Technique: Lighting/Colour

The colours used in the opening to Nowhere Boy have rather a yellow washed look about them. It seems dreamy and has a vintage-esque feel. This shows us a definite setting, it makes us feel nostalgic and warm, and therefore we realise this film must be set in the past. As the scene is morning, the lighting also is of the same nature, it has a relaxed feel and sets us up for what we believe will be a nice morning and ultimately, a nice movie. We are introduced to what we think as a good life for John as warm colors reflect a warm atmosphere of family and friends.

Throughout the film the colour of the filter is shown to change our emotions. The over all mood of the film is generally quite lighthearted, but as it is autobiographical the mood goes from highs to lows quite quickly. One moment you are laughing and the next you're in tears. This scene is positive and lighthearted, and therefore has a yellow wash which makes us feel nostalgic this is much the same as the effect 'sepia' does. It has a warming feeling and is usually something we associate with 'better times'. Later, in a more upsetting scene, The wash is a grey/blue tone. This plays with our emotions; the scene feels cold, and so do we.(See photos). The film is set between the years 1955 and 1960 so the colour of the filter puts us back into that time frame. For the most part, photos we see of the late 50's look worn and sun damaged. The camera angles are mostly at eye-level and this fact ads to this 50s photographic idea, Although the movie was filmed in the year 2009 it's almost as if the film was made back in 1955 and has since been colourised to give a more realistic feel to the film. This sense of warmth at the beginning could also have been used as a false sense of security as the same day that this happens, John's uncle, Uncle George dies suddenly as result of a liver hemorrhage. The weather seeming warm and the lighting being of golden tones  has set us as viewers up for positivity and this event surprises us, which is what the director intended.

   Opening: Positive scene; Shows yellow wash.   

                                Later in the film: Sad scene; Shows a blue wash.

Generally, people associate nice weather with a "good day", and the director has certainly played on such emotions. The sun is out, the scene feels warm, and viewers read this as "this movie will be upbeat". The viewer feels they can emotionally attach to the scene as they believe nothing bad is about to happen. This further accentuates the surprise and sadness we feel when Uncle George passes. After only 5 minutes of the film, we already feel a connection to John, as we weren't prepared for the death of a character either. (The scene in which Uncle George collapses has much the same yellow colouration, and both John and George are laughing; the scene is happy and carefree. We never lose a sense of comfort until Aunt Mimi comes home to deliver the bad news)