A new pigment is discovered!

This story from the New York Times details the scientific, yet accidental, discovery of a brilliant new blue pigment.

Blues have been among the most expensive and elusive pigments throughout history, not to mention many of them being toxic (indigo, anyone?), so this is appealing news, assuming the new blue will be affordable to reproduce.

This rivals the excitement of the discovery of mauve, that first artificial color that ushered in the creativity and possibility inherent in using artificial pigments in the form of aniline dye.

Hello everyone. I was just browsing the internet, and saw the trailer Coppola's new film "Tetro." The interesting thing about the film is the choice of colors; a return to form? There are some production notes, which compares it to "Rumble Fish." check it out.

www.tetro.com

Final Exam will be Monday at 8 pm!

We will reschedule to Monday. Sorry about the mix-up.

Creative projects and grades for them will also be handed out on Monday.

Let me know if you have any questions.

The Exam

Dear Peg,

We're in the classroom right now waiting for the administrator of our test, who didn't show up. It's been 30 minutes, so we're feeling blue.

Let us know how you want us to take our exams.

Sincerely,

The whole class (everybody was here, but Brian logged in to make this post)

Final

I have been reviewing for the final and have a few questions. I am kinda confused by the question on the study guide that asks "Discuss the way/s in which Derek Jarman approaches writing about color in Chroma, and apply this discussion to the artistic/aesthetic use of color in cinema." 

I guess I really don't understand the Derek Jarman readings as they seem to be all over the place and I don't know what we should be getting out of them. Does anyone have any ideas about how to answer this or what to look for? 

Pink reading

While finding sources for my paper I realized that Bellantoni doesn't really discuss pink in her book, and I had to go elsewhere for reference material. I found an interesting paper on the meaning of pink in the media and society, including some original research, that I thought might to be useful to share.

http://proxy.emerson.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f3h&AN=35134526&site=ehost-live

At the bottom of the entry (next to View Links) there is a "find full text" link to get the PDF.

~Stephen

Essays due Monday!

In case there was any confusion, your essays are due Monday as it says in the syllabus. If anyone has any questions you can email me this weekend. Please bring a printed copy to class with you, and don't wait until the last minute to do this. If it will make you late, come to class and print it out later, but I see no reason why everyone can't plan ahead for printer time.

Also: the Antonioni reading is due this week.

ANTONIONI: readings

Make sure you stop by to get these reading handouts (that I assigned last week) and read at least the section on BLOW UP for class tonight. They are in the box on my desk.

Here are some additional articles and readings for those interested:

Jonathan Dawson's article on Senses of Cinema

Colin Gardner's article on ArtBrain

Notes for a Rather Large Essay on Blowup"

Essay Topics

Your essays are to be standard research essays, 5-7 pages in length, and should comprise an analysis of one film, and a focused discussion of some aspect of its color design and structure. You may choose a film we've already viewed or discussed in class. If you choose something else you need to run it by me first so I have time to see it if I haven't already.

Be creative, original and focused in selecting a topic. If you're stumped for inspiration, re-watch the film and/or do some writing about it. You can focus on technical elements of production design, aesthetics, emotional impact of color, color as a narrative device, or some specific design element such as costumes, sets (art direction), or lighting. Try not to cover too much ground.

Feel free to explore ideas that go against what we've already read or discussed; if you disagree with Bellantoni's take on something, for example, that can be a starting point for formulating your main argument or thesis.

Be creative in use of source material, too. You need to use at least three sources in addition to the film text itself and any DVD extras. You can refer to screenplays, reviews, interviews and scholarly articles or books. The library has a vast assortment of resources. I also have a number of scholarly articles from the Color Film Reader which I can make available to you; I'll list them here this week.

Try to formulate your thesis statement (basically a paragraph that can serve as your opening paragraph) for this week. You can email it to me for feedback. You can also email me if you've having trouble finalizing your topic or have any other questions.

The Green Gown

It's astonishing to me how much buzz there was about this green dress when the film came out. If you do a search on the net you'll find commentary from many sources, although mostly from the worlds of film, fashion and design (in roughly reverse order).

Here are a few I found. I scratch my head reading some of this stuff. Why all the fuss about this dress? Are these people onto something? Is it the color? Discuss! Feel free to bring your own link discoveries into the discussion.

Girl in a Green Dress

Madison Mag

The Guardian: Best Film Costume of All Time??

Popcorn Reel

The Glam Guide: $486 at Nordstrom!

Responses to ATONEMENT

Just to remind everyone; these assignments are due via email before class tomorrow. I would prefer to receive them as soon as possible.

Thanks; hope everyone had a good spring break!

Place Title Here

anyways, about the colors in the village. I think the reds and the yellows are a bit too much at points. this might just be because the colors serve a narrative purpose as well as a thematic one, and that makes it seem a bit heavy handed sometimes. what i was more interested in were the subdued colors of everything else. the yellow-greens, grey-whites, all those dark earth tones, and the faded sky blues.
I'm guess these colors were made like this to make them push back in the visual plain to make those bright reds and yellows even more obvious, and though visually pleasing, mentally abrasive. The light colors also speak to the townspeople's innocence and overall "simple-mindedness". I am unsure of the blues though, they only pop up like a few times and on all sorts of characters.
BLUE!any thoughts on the blue???

E-mail subscription

As I stay up far too late at night, I realized that this might help the rest of the class. It's not about color, but it will help you talk about it! It's sometimes hard to remember to check the blog on regular occasion, so I thought I'd share with everyone the ability to get updates to the blog e-mailed to you. Here it is!

Subscribe to Kino Chroma by Email

Just go there, put in your e-mail (they won't spam you—promise), and you'll get an e-mail in the morning whenever the site has been updated.

Hooray!

Work

I realize this post may only reach those who have actually registered for the blog (just over half the class).

I want to reiterate that when I ask the class to participate in the blog discussion of the reading assignment, that this is not optional! It is an assignment and requirement for the class, just as the reading is, just as registering for the blog is (which nearly half the class also has not managed to do yet).

I also am curious as to why I have only received 8 creative project proposals so far, when this was due for everyone in the class on Monday? So I should have 15 of them by now. This is not just disappointing, but perplexing.

A seminar is an upper-level course requiring a higher level of work than an introductory or core class. If some of you aren't capable of keeping up with the assignments, you might want to consider dropping the class. Failing to keep up with the weekly workload (which is considerably lighter than it is in many other seminar courses) will impact negatively on your grade and your continued progress in the course.

Scott Higgins' article on Far from Heaven

I'd like to get some discussion going on this article. So please feel free to respond to any of these questions.

Do you agree that the film's use of color is "moving" as well as consciously artificial, as Higgins suggests? Why or why not?

Does Higgins' assessment of the "meaning" of the colors orange and blue (desire and loss) feel accurate? How doe these colors follow the film's seasonal timeline and plot elements?

How does Higgins' description of the first meeting of Cathy and Raymond help define the film's entire color aesthetic?

How does Higgins' discussion of color lighting assist in an understanding of the film's color palette? Do you agree or disagree that Haynes' use of gels is "bizarre" or that it (negatively) affects viewers' emotional connection to the film text?

What other colors play a part in Higgins' discussion of the film's palette?

Flaws inherent in the ending of "Rosemary's Baby"

This was my second time viewing Rosemary's Baby. (The first time was actually in the first class I ever took with Peg- Concept Development!) I appreciated it the first time around, but I enjoyed it quite a bit more this time. I think the suspense is rather masterfully subtle, but still really effective.

The color scheme is also very impressive. The use of primary colors can often be very overwhelming and childlike, but RB mutes the colors in such a way that they seem totally natural to the environment. However, I feel that there is one instance where this is completely negated.


THE BIG HULKING BLACK BASSINET OF DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

This big mass appears at the end, completely breaking the tension. The black chiffon drapes alongside the upside-down cross just seems so completely cartoonish to me.

Why not utilize some deep red drapes instead? It seems that would have followed the mood and the tone a great deal better.

Red? or Blue? On color and cognition

This article was mentioned on an online news site; very interesting study about color and cognitive tasks and thinking. The Science Magazine requires a membership to download the entire article; AOL news has a summary of it here.
Happy medium between the two sources? The New York Times article interviewing the study's authors.

FREE Wong Kar Wei screenings

The Harvard Film Archive will be showing FREE screenings over the next three Tuesdays beginning TONIGHT of of Wong Kar Wei's In the Mood for Love (February 3 and 10 at 7 pm) and 2046 (Febuary 17 at 7 pm). This is a wonderful opportunity to see these stunning films on the big screen, so don't miss out.

If you have never been to the HFA before, check out their website at http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/

FYI, No food or beverages are allowed in the theatre.

Chapter discussion

As sometimes happens in classroom discussions, not everyone gets heard from. To allow everyone a chance to participate, I'd like to hear/read your thoughts on the reading and the questions I asked you to think about. Don't be shy and please let's get the ball rolling so this blog can be a place where we can discuss topics we may not have time to get to in class, and where people who have not had a chance yet to speak up can do so.

Over to you.

Reading

Chapter 7 "Color" from The Art of Watching Films.

Some things to consider in light of this reading:

1) Think of films you have seen where color has specifically attracted your attention. Why was the use of color note worthy? Did it conform to any of the descriptions in the chapter, such as ironic or expressionistic use of color? Did color affect mood or give clues about plot or character movement?

2) Consider your experience of watching black and white films. The visual aesthetics and impact of these films depend on careful attention to values (light, dark, shadow, highlights) rather than colors. What black and white films have you seen that are especially successful or memorable in this regard?

3) Pages 230-231 discuss the concept of "warm" versus "cool" colors. Can you think of any examples of this in your own life (your surroundings, artistic choices, films or TV viewed, favorite artworks) where the temperature of color has affected you?

4) Color harmony (described on pages 232-233) functions as a collaboration among the director, cinematographer, production designer, costume and other designers. What are the different properties and issues these different departments might consider regarding how color is used?

5) On page 237, the statements of two critics about the same scene show the interpretive subjectivity of color in cinema. Is it possible to create a truly objective use of color? Why or why not?


Please be prepared to discuss these questions and the reading on Monday.

Bibliography of books and articles

This is a partial biography of books and articles that may prove useful for this course. Please let me know if you would like copies or links for any of these. I also have copies of most of the chapters in Derek Jarman's Chroma, and the articles in the Color: A Film Reader anthology (I will list these titles this week).

History of Color Technology

“Cinecolor” by John Belton

“Technicolor Revival” by Richard W. Haines

“Demonstrating three-colour Technicolor: Early three-colour aesthetics and design” by Scott Higgins

“Colorful Metaphors: The Attraction of Color in Early Silent Cinema” by Tom Gunning http://www.muspe.unibo.it/period/fotogen/num01/numero1d.htm

Harnessing the Technicolor Rainbow (excerpt) by Scott Higgins http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/excerpts/exhighar.html

General Color and Cinema

Color: The Film Reader edited by Angela Dalle Vacche and Brian Price (anthology with many interesting articles)

Derek Jarman’s Chroma

The Art of Watching Films by Joseph M. Boggs and Dennis W. Petrie

General Color and Arts

Chromophobia by David Batchelor

A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay

Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction by John Gage

Colors: The Story of Dyes and Pigments by Guineau Delamare

Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color by Philip Ball

The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone, and Sky by Ellen Meloy

Welcome to Kino Chroma!

This is a public blog created for the use of students in the Emerson College course Color in Cinema Narrative and Design. It is also open for participation from anyone who finds their way here who has an avid interest in color and cinema.

In this blog, we will post articles and other items of interest, found online or through other media sources. This blog will serve as a discussion board for reading assignments posted here, and any other topics pertinent to the course.

Students will be graded in part on their participation in discussions and postings on this blog, so don't be shy, and let your voice and ideas be heard and seen. There is a distinct visual emphasis in this course, so any and all media and art-related material pertaining to color theory, color analysis, color aesthetics and color design are pertinent, whether concerning cinema or other modes of visual art, including the fine arts, television, digital media, photography, advertising, publishing and ephemera.