Lighting and Color in Animation Films

Lighting and color can enhance a scene or a film through various color palettes, tones, contrast, and hues. Is it a horror film? Is it a comedy? Is it dramatic? What kind of colors match these genres? What colors are audiences attracted to? Does the color and light detract or enhance the plot? These are questions to think about when lighting a scene or a film. This technique is called color scripting, the color schema varies to coincide with emotional beats and story arcs in a film.

Check out the beautiful color script in Pixar’s Finding Nemo and notice how the colors become muted coinciding with the darker emotional beats of the story and becomes brighter with the happier moments.

This is an excellent example of Sony Animation’s A Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs color script. The color schema changes throughout the story arcs of the film.

©Disney/Pixar

An example of Pixar’s Ratatouille color script. Notice the pastel, sepia tones, and natural lighting reminiscent of Degas, Monet and the impressionist movement that really defines Paris at that time.