BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE HISTORY AND SCIENCE OF COLOR FILM P. 2

1. What led to Technicolor taking over color filmmaking? What films really drove the adoption of the process?

2. How did Eastman's color affect the development of color filmmaking? What were some of its pros? What were some of its cons?

Technicolor was known for its rich and vibrant look. The original version utilized arc lights and two-color strips to get its bright look, later adding a third to create red, green, and blue. Musicals in the 1930s were a big genre during the time of Technicolor, which perfectly suited the coloring. However, in 1932, the production of 2-strip Technicolor films had ended due to a lack of audience interest and because of untrained cameramen. Then came Eastman's panchromatic film stock, which had taken over instead, which was a black and white film that produced beautiful images under normal incandescent light. It was also significantly cheaper than having the arc lights that were needed to produce the Technicolor 3-strip. Following that, Eastmancolor came out, which broke the Monopoly of 3-strip Technicolor. It was cheap, didn't require special lights or lab processes, and worked on conventional film cameras. It didn't have as rich a color as Technicolor, but it still dominated.