At the beginning of June, when New York disappeared in a brown-beige cloud due to the forest fires in Canada, this triggered apocalyptic associations for many. But some also thought of something else: Mexico. Apart from a few exceptions, the air quality in the Latin American country is no worse than in the USA. Rather, it was about the light colored by the smoke in New York: it reminded some of the color filters that Hollywood uses when films are about the end of the world, but also when scenes take place in the so-called Global South, in Asia , Africa or Latin America, but especially in Mexico.
What this looks like in practice can be observed in the series “Breaking Bad”: It is about the rise or fall of a staid chemistry teacher to become a drug lord. A large part of the action takes place in the US state of New Mexico, but some scenes also take place further south, in Mexico. And as soon as the camera crosses the border, the image is suddenly tinted yellow – just like the light in New York after being fogged by the cloud of smoke. “Who turned on the Mexico filter here?” Asked a user promptly on Twitter. “New York looks like Mexico in Hollywood movies!” wrote another.
Mexican narcotics officer Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) in “Traffic: The Power of the Cartel”.
(Photo: United Archives/kpa Publicity/imago images)
The fact that filmmakers give individual scenes their own color tones has narrative reasons on the one hand. In the film “Traffic – The Power of the Cartel”, different filters were placed over the storylines to distinguish them: blue and white-grey for the scenes in the USA, yellow-orange for the scenes in Mexico. Director Steven Soderbergh was celebrated for this technical trick in 2000. Soon others in the industry followed suit, and color filters became the norm – and soon a problem too.
Because suddenly Mexico – a country that is actually overflowing with colors – was always yellow in the cinema or on TV. Filmmakers justified this with the climate. It’s hot in Mexico, and the choice of color should make that clear. However: There is also a scorching sun in Miami. However, the city is not colored yellow in Hollywood films.
Critics say the filters are based on clichés, thereby reinforcing pejorative stereotypes. In color theory, yellow also stands for approaching danger. Watch out, dear viewer, there’s a criminal lurking around the next corner! That’s why there is resistance: Films that look as if the Gilb sat on the color controls become the target of viewer anger. At the same time, the phenomenon has long since become an Internet joke: Holiday photos are colored correctly – and it already looks as if you’ve spent your holidays on a drug ranch instead of in a family hotel on the Adriatic.
In the case of New York, that was no longer necessary. The streets, bridges and parks: everything looked as if Hollywood had immersed the metropolis in a Mexico filter. After all, the smoke has now cleared. One problem remains: the next yellow blockbuster will definitely come.