Zodiac is one of my favourite films of all time and although I watched it at least 20 times, I consciously recognized the yellow accents not until I watched Zodiac with my brother some months back. Fincher is so good creating an artistic vision that slowly creeps into the back of your mind, this is why his films are so watchable.
colors have different meanings from different cultures, and films can make their own meaning for colors. yellow can mean bravery in japanese culture, its and energetic color that travels almost as far as red: danger and passion, yellow in the west can be fear or happiness. The fact that you can make colors with both positive and negative meaning proves you can do what you will with a color.
It's been a long while since I've watched BrBa (basically since I binge watched it with my dad who hadn't seen it before lol) but weren't there also heavy colour themes with all the characters? I swear I remember Skylar in particular changing colours as the series progressed and she became more and more angry and fed up and cold. You could do an hour long study on colour in Breaking Bad and still miss half the details. I watched Breaking Bad as it aired and after that watched The Sopranos and The Wire and now I can't watch TV at all because nothing quite compares. How do you expect me to watch Riverdale or something after being exposed to the brilliance of BrBa? It's like having sex with the hottest, freakiest girl ever and then having to go back to an average looking, vanilla girl. Sure it's still pretty good, but you know how incredible it could be
This is one of my all-time favourite crime thrillers. However, I had never noticed the use of colours as you explained. This was immensely interesting!
Ah! That quick clip of the Yellow Man in Sin City used as an example. I LOVE it. I remember the FIRST time I watched that movie when that character was first revealed I LITERALLY thought I was going crazy for a second because it was SO jarring.
The last time I watched this movie I remember thinking "wow, they really accented the yellow of that taxi". Can't believe I didn't notice the heavy use of yellow in all the other scenes. Great video.
I know I'm a little behind on catching up on your videos, but it's wild you happened to do something on Zodiac considering they just *allegedly* figured out who the zodiac killer was, and since he lived until 2018 there's every reason to believe that he watched this movie. Crazy!
Yellow is used in a similar fashion in the first "Mission:Impossible". Any time yellow or a yellow object shows up, it means impending danger or betrayal.
Yellow is also used in Blade Runner, when the main character learns some new information, there is color yellow somewhere. The same usage of yellow goes in film Ad Astra, if i remember it correctly.
I wonder how those people who bitched about English teachers emphasizing the use of color in Gatsby would feel about this video essay.. good video 👍 The use of color in Hero is pretty damn great too
Just google teal-orange color grading and then watch some tribute video of Zodiac (like the one which is called 'amazing shots of Zodiac'). You will notice that ALL the daylight scenes are shot in grey-blue-teal + beige-yellow-mustard. While all the night scenes are orange. That's not symbolism, that's called color grading.
I think the video would have been even better if you thematically contrasted the blue with the yellow, since it was almost as present as yellow, and was used to symbolically counter the yellow. Good video nonetheless.
I decided to submit it to a few film festivals as a short doc. While it's in consideration, I took it down momentarily. I'll put it back up once that's done. The link is still live if you can find my twitter post.
It's interesting, I was born in the late 90s and yet when I think of the 60s and 70s all I can think of is pee yellow and poop brown. They're colours that nobody but the Hawthorn Hawks would use these days and yet my grandma's house is still covered in mission brown and it seems almost all the fashionable clothes from that era had yellow in it
And still, no Oscar for the most underappreciated director working in Hollywood today (besides James Grey)(and probably won't win one until he gets an honorary, like Hitchcock, since he's a white man). Great video, as usual!!! Thanx!! Also, the real mystery is why so few comments and suscribers!!!
It looks like you are overanalizing it and ascribing the wrong meaning to the wrong thing. Fincher's favourite color grading palette is teal-orange. Also it is the most popular palette in Hollywood in general. Gone girl is color graded in teal-orange using mostly the teal-steely-grey end of spectrum. Social network is color graded in the same palette using mostly the orange-yelowish end of it. The Panic room is color graded like Gone girl in blue-grey color mostly. The Seven is color graded in the same teal-orange palette. The famous ending scene with Kevin Spacey is constructed using both yellow and blue colors. The Zodiac has the same color palette as the scene in Seven: grey-blue + mustard yellow. Fincher just wanted to create beautiful cinematography, where all the shots would be in harmony with the whole. He created this unified harmonized color palette for the whole movie. To achieve that purpose he placed inside of all the day light scenes objects of blue-grey or beige-mustard-yellow colors so they would look good after the color grading. Because in any case the grading would enhance blue-grey and yellow color so it was wise to put the objects of the right colors in advance. It doesn't make sence to talk about symbolism when 'symbolic' objects are placed in absolutely all the scenes (with day light) regardless the meaning and dynamics of the scene.
the absolute ego boost of seeing a video essay on a film detail that i had also noticed..... i am a genius
Haha. I know the feeling!
Teach me the way
Zodiac is one of my favourite films of all time and although I watched it at least 20 times, I consciously recognized the yellow accents not until I watched Zodiac with my brother some months back. Fincher is so good creating an artistic vision that slowly creeps into the back of your mind, this is why his films are so watchable.
Yeah his films absolutely need multiple viewings.
Yellow is also heavily used in old detective novels. Giallo movies are Italian for "yellow" which was a reference to the color of mystery novel covers
The final song is by Donovan who sings mellow yellow
colors have different meanings from different cultures, and films can make their own meaning for colors. yellow can mean bravery in japanese culture, its and energetic color that travels almost as far as red: danger and passion, yellow in the west can be fear or happiness.
The fact that you can make colors with both positive and negative meaning proves you can do what you will with a color.
cyan and blue: calm or depression
green: nature or greed
orange: adventure or imprisonment
magenta and purple: royalty or conceit
This is very cool.
Can you do a video essay about the hidden meaning of Marie's purple issues on 'Breaking Bad' next?
Ooooh. Oh oh oh. That's very cool.
@@EntertainTheElk my favourite comment ever
It's been a long while since I've watched BrBa (basically since I binge watched it with my dad who hadn't seen it before lol) but weren't there also heavy colour themes with all the characters? I swear I remember Skylar in particular changing colours as the series progressed and she became more and more angry and fed up and cold.
You could do an hour long study on colour in Breaking Bad and still miss half the details. I watched Breaking Bad as it aired and after that watched The Sopranos and The Wire and now I can't watch TV at all because nothing quite compares. How do you expect me to watch Riverdale or something after being exposed to the brilliance of BrBa?
It's like having sex with the hottest, freakiest girl ever and then having to go back to an average looking, vanilla girl. Sure it's still pretty good, but you know how incredible it could be
This is one of my all-time favourite crime thrillers. However, I had never noticed the use of colours as you explained. This was immensely interesting!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Just rewatched this film yesterday! A fantastic film of a fascinatingly morbid case.
Cool coincidence!
Ah! That quick clip of the Yellow Man in Sin City used as an example. I LOVE it. I remember the FIRST time I watched that movie when that character was first revealed I LITERALLY thought I was going crazy for a second because it was SO jarring.
Ooooh an essay about one of my favourite movies yessss
:) Hope you enjoy it!
So, this came out two weeks ago... And the news of the Zodiac killer came out today and now is when TH-cam recomend this to me. Fascinating
The last time I watched this movie I remember thinking "wow, they really accented the yellow of that taxi". Can't believe I didn't notice the heavy use of yellow in all the other scenes. Great video.
Thank you so much.
Yes, a modern video on Zodiac!
Awesome stuff I haven’t really thought about before, love it!
Glad you liked it!
Another great murder mystery that utilizes the color yellow is the first season of True Detective.
The Yellow King right? Forgot about that
Uh oh. Now I can see yellow EVERYWHERE. Awesome essay, Elk.
Subscribed, liked, belled up. Excited for more.
I salute you, good sir.
I didn’t realize this video came out, but it’s exactly what I was looking for. Thank you Elk!
I aim to please. Now click that bell so you’ll know when future videos come out! :)
My roommate didn't want to be home alone for weeks after we watched Zodiac together. We were certainly too creeped out to notice any color themes!
Definitely a creepy and uneasy movie.
Well spotted
Hope you enjoyed the vid.
@@EntertainTheElk loved it, you totally convinced me
just watched it for film club and this is a fun coincidence!
I love it when timing works like that.
I didn’t even notice, I was too busy staring down Jake.
Understandable.
I know I'm a little behind on catching up on your videos, but it's wild you happened to do something on Zodiac considering they just *allegedly* figured out who the zodiac killer was, and since he lived until 2018 there's every reason to believe that he watched this movie. Crazy!
I was just thinking that
He died 6/5/22, same day as two of his victims.
I like to think that David was inspired by the king in yellow for his color palette
Can't believe I watched it for free..
Hey Amuse the Moose! Love the video.
I was more interested in the Orange Mk1 Golf/Rabbit.. the yellow stuff is interesting though. Cool video 👍
Thanks!
It symbolizes when I was about to pee during the basement scene
Damn straight.
Yellow is used in a similar fashion in the first "Mission:Impossible". Any time yellow or a yellow object shows up, it means impending danger or betrayal.
I don’t recall that. A good excuse to go back and watch it again.
Yellow is also used in Blade Runner, when the main character learns some new information, there is color yellow somewhere. The same usage of yellow goes in film Ad Astra, if i remember it correctly.
Incredible video thank you
Thanks! Glad you dug it.
My favorite movie of all time 💙
I wonder how those people who bitched about English teachers emphasizing the use of color in Gatsby would feel about this video essay.. good video 👍
The use of color in Hero is pretty damn great too
Just google teal-orange color grading and then watch some tribute video of Zodiac (like the one which is called 'amazing shots of Zodiac').
You will notice that ALL the daylight scenes are shot in grey-blue-teal + beige-yellow-mustard. While all the night scenes are orange. That's not symbolism, that's called color grading.
great study
Thank you!
I've seen this movie so many times and I'm wondering how I didn't know this. 😆
I think the video would have been even better if you thematically contrasted the blue with the yellow, since it was almost as present as yellow, and was used to symbolically counter the yellow. Good video nonetheless.
*Great video, I would love to see an "The Day Misfits Die"*
Cool idea!
I see Zodiac, I click….
As any sane person would do.
Why did you delete your last video before this one ? , It was one of my favourites
I decided to submit it to a few film festivals as a short doc. While it's in consideration, I took it down momentarily. I'll put it back up once that's done. The link is still live if you can find my twitter post.
It's interesting, I was born in the late 90s and yet when I think of the 60s and 70s all I can think of is pee yellow and poop brown. They're colours that nobody but the Hawthorn Hawks would use these days and yet my grandma's house is still covered in mission brown and it seems almost all the fashionable clothes from that era had yellow in it
Now I have to see the movie for the third time.. actually thank LOL
You're welcome!
Nice
AND HIS TOOTHBRUSH WAS EVEN YELLOW
And still, no Oscar for the most underappreciated director working in Hollywood today (besides James Grey)(and probably won't win one until he gets an honorary, like Hitchcock, since he's a white man). Great video, as usual!!! Thanx!!
Also, the real mystery is why so few comments and suscribers!!!
Thank you so much!
The Day Twin Peaks Died & The Day It Was Reborn
Love it.
It looks like you are overanalizing it and ascribing the wrong meaning to the wrong thing.
Fincher's favourite color grading palette is teal-orange. Also it is the most popular palette in Hollywood in general.
Gone girl is color graded in teal-orange using mostly the teal-steely-grey end of spectrum.
Social network is color graded in the same palette using mostly the orange-yelowish end of it.
The Panic room is color graded like Gone girl in blue-grey color mostly.
The Seven is color graded in the same teal-orange palette. The famous ending scene with Kevin Spacey is constructed using both yellow and blue colors.
The Zodiac has the same color palette as the scene in Seven: grey-blue + mustard yellow.
Fincher just wanted to create beautiful cinematography, where all the shots would be in harmony with the whole. He created this unified harmonized color palette for the whole movie. To achieve that purpose he placed inside of all the day light scenes objects of blue-grey or beige-mustard-yellow colors so they would look good after the color grading. Because in any case the grading would enhance blue-grey and yellow color so it was wise to put the objects of the right colors in advance. It doesn't make sence to talk about symbolism when 'symbolic' objects are placed in absolutely all the scenes (with day light) regardless the meaning and dynamics of the scene.
Anyone here after they found the zodiac
So… that is a yellow vest..?
Huh.
beg more