Pathway: Nature, Colour, and Motivation by Lindsay Hooper

What are the implications of predetermined Powers and Colours motivating each character and setting? How do these attributes influence the film's aesthetic?

Mood sheet, Black and white A3 computer printed, Paper

The first half of the Mood Sheet lays the foundation for colour stories, motivations, and powers surrounding specific characters and moments in the film.

Mood sheet continued, Black and white A3 computer printed, Paper

The second half of the Mood Sheet finishes the thought process in an organized spreadsheet, so that each included character and moment is addressed equally.

Watercolour mounted on black card, with b/w photocopy, Paper, Painting of tents on frozen Thames

From the Mood Sheet, we learn that Sasha and the frozen river are dominated by the "Power" of Nature and the colours grey, black, dark brown, gold, possibly red (at this point, Potter appears to be unsure), and blue. Here, an artist depicts what the town might look like in watercolour. Based on this, the colour red was accepted into the colour scheme.

Overhead shot of woman lying dead in frozen ice of River Thames, her lap full of red apples.

An overhead shot reveals a dead woman's blue dress and the red apples she holds. These show through the ice in a way that could only be possible after colour correction during postproduction. Potter has found a vehicle to include her colour story above and below the ice.

Establishing shot of Royal Tent at night. Servants skate towards the tent with silver trays of food.

This long shot of the Royal Tent at night allows the moment's warm colours to show; in the dark, they appear even warmer.

Black and white A4 computer printed with handwritten annotations, bound into book, Paper,Orlando Sally Potter’s Shooting Script page 13 front

The only reference to colour is found toward the bottom of the page, and it's concerned with the colour of Sasha's dress (as a result of a costume change). It appears that she is supposed to stand out in her blue dress.

close up of Orlando and Sasha on sledge moving through groups of people

The colour story culminates in this close up, with the blue gems on Sasha's hat and Orlando's orange/red hair. The colour pallet has now been incorporated on both the macro and micro levels.