Mastering The Color Palette: The Zack Snyder Way

Zack Snyder is a master of color. His use of color in his movies (Dawn Of The Dead, 300, Watchmen) is excellent. He uses color to create a mood, to tell a story, and bring the audience into his world.

But it’s not just the use of primary or secondary colors that make his work visually appealing, it’s the way he uses them. Let’s look at some examples from both Dawn Of The Dead and Watchmen to see how Zack uses color to create moods and tell stories.
 

In 2008, Snyder released his superhero film Watchmen, based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel of the same name, depicting an alternate history where superheroes are treated as outlaws and are hunted down by vigilantes.

The film was met with critical acclaim and it also received a nomination for Best Visual Effects. His next endeavor was the 2011 science-fiction action film Sucker Punch.

How To Use Color Like Zack Snyder

The saturation in Zack’s movies isn’t always high but is rich. He doesn’t often go for bright primary colors but instead prefers desaturated earth tones and pastels with only occasional pops of vivid color such as blue (associated with the police) and red (associated with blood).

Zack uses light and shadow well in his films too, which adds depth to the scenes. He will often add black borders around the edge of a scene or object to focus attention on that particular place or thing. This is used in both Dawn Of The Dead and Watchmen.

Zack also plays with perspective by having things close up to appear larger while things further away appear smaller. 

Superheroes In Zack Snyder Movies

The DCEU (DC Extended Universe) is the unofficial title for an American media franchise and shared universe that is centered on a series of superhero films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and based on characters that appear in American comic books by DC Comics.

In 2013, Man of Steel was released to generally mixed reviews, but it became a commercial success, grossing over $660 million. A follow-up to the film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was released in 2016 and was also financially successful but received mixed reviews from critics.

The next installments, Wonder Woman and Justice League are scheduled to be released in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Other projects include a solo Batman film, The Flash, and The Suicide Squad both set to be released in 2020, Cyborg in 2020 as well as Green Lantern Corps in 2020.

In addition, a Harley Quinn spin-off, Gotham City Sirens is set to begin production with David Ayer directing in August 2016. Another untitled film will follow Wonder Woman which will be directed by Patty Jenkins and has been described as the sequel to Wonder Woman as well as being a sequel to the first movie where Superman will return. 

Zack Snyder Build Monochromatic Color Schemes

Zack Snyder is a filmmaker who has defined the visual look of Hollywood movies. His distinct style is characterized by striking visuals and an unmistakable color palette. If you watch his movies, there is one thing that is always present: monochromatic color schemes.

Snyder’s first foray into filmmaking was with a short called “The Dead Matter.” The film was about a group of people trapped in a morgue during the zombie apocalypse.

He did not have much money to make this movie so he had to be creative with how he used color. The film is almost entirely in black and white but Snyder wanted to use the red blood as a point of emphasis.

Instead of adding color to the blood digitally, he used color gels on the lights illuminating the morgue set. This created an eerily beautiful effect that helped add a sense of realism to the scene.

This simple technique of using what you already have and repurposing it can be applied to any creative project. In fact, you can take this technique even further by taking something that appears in one scene and applying it to another scene.

A good example of this is from “300,” where Snyder uses red blood on Leonidas’ sword throughout the entire movie.

Zack Snyder Color Grading In Films

**Color grading is the process of adding color and contrast to a black-and-white film, or adjusting the colors of a filmed scene. Although color grading has been around since the birth of cinema as a way to correct white balance issues, it’s only recently become a part of the filmmaking process due to digital technology.

TECHNIQUE:  Color correction usually happens after the production company has finished shooting. In some cases, a director will work with an editor before shooting to ensure that the entire film will be color graded with a similar look.

But if you’re editing your own film, you’ll probably need to hire an outside service to do your color grading for you. The most common method is called “telecine,” which involves scanning the original negative into digital format, then using specialized software (such as Apple’s Color) to adjust the colors.

CENSORSHIP IMPACT:  None. Color grading is an accepted part of filmmaking today and isn’t typically considered censorship in any way. However, some people may be concerned that directors are simply using color grading as an excuse to change the meaning behind their films, such as when Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical epic Noah was given.

Color Palette Of Zack Snyder’s Justice League

The color palette of Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a subtle and muted one. Color Scheme Of Zack Snyder’s Justice League has often used muted colors in his films. He uses them to create a specific mood for the films that he directs. The color scheme that he has employed in the latest installment of the DC Extended Universe, Justice League, is no different.

The films that Zack Snyder has directed have featured an all-white color scheme; the only exception being Sucker Punch which had a little bit of all the colors. However, in this film, he has gone for a more muted tone, with dark blue and grey dominating most of the scenes.

Here are some examples of the use of these colors:

The film uses grey as an accent color throughout most of its scenes. This helps in creating a sense of gloom and doom as well as adding to an overall sense of despair.

This can be seen in scenes like when Bruce Wayne comes across Martha Kent at Lex Luthor’s party or when Superman talks to Lois Lane after she is rescued from Steppenwolf’s parademium ship.

These colors are also used to highlight something special or relevant to the plot. For example, when Barry Allen enters Flashtime for the first time,