Production Details

Director and Writer: Hugh Piper
Co-Writer: Greg Colgan
DOP: Ian Batt & Vincent Fooy
Editor: Lawrie Silvestrin
Producers: Andrew Ogilvie and Fabrice Estève

Documentary 3 x 52 minutes
An Electric Pictures and Gedeon Programmes Production 2008

How do we make colour, how do we see it, and what does it mean in our world?

Why is the sky blue? Why do leaves turn yellow in autumn? And why does red play so powerful a role in so many cultures? Is colour real, or is it just a construct of our brains?

Taking the globe as its canvas, and drawing on science, history, art and other disciplines, Cracking the Colour Code is a series for people who are interested in the many mysteries posed by colour, and at the same time seek to enjoy the incredible diversity and sensation that colour has to offer in our world.

While colour is a child of science and physics, it triggers within us a host of emotional, intuitive and intellectual responses – deeply rooted within ourselves and our culture. This series is both food for the intellect and the senses – delivered as a carefully arranged and orchestrated feast, yet one that is playful and provocative.

Based on three years of extensive research Cracking the Colour Code draws on a range of disciplines and leading experts – including physicists, neurologists, artists, ethnologists, colour consultants, historians, artisans and marketing executives – each in some way intimately concerned with the nature and power of colour. Each offers insights, even new discoveries, that will challenge our understanding of colour.

Awards & Festivals

  • Winner Bronze World Medal, Science and Technology, New York Festival 2009
  • Winner Best Cinematography in a Documentary, Episode 2 Making Colours, Samsung Mobile AFI Awards 2009

Production Details

Director and Writer: Hugh Piper
Co-Writer: Greg Colgan
DOP: Ian Batt & Vincent Fooy
Editor: Lawrie Silvestrin
Producers: Andrew Ogilvie and Fabrice Estève

Documentary 3 x 52 minutes
An Electric Pictures and Gedeon Programmes Production 2008

How do we make colour, how do we see it, and what does it mean in our world?

Why is the sky blue? Why do leaves turn yellow in autumn? And why does red play so powerful a role in so many cultures? Is colour real, or is it just a construct of our brains?

Taking the globe as its canvas, and drawing on science, history, art and other disciplines, Cracking the Colour Code is a series for people who are interested in the many mysteries posed by colour, and at the same time seek to enjoy the incredible diversity and sensation that colour has to offer in our world.

While colour is a child of science and physics, it triggers within us a host of emotional, intuitive and intellectual responses – deeply rooted within ourselves and our culture. This series is both food for the intellect and the senses – delivered as a carefully arranged and orchestrated feast, yet one that is playful and provocative.

Based on three years of extensive research Cracking the Colour Code draws on a range of disciplines and leading experts – including physicists, neurologists, artists, ethnologists, colour consultants, historians, artisans and marketing executives – each in some way intimately concerned with the nature and power of colour. Each offers insights, even new discoveries, that will challenge our understanding of colour.

Awards & Festivals

  • Winner Bronze World Medal, Science and Technology, New York Festival 2009
  • Winner Best Cinematography in a Documentary, Episode 2 Making Colours, Samsung Mobile AFI Awards 2009