How to Use Colour Like Better Call Saul | Video Essay
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- Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
- An analysis of the colour theory behind AMC's Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul, and how the show visually depicts its core philosophical conflict.
Full BCS colour chart: imgur.com/a/J98r28T
Dubbing Mixer: Martha James ( / marthajames )
0:00 - Introduction
1:50 - Breaking Away from Breaking Bad
3:26 - Moral Argument in Colour
4:17 - Red
5:28 - Blue
7:43 - Contextual Accuracy
8:37 - Yellow
9:58 - Mixing Colours
12:54 - The World According to Jimmy
14:38 - 'Bagman' Analysis
19:41 - Conclusion
References:
- Vince Gilligan, ‘Breaking Bad Season 4 Colour Me Bad - Breaking Bad Extras’, uploaded to UA-cam by Movies Breaker (16th May 2021) • Video
- Better Call Saul Insider Podcast
- John LaRue, ‘The Clothing on Breaking Bad Is a Clue to Understanding the Characters’, Slate (12th Aug 2013) slate.com/culture/2013/08/bre...
- Better Call Saul DVD Commentaries, uploaded to UA-cam by Movies Flicker (12th Oct 2021) • Better Call Saul With ...
- Jennifer Bryan in Megan Friedman, ‘The Better Call Saul Costume Designer Breaks Down Jimmy McGill’s “Showy” Style’, Esquire (24th Feb 2015) www.esquire.com/entertainment...
- Still Watching Netflix, ‘Better Call Saul Hot & Cold Theory | Netlix’ (15th Jun 2015) • Better Call Saul Hot &...
- Patti Bellantoni, If It’s Purple, Someone’s Gonna Die (2005)
- Peter Gould in Debra Birnbaum, ‘7 Things You Need to Know about Better Call Saul’, Variety (15th Jan 2015) variety.com/2015/tv/news/7-th...
- Vince Gilligan, ‘Better Call Saul Extras | The Ambush Part 2 - Behind The Scenes | Season 5 Episode 8’, uploaded to UA-cam by Movies Breaker (3rd Mar 2021) • Video
- Ological, ‘Basement Breakdown: Better Call Saul’ series, UA-cam (9th Aug 2018) • Basement Breakdown: Be...
Music:
- Dave Porter, ‘Better Call Saul End Credits’, ‘Border Crossing’
- Lucho Neves y su Orquesta, ‘Mambo de Machaguay’
- Chuy Flores, ‘Methadone’
- Rich Ruttenberg, Joel Hamilton & Jerry Kalaf, ‘No More Dues’
- Planet E, ‘Klub Kola (Uptight on the Rocks)’
- Stanton Moore, ‘Blackbird Special’
- Les McCann, ‘McCanna’
- Tony Hymas, ‘Lady De Luxe’
- Lola Marsh, ‘Something Stupid (Instrumental)’
Additional:
- ScreenCrush, ‘How Breaking Bad Brilliantly uses Colour to Tell a Story’, UA-cam (3rd Jul 2020) • How Breaking Bad Brill...
- BusinessKast, ‘The Breaking Bad Colour Theory’, UA-cam (11th Feb 2018) • Video
- Marshall Adams in Go Creative Show, ‘Better Call Saul Season 5 Cinematography (with Marshall Adams ASC) GCS211’, UA-cam (10th Mar 2020) • Better Call Saul Seaso...
- Thomas Flight, ‘How to Start a Scene in Better Call Saul’, UA-cam (18th Sep 2018) • The Genius Way Better ...
- StudioBinder, ‘Colour Theory in Film - Colour Psychology for Directors: Ep5’, UA-cam (6th Aug 2018) • Color Theory in Film -... - Фільми й анімація
I like the idea that Lalo is such a rebel even towards the show itself by wearing whatever he wants, like his bright turquoise boots.
he died wearing (baby blue) shower slippers lol
Although Lalo is quite psychopathic, there’s just something so attractive about him
Weenie weenie poopadini
@@nathaniel9526wee-wee poopie
Mommy likes it deep
Wow, it's amazing that most of these characters wear the same colors and it's still hardddd to notice unless told. God these writers are masters of their craft.
Jennifer Bryan‘s definitely one of the best costume designers going - she really takes the time to understand the characters. Thanks for watching!
They probably had a good job...
That is, Until their boss accused them of stealing.
*They'd better call slippin' jimmy*
@@WohaoG yes black
I can’t express how much I Love BCS and BrBa. They are both so beautiful in so many ways. Perfect definition of a “Passion Project”
My mom fart when she do it
Vince Gilligan's mastery of color grading went from
"Hehe Mexico is yellow tint because it's a flashback" to "God I wish I could watch Better Call Saul in a theatre, this is beautiful."
Definitely. He's managed to make Albuquerque look beautiful, despite it being a bit of a concrete jungle
Even storytelling is much better in BCS. No naive bullshit. This man learnt a lot
@@FireJach naive bullshit?
@Era yeah there was some sloppy choices in BB, like Jessie 'hallucinating' that the Mormons who rang his door were Hells Angels with machetes - meant to indicate his paranoia
@@Slechy_Lesh and that's all?
Thing that doesn't related to story at all? Pathetic.
I refuse to believe this is mere coincidence but the song "Somethin' Stupid" that plays while showing Kim and Jimmy's scenes side by side has a line "the time is right your perfume fills my head, the stars get RED and oh the night's so BLUE"
Wow, I never thought about that
Vince really thought about everything
I like how Jimmy as a kid has all 3 colors on him on a repeating pattern, probably to symbolize at that moment he’s still a kid who’s yet to be truly molded by any side of the spectrum
Mike's red car interior got me thinking about how Mike approaches Nacho at Nacho's dad's business. Mike says he wants to change the red to something exotic. Mike does this to try to stop Nacho committing a murder.
Good catch. Mike's method of doing this is rather wild... unexpected for sure, especially from such an efficient guy
I love that little where Jimmy gives his brown suit to Kim so she can let a younger kid she's representing wear it, and he says "I hope it does him better then it did me"
I took it as a little nod to how him trying to stay neutral on the law didn't work out.
Plus the kid was in a pretty neutral situation, he was a getaway driver for a friend who robbed a place, but he didn't know that mentioned friend robbed the place.
Putting him in that neutral state on the law
I thought that suit was Kelly green
Sort of foreshadowing for gene at the end
Nacho was mostly red in this series, but when he died his true colors were revealed in the form of a blue flower on the place where he died
Wow how beautiful is this 😢
I’ve always thought of blue as the color of loyalty rather than law, and red as betrayal rather than crime. Mike’s speech about good people/bad people, good criminals/bad criminals helps explain. Kim, being lawful in the beginning, wears a lot of blue. As she begins to change, her blue often signals loyalty to Jimmy. I think this is really reinforced by her Kansas Royals shirt worn as pyjamas during the infamous finger guns. She believes, or at least wants him to believe, that she is being loyal to him - despite the fact that her actions are far from lawful.
I like this interpretation a lot. I think the culmination of this idea of loyalty versus betrayal is Howard Hamlin's death, where Jimmy- who always messed with Hamlin- is wearing blue and Kim- who owes almost her entire career as a lawyer to HHM- is wearing red.
It would also be perfect for Nacho seeing as he is the traitor and wears so much red
This is some incredible work! Deserves way more views
Cheers mate! Hope you’ve enjoyed the first two eps of season six!
@@TheStoryBlueprint would have loved to hear you talk about nacho's shirts in S6E2
I think that it’s incredible how often they used the rainbow, or something close, such as that record, or an amalgamation of bright colors, aside from Jimmy’s wardrobe of course, and the idea that once Jimmy became Gene, he was drained of all life in so thorough a way that it made sense that Gene’s routine be filmed in black and white.
phenomenal editing on this video, and a great analysis. One color that I think could've been mentioned is that green represents money/greed, and it can be seen in a lot of scenes throughout both shows too. I guess it doesn't really fit in to the legality gradient though as both lawyers and criminals make money, and the corrupt philly police officers were pocketing drug money too.
I was surprised not to hear anything about green in the podcast/commentaries - if you have any specific examples I’d love to hear them! And thanks for watching
@@TheStoryBlueprint I've thought green might be related to legality/morality. The cold open of ants swarming over the mint choc chip icecream that jimmy drops when nacho takes him away in his car (which nacho even tells him he cannot bring with him) and jimmy saying he wants all the icecream flavours except for mint choc chip from the room service he and kim get after first talking about framing howard come to mind. Although maybe this is just a minty ice cream thing lmao
Long edited video takes time
@@TheStoryBlueprint green i have found consistently associated with something in the realm of facade- hidden, covered, protected, etc. i have made a couple comments elsewhere elaborating more on green and beyond- i'd love to compare notes with you sometime!
Green means go. Like Kim at the traffic lights while driving to gus. And the doctor pointing to green, hoping Hector will recover
The algorithm needs to get to work here. You posted at such a perfect time. I’m amazed you posted this just a few days before I searched for this topic.
Thank you for the comment, glad you enjoyed it! Still waiting for the almighty algorithm to kick in unfortunately
One of my favorite scenes throughout the show is when jimmy is shopping for a suit that looks just like Howard’s in an attempt to rip him off. He looks almost lovingly at a bright Orange suit on the shelf, clearling desiring a suit that represents his more bombastic and chaotic personality. But he ultimately decides against it, choosing the blander, safer blue suit, because all his life he’s been told mainly by chuck that he needs to change if he wants to fund success as a lawyer.
What I loved about Bagman was the symbolism. The dirty heaps of fast money that he has been so obssessed with chasing in his life is now quite literally holding him down.
A video essay is good when it makes me audibly say "oh fuck off" not out of anger but out of being caught so off guard by the intelligent writing that somehow makes me appreciate the essay's subject more than I could even think possible. That happened to me during this video multiple times, notably when you talked about Jimmy drinking from the piss bottle. I love this video so much and I've already watched it two days in a row. Can't wait to see more videos from you in the future dude!
I really appreciate that you added the inputs from the costume designers themselves. Making a show of this calibre has so many people behind the scenes that we never hear from working their hardest to add to the story best they can.
This show has a value in re-watchability
Amazing analysis! I was already on the lookout for a lot of this symbolism thanks to Ological, but you showed/described so many new examples and brought it to another level. And thank you for compiling so many great clips from the Insider Podcast! Very inspiring.
Imagine my surprise when I finished the podcast and found out I had 50 DVD commentaries to wade through as well 😩 thank you for the comment - very much looking forward to Ological’s season six breakdowns!
So are we all! They must take a long time to put together though
Vince is just a genius, i feel like he could a make a full series about any character from the BB universe
"It's basic cinema, but thank you Cameo."
sorry, had to do it
@@adebowalekonstantinov404pahahah, ill give you that one
Our essayist went to a lot of trouble to get minute details right. When he describes Saul as a criminal lawyer he finds and includes the exact moment when Jesse is telling Saul to be a "criminal" lawyer. But the sound is muted. Still, we can easily read his lips. Great job.
I noticed that the yellow color grading isn't just the color of Mexico, but specifically cartel-related scenes. There were quite a few yellow scenes in New Mexico.
Bro holy hell I can't believe I've had to wait SIX SEASONS for someone to make this. The use of color in BCS is better than breaking bad and NOBODY talks about it. Thank you.
What a beauty I've just seen! One of the most explicative and well crafted video I've ever watched on this platform. Congrats!
Thanks for the lovely comment! Glad you enjoyed it
I’ve been looking for more meaningful essays about this show for quite some time. What you’ve delivered here is a total masterpiece to Saul nerds everywhere
Regarding colors; one scene that I loved a lot was when "Gene" found out about Marion having watched the old Better Call saul comercials online. Where it just shows his face, all black and white, but the reflection of the screen, on his glasses, is actually in color. It shows beautifully the clashing of those two identities, those two worlds if you will, and how Jimmy/Saul/Gene failed to leave his past behind in the end. And man, as his Gene persona, he really reaches his darkest moments; both where he prepares to strike the drugged-up, cancer-striken man over the head with the urn of his dog (just typing that out feels unreal), to the point where he threatens an elderly lady, getting closer as she backs away and even holding the cable like a garrote wire for a brief moment. That had really sort of shocked me at that point, because even though he had scammed, schemed and even indirectly caused the deaths of people, Jimmy/Saul had never resorted to physical violence, if I remember correctly, in either show.
Top tier editing! Fantastic work man
Almost as many wipe transitions as a Saul Goodman ad. Thanks for watching!
Some of these points would sound a little far fetched to me if I was just listening to them, but the masterclass that is the editing on this video captured the essence of the show and highlighted everything fantastically and now I can understand the show on an entirely different level. Thank you.
Howard turned red in an instant.
I think the Lalo thing is due to him being an actual sociopath, he seems to favour blues which fits with how he can easily hide his evil side from others and I think that's part of what makes him so unsettling.
Great analysis! My appreciation for this show has grown even more. It's amazing how subconsciously color affects you without you noticing. And once conscious of it you can't switch it off, I'll be looking for color clues for the remainder of the series. Thanks!
After doing this video, I can’t switch it off either - I see people wearing red in real life and think “criminal.” Thanks for watching!
Looking back to this, it certainly makes sense that the scene where the law and criminal side of Saul's life irreversibly collides is illuminated with the yellow light from a candle before the criminal side takes center stage after a red blood stain.
ay man. gotta say, this is one of the better video essays ive seen, other ones seem way too focused on editing and writing is a little lackluster but the presentation here is perfect. you deserve more views + subs
Thanks for the comment!
I agree, you made a mini-documentary, and I just tweeted your wonderfully entertaining video out this morning-excellent work. Thank you for making it, I learned so much.
one of the best video essays I've ever seen. The editing is simply perfect, how you managed to find a couple of seconds long relevant scene really enhances the quality.
Loved your analysis! Usually I don't like rewatching tv shows but Better Call Saul has so many details and subtle things that it makes me want to watch it many times. So symbolically rich and visually pleasing!
I think the whole of Breaking Bad’s going to need a rewatch after season six! Thanks for watching
I really like that theory you said of Lalo and his colors. Jimmy/Saul wears a lot of colors in breaking bad to appeal to different characters and their personalities and here is more to represent where he stands in the legal and criminal world. Lalo only stays in the criminal world and he definitely does not try to appeal to others like Jimmy/Saul does so it does make sense with your theory that he might be a character so damn chaotic that he breaks that universe rules of colors making him stand out more
Now that season 6 is close to done, we can also add Nacho's wardrobe early in the season to the list - starting out in bright red, then wearing washed out greyish and beige tones as he goes on the run, and finally ending his last scene in an (almost sacrificial, saint-like) white shirt... finally close to breaking free of the cartel and the crime world.
And then the blue desert flower blooms where he died. With his sacrifice, his death, Nacho finally became the most beautiful blue of all.
Amazingly put together... a really extensive view into the creation of this world's color scheme and storytelling. Thanks for making this, it's great.
Thanks for the lovely comment! Glad you enjoyed the vid
this is genuinely one of the best better call saul video essays i’ve ever seen! major props to you because this video beautifully walks the line of being entertaining and engaging.
Your editing, those absolutely perfect clips you sprinkle throughout - amazing video
commenting to boost your engagement because this is one of the best video essays ive ever seen. masterful editing that perfectly pairs with your insanely well researched script. amazing job and a huge thank you for producing this incredibly insightful video.
4:31 Francesca is outfitted entirely in red, the colour of criminality, to foreshadow her becoming a landlord
9:47 "focusing on these three hues, the better call saul colour spectrum might look something like this" : ROMANIA
What a sweeet edit :D Great job!
Thanks for watching!
I remember watching the No Half Measures documentary about creating the final season of Breaking Bad and there was a segment dedicated to color. It made me love the show even more. Watching Better Call Saul made me love both BCS and BrBa a lot and somehow you managed to amplify that love more than I could imagine. Thank you or taking the time to create this, it's a phenomenal essay! I'm so glad I was born to enjoy both these shows but also grateful that they are not underappreciated, but loved by many other people out there.
I’m losing my mind over this!! thank you for a phenomenal, well editing and written video. That ending really ties everything together!
I’m an artist and the blending analysis just give me so much exciting new ideas to draw!! I had in mind the red/blue contrast was about crime/law I never thought about how the colors show characters effects each other
Tremendous video!!! Your insight into color choices is spot on and very, very, eye opening; well done; best bcs/bb analysis I’ve seen anywhere!!! Well done!!
This editing and colour analysis is incredibly awesome. Fantastic video
the editing in this video is very good, nice work
Your editing and breakdown is amazing. I hope more people find this video, I'm glad I did. Keep up the great work, I'm looking forward to more as Better Call Saul comes to a close.
Genuinely shocked you only have 1k subscribers. Great analysis, great pacing, no annoying filler or sidetracking.
my guy's going to blow up 🥲🥲 easily a top notch video essay: the editing, scenes used, audio quality, pithy word choice, etc.
this is an amazing video essay!
(edit to add) i would listen to you talk about BCS patterns all day. heading off to check out your other vids.
again, amazing work!
Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for checking out my other videos, much appreciated
This is one of the best videos I’ve seen on UA-cam!
This is actually one of the best video essays I've seen in long time. Great analysis.
Amazing video! Editing and research is perfect!
Thanks for commenting! Research took waaay longer than it should have haha
Nice slick transition edits
This is such a cool analysis! I appreciate all the hard work, I knew the use of colors in Breaking Bad was already genius and here BCS they nailed it totally again. I love it ❤️
This is one of the best videos i've ever caught on youtube. wow ! thank you guys
I loved your analysis. I had always questioned what the different colors in Better Call Saul may mean, so thanks for putting in the effort to gather some information directly from the creators as well as putting your own spin to it
Great essay man! Looking foward for your next video!
Thid video was great, and the editing really helped emphasize the color explanations
Absolutely Superb little essay. Well spoken, written and edited.
Wow how much work this must take! Incredible video!
This is so well-made, I love all the editing and inclusion of the podcast/DVD commentary in this. Also the HHM chime? used in the outro :D
there is sooo much symbolism in this show to the point where Kim's hair being in a ponytail or let down is thought of beforehand and used for symbolism.
Really great work on this. I'm blown away! As a video editor, I don't even want to know how long this took. Keep em coming!
Your editing is phenomenal
Not only is the design of the show itself masterful, but this video is presented, edited, written so well. It's been stuck in my brain now for basically two years.
This was such a good analysis. Keep up the good work!
Great video. Looking forward to your future videos
Beautifully done video! Loved every bit of it.
This is a really amazing video! I love this TV series and also your analysis :-) I will never know how deep is this TV series and Vince Galligan. OMG I really love it
amazing editing on this video, really good job! also i can't even imagine how long it took to research this video. awesome video!
Love love love this video. ❤️ Really highlights the amount of thought that goes into these shows (BrBa & BCS)
Videazo, bro. Despues de tu análisis puedo apreciar mejor los detalles de BCS
I knew about the Breaking Bad colour theory but I'd never heard of this. Bravo Vince really did a fantastic job with the visual details. Brilliant video, I learned a lot about visual storytelling.
Love the editing here
Thanks for the comment!
Fantastic analysis! This deserves more views!
That was great !! Thank you for all of your videos
Thanks for commenting, sorry about the wait since the last one!
The quality of these videos is insane. Genuinely.
Great video! I cannot wait for your next analysis :D
Amazing editing my guy
Must’ve taken forever to find all those relevant clips. Didn’t expect to watch the whole thing when I clicked, great essay dude.
first video I've seen by you, this is great! Looking forward to more!
Wow, this is some in-depth stuff but I'm loving it! I've always liked the usage of colour is not just for show, but it has deeper meaning.
Best video essay ive seen in a looooong time. Very interesting overall. Hadn’t even realized any of this while watching
Absolute brilliant! Thanks for your hard work on this.
Wow! Excellent analysis. Now rewatching BCS in a completely new light. Sub earned right here.
Just need to add that, after watching this, I can't unsee a monochrome Gene slipping on a red jacket in the title picture.
this is a superbly edited video, well done
Bro. How do you only have 4k subs. This is one of the best analysis i’ve seen. Makes me appreciate the brilliance of this show even more. Bravo!
Brilliantly done. Really happy I stumbled on this.
I am often skeptical of color theory but this is well supported and researched! Very good!
Great video! Very informative.
Thanks for watching!
I'm rewatching the show (so I can watch season 6 straight), and your analysis holds up with Ernie (aka Ernesto)! I was surprised to see him in a blue violet plaid shirt with red lines and a blue tie. Then I finally got to the episode where he lies to Chuck to defend Jimmy! So he has it in him to "go against the grain" even if usually follows rules/the law. I love this show's attention to detail, and thank you for explaining it so well!!
Well edited, adequately timed, straightforward and simply wonderful vid essay; Deserves a sub :)
Also, kudos to proper subtitles!
Loved your take on this
This is a brilliant analysis. I'm rewatching the series and there's a whole other level to the experience noticing this use of color.
Excellent take on this gem of a show! Thank you
After watching this video and hearing the explanation of the meaning of the color red in BCS, it’s even more poignant that the color of Nacho’s shirt when he was killed was white to symbolize his success in ‘Breaking good’
The editing was great for this video