The Coen brothers’ film from 2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a film that does a lot of effective and unique things visually speaking. From a production stand point the film was one of the first ever to use digital color correction extensively throughout. The film which is set in 1937 rural Mississippi uses techniques of color correction to give it a vintage and period appropriate appearance. The entire film has a sepia-tinted look to it that gives the film a warmth because of the reddish-brown nature of the tinting but not an overpowering warmth like if it had used a true red tint. The tinting of the film has been described as giving the film a fall-like atmosphere. Even though the film has a fall-like appearance it takes place in summer and thus highlights a great deal of greens and yellows in the lush vegetation seen throughout the film. The greens contrast with the reds of the sepia tenting which creates a complementary color scheme at times for the film.
Seen here on the poster for the film the greens of field contrast with the sepia tint of the sky.
According to the film’s Cinematographer Roger Deakins, “The Coens wanted the film to look like an old hand-tinted picture.”
Even though at times there is a complementary color scheme of sorts present the majority of the film uses more of a monochromatic sepia scheme.
Seen in this frame from near the end of the film and many others, O Brother, Where Art Thou uses a symmetrical balanced shot. In this shot the frame is divided into 3 parts forming a triptych in which the viewer is drawn to the center were the action is occurring and the outsides of the frame remain still and nearly identical. This motif is repeated throughout the film and is one of the things that stood out to me the most upon watching.
This still from a different part of the film shows a similar pattern as the action is occurring in the center 3rd of the frame with identically dressed individuals filling the sides of the frame. This scene is also notable because it is one of a few scenes in the film that occurs outside at night. For this scene the Coens wanted the appearance of torch light so the lighting that was used was very different however the sepia tint is still clearly present.
Another still using this same balanced symmetrical motif and lighting from flames.
This still is from a different scene in which flames or the appearance of flames are used as the only source of light. This scene also uses the balanced symmetrical frame motif. The use of flame as the light source in these scenes helps to create a tension and sense of danger. The most suspenseful moments in the film mostly occur when this lighting style is used versus the natural daylight that much of the rest of the film is shot in.
This shows off the balanced symmetrical motif and some of the natural daylight used in the film.
Overall O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a film that creates a world for a period film and does so very effectively with its visuals. The repeated motif of symmetrical frames is one that while some what boring at times is very effect in other cases and helps to really showcase the relationship between the protagonists. The sepia tinted color correction truly is the most effective visual technique used in this film and is a technique that helped the film standout upon release yet still remain beautiful to this day.