Thoughts on technicolor's two-color process
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Technicolor's two-color process was (and still is) beautiful as heck.
The 'Thoughts on' videos are more of short podcasts rather than written out analysis videos. Maybe something I can do quicker and more often. Don't know why I'm writing this here but just letting you know!
DOCTOR X (1932)
dir. Michael Curtiz
dp. Ray Rennahan
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Thanks for watching.
It would be great if they could restore more of these surviving two strip technicolor movies
It's interesting that you should make the observation that these movies had the look of black & white film with the addition of color. In fact all early Technicolor films in two and three-strip where filmed on black & white stock. They used prisms to filter and separate out the color and the color was added later in a elaborate process using color dyes. Every frame had to remain in register for it to work correctly. The finished film had the look of beautifully lit black and white with the texture inherent in that medium coupled with the rich color dyes. It has a wonderful 'hand made' quality that would be hard to duplicate using modern techniques.
Are you sure about the black-and-white stock? How could you combine two colors and two prints, one red one green in order to create the color? Why would you use a prism if you're dealing with black and white film stock, it wouldn't register!
@@darknessanddistance4469 Yes it was three different bw rolls, check this: ua-cam.com/video/N-T8MVrw1L0/v-deo.html
The final Technicolor print was more a result of silk screen printing different color layers guided by its color negative, then combined carefully together.
@@Sahhmi I've examined the Technicolor camera did they used on Gone with the Wind and it obviously with shooting three strips of film at the same time through the same lens, one strip in each of the primary colors. I don't understand your silkscreen reference at all
The positive print for screenings was made like silk screening - adding color layer after another with matching color matrix ("screen") to the positive base instead of using photosensitive chemicals a to create positive film from negative elements. Also, the making of 3-strip Technicolor positive prints was not light-sensitive, you could do it on daylight.
I'm almost just quoting wikipedia, this is explaned there much more properly: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technicolor#Process_4:_Development_and_introduction and here: www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/HW_Book_10_of_20_HiRes_v1c.pdf
(I've also seen the 3-strip camera on MoMi up on the link, different colors of the film strips inside the camera are most likely coating colors of different b&w negative films capturing different wavelengths or blocking other wavelengths to next film.)
This was a fun watch: ua-cam.com/video/Mqaobr6w6_I/v-deo.html and if you want to know more about history of color photography/cinematography, check this: ua-cam.com/video/lRheZ_MUYiY/v-deo.html
You should check out the work of Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin. He has an absolute love for the silent/early talkie eras. He recaptured the two-colour Technicolor aesthetic in a number of scenes in _The Saddest Music in the World_ .
I hope you have The Mystery of the Wax Museum on bluray. Another process 2 film that looks phenomenal in full HD.
Perhaps the most famous of all early color films - I have it on D.V.D -Blue-ray -HD would be outstanding
Just a tiny side note: there's no sepia film itself - all sepia photographs you've seen have been toned afterwards from b&w to sepia. But apparently there was some ready to use tinted cine film stocks (for film prints) back when tinting and toning was more common in cinematography.
Film stock colored sepia in advance? How is this possible?
@@darknessanddistance4469 I'm not really up with technical details. When these precolored stocks were used, the film was also very different from our panchromatic, high ISO stock: www.brianpritchard.com/Tinting.htm
Good news:Doctor X has just gotten a new restoration from UCLA and will be on blu-ray this spring.
The use of colour and lighting in this film is a standout
Good news Kino Lorber is putting out the restored u.c.l.a version of Glorifying the American girl. This
the print has the color final in color, grainy as Richard may of u.cl.a
back
in 1990 stated, but good shape
Mystery of the Wax Museum another gem.
Two strip was in the early thirties, not late. I love how it’s creepy/wonderful. ❤
Martin Scorsese put a lot of work into recreating the two-strip Technicolor look in "The Aviator." It wasn't easy. You can find examples on UA-cam. 🐧
He shot on film which enabled him to create a beautiful artistic look. People that try to replicate that on digital fail.
this was the second to the last of the two color Technicolor features .Modern film fans who are casual about classic films usually do not appreciate.Turner mostly serves them than both them and us fan of film history, because we demand accuracy, we slow their greedy rating and profits,sure it's better than fox and amc ,but theycan do better.
Thanks for this video! It helped me with color research for old movies design project.
Where did you get the unenhanced clip of D.r. x? Since the current verso has been a converted for years to look like 3 colors?
A friend of mine gave me this, but I don't know where he obtained it from sorry!
Two other fantastic films that use the two-color process are: Mystery of the Wax Museum, which makes a good double feature with Doctor X (same director, Michael Curtiz and studio, Warner Bros.) and King of Jazz, released a few years ago on Blu-ray from Criterion.
I loved this movie. It's such a visual treat, dark shadows, unnatural colors, and some really interesting shots. Curtiz was very influenced by German Expressionism and it shows.
Two strip Technicolor was in the early thirties, not the late thirties. Three strip Technicolor was introduced in 1935.
Wait until you see the newly restored versions of these movies
was that Fay Wray? looks like her...
The two-color Technicolor process was first used in a motion picture released into toilet scene 1922. Three-strip Technicolor came in to use with Becky sharp in 1934. I would hardly call that the late 30s
Used from the 20's till the early 30's. Oh yes, don't forget that you can reproduce it digitally too, to an extent.
How does one emulate this in premiere!?
you said "by the LATE 1930's" - the two color process was already obsolete by 1933 when they created the THREE color process, early 1930's. The three color process (though less artistic, maybe) was MUCH more realistic & lifelike than the drab, strange looking 2 color process of the late 1920's up til 1932
The Two color "Cinecolor " process and a few other versions continued to be used by the Low budget Poverty row studios up until the early fifties. Some systems were "Bi-Pack" (2 strips of film running thru the camera), & some systems used film stock coated with front & back Emulsions. The Two color cameras were less bulky and regular Mitchell cameras could be converted to do the two color process. The Prints were also cheaper.
A Lot of westerns were shot in Two color, because the outdoor stuff looked pretty good, and film stock was cheaper. Some comedies were made in the process, Including the interesting but odd "Who Killed Doc Robbin" In which Hal Roach tried to revive the energy of the old Our Gang features. 2 color system Film. It's on UA-cam. I like the look as well. Sort of Dreamlike.
Good news Kino Lorber is putting out the restored u.c.l.a version of Glorifying the American girl. This
the print has the color final in color, grainy as Richard may of u.cl.a
back
in 1990 stated, but good shape