Baby Driver: The use of color

At my home university I am a Theatre Arts major with a Directing focus, my first and last love in life is on stage theatre. Film is the summer fling that I always get lost in but, this film, and all of Edgar Wright’s work, have made me second guess where my heart lies. The beautiful stylistic and theatrical techniques in this film have my heart pumping with the beat of ever song in its amazing soundtrack. This film solidified my love and respect for the stylistic master that is Edgar Wright. One of my favorite tactics that Wright uses perfectly is costume design and in this specific movie the color coding of each character. I am going to break down the color palette some of the characters and analysis the meaning of each.

We have to start with Baby. The protagonist.

Black and White

Light and Dark

Baby’s home life and Baby’s Criminal life. He is stuck between these two worlds but he himself thinks that he can live in both without any consequence. This color palette also lends itself to old black and white films, which is the era and life Baby has romanized with Deborah.

Black and white are also an immediate visual que of the difference between him and his bold color wearing criminal peers. Setting him completely apart.

Baby’s colors are also used ever so often in other character’s costumes as a visual clue of a deeper connection between the two, Which I will point out in other character breakdowns

The Second has to be Deborah. The love interest. The inciting incident.

Black and White

Introduced in her black and white work uniform immediately forming a visual connection between the couple.

We are give a glimpse of her at the beginning during Baby’s coffee run and after she is seen(in her yellow and denim jacket) the smooth almost dance like journey to the coffee shop turns bad on his way to the meeting. Just like her touch on his life will turn his entire life upside down.

Yellow and Denim

Deborah’s palette is shared with Baby’s mom.

As well as her ability to sing and her interest in his music also like his mom

Deborah’s color palette is used in the same way as color is used in Wizard of Oz or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, she is introducing the magic of love to Baby’s life.

She forces Baby out of his categorized life, his life in the grey area of ignoring the problem/trouble his life is leading him to.

The Third is Doc. The Crime Boss.

Green and Black

Though not always pictured in Doc’s costumes he is surrounded by green, the walls of the compound where the meetings take place is just one instance.

Green is connected to money and this is the main reason Doc keeps baby around.

Doc sees baby as dollar signs.

The scene where Doc threatens Baby and Deborah the are green lights in the background.

The black is every once in awhile.

This connects him to Baby, it helps to explain why Doc ends up dying to save baby.

Doc always was protective over Baby. this is shown using similarities between Young Baby and Doc’s Nephew. Both blonde hair both in blue plaid shirts both using headphones. This gives the audience the visual clue that Doc is going to take care of Baby

Bats. The blood thirsty enemy.

RED

Bats is in almost ALL red when he is introduced.

This is immediately correlation the color with Bat’s psychotic behavior. And blood thirsty tendencies.

This color after Darling is killed becomes Buddy’s color the color red is used almost like a bull whoever is covered in red is seeing red.

I highly recommend watching Film Radar's YouTube video linked here, it goes into so much beautiful detail about these messy ideas of mine.