Jimenez1

Dionicio A. Jimenez

Dr. Sharity Nelson

ENGL 1301

September 29,2022

Draft One

This paper shows a poster for the promotional series “YOU” on Netflix. The poster

includes the use of background middle ground foreground, and the use of color psychology.

Figure one uses background middle ground foreground elements to make the poster feel more

realistic, and help the audience understand what might happen throughout the season. Color

psychology is used to interpret the mood and the clothes they are wearing.

The most impactful visual element for figure one is the use of background middle ground

foreground. Without the use of this element, figure one would not look and feel the same as it

does now. Figure one and all of its details were a great result of background middle ground and

foreground. Background middle ground and foreground help make figure one feel more realistic

to the audience and it looks cleaner. For instance, in figure one it appears that the audience is

being buried, since the view from the audience is facing up to seeing the actors. There is also dirt

all around from the view of the audience, and outside of the hole, there is a focus of an actor

appearing to be looking straight down to the audience. It appears the actor may be the one

burying the audience, since the actor appears to be wearing dirty clothes caused by dirt and has

marks of dirt all around his face. It is also shown that the actor is wearing black gloves which

probably helped not leave any evidence behind. The actor is also holding carefully a bloody

pickaxe in his left arm. Behind the main actor, a woman dressed in fancy clothes carrying a baby

is shown looking straight down the audience. She seems to be acting normal as if she is used to
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this kind of stuff. In the arms of this actor is a baby wearing a bright red sweater, however figure

one does not show the gender of the baby. There are also trees behind the actors and even a

house. Which can be inferred that the actor is burying the audience behind his backyard?

Another interesting thing to look at are the actors' expressions. The main actor, who is covered in

dirt all over the place, seems to be enjoying this. The eyes of the actor are dark like coal, and the

smirk in his face is just meaningful. As for the actors in the back, the woman seems to be used to

this kind of thing. She is not smiling nor scared, she appears to be calm like water. She is holding

a baby, which does not show the expression of the baby. There is also a lot of color in figure one.

The sky seems to be cloudy, and full of color.

Color psychology is also used in figure one. Color psychology is used in many ways in

this figure, mostly in the sky and in the areas around it. But in order to explain everything well, it

is better to understand what color psychology is. “Color psychology is the study of hues as a

determinant of human behavior. Color influences perceptions that are not obvious.”. Color

Psychology is used among the actors clothing in figure one. For example, the clothing of the

child’s jacket is red. Red is known to attract the most attention and is associated with strong

emotions such as love, anger, etc. This can help the viewers understand that when they watch the

show, the child is probably going to be an important factor in the season. This also helps the

audience understand the importance of this actor. Another example is the actor in the main focus,

he is wearing a dirty gray shirt. In color psychology, “grey represents neutrality and balance. Its

color meaning likely comes from being the shade between white and black. However, grey does

carry some negative connotations, particularly when it comes to depression and loss. Its absence

of color makes it dull.” This gives a future image of what this character might be like throughout

the season. This would also make sense for the actor to wear this shirt, since throughout the past
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seasons he has been depressed and lost the one he loved. The woman behind main actor,

however, wears a bright beige jacket. “Beige is dependable, conservative, and flexible. The color

beige is neutral, calm, and relaxing.” This helps the audience know that this character will be

dependable, neutral, calm, and relaxing. This is also a great help for the audience to understand

that this actor is going to be reliable and calm throughout the season. Most people might think

color psychology in this poster is just a mere coincidence, but this is not the case. The creator of

this poster Marco Vito Oddo did this on purpose. He used Color psychology by using clothing

and choosing a specific color for each actor.

In conclusion, the Netflix series “YOU” has had great success using background middle

ground foreground and color psychology elements. The elements provided an understanding for

the audience of the series and great realistically atmosphere when looking at the poster. This is

since not everything that meets the eye is the truth. The series “YOU” was successful to the point

of getting 2.254 billion viewing minutes at the end of October 24,2021. It also passed Squid

Game in viewing numbers on Netflix.

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Work Cited

“Beige is dependable, conservative, and flexible. The color beige is neutral, calm, and

relaxing.” - Colors.dopely.top by Xahra Published in May 20,2021

“Color psychology is the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior. Color

influences perceptions that are not obvious.” by Alter A Published in March 21,2013 in “I see

red”.

“grey represents neutrality and balance. Its color meaning likely comes from being the shade

between white and black. However, grey does carry some negative connotations, particularly

when it comes to depression and loss. Its absence of color makes it dull.” by Nicole Martins

Ferraire in the article “COLOR PSYCHOLOGY: HOW COLOR MEANINGS AFFECT YOUR

BRAND” published in May 31,2019

Information about “YOU” beating squid game in views. - forbes.com by Paul Tassi Published on

November 3, 2021.
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Appendix

Figure one by Marco Vito Oddo