If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die: The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling

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Exuberant, Obsessive, and Daring Yellows

Exuberant Yellows

American Graffiti

1973. Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams,

Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark. Directed by

George Lucas. Visual Consultant: Haskell Wexler;

Cinematography: Jan D’Alquen and Ron Eveslage;

Art Direction: Dennis Clark.

A Car that Defined a Generation

The yellow neon of Mel’s Drive-In dominates a still photo of a 1962 inland California sunset. With the great cinematographer Haskell Wexler as a “Visual Consultant” to this movie, you know that this opening shot is not an accident. Like a snapshot, this image captures an instant. It’s the perfect visual metaphor for late adolescence.

It’s 1962 and the clock is rockin’ at Mel’s. As waitresses on roller skates weave ...