Color in Do the Right Thing

Jionne McMichael November 17, 2012 guile of Film Color As A Formalistic Device in Do The Right Thing Spike lee presents his truth more or less race relations in his movie Do the Right Thing. The dart illustrates the spectacle of mysterious discrimination and racial altercations and portrayed the true rea lighten upies of an African American living in the 1980s. The movie is set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, unseasoned York on the hottest day in the summer where racial tensions argon growing.Spike leeward uses dissimulation dramatically to help illustrate and emphasize these growing tensions that in conclusion escalates to violence and tragedy and in any case, to help emphasize emotions. Color, as defined by Gianetti, is a realist technique but can be formalist having a subconscious impact on the enamourer. there argon deuce types of colours straightaway and tranquil. Warm colorise stress adjectives such as violence, stimulation, aggressiveness etc. Cool color stress adjectives such as serenity, tranquility etc.Spike lee side definitely embraces this by using the elements of both warm and cool it colors to emphasize the theme of escalating racial tensions that come to a climax at the end of the movie. In addition, it emphasizes the weather and the heat with b make up olfactory sensations. The color cherry is used symbolically to convey a variety of emotions. Mood and olfactory modality argon created by this use of color. As racial tensions escalate, the color continues to visually dramatize what is qualifying on in the minds of the characters as well as what is occurring in each scene.From its prototypical frame, the energetic c scarletit sequence in which actress Rosie Perez dances in a bolshie bodysuit vibrantly to Public Enemys powerful anthem shake up the Power, once morest a rear-screen backdrop that is lit in vivid blues and reds, right to its final shot. The consider is an explosion of pictorial and warm colors and glows in an almost burning-furnace light full of vibrant red, orange tree tree, and jaundiced hues. In the first scenes, yellow light pours through windows of shuttered apartments, nearly obscuring or melt the actors and scenery around it.In later scenes, particularly the darktime sequences, a chiaroscuro perfor patchce is used, with blue and purple light surrounding the tabooer areas of the screen, and promising yellows and reds lit on the actors faces and bodies. Overall, color is used as a metaphor for the emotions of the characters as well as to set the tone and image. At the end of the movie, the flood tide of these elements parallels the violent consequences of racism and prejudice. The different colors used in the movie house create a visual experience that helps to set the tone.The bright, vibrant colors create strong impressions of the characters emotions, as well as the oerall mood of the movie. The main color used is red, which emphasizes the high temp eratures experienced by the population in the neighborhood. In a scene showing Da mayors bed way of life, the totally room is tinted with yellow, orange, and red to symbolize the heat. After this scene, we get introduced to the character Smiley who is rest in front of a big red building and he is being sh confess with an orange tint.Then this scene is followed with Mookie in his sister, Jades room. This room is totally red, to show that it is genuinely hot in there. We can front the use of red, orange and yellow through out the movie to save up reminding us of how warm it is. The bright red brick wall that serves as a background for the three men on the corner gives the scenes involving them a tone of the weather. This brick wall is a reoccurring object in the movie, and it gets lighter or darker depending on the mood of the particular scene.Tints of red, yellow, and orange are shown during the course of the film to say the mood of heat created by them. As the day progress es, bright yellow colors slowly transition into a darker yellowish or orange color. This is used as an indication of the setting sun and the dissipating heat. Color non only emphasizes the heat, but also emotions. The red color used so often reflects the tension, conflict, anger, and frustration among the characters. Their strong and passionate emotions are complimented by the tints of red, yellow, and orange used in the scenes.As rising racial tensions mount, color is used again to emphasize the heat and emotion. When the rioters set Sals pizzeria on fire, it is a bright contrast to the surrounding dark night. The bright color of the flames conveys the rage of the rioters over Radio Raheems brutal death at the manpower of the police. As Sal and his two sons watch their pizzeria burn graduate, we see that reoccurring red wall stinkpot Vito. The red color stresses their emotions of anger about the injustices that are taking place. The color red is also used in reference of love a nd hate.When Sal and Pino are sitting together in the pizzeria, the tone seems to be a bite red hinting some kind of love connection between the two. It is non the usual red color that shows the hot weather. Also Da Mayor gives red roses to Mother Sister, the red in the roses stands out from all the color during the scene. The use of color in the lighting also brings another master(prenominal) element into the ways that certain scenes play out through the movie. There is a lot of natural lighting being used characterization the characters just as they are. But at the same time, different locations take into account for different lighting styles.Such as is the case in Sals pizzeria where it seems everything is a bit too dark and somewhat shady. Even in the introduction when Mookie wakes up for the day the lighting being used makes his room seem jumbled and is an insight into his life being a mess. The bright fluorescent lighting in the Korean store makes everything stand out to o much, and does not make the place seem inviting, but stringently business instead. The light in DJ Mister Senor Love Daddys booth is relaxed and tranquillise, just enough light comes in reflecting the cool genius he portrays.In the scene where Mookie decides to take yet another break from move around and visits Tina the mood is entirely set by the color of the lighting. The sun is going down and the room becomes blue. It provides the cool, just as the ice Mookie brings, and makes everything slow down as it happens. The scene where the character Buggin forbidden gets his shoes scuffed by a blanched pedestrian is complemented by the warm colors of the mise-en-scene along with the costumes which are important in suggesting the positions of the characters in the community.The mise-en-scene includes the brightly colored cars on the track as well as the red and brown buildings, all very warm colors. It appears that in the post-production the shots may have been edited to posses a red hue, intensifying the hot atmosphere that is created by the heat wave. Along with this, Buggin Out and his group all match the mise-en-scene, wearing bright yellow, orange and red costumes suggesting their sense of belonging to the neighborhood. The contrast is presented through the entrance of the white man who is wearing a green t-shirt with lue socks pulled up, the antithesis of the warm colors the listening has been consistently presented with. The color battle is emphasized in the juxtaposition of the shot, grow shots where we see the frame filled with Buggin Out and his friends wearing the warm colors and then the quick pace of the cuts to the white man wearing the cool green color. The contrast in colored clothing between the characters accentuates the difference in skin tone, instigating the consultations insight into the importance of racial tension within the film.The out of place coloring in the white mans costume, suggests the unusual nature of him being in this black community, an idea pointed out by Buggin Out when he says, what do you indigence to live in a black neighborhood for anyway? Also, the cool nature of the mans clothing could be seen to emulate the calm and collected manner in which he handles the situation, he keeps trying to come home the argument with apologies and through this, Lee highlights the hot-headed nature of Buggin Out, a characteristic the audience is shown more explicitly later on in the plot.In conclusion, Spike Lee is very clever in his use of colors. Warm colors, especially red, are used in characters clothing as well as shore up and lightening to help put emphasis on the growing racial tensions among the characters that ultimately ends in a huge riot and tragedy. Color is also used to help express emotions that the characters are facing. For instance, in the riot scene, there are so many reds and oranges that clash with the dark blue night to illustrate the anger of the riots after the murder of Radio Ra heem at the hands of the police.Spike Lees use of color is forcing us to take sides with his ideology, which is very explicit in this film. The principal idea of Lees film is that of the oppression of the black working class, by the non-black capitalists in their very own community. Lee has his characters basically come right out and express their view on this subject. The black characters of the community are alienated from their capitalist counterparts and thusly feel a certain rage against them. By using color, he forces us to take sides with them and succeeds in that.