Unfortunately, that last point’s an anomaly among film enthusiasts. I’ve heard complaints and seen many videos about how Hollywood’s lost its colour, becoming darker and desaturated. It’s not like there isn’t merit here, especially when it’s impossible to see anything, but I think these complaints are overblown. I think complaining specifically about colour’s absence in modern filmmaking ignores how that isn’t the only component to movie storytelling. Let me explain.
It's important to look at where this started. Back in the mid/late-90’s, as it was becoming commonplace, filmmakers were overusing CGI left-right-and-centre. Not only did most of it look ugly, but much of it doesn’t hold up. And with that overuse of CGI, there was an additional problem of the visuals clashing with the actors and sets. How do you strike a balance?
The answer came from studying the colour wheel. Brighter colours need to be balanced with darker ones, or they’re distracting. The easy solution for bright, flashy CGI was to implement tints that cushioned everything. It’s why modern films look different than older ones, having a “film-like” feel. It doesn’t matter the genre or style, that tint’s used with almost every movie released nowadays. The exceptions seem to be in animation, but we’ll get there.
This filmic hue, especially as filmmaking went digital, became the norm, “fixing” the colour clashing of CGI. But then a different problem arose: if you’re using a tint to make the colours less distracting, can this tint be a distraction too? One of the chief complaints of modern filmmaking is how desaturated it is, such that it’s impossible to see any tactile personality. This is one of the many aspects people have criticized The MCU for.
I’ll point out that I’m no expert in colour theory. Nor am I an expert on what clashes. The walls of my room are blue and yellow, and dark at that. Additionally, I mishmash clothes without a thought to how they look. I don’t care that much about colour consistency. It might sound childish, but colours don’t have as much meaning. In fact, blue’s my favourite colour because it looks cool, not because of any deep attachment.
So yeah, I’m not the best judge of colours, something compounded by brighter ones hurting my eyes. But it’s that lack of attachment that I think makes me a better judge of colour in modern movies. Because I’m not picky. As long as I can make out what I’m watching, I don’t care how desaturated the film is. I might be in the minority, but I don’t think it matters.
I’ll point out that I’m no expert in colour theory. Nor am I an expert on what clashes. The walls of my room are blue and yellow, and dark at that. Additionally, I mishmash clothes without a thought to how they look. I don’t care that much about colour consistency. It might sound childish, but colours don’t have as much meaning. In fact, blue’s my favourite colour because it looks cool, not because of any deep attachment.
So yeah, I’m not the best judge of colours, something compounded by brighter ones hurting my eyes. But it’s that lack of attachment that I think makes me a better judge of colour in modern movies. Because I’m not picky. As long as I can make out what I’m watching, I don’t care how desaturated the film is. I might be in the minority, but I don’t think it matters.
Perhaps that’s for the best. I majored in English in university, and my personal attachment to movies lies in their scripting. I care more about dialogue and blocking than whether or not something looks vibrant, and that extends to CGI. I’m less interested in whether or not wardrobes clash than if the character’s speech patterns are consistent, and I’m open to exceptions for thematic coherency. Colour’s at #12 on my list of priorities, if that. And the modern trend of colour desaturation, for the most part, doesn’t bother me as much.
Besides, there are aspects of a film you can overlook and still enjoy it. Colour grading’s one of them. It still matters, don’t get me wrong, as the right hues can help advance the story, but I think people are also overreacting when it’s not the end of the world. Yes, improper colour grading can lead to racism in storytelling, particularly with how certain hues are short-hands for stereotypes. Yes, being too dark visually is also a problem, especially when you can’t see anything. Yet this fixation on “desaturation = bad storytelling” isn’t only a misnomer, it’s dishonest.
Even still, excessively-bright isn’t any better. Perhaps it’s a personal issue, but whenever colours are too strong, I get headaches. I can’t handle the over-saturation of colours because I’m not 12 years old anymore. Whenever desaturation comes up in conversation, I roll my eyes and bite my tongue, lest I cause a scene. But I don’t care.
Besides, there are aspects of a film you can overlook and still enjoy it. Colour grading’s one of them. It still matters, don’t get me wrong, as the right hues can help advance the story, but I think people are also overreacting when it’s not the end of the world. Yes, improper colour grading can lead to racism in storytelling, particularly with how certain hues are short-hands for stereotypes. Yes, being too dark visually is also a problem, especially when you can’t see anything. Yet this fixation on “desaturation = bad storytelling” isn’t only a misnomer, it’s dishonest.
Even still, excessively-bright isn’t any better. Perhaps it’s a personal issue, but whenever colours are too strong, I get headaches. I can’t handle the over-saturation of colours because I’m not 12 years old anymore. Whenever desaturation comes up in conversation, I roll my eyes and bite my tongue, lest I cause a scene. But I don’t care.
The only exception is animation. Perhaps it’s that animated movies are designed from scratch, as opposed to being blended with real lighting and actors, but I don’t mind the brighter colours in them. In fact, I welcome as much colour as possible without it being distracting. And my eyes have adjusted too. Animation’s the only medium where the essence of colour doesn’t bother me, which is yet another argument in favour of it. But I digress.
Ultimately, people need to ask themselves if this is as serious as they let on. Like with 3D glasses and special screens, I don’t need bright colours to enjoy what I’m watching. Because movies are about escapism. And that includes suspending your disbelief to enjoy them. It’s part of the package, and it’s time we acknowledged that. But if that doesn’t help, I recommend going to an art gallery. I promise it’s more productive than complaining.
Ultimately, people need to ask themselves if this is as serious as they let on. Like with 3D glasses and special screens, I don’t need bright colours to enjoy what I’m watching. Because movies are about escapism. And that includes suspending your disbelief to enjoy them. It’s part of the package, and it’s time we acknowledged that. But if that doesn’t help, I recommend going to an art gallery. I promise it’s more productive than complaining.
