RED DEMONS AND YELLOW PSYCHICS: COLOR ASSOCIATIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN SPN’S VISUAL LANGUAGE PART I
More color crazy SPN meta. OMG. Someone. Stop. Me.
Light and color are the most basic and powerful elements in visual storytelling. Television shows employ certain lighting techniques and/or repeat specific color combinations to create a signature style that eases viewers into a visual comfort zone. Light and color also contribute to the mood and subtext and add an extra dimension that can lend insight into character development and reveal hidden motivation. When used repeatedly in a narrowly defined context, they become visual cues that elicit a specific response from the audience.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that Kripke as well as Jerry Wanek, John Marcynuk, and Dan Hermansen--the Production Designers and Art Directors--adopted a specific color palate for Supernatural’s visual narrative. One of the most commonly used and striking color combinations from the show’s palate of symbolically significant colors (pink, white, and primary blue) is the pairing of deep red and bright yellow.
In this meta, I’ll briefly retouch on the meaning of yellow and red, discuss which characters they’re linked to, how the colors are used (separately and in combination) to compliment the surface plot and, in some cases, suggest character intent. Then I’ll examine the use of these colors in the broader context of Supernatural’s visual language and point out some peculiarities and outliers and make some predictions for season three. Because of its size, this meta will be divided into two parts. Part I will discuss how red and yellow are colors exclusively transcribed to demons. Part II will deal with the use of the color yellow and how it relates to Sam and psychic abilities.
THE QUICK AND DIRTY: ABBREVIATED MEANINGS OF RED AND YELLOW
Both red and yellow have dual meanings. Symbolically red represents love, passion, and desire. Yellow denotes friendship, familiar love, domestic happiness, joy, and hope. Conversely, red also indicates danger, anger, and violence/warfare while yellow also signifies cowardice, deceit, and treachery.
THE ONE-TWO PUNCH: THE RED AND YELLOW DEMONIC COLOR COMBO
Considering their negative connotations, it’s appropriate that deep red and bright yellow are linked to objects and/or characters associated with malicious intent. It’s no accident that the head demon had bright yellow eyes, the crossroad demon has red eyes, or that red and yellow are the colors of blood and sulfur, the calling cards left in the wake of demons. Meg, the YED, and the RED are all associated with red and yellow. I believe the repeated use of these colors has been done intentionally to evoke a “danger approaches” response as well as augment plot reveals related to these characters.
MEG
As Meg’s sinister intentions are revealed throughout S1 she becomes more tightly coupled with red and yellow. When Sam first meets Meg in “Scarecrow” (1x11), she appears to be a feisty girl who is interested in heading to California with him. According to Sam’s goofy grins and ogle-y eyes, he finds Meg attractive (perhaps if it weren’t for his and Dean’s reconciliation, he might’ve gotten on that bus with her). She wears brown, green, black, and cream. The same soft, even, and colorless lighting used on Sam also illuminates Meg. There are no visual clues (lighting, shadow, wardrobe) that indicate she’s is not what she seems until she plays slice and dice with her ride at the end of the episode.
Caps from
justfreefallin,
leggyslove,
marishna, and Screencap Paradise.
The next time Sam meets Meg in the Chicago bar in “Shadow” (1x16), he senses something suspicious about her, and Meg's wardrobe and the lighting used on her change to compliment Sam’s growing unease. Meg wears pink (arguably diluted red) and is backlit by red light. Notice the red light playing off of Meg’s hair and Sam’s collar in cap 2. This red backlighting sourced from behind Meg is absent in all of Sam’s shots even though it’s the same scene (notice there’s no red light playing off of Sam’s face or Meg’s back in cap 3).
Caps 2 and 3.
When Sam follows Meg to the warehouse and learns she’s behind the murders, her wardrobe and lighting shift yet again. She wears a red shirt under a pale yellow-ish hoodie and dark jacket and is lit with yellow light. But it’s not until the climax when her malicious intentions are revealed does the complete red and yellow transformation occur, and Meg’s pastel and dark-colored attired is replaced by a V-neck blood-red shirt and a bright yellow leather jacket. After this point, the key lighting is hard and low and is placed closer to a 45 degree angle with respect to Meg’s face, yielding long and more defined shadows that heighten drama, tension, and suspense.
Caps 4 and 5.
From this point on, Meg exclusively wears bright yellow and deep red. In “Salvation” (1x21) and “Devil’s Trap” (1x22), the apex of her nastiness where it’s revealed she’s a demon, her wardrobe consists of a red leather jacket (of a similar cut and design as the yellow jacket she wore in “Shadow”) and a yellow button-up shirt paired with a white, round-collar T-shirt with red flowers. ETA (09/29/07): In an interview from "Supernatural The Official Companion Seson 1" the costume designer, Diane Widas, confirms that Meg's wardrobe was tailored to compliment her character's evolution. "As she got stronger, the yellow leather jacket was one that we bought and made to work for her. Then the little red jacket, as she became more demonic, was one that I designed and we built for her, and that was to refelct a little more of her power as she shifted." Also, Meg reappearing undead at the end of “Shadow” marks the first use of overt harsh red backlighting, something that’s repeated in her subsequent appearances in “Salvation” and “Devil’s Trap”.
Caps 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Furthermore, Kripke and company color scenic elements to augment the wardrobe and lighting changes that accompany the character reveals. Scenes with demon!Meg are often dominated by red and yellow. When she enters Pastor Jim’s church in “Salvation”, red candles with yellow flames occupy the foreground and flank her on both sides. These candles also flicker in the background, but only after her demon nature is revealed. When Meg bursts through a door, first in “Salvation” and then in “Devil’s Trap”, she’s spectacularly backlit by red and yellow respectively. Yellow flame occupies the background while she’s being exorcized at Bobby’s, a shot that’s duplicated when she’s being exorcized from Sam’s body in “BUaBS” (2x14) (compare caps 13 and 14).
Caps 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.
Hopefully by now you’re willing to entertain the idea that red and yellow are tied to Meg and that a plethora of visual clues are scattered throughout episodes. If so, let’s examine an interesting scene in “AHBL-1” (2x21). Near the beginning of the episode, the camera pans over a monkey dressed in a yellow jacket with a red bow tie before focusing on Ash, tense and agitated, hissing into the phone for Dean to “make time and get here”. In the next shot, the monkey hovers out of focus in the foreground for an inordinate amount of time. Because Meg is the only character (so far) to wear yellow (besides Sam) and the conspicuous shots of the monkey in the yellow jacket, I wonder if Kripke is suggesting that the demon formerly known as Meg may have been responsible for the attack on the Roadhouse.
Also when Ash gets off the phone his watch indicates it’s 8:08 (given that it’s light at 8 pm in the Midwest during late spring/early summer could it be 8:08 pm?). The next scene of the Roadhouse features smoldering rubble and charred bodies. Note it was 8:12 pm when the YED visited baby Sam in the pilot. In “Salvation” Sam’s visions indicated the YED would be in Rosie’s nursery at 8:04 pm (but in it wasn’t until 8:44 pm that the YED showed up in the show’s reality). *laughs as imagines demons arguing over an 8:15 pm attack schedule in their union contract* Could this curious timing combined with the red and yellow dressed monkey be Kripke’s way of foreshadowing the demon attack? It’s food for thought at least, or maybe I’m just obsessive and crazy. ;)
To watch the monkey scene, click on the embedded video below or watch it here. Notice how the placement of the monkey in the foreground draws the viewer’s attention, and the fact it’s out of focus results in an unsettling and vaguely threatening feel. Coupled with the low key lighting, Ash’s body language and dialogue, this not-clearly-visible figure looming in the foreground generates a scene filled with urgency, anxiety, and foreboding.
Click to viewETA (09/29/07): In a "Behind the Scenes" interview released 05/13/07, three days after the US airing of "AHBL-1" (2x21), Art Department Assistant Emma Campbell points out the monkey in the Roadhouse. "And we also have the little monkey which seems to be a favorite of our directors ... so ... kind of ... you should just keep an eye out for that little monkey." If she meant this as a mere curiosity or something more sinister is anyone's guess, but nonetheless, it's curious.
THE YED
Like Meg the YED’s association with red and yellow becomes more pronounced as he becomes more of a threat. He’s permanently coupled with yellow because of his eye color (I know, duh, I state the obvious). His yellow eyes are further highlighted by a focused, directional light and tight camera shots in every one of his appearances (“Salvation”, “IMToD” (2x01), “AHBL-1” and “AHBL-2” (2x22)).
Caps 15, 16, and 17.
Throughout the series, the YED’s clothes were either hidden in shadow, masking their color, or else were neutral colored/relatively colorless assemblages. However, like Meg, when he’s at the height of his nastiness in “AHBL-1 and 2” he wears red (his undershirt).
Cap 18.
And just like with scenes featuring Meg, I believe Kripke and company have repeatedly used scenic elements to help tell the story involving the YED. We’re given repeated shots of double yellow objects such as lights and doors (which mimic the YED’s yellow eyes) in scenes where we learn later he was watching. Focusing on these objects instead of his eyes produces a strangely unsettling, voyeuristic feel without giving away important plot reveals prematurely.
In the pilot when Mary skids to a stop inside Sam’s nursery and sees the YED, yellow lights reflect off of a pair of pictures hanging behind her, appearing quite literally to be his staring eyes. When John enters after the YED has vanished, the yellow reflections are gone.
Caps 19 and 20.
When Sam and Dean return to Palo Alto and the YED has pinned Jess to the ceiling and is waiting for Sam to find her, we’re treated to a lingering shot of the yellow double doors (set in a red wall) of Sam and Jess’s apartment building. Like the two glowing yellow lights behind Mary in Sam’s nursery, these doors are reminiscent of a pair of staring yellow eyes.
Cap 21.
Similarly in “Salvation” when Sam, Monica, Dean, and Rosie flee from the burning house they’re bracketed by two glowing yellow lights. Twin yellow-tinted windows, not unlike the double doors of Sam and Jess’s apartment, straddle the front door. Moment later we learn the YED is watching them when Sam and Dean spy his silhouette surrounded by flame though the broken window of the nursery.
Cap 22.
The last time the YED is present and watching is in “Devil’s Trap” when it’s revealed later he’s wearing John. The opening shot of the cabin where the stand off between the YED, Sam, John, and Dean occurs features elongate, yellow glowing windows which again are reminiscent of the YED’s watching eyes.
Cap 23.
THE RED
Like the two other major demon players, the RED is coupled with yellow and red. This is exemplified by her red eyes (hello captain obvious) and the yellow blooms of the yarrow plant used in summoning rituals growing prolifically at crossroads in “Crossroad Blues” (2x08). However, the RED’s red/yellow association is not as well developed as that of Meg and the YED’s because her role in the series has yet to play out. Recall that both Meg and the YED’s didn’t become exclusively coupled with red and yellow until near the end of their story arcs.
Cap 24.
By the end of season two we’ve seen the RED in three incarnations. She debuts in a “Crossroad Blues” back flash wearing a white dress while striking a deal with Robert Johnson. At this point, her presence is purely for expositional purposes and she’s not an immediate threat to Sam and Dean. However, in her subsequent two appearances where she’s deal-making with Dean (“Crossroad Blues” and “AHBL-2”), she wears black dresses. The wardrobe color shift from white to black parallels her growing menace.
Caps 25, 26, and 27.
I predict that as she becomes more threatening in S3 her wardrobe colors will progressively change to more yellows and reds (and I hazard to guess she’ll be wearing more dresses). Keep your eyes peeled!
MAKE IT STOP! SENSORY OVERLOAD: RED-AND-YELLOW THEMED DEMONIC EPISODES
The red and yellow color combination not only manifests itself in demons’ clothing and backlighting, but appears prominently in other scenic elements of the show. In fact, episodes featuring demons have a greater abundance of red and yellow set pieces and props than most of the other episodes where demons aren’t featured. However, this is not to say that other episodes don’t also feature red and yellow; I’ll talk more about this at the end of Part II.
For clarification, when I say “a significant amount of red and yellow props and scenic elements”, I’m referring to multiple props/set pieces that are repeatedly and conspicuously colored red or yellow, ones that could’ve easily been another color or not included at all. A red napkin ring and a red beer bottle label in an episode don’t qualify as a “significant amount”. This is somewhat subjective, but I draw the line at constructing a red and yellow/other color ratio or a red/yellow recurrence interval (and, no, I never once thought of doing this *struggles to keep a straight face*).
Because it would be tedious to march through every single red and yellow item in every demonic episode (and I don’t have insurance for people who die of boredom as a result of my rambling), I’m only going to highlight a couple of examples from select episodes. But if you find yourself with tens of hours to kill, you can watch the following demon-flavored episodes with your eyeballs gauged for red/yellow (just don’t blame me if your friends and family think you’ve hitched a one-way ride to the funny farm on the wonky wagon. BTW, it’s fun here; we get Easy Cheese on Thursdays):
1The pilot 1x01
Phantom Traveler (1x04)
2Scarecrow (1x11)
Shadow (1x16)
Salvation (1x21)
Devil’s Trap (1x22)
3In My Time of Dying (2x01)
Crossroad Blues (2x08)
Croatoan (2x09)
Born Under a Bad Sign (2x14)
All Hell Breaks Loose - 1 (2x21)
All Hell Breaks Loose - 2 (2x22)
1 Does it annoy anyone else that this episode has such an original name?
2 This is not a red/yellow dominated episode likely because Meg’s true intentions weren’t revealed until the last couple of minutes.
3 There are fewer red/yellow set pieces/props than what’s usually found in demon-featured episodes, but how can you make a hospital set look red and yellow without causing it to look unrealistic and contrived?
DEVIL’S TRAP (1x22)
The motel room Sam, Dean, and John are staying in is an explosion of yellow and red, complete with the horrendous yellow flowered chairs that used to lurk in my childhood kitchen. In a previous meta, I discussed how red light can be used to add visual tension and signal impending danger. This technique is used again in the opening scene with the red light backing Dean; shortly after this they encounter Meg.
Caps 28 and 29.
Red and yellow in Meg’s scenes (see above) has been discussed, so we’ll move on. The next significant occurrence of red and yellow is the demon nest a.k.a. the Sunrise Apartments where John is being held. The building is bright yellow with red steps and yellow flowers planted in front. Note the red baby stroller and the woman in the red jacket positioned prominently in front of the building. The yellow of the fire truck and firefighter’s uniforms fill the frame for much of the scene where Sam and Dean are lurking outside.
Caps 30 and 31.
But what I find most interesting are the pots of red roses and yellow and pink flowers on the fire escape behind Sam as the three Winchesters flee. The fire escape could’ve been left empty or stocked with non-flowering plants or flowers of different colors, and considering the motif of pink, yellow, and red flowers in “WiAWSNB” (2x20), it’s curious. *shrugs* Notice that this shot, which is nicely framed by the window frame (heh), is filled with the red of the next-door building.
Cap 32.
CROSSROAD BLUES (2x08)
This episode wins the award for most obnoxious use of red and yellow (but considering its importance in the mytharc it seems like the right place to drop anvils left, right, and center). Every single scene, with the exception of the final scene with Sam and Dean in the Impala, features red and yellow set and/or props. Sam and Dean’s first scene is in red and yellow walled diner that’s filled with red and yellow flowers. The homes of Sean Boyden (the architect), Sylvia Pearlman (the doctor), George Darrow (the “talented” artist), and Evan Husdon are saturated in red and yellows. Even the motel that Sylvia hides is red dominated. In fact, it was specified that Sylvia’s motel room must be outfitted in red curtains and sheets in the episode transcript (written by Sera Gamble).
Caps 33, 34, 35, and 36.
Caps 37, 38, and 39.
Red and yellow also reappear in the details. Robert Johnson is wearing a red and yellow tie when the hell hounds attack him. Red roses grow in Sylvia’s garden. Yellow yarrow grows at the four corners of the crossroads (notice the red car featured in frame with Sam and Dean in cap 41). The rosary Dean holds at the crossroads is red and yellow (it appears to be identical to the one that John used in “Salvation”). And the RED shares many of her shots with yellow yarrow.
Caps 40, 41, 42, 43, and 44.
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE - PART 1 AND PART 2 (2x21 and 2x22)
The episode opens with Sam and Dean driving down a dark road with a shot of the red and yellowish Sunnyside Diner sign (strangely similar to the demon-infested “Sunshine Apartments” in “Devil’s Trap” (see cap 30) Heh ... Kripke has a twisted sense of humor if anything “sunshine” = demons). Red surrounds Sam and Dean as they bicker about onions and pie: the lit “Café” sign that tops the diner is red; the red sign reflected in the driver’s side mirror hovers next to Dean; the red truck they’re parked next to sits behind Sam; and the red neon “OPEN” reappears like warning beacon as Dean realizes something’s wrong.
Cap 45.
Inside the diner the curtains, bar stools, tables, booths, and floor tiles are red. The diner logo on the door behind Dean as well as the menus and ketchup and mustard bottles lining the counter are deep red and bright yellow. Yellow sulfur rests window sill of the back door (just as they found it on the window sill at Ava’s in “Hunted”). And, of course, there’s red blood everywhere. You can watch red and yellow overload below or click here.
Other notable red and yellow objects are the yellow glowing half-moon light in Sam’s nursery, the YED’s red undershirt (see cap 18), and the previously mentioned monkey at the Roadhouse.
Caps 46 and 47.
The scenes in Cold Oak are relatively monochromatic, but when color is present it’s always red and yellow. The only building that is something other than gray or white is painted deep red. Not surprisingly, it’s the backdrop for important plot points: the discovery of Lily’s death, the expository conversation between the YED and Sam, as well as Sam and Jake’s battle. Inside the red building, Andy, Ava, Jake, and Sam take refuge in a room with yellow curtains; later Sam and Dean bond over food in this room (note also the red and yellow props), and the adjoining bedroom where Sam wakes undead sports red and yellow wallpaper.
Caps 48, 49, and 50.
Bobby’s demon exorcising room (also featured in “Devil’s Trap” and “Born Under a Bad Sign”, two other demon-flavored episodes) is red with wall-mounted lamps that resemble candles with burning flames. Jake’s eyes flash yellow. Hell is red and yellow. And finally, the halo encircling the silver bullet that kills the YED consists of red and yellow flames.
Caps 51, 52, and 53.
TO SUM UP
If anything, this meta demonstrates that I’m crazy yellow and red have significance in Supernatural’s visual language. By understanding the context they’ve been used, perhaps we can use them to predict future character motivation and reveals. Only S3 will tell. Go Show!
***
If you’ve stuck it out this far, congratulations. I’m brain dead and need some Easy Cheese. Next up is Sam, psychic abilities, and the color yellow. Continued in Part II.
Butt-covering disclaimer: I’m by no means a cinematographer--I just dabble for fun. Please feel free to lend you own expertise and/or point out any misinterpretations.
Shameless pimping:
hugemind and I are building a cinematography-related SPN community called
spnematography set to launch in late September. If you’re interested, you can to join here. All are welcome! We’re currently assembling as many cinematography-related SPN metas we can find which will be in the archive posted at the community, so if you’ve read or written something appropriate (anything pertaining to a visual aspect of the show with a component of canon-based analysis) please let us know! We’re also curious to know what types of posts people are interested in reading. Feel free write your suggestions/ideas (or just general encouragement and flag waving) in the comments of this post. Or if you’re shy you can e-mail spnematography [at] gmail [dot] com. But please be nice and don’t fill our inbox with porn or ads for the George Foreman Grill. ;)
From
relativity1953! XD
