodiac
Waiting up for a late night phone call.
Overall, Zodiac is given an old, vintage looking color palette — rooting the
story in the 1970s, and just as Graysmith himself searches through dated
files, we’re looking for the killer over some old footage.
Whether it’s on interior or exterior shots: The tones and light of the
frame help immerse the audience in the time period.
5 Zodiac
Colors from a distinct era: Zodiac's 1970s look.
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has the most vivid and varied color
palette of all Fincher movies. In this film the color palette helps convey
emotions of sadness, happiness, love, fulfillment, and so on.
A striking example is the scene in which Benjamin takes his father to
watch the sun rise and accompany him in his death. At the beginning we
see that the colors establish a sad mood. As Benjamin says “but when it
comes to the end, you have to let go,” we see the sunlight on Thomas' face
and the colors of the frame come to life. This change of tones can mean
the sudden epiphany Thomas goes through just before he dies — or as
Benjamin says, the moment when he 'lets go' and embraces the life he
had, regardless of how everything went.
6
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Benjamin and his father awaiting the sunrise.
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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The second example from this film is a very similar use of color in past
and present days as in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. As we can see, the
colors from the past are brighter, more vivid, and more varied in tone
than the ones from the present day, which are very limited tones of blue
and overall cold.
The difference, here, is that the variety and brightness of the colors
do not express happiness or a nostalgic feeling coming from the narrator.
They express how alive the characters are at these times when they are
presented.
7 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Daisy remembers: Now and then.
To further comprehend this use of the color palette, we can compare how
the flashbacks begin to gain warmth and variety of tones at the beginning
of the movie. As the story progresses, however, there comes a point at
which they begin to get cold and more muted. In other words, they progressively desaturate: When Daisy begins to take care of Benjamin as a
child is the moment where the colors start to dry (SEE 8).
Another interesting aspect of the film is how some frames seem to be
dominated by one color. When this happens it is usually done in a way
that a specific mood and feeling is expressed. After the battle at sea, for
example, we see that the frames are almost entirely blue. This color
makes that specific moment feel sad, cold, and lifeless (SEE 9).
But just as some frames can be dominated by blue and cold tones,
others are dominated by warm and bright tones.
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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8 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Colors fade as story progresses.
9 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Colors fade as story progresses.
As one of the most emotional scenes of the movie, Benjamin and Daisy
lying in bed together shows how happy and fulfilled the characters were
when they were with each other. A warm yellow tone of the frame helps
expressing that feeling to the audience.
10 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
A happy memory: Benjamin and Daisy in bed.
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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There’s another interesting aspect to the use of a certain color in the
movie — the color red. During the film, there are scenes in which Benjamin or Daisy are shown wearing something red. This gives us a hint on
which of the two is “falling” for the other. The one who is falling for the
other in that moment is not wearing anything red.
Watch the scene when Daisy and Benjamin go out for dinner. Daisy is
wearing a red dress, Benjamin is not wearing anything red. In this scene,
Benjamin is falling for Daisy. In a previous scene — when Benjamin is
leaving the house — he’s wearing a red shirt, while Daisy, whom in the
scene tells him to send her a post card from everywhere, is not wearing
anything red. This is Daisy falling for Benjamin (SEE ALSO 7).
11 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
A symbol of love: The color red.
At the height of their romantic time together, Benjamin and Daisy take a
swim together, staring at each other for a moment. Probably the scene
with the most vivid and beautiful colors of the film, this could express
that maybe this is the most beautiful memory Benjamin and Daisy share.
12 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Vivid colors: their most beautiful memory.
A Look at David Fincher's Color Palette by Juan Hernandez
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LIST OF FIGURES
1 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ........................................................................................................2
2 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ........................................................................................................3
3 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ........................................................................................................3
4 Zodiac...................................................................................................................................................4
5 Zodiac...................................................................................................................................................4
6 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ...............................................................................................5
7 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ...............................................................................................6
8 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ...............................................................................................7
9 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ...............................................................................................7
10 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button .............................................................................................7
11 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button .............................................................................................8
12 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button .............................................................................................8
COPYRIGHT REFERENCES
All images used in this paper fall under the ownership of the following copyright holders:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo © 2011 Sony Pictures
Zodiac © 2007 Paramount Pictures
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button © 2008 Warner Bros./Paramount Pictures
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