The Matrix movie has a dark green tint in the whole series. Just like Matrix, every movie has a screen colour theme, like the Underworld movie was all a dark gothic blue theme. My question is, what is the term for this colour screen theme in movies?
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1Or related color grading - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_grading– Paulie_DNov 2, 2016 at 19:08
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@Paulie_D I think user is after the name of term rather then the process name used to achieve those colours.– Ankit Sharma ♦Nov 2, 2016 at 19:09
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1Some questions on this site employed the term "color grading", but in more extreme cases it could probably also be called "color tinting". I guess it depends a little on what is specifically done to achieve the effect. It could as well just lighting.– Napoleon Wilson ♦Nov 2, 2016 at 19:09
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Anyway, all the comments here might probably be well compressed into an interesting and exhaustive answer.– Napoleon Wilson ♦Nov 2, 2016 at 19:11
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All article gave it different different name, one such name is Film Color Scheme– Ankit Sharma ♦Nov 2, 2016 at 19:12
2 Answers
Seems like there is no single name for this term but there are many, few such names are: Film Color Scheme, Color Palette etc. (as mentioned in comments)
TV Tropes call it Color Wash.
The director/director of photography/production designer thought it would be a good idea to do something fancy to the colors. This could be saturating the colors so everything looks more vivid than normal. More often than not, this means making skin appear orange-y and everything else teal. Another example would be shifting the entire color palette - making (almost) everything appear a certain color. Color wash is usually done in post-production on "naturally" shot footage but some directors use physical filters on the camera either as a stylistic choice or due to technical constraints of a particular shot.
In this article, cinema5d discuss about 5 common film color schemes:
Common Film Color Schemes
1. Complementary Color Scheme: Two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel make a complimentary pair. This is by far the most commonly used pairing.
The color palette of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Amelie” is a great example of a complementary pairing of red and green.
2. Analogous Color Scheme: Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. They match well and can create a overall harmony in color palette. It’s either warmer colors, or cooler colors so doesn’t have the contrast and tension of the complementary colors.
Reds, Oranges, Browns and Yellows in this scene from “American Hustle” fall next to each other on the color wheel forming a warm overall feel with very little tension in the image.
3. Triadic Color Scheme: Triad Triadic colors are three colors arranged evenly spaced around the color wheel. One should be dominant, the others for accent. They will give a vibrant feel even if the hues are quite unsaturated.
Jean-Luc Goddard’s 1964 “Pierrot Le Fou” makes use of a triadic color scheme of red, blue and green.
4. Split-Complementary Color Scheme: split-complimentary color scheme is really very similar to complimentary colors but instead of using the direct opposite color of the base color, it uses the two colors next to the opposite. It has the same high contrast but less tension than a complimentary pair
A split complimentary color scheme in this scene of the Coen Brother’s “Burn After Reading” of red, green and teal.
5. Tetradic Color Scheme: Tetrad Tetradic colors consist of four colors arranged into two complementary pairs. The result is a full palette with many possible variations. As with most of these color harmonies, one color is usually dominant.
“Mama Mia’s” colorful party scene falls into the example of a tetradic choice of colors creating a well balanced and harmonious palette in a scene that could otherwise have looked like a bad disco.
Also as mentioned by Napoleon Wilson in comments, it's called as color grading and colour tinting in our own site.
The term is color palette, and in film it can be informally known as a cinema palette.