One of the key scenes in the film for me is the one where Marty is asked to meet the Doc in the shopping Centre car park. Within the film, the colors it uses for the daytime scenes when he goes back in time are quite muted and pastel in contrast to the strong colors used in the night scenes in the future. In the darkness Doc’s white protective clothes stand out to show how important the scene is. It emphasizes his importance and how dangerous the chemicals are.
The writer and producer could have used any color for the car but by choosing to make it sliver, the car becomes timeless and sleek. It stands out in a subtle way. It is not bright and in your face, but it is also not dull and easily overlooked. It shows it is more important than an ordinary car. When the car is first introduced to the film, with the slow opening doors and billowing smoke creates a tension and excitement about what the trailer contains. The car in the center of the screen and it the main object in whatever picture it is in. Another redundancy is whenever Marty is in the frame he is always in the center. Whether it is a long shot, medium shot, or close up- he is always the focus. This makes sense since he is the main character. In the film he also has a distinctive outfit. Jeans, flannel, and a bright orange vest. Adding the bright orange vest tells the viewer that he is a young kid in the 80s and it brings him to the center of attention. The car, Marty, and Doc are the main focus points throughout the movie, and even the whole trilogy.
As previously mentioned, the color or filter of the film changes between time periods. When the setting is in the 80s, the colors are brighter, there is more neon, and everything is a bit more modernized. When the setting is in the 50s, the colors are duller, there is no neon anywhere, and there is a yellowish tint over the picture to resemble an old photograph that has aged.
