ST The Color of The Force Awakens

It's OK if the look actually fits the movie (it doesn't bother me in hyperreal films that are supposed to have a slightly video game-like quality, like Pain & Gain, for instance -- they look way too orange, but it works because they're douchebags), but when you notice that EVERY SINGLE MOVIE looks like this, it starts to grate on your nerves. There is no blockbuster that doesn't look the same these days. And Star Wars should be in a league of its own, not just the latest blockbuster.

 

While something being "good" or "bad" is an opinion, what's not an opinion is that real life isn't tinted teal and orange and that other colors exist in real life.

 

Plenty of people have complained about the fact that George gave everything in that movie a blue tint with the later special editions. It wasn't always so blue. Hoth was white once.

 

I see what you're saying, but perhaps it isn't every single movie. The top movies that come to my mind are the Hobbit (which you have pointed out), and the Star Trek movies.

 

Why do you equate that look with a videogame?

 

Because blockbuster video games are doing it too. But that's because they're trying to be more like movies...

It's an awful trend and it needs to die.

 

I'll counter...may I present exhibit A

 

exhibit B

https://plus.google.com/u/0/app/basic/photos/+DrewStewart/album/5525747538664147553

 

I admit there is no doubt the colours were definitely pushed with the special editions but i'd argue the basis was already there. It was still a very blue and orange movie especially the bespin duel.

 

No you got it all wrong. Blue and organge didn't exist in star wars untill JJ came and ruined it. *nerd rage*

 

Color grading looks bad no matter what if your tv or screen is not properly calibrated. My tv is calibrated as well as my computer the color did not seem unnatural like transformers for example. The color grading is way over the top in the transformer movies. TFA trailer did not look like that. Oh and by the way the blu ray OT was color corrected. A New Hope the scene used to reference with the Boyega shot from the trailer was not color accurate. If you notice the sky is oversaturated blue. The sky in TFA trailer is more color accurate. The skin tones in ROTJ leans more towards red. In AOTC the blu ray has a green tint the dvd has a more accurate reddish tint. So long story short the OT blu rays are not the original coloring of the movie. They were updated to enhance the color to make the movies look new.

 

Err, well...The director of photography is usually very involved in the color grading process, so to say a DP just "turns in" the footage and then the colorist "ruins it" is not accurate. EVERY film is colored in post. Even old films were, just not digitally. I think it would surprise everyone to see how ugly raw footage is compared to what makes it into theaters. Films are usually shot very flat so that the color timing process is easier and that you have more range in post.

Anyway, I like it.

 

Yes, but in a movie that costs 200 million dollars, when the producer says, "why doesn't this look like all the other big movies", the DP goes with it even if he wouldn't under other circumstances. The bigger the production, the more power the producer has.

 

Do you work in Hollywood?

EDIT: Not trying to argue, I'm just curious as to how you have so much insight into the business.

 

I think that's an oversimplification of how a producer works and thinks, in my experience. But maybe.

 

I still see absolutely no major differences in terms of tint and whether it looks like crap or not. I think it's just personal preference of what general colour overlay one prefers, and I'm rather indifferent to it in general

 

No, I don't work in Hollywood, but I have been in many movie sets and grading rooms. And in my experience, all post-production is market-driven to a certain extent. It's when you go in post, and not on set, that the producer(s) can see whether the film will do what it's supposed to do. In the most expensive movies, post is almost entirely market-driven. If the movie costs seven truckloads of money to make, it'll look the way the producer wants it to look, it will be as long as the producer wants it to be, etc.

 

Directors have no say?

 

Of course they do. But how much? See for example Thor and all the other movies directed by Branagh. I cannot for the life of me discern any imprint put by the director upon the movie. I have to assume he was there to tell the actors where to stand and the DP where to point the camera. Does it look and feel like a Branagh movie, or does it look and feel like any other Disney-Marvel blockbuster? As a matter of fact, is there anything to differentiate the work of directors in these films -- The Avengers, Iron Man, etc? Tiny little subtle things, yes, but overall, these movies could have been made in the assembly line by drones.

 

If you want to see really extreme teal and orange color grading watch Transformers. That is taking it way beyond the norm. This felt more natural to me how it was colored. Naturally when filming you are going to get warm skin tones and bluish skys at least when outside in daylight Now the inside of the ship with the storm troopers I would say was colored to blue on purpose to simulate the seriousness and coldness of these storm troopers. It was also a nice way to show off their new guns with the red laser points on them. OP's color grade was very OT like and I liked it alot but we have to remember its a new age and things cant look like a 80's movie anymore. It does have to feel new. I am sure JJ had alot of say in the color grading at the end of the day but it in no way looks overdone to me at all from what I have seen.

 

Just to add some info which is not meant to debunk or support any of the statements made in this thread: JJ stated that he wanted to look the film like it was from another era. Judging by the trailer he has NOT accomplished that. Before you jump on me because you think I'm hating (I'm not): That does not mean the film be bad or bad looking. It's just it does not look like from another era . Agree? Disagree?

 

White things being white is 80s?

 

I was referring to the overall look. The reason the storm troopers were blue was because they were inside a ship and it was dark and to me it felt like it was blue artificial light reflecting off the storm troopers making them look that way. It didnt come off to me at least that they were just painted blue or whatever. I thought it looked fine

 

Is there a quote with him saying that? Sounds interesting.