How colour theory shapes cinematography

Andrew Droz Palermo, ASC discusses how colour plays a crucial role in his filmography, from The Green Knight and Marvel’s Thunderbolts* to this year’s Mother Mary

Words Katie Kasperson

Colour is a unique beast; not only does it make an image pop, but it’s also a powerful tool in the art of emotional provocation. It can influence the audience’s psyche in ways that range from subtle to overt; green can signal envy and red could represent danger. But the theory goes deeper than that, and a colour’s ultimate impact depends on context.

Take The Green Knight, for instance – a film with colour baked into the title. Directed by David Lowery, the old folk tale recounts the story of Sir Gawain, who embarks on a hero’s quest and has his chivalry, loyalty and honour tested by the anonymous Green Knight.

Andrew Droz Palermo, ASC ‘employed an expressionistic chromatic strategy’ in lensing Lowery’s adaptation. “We used colour as a narrative map, assigning specific hues to represent the film’s shifting mental states,” he describes. “The film starts in a desaturated, stone-cool environment. As the pagan world becomes more present, the palette is increasingly verdant. By the climax, the world takes on a feverish, amber-gold quality suggestive of atmospheric delirium or a jungle-like density.”

Perfecting a film’s colour palette is a collaborative effort among the entire crew. First and foremost, Palermo works closely with each director, merging their ideas into one cohesive visual language so “it’s hard to know whose idea it was in the first place,” he says. “My work with David Lowery is often that way.”

He also leans on his production and costume designers, who provide the basis for what’s in front of the camera. “When that isn’t right,” says Palermo, “my job is much, much harder.” This forces him to colour correct or ‘hide things’ from view. On Mother Mary, Palermo and Lowery’s latest joint project, he says: “We tested a lot of colours, patterns and fabrics. It’s important for us all to see how the camera and light capture the colour – and shift it accordingly.”

Primary colours dominate in Mother Mary – as does costume design, a key element of the storyline itself. According to Palermo, Lowery comes with a set of ‘strong visual ideas’ written into every script. “I take them and run.”

On any given production, Palermo typically performs rigorous camera and lens tests, where he tries ’to approximate the look I’m after’. He uses this footage to develop a look-up table with his colourist. “We refine it as we integrate the actual textures of the costumes, the actors’ skin tones and the specific characteristics of our lens package. ”By the second week of production,” he continues, “the LUT is usually locked and requires only the tiniest adjustments, such as a slight desaturation of the red channel – as we did after the first camera test on Thunderbolts* – or a minor shift in overall contrast, as I did on Mother Mary.”

Embracing colour theory doesn’t always mean embracing colour itself; sometimes, less is more. “With The Green Knight, we were wild with colour,” admits Palermo, “but coming into Mother Mary, I felt the film needed more restraint – particularly in the more dramatic scenes.” In Thunderbolts*, directed by Jake Schreier, Palermo opted for a muted palette. A film about antiheroes confronting their dark pasts, “I didn’t want a ton of colour contrast, as it didn’t suit the headspace of the characters.”

While Palermo finds himself inspired by fellow cinematographers Vittorio Storaro and the late Harris Savides, he plays close attention to the specific story requirements of each individual title – and how colour can amplify whatever themes are present within. Now, he’s in pre-production for a ‘natural, softer film’. “Some of the bold, expressive photography that I’ve been into in the past is not appropriate,” he shares. “You must cater to each project.”

This article appears in the June/July 2026 issue of Definition