Technicolor Lives!

[Ben Feuer]

At least, I hope it does.

I am currently developing an old-fashioned movie musical (and I do mean old-fashioned, singing and dancing, pour your heart out, backstage musical. Tongue in cheek need not apply). I want the movie to have that classic 3-strip Technicolor look, circa late 1930s and early 1940s. I want it to be accurate down to the last detail. I want to see the shimmer of silver nitrate stock when it's projected. But I don't have money because I'm a film student.

So ... how can I get as close, in production and in post, to a Technicolor look as possible, WITHOUT resorting to 35mm at any stage of the process?

Things I have already considered;

Costuming - emphasizing the 3 primaries, yellow, red and blue, strong solid tones, corsages, hats, etc.
Makeup - Even, flat pancake-face effect.
Lighting - I think a lot of fill and generally heavily illuminating the set so that there aren't heavy shadows anywhere in the frame. Open to suggestions here as it's not my forte.
Set Dressing - Lots of artwork, perhaps art-deco even, furniture, a general atmosphere of glamour and wealth.

What sort of suggestions do YOU have?

Classically yours,
Ben

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Avoid zooming shots, and extreme focal lengths. The prism block in the 3-strip camera prevented any lens wider than a 35mm to be used, so most 3-strip movies were shot on a 35mm and 50mm, occasionally something a bit longer like 75mm. Most interiors were shot near wide-open, probably f/2.8, due to the slow speed of the process.

Lighting is critical because you have to understand how to hard-light a scene well.

 

[Ben Feuer]

Thanks David!

So if, when I'm hiring, I ask the DP, "Do you know how to hard-light a scene", what sort of response should I expect to hear? What do I look for? I'm approaching this from the perspective of a student writer/director rather than a professional cinematographer, but I'd like to know enough to make intelligent hiring choices.

 

[Paul Nordin]

Ben, If a DP knows how to light a scene well with hard lighting, then that person will have examples on their reel to show you, or they will be able to show you clips. Let your eyes be the judge. BTW- its definately -not- about eliminating shadows.

 

[Marc Wielage]

I want the movie to have that classic 3-strip Technicolor look, circa late 1930s and early 1940s. I want it to be accurate down to the last detail. I want to see the shimmer of silver nitrate stock when it's projected. But I don't have money because I'm a film student.

My opinion is that a lush musical look basically can't be done, not on that budget. You can get close to it, to a point, but it's about the sets, the lighting, the camerawork, and the texture of the pictures. Tech IB prints, especially from 3-strip YCM originals, have a unique look (both good and bad) that's very hard to do even given a great deal of time and money. (Check out Bob Richardson's work in The Aviator, with digital color correction by Steven Nakamura and Steve Arkle, as an example of how that kind of period look was simulated in digital post.)

Lots and lots of heavy-duty color correction in post will help what you're trying to do. I would shoot lots of tests first and see if you can get there. I've color-timed many Technicolor projects in the past (real Technicolor musicals), plus I worked for Technicolor for almost 20 years, and that look is very ephemeral and evasive, especially with modern digital gear. I'd say careful use of diffusion filters on close-ups, popping up the saturation at least 25%, and lots of fill light will all help. But there's no one magic bullet (pun unintended) that does this. It's skill, experience, good lighting, and good color correction.

I agree with David above that camera shooting style helps: no zooms, no more than a 35mm lens, lots of dolly shots, and careful staging. None of this is easy, especially on a student film budget.