Directions - Colour Palette, Lighting and Locations

Colour Palette

As Lady Bird is a drama-comedy set in the real world in Sacramento, California from the years 2002-2003, I have opted for a more realistic, naturalistic look. I looked at films made and/or set around the time period that Lady Bird is set for reference. I also looked at films that had a sense of realism to them and those I felt had a similar look and colour palette to that of what I wanted to achieve. When deciding upon the colour palette, I tried focusing on ensuring that it was realistic as "the introduction of colour should never be obtrusive and that care should be taken not to depart from the convention of naturalism" (Street, 2018:5). Lady Bird is set in the real world and the importance is on the actors, dialogue and relationships between both the characters and the audience rather than the production design however, production design does still play a key role. 

I also drew inspiration from films that I like the style of, such as The Way Way Back (2013), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). 

Immaculate Heart of Mary (DAY) Colour Palette and Lighting:

When selecting the colour palette for the INT. Immaculate Heart of Mary. Day. scene, I created a Pinterest board consisting of various film colour palettes that I felt suited the vision that I had for the scene. They're all mostly neutral colours, allowing for a sense of realism and preventing the audience from getting too distracted from the importance of the story and the characters. 

Neutral colours are simplistic, possibly representing the mundanity of the life that Lady Bird feels as though she is stuck in. 

I wanted the film to have a certain sense of warmth to it as the aim is for the audience to feel a sense of connection with and for them to relate to Lady Bird in some sort of way. As a result of this, I opted for warmer and more yellowy brown tones. 

I looked at films that were shot or set around a similar time period to that of Lady Bird and incorporated some of  their styles into my decisions, particularly surrounding the colour palette and lighting. 

As this scene is set in the gym of Immaculate Heart of Mary and takes place in the day, the lighting would be high-key. There would be some natural lighting from windows within the gym, but also lighting from the overhead LED lights that are usually found in a high school gym. 

Family/Computer/Miguel's Room (NIGHT) Colour Palette:

 

With the colour palette for the scene in the Family Room, I stuck to a similar colour palette, but felt as though it could do with warmer yellow tones and more prominent brown tones. As the scene is set at night, the side lights in the McPherson's living room would be on. Side lights in a living room often give off a yellow glow, hence the decision for warmer yellow tones. The added darker brown tones are reflective of my decision to have pieces of wooden furniture within the living room, to give it a less modern, more homely feel. The McPherson family are struggling financially, which could be shown through the use of older looking wooden furniture. Initially, I had a very similar colour palette to the one I has selected for Immaculate Heart of Mary (DAY). However, upon feedback given to me by Miranda Howard-Williams, I changed the imagery to those of a darker nature in terms of lighting as the lighting is often very different when something is shot at night. I felt that these images encapsulated the kind of look that I was going for with regards to the scene in the family room. 

With this scene, I have opted for more low-key lighting as the scene is set at night. Side lights in the living room would be used as a method to light the scene. They often give off a warm glow. 

Mood Reel

I created a mood reel to display the type of kind of colouring and lighting feel I wanted to go for with regards to both scenes. In addition to this, I put some over-the-shoulder shots into the mood reel as I wanted to display similar shots as those I wanted to go for with regards to the second scene. I felt as though having over-the-shoulder shots at eye-level make the scene more intimate and real. As an audience, you are placed at a deeper emotional level into the argument that Lady Bird and her mother are having, creating a greater sense of empathy towards the characters. The over-the-shoulder eye-level shots can also allow the audience to experience how small and unwanted Marion makes Lady Bird feel in their relationship. 

Locations

I wanted Lady Bird to be shot in Sacramento (where it's based) to stick to the naturalistic feeling I wanted the film to hold. 

INT. Immaculate Heart of Mary Gym:

For the INT. location of Immaculate Heart of Mary Gym, I looked at high schools with gyms based in Sacramento. I found two school gyms that I felt had the look I wanted the bleachers in the film to hold. The gym had to be big enough to hold the students for the scene and had to have space for Casey and her presentation. Both locations could be adapted so that they look more as though they're from 2002-2003. 

These are the style (wooden) of bleachers that I felt as though were fitted to the scene. They don't distract the viewer too much as they're plain and not too modern, allowing the audience to focus on the characters, action and dialogue. 

The first location that I felt was suited was Inderkum High School gym. It's based in Sacramento and isn't too modern or fancy, fitting with the sense of realism that I feel as though the film should hold as well as looking as though it fits within the private school setting as it appears to be of a high standard. 

  

The second location that I felt was suited was Hiram Johnson High School gym, Sacramento. The gym appears to be simplistic with some character. 

  

INT. Family/Computer/Miguel's Room:

With regards to the location of the family living room, I wanted a homely, fairly simplistic living room was suited. The McPherson family aren't the wealthiest, but have each other, which is what matters. The living room is often at the heart of the family, so I felt as though it had to appear as though it had been loved and lived in over the years. 

Bibliography:

Adobe. (2021) Unlocking the secrets to high-key and low-key lighting. At: https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/video/discover/low-key-vs-high-key-lighting.html (Accessed 09/03/2021)

Bellatoni, P. (2005) If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die. Oxford: Taylor and Francis Group. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=234952 (Accessed 03/03/2021)

Fusco, J. (2016) The Psychology of Color in Film (with examples).  At: https://nofilmschool.com/2016/06/watch-psychology-color-film (Accessed 03/03/2021)

Gerwig, G. (2017) Lady Bird At: https://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/LADY_BIRD_shooting_script.pdf (Accessed 02/03/2021)

Hellerman, J (2019) How a Film Color Palette Can Make You a Better Filmmaker [W/Infographics] At:https://nofilmschool.com/Film-color-theory-and-color-schemes (Accessed 03/03/2021)

Lannom, SC (2019) Eye Level Shots: Creative Examples of Camera Angles and Shots. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/eye-level-camera-shot-angle/ (Accessed 09/03/2021)

Risk, M. (2020) How To Use Color In Film: 50+ Examples Of Movie Color Palettes. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/how-to-use-color-in-film-50-examples-of-movie-color-palettes/ (Accessed 03/03/2021)

Street, S (2018). 'The Colour of Social Realism' In: Journal of British Cinema and Television 15 (4) pp. 469-490. At: https://www.euppublishing.com/toc/jbctv/15/4 (Accessed 03/03/2021)