"Patti Bellantoni's If Its Purple, Someones Gonna Die has given us a highly entertaining exploration of the world of color and its impact on our emotions. Told through a careful analysis of motion pictures that have used color to enhance or define their characters or dramatic needs, we are given a lively and insightful view of our reactions to the film experience.
Leading us gently but firmly through places we may have taken for granted, we find revelations that can be of real help to readers who use color to shape emotional responses to concepts, as well as physical environments. We can never again take the
world of color for granted." --Robert Boyle, four-time Oscar-nominated Production Designer (North by Northwest, The
Birds, The Thomas Crown Affair, Fiddler on the Roof)
"A wonderful idea and very impressive! Patti's book shows the importance of color in developing both character and story." --Henry Bumstead, two-time Oscar-winning Production Designer (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sting, Unforgiven, Mystic River)
"We see color--Patti Bellantoni feels color. She is passionate about how we (the audience) are affected by the use of color as an emotion in film. This book pulls me back into my favorite films and helps me look at them in a new way. The book is a first of its kind and a great asset for our students on the impact of cinematography and production design." --Judy Irola, ASC, Head of Cinematography,USC School of Cinema-Television
"Bellantoni's evidence is confident and her examples are authoritative. Like Robert McKee's Story Seminars, hers is a breakthrough concept." --Sam L. Grogg, Ph.D, Dean, AFI Conservatory
"There comes a point, as Bellantoni spins example after example, where it all suddenly clicks. The use of color in motion pictures is not just a happy coincidence, but a conscious artistic choice that wafts with concrete meaning through all of the film's language. Unconscious and primitive in many respects, conscious and sophisticated in many more, the use and choice of color in motion pictures depends on the filmmakers instinct and intellect, the pillars of all great art. No one can ever look at moving pictures the same way after steeping themselves in this excellent book of discovery."
--Sam L. Grogg, Ph.D, Dean, AFI Conservatory
"Color remains one of the filmmaker's greatest assets and opportunities. With the new arsenal of digital tools available, the range of options for color has grown dramatically in the last three years. For filmmakers, Patti Bellantoni's new book is a great resource for what is now possible."
--Robert Hoffman, Vice President, Marketing,
Technicolor Entertainment Services
"Patti Bellantoni has opened our eyes to the power of color in our lives. Her book is an invaluable resource not only for film professionals but also for artists, writers, designers, psychologists, educators, healers, and all who seek a deeper understanding of visual experience." --Judith Searle, Author, The Literary Enneagram: Characters from the Inside Out
"A fascinating exploration of how color affects our emotional perception of the world. Although Patti primarily discusses the impact of color in film, her book is an indispensable resource for all visual artists." --Ralph Funicello,Tony Award nominated Set Designer,Don Powell Chair in Set Design, San Diego State University
"Patti does a wonderful job of dissecting color and its presence in film. She makes us aware of the visual path in our brain and how a film touches us. This is a critical concept as we contemplate the digital medium in film making!" --Beverly Wood Holt, Exec. VP Technical Services & Client Services, Deluxe Laboratories.
"This is a crossover book with a broad appeal and a longer life. It's not only about movies. It's about how people feel when they watch movies." Barnes & Noble manager, Los Angeles
