Basic Color Theory

I've searched the forum for "color theory" and came across a couple resources, but I'm still on the hunt:
Does anyone know of a good book that explains the theories behind why skin tones and blues-greens-teals work so well in production design? Granted, they are complementary, but I'm looking for somewhat deeper a description than that.

If you are talking about the psychology of color in films, I highly recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0240806883/?tag=hashemian-20

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Pontificatious Ramblings

Thanks a bunch Shaughan, I'll check it out. It sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

Here a blog entry from Outside Hollywood on Color Theory. Although it doesn't focus on skin tones, it's still very enlightening.

http://www.outside-hollywood.com/2009/03/color-theory-for-cinematographers/

Yeah, I saw that a while back. I see a fair amount of content regarding color theory as it's been applied, but not much that goes into the actual theory. I've ordered If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die: The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling off Amazon. I'm looking forward to the read.

I would also suggest looking outside of film-oriented texts on color. I would suggest "Color" by Zelanski. It is a great introduction to the various theories, approaches and emotional connections to color arrangement.

-gl

I wonder how much "color theory" takes into account cutural tropes. You see someone wearing all black clothes -- is that person in mourning? doing a Goth trip? a filmmaker?

White was a mourning color in Western Europe for a thousand years, but it isn't, usually, here.

The idea that colors have an intrinsic "meaning" apart from what they evoke in the world (the colors of autumn leaves, for instance, evoke autumn) sounds like a lot of new age woo-woo to me.

-- Paul