The costume colors, as an essential part of visualisation of a movie, is symbolic
in terms of reflecting theme, plotting development, characterization and some
other aspects. Discussing the symbolism of it could allow audience a deeper
understandin...
The costume colors, as an essential part of visualisation of a movie, is symbolic
in terms of reflecting theme, plotting development, characterization and some
other aspects. Discussing the symbolism of it could allow audience a deeper
understanding of the meaning and characters; and is of vital importance in
supporting mining functions and the potential roles of costume colors in movie
making.
With the symbolism of costume colors as the theme, this thesis discussed the
movie <Hero>, which was directed by the director of fifth generation of China
Zhang Yimou in 2002. Due to its unique color aesthetics, the movie has been
recognised with great repercussions both nationally and internationally. It was
awarded in various festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival,
Hong Kong Film Awards and many others, showing the great value of the work in
academia.
Therefore, this thesis aimed to explore symbolism of costume colors in terms of
visualisation, story, and characters of <Hero>. Meanwhile, it would assist readers
to understand the role of costume colors, and how it influences the audiences’
perspectives on story characters in film industry. Additionally, the research would
ultimately provide and build up academic reference in the field.
This thesis evaluated the background of <Hero>, which was based on a
comprehensive review of the social conditions and clothing history in Warring
States period of China. Among this evaluation, the clothes of protagonists,
“Shenyi”, as a reflection of historical clothing characteristics of the era, was
carefully evaluated. This was followed by re-evaluating six main scenes of the
movie, using five representative colors in the order of black, red, blue, white and
green as investigators. In addition, while discussed costume colors, this thesis
evaluated images and symbolic implications of each single five costume colors,
by combining the colors of costumes and scenes in <Hero>.
Costume in black symbolized the image of majesty and tragic characters, and
the different structures of the story and the political situation of state. Red
symbolized the image of imagination and betrayal, and the double identities of
protagonist and the destiny of his state. Blue symbolized the image of rational,
trustworthy, and the psychological changes of characters. White symbolized the
image of honesty, grief and also life and death of characters. While green
represented the image of pure, peaceful, and different time and space of the
movie.
The resulting symbolism of costume colors can be summarized as the following
four aspects: the structure, time and space of the story, the identity and
authenticity of the characters, the image and psychological status of the characters,
and the fate of the characters and states.
Firstly, the costume colors, as the symbolism of structure, time and space of the
story of <Hero>, distinguished reality and unreality, present and past. Secondly,
as the symbolism of identity and authenticity of the characters, it revealed
identities of the Qin and the Zhao states, truth and false. Thirdly, as the
symbolism of image and psychological status of the characters, it represented
various images and mentalities. Last but not least, as the symbolism of fate of the
characters and states, it revealed characters’ live and death, and the states’
politics.
In summary, through investigating the symbolism of costume colors in the
movie <Hero>, it showed that the costume colors, as the behind scene narrator,
had an intimate relationship with the structure of the story and the visualization of
the characters. Moreover, according to the creative intention and performance of
the movie director, the narrative, organizational, expressive, and other various
functions of the costume colors were also demonstrated and proven in this thesis.
In consequence, this thesis is hopefully provided fruitful understanding in terms
of the role of costume colors, and how it could help interpreting visualization of
characters in movie making. Meantime, this thesis would emphasize the academic
impacts in terms of costume and visual design, as well as perspectives in the
fields relevant to film industry.