Cinecolor

Cinecolor is an early subtractive color-model two color film process, based upon the Multicolor system of the 1920s. It was developed by the Cinecolor Corporation, and was in use from 1932 to 1948 as a competitor to Technicolor.

Related Topics:
Subtractive color - Two color - Film - Multicolor - 1920s - 1932 - 1948 - Technicolor

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Like early Technicolor processes, Cinecolor uses two strips of film: a vermillion (red-orange) strip and a teal (blue-green) strip to produce color tones. While Cinecolor could produce vibrant oranges, blues, and flesh tones, it was notorious for not being able to properly replicate bright greens (rendered grey) and purples (rendered black). Nevertheless, Cinecolor was used extensively by the film industry, particularly in animation, where Walt Disney held an exclusive contract to use three-strip Technicolor from 1932 until the end of 1935.

Related Topics:
Vermillion - Red - Orange - Teal - Blue - Green - Grey - Purple - Black - Animation - Walt Disney - 1932 - 1935

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Before 1945, Cinecolor was used almost exclusively for short films. Among the notable animated short subjects series made in Cinecolor were Ub Iwerks' Comicolor cartoons, the Fleischer Studio's early Color Classics, a number of late-1940s Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, and many of Famous Studios' late-1940s Popeye the Sailor cartoons.

Related Topics:
Short subject - Ub Iwerks - Comicolor - Fleischer Studio - Color Classics - 1940s - Warner Bros. - Looney Tunes - Merrie Melodies - Famous Studios - Popeye the Sailor

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Cinecolor was also prominently employed in Paramount's educational Popular Science shorts. Hal Roach began making all of his product in Cinecolor in 1947, becoming the first Hollywood producer to make all of his output in color. Most features made in Cinecolor were low-budget westerns.

Related Topics:
Paramount - Educational - Popular Science - Hal Roach - Hollywood

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In 1948, Cinecolor developed a three-color process called Super Cinecolor, which was first used in short subjects and non-theatrical films, and then in 1951-1953 for features such as The Sword of Monte Cristo, Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Super Cinecolor utilized black and white negatives made by a three-strip Technicolor camera, or color negatives made with Ansco/Agfa, Kodachrome, or Eastmancolor films, for principal photography. After the negative was edited, it was copied through color filters into three black and white negatives, one for each of the three primary colors. These separations were used to make the three-color prints in a complex process that added two colors on one side of the print and the third color on the opposite side. The dual emulsion prints had vivid dyes that did not fade, but were grainier than Technicolor prints due to the generation loss when making the pre-print separations, and softer in focus because the image existed on two planes.

Related Topics:
1948 - The Sword of Monte Cristo - Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd - Jack and the Beanstalk - Technicolor - Agfa - Kodachrome - Eastmancolor - Emulsion

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Cinecolor and Super Cinecolor were both available to producers until the Cinecolor Corporation went out of business in 1954, and its assets were purchased by competitor Technicolor Corporation.

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