Film colorization

Film colorization is the general term for a film alteration process that involves adding color to a black and white film.

Related Topics:
Film - Color - Black and white

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During the late 1950s and 1960s, black and white cartoons were redistributed in color - the colorization process was done by tracing the details of the previous black and white incarnation onto new animation cels, and then adding color to the new cels.

Related Topics:
1950s - 1960s - Cartoons

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With computer technology, studios were able to add color to black and white films by digitally tinting single objects in each frame of the film until it was fully colorized.

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Some black and white films also used colorization for artistic purposes. Several films featured scenes that were shot in black and white, and then certain objects were colorized. In the 1983 film Rumble Fish, for instance, only two objects in the film are shown in color: a fish in the pet store and a character's reflection in the police car at the end. The 1993 film Schindler's List also features a scene in which colorization effects are used -- we notice a little girl in a large crowd, but only because her sweater is red. The recent films Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Sin City also make considerable use of colorization technology.

Related Topics:
1983 - Rumble Fish - 1993 - Schindler's List - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - Sin City

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Colorization is also sometimes used on historical stock footage in movies. For instance, the film Thirteen Days uses colorized news footage from the time of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. The intention is to remove the distancing effect that black and white might have on the audience.

Related Topics:
Stock footage - Thirteen Days - Cuban missile crisis - 1962

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In the 1980s, this process drew considerable controversy. Defenders of the process claimed that it would allow black and white films to have new audiences of people who were not used to the format. Detractors complain that the process was crude and even if it were refined, it does not take into account that color and black and white photography require different lighting compositions. Thus they argue, the original work of the artists involved is damaged.

Related Topics:
1980s - Photography - Lighting

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Media mogul Ted Turner was a particularly aggressive proponent of this process until public pressure forced him to reconsider. In particular, plans to colorize Citizen Kane led to major backlash from the film community, with directors such as John Huston demanding that the film be left alone. Partially due to this controversy, all films shown on American television or released to home video in an altered format (including pan and scan and "edited for television" versions), must now display a disclaimer indicating that the film has been modified from its original version.

Related Topics:
Media mogul - Ted Turner - Citizen Kane - John Huston - Home video - Pan and scan

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With the coming of DVD technology, studios have been able to release both the original black and white films and the colorized versions from the 1980s on the same disc.

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Without exception the early colorized movies have softer contrast and fairly pale, washed out color. However, the technology has improved since the '80s, and several black and white TV shows and films have recently been given what is claimed to be a completely lifelike colorization.

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Legend Films, who specialize in the restoration and colorization of classic black and white films for DVD, have made their attempts look as realistic as possible, in addition to letting viewers choose between the original black and white and new colorized versions without changing discs. Their DVD release of the 1936 film Reefer Madness puts colorization to good use: its intentionally unrealistic color schemes add to the cult film's campy humor.

Related Topics:
Legend Films - 1936 - Reefer Madness - Cult film

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