COLOUR THEORY INTERVIEW
Perfecting a film’s colour palette is a collaborative effort among the entire crew. First and foremost, Palermo works closely with each director, merging their ideas into one cohesive visual language so “it’s hard to know whose idea it was in the first place,” he says. “My work with David Lowery is often that way.” He also leans on his production and costume designers, who provide the basis for what’s in front of the camera. “When that isn’t right,” says Palermo, “my job is much, much harder.” This forces him to colour correct or ‘hide things’ from view. On Mother Mary , Palermo and Lowery’s latest joint project, he says: “We tested a lot of colours, patterns and fabrics. It’s important for us all to see how the camera and light capture the colour – and shift it accordingly.” Primary colours dominate in Mother Mary – as does costume design, a key element of the storyline itself. According to Palermo, Lowery comes with a set of ‘strong visual ideas’ written into every script. “I take them and run.” On any given production, Palermo typically performs rigorous camera and lens tests, where he tries ’to approximate the look I’m after’. He uses this footage to
CHUCK ZLOTNICK © DISNEY/MARVEL STUDIOS
TRUE COLOURS Thunderbolts* (above), The Green Knight (left) and Mother Mary (top) all use colour in contrasting ways
develop a look-up table with his colourist. “We refine it as we integrate the actual textures of the costumes, the actors’ skin tones and the specific characteristics of our lens package. ”By the second week of production,” he continues, “the LUT is usually locked and requires only the tiniest adjustments, such as a slight desaturation of the red channel – as we did after the first camera test on Thunderbolts* – or a minor shift in overall contrast, as I did on Mother Mary .” Embracing colour theory doesn’t always mean embracing colour itself; sometimes, less is more. “With The Green Knight , we were wild with colour,” admits Palermo, “but coming into Mother Mary , I felt the film needed more restraint – particularly in the more dramatic scenes.” In Thunderbolts* , directed by Jake Schreier, Palermo opted for
a muted palette. A film about antiheroes confronting their dark pasts, “I didn’t want a ton of colour contrast, as it didn’t suit the headspace of the characters.” While Palermo finds himself inspired by fellow cinematographers Vittorio Storaro and the late Harris Savides, he plays close attention to the specific story requirements of each individual title – and how colour can amplify whatever themes are present within. Now, he’s in pre-production for a ‘natural, softer film’. “Some of the bold, expressive photography that I’ve been into in the past is not appropriate,” he shares. “You must cater to each project.”
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