Inspired by ‘Stranger Things’: Discovering the colour palette used in the TV show in my photographs
Joker, the famous film released in 2019 starring Joaquin Phoenix was totally inspired by Taxi Driver, to the point, that many critics see more than an homage in that film... Alien has inspired a lot of photography around the world, especially from its Cyberpunk auras and futuristic modeaje. Not to mention other examples such as Blade Runner or even the whole noir genre, which has inspired a whole generation of photographers and filmmakers: from France Ford Coppola to Stanley Kubrick and Quentin Tarantino... To put it more simply, audiovisual art, whether in the form of film or television, inspires...
One thing I must make clear before I begin. I am not, or pretend to be, a renowned filmmaker or anything similar. This whole post was born out of watching Stranger Things. It's one of my favourite series but all the times I had watched it, I had done it on a mobile phone with a somewhat opaque screen that didn't show the details of a colour palette that has been meticulously thought out. Precisely this change, which on the surface doesn't seem so much, was what I was able to perceive this time when I re-watched the whole series. The intensity of the blacks, the lighting and the scale of contrasting colours with sharp, cold shadows, to create that typical atmosphere that we all recognise.
I was able to count on a television with better definition and better pixel and colour capture. And the result was amazing. In addition, I was lucky enough to have totally different days. The first one, rainy, with a cold and bluish aura, the second one: totally the opposite... Full sun but far from summer colours, closer to orange and that touch of brown merged with black that I could capture... But let's not get ahead of ourselves... I decided to take a brief tour, on foot, around the vicinity of my neighbourhood; come on, close to home and decided to try to capture the atmosphere of each photograph in the spirit of various facets of Stranger Things. From the famous ‘Upside Down’ to relaxed summer shots typical of the series.
So you see, trying to find the right tone is not easy.... There's enormous merit in the cinematography of the series. And that's part of its hallmark... Maybe that's why I didn't dare to emulate the colours of Vecna or season 4 (the most recent season currently available). Because he doesn't have the experience or the right technique. However, I love a challenge and that's what I tried to do. And honestly, I think I was able to do it. Previously, I think a little more than a year ago, I did something similar (inspired by art, but this time in musical aesthetics) to create something new but undoubtedly influenced; and I did it with ‘The Misfitis’, the 80's Punk Rock band and I think I did a pretty decent job... I know it's posted somewhere on Hive that I can't remember now....
Without the technology we have today with the devices we have, I must confess that it would have been impossible to even try to do something like this.... I like being able to set up my camera and find through the options what I have in mind. From light gathering to the tone of light I want. Shutter speed and finding a place that is photographable enough to be able to capture it. .... I'm a believer that film emulates life, and art couldn't be left behind..... While colour enhancements and editing software have changed our perception of the beautiful and natural, let's not kid ourselves, you can still achieve amazing things with gadgets we all have: like a Samsung mobile phone.
Recently I have shared some of my recent works on my networks and the reception has been positive and dynamic so far. It is something that motivates me and fills me with joy and honour. I think we are all inspired by what touches and amazes us. Some will find it in music, others in cinema and its variants; perhaps for some others it will be theatre or animation (including video games) but we always have in our psyches those ideas and those things that we know we love, and that at some point we love to pay homage to. Either from the spontaneity of enjoying streaming with a good TV, or from the challenge of capturing the streets of my neighbourhood as the Duffer Brothers (creators of Stranger Things) would do it. I hope you liked it, that's the most important thing.