Please access detailed information on over 250 individual film color processes via the classification system on this page, display the Timeline of Historical Film Colors in chronological order, search via the tag cloud at the end of this page or directly on the search page, or see the contributing archives’ collections on the header slides.
Out now:
Since the earliest days of cinema, film has been a colorful medium and art form. More than 230 film color processes have been devised in the course of film history, often in close connection with photography. In this regard, both media institutionalized numerous techniques such as hand and stencil coloring as well as printing and halftone processes. Apart from these fundamental connections in terms of the technology of color processes, film and photography also share and exchange color attributions and aesthetics.
This publication highlights material aspects of color in photography and film, while also investigating the relationship of historical film colors and present-day photography. Works of contemporary photographers and artists who reflect on technological and culture-theoretical aspects of the material of color underline these relations. Thematic clusters focus on aesthetic and technological parallels, including fashion and identity, abstraction and experiment, politics, exoticism, and travel.
Color Mania contains a general introduction to color in film and photography (technique, materiality, aesthetics) as well as a series of short essays that take a closer look at specific aspects. An extensive image section illustrates the texts and color systems and continues the aesthetic experience of the various processes and objects in book form.
The publication is also available in German
Edited by Barbara Flückiger, Eva Hielscher, Nadine Wietlisbach, in collaboration with Fotomuseum Winterthur
With contributions by Michelle Beutler, Noemi Daugaard, Josephine Diecke, Evelyn Echle, Barbara Flueckiger, Eirik Frisvold Hanssen, Eva Hielscher, Thilo Koenig, Joëlle Kost, Franziska Kunze, Bregt Lameris, David Pfluger, Ulrich Ruedel, Mona Schubert, Simon Spiegel, Olivia Kristina Stutz, Giorgio Trumpy, Martin Weiss, Nadine Wietlisbach
Design: Meierkolb
This database was created in 2012 and has been developed and curated by Barbara Flueckiger, professor at the Department of Film Studies, University of Zurich to provide comprehensive information about historical film color processes invented since the end of the 19th century including specific still photography color technologies that were their conceptual predecessors.
Timeline of Historical Film Colors was started with Barbara Flueckiger’s research at Harvard University in the framework of her project Film History Re-mastered, funded by Swiss National Science Foundation, 2011-2013.
In 2013 the University of Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation awarded additional funding for the elaboration of this web resource. 80 financial contributors sponsored the crowdfunding campaign Database of Historical Film Colors with more than USD 11.100 in 2012. In addition, the Institute for the Performing Arts and Film, Zurich University of the Arts provided a major contribution to the development of the database. Many further persons and institutions have supported the project, see acknowledgements.
Since February 2016 the database has been redeveloped in the framework of the research project Film Colors. Technologies, Cultures, Institutions funded by a grant from Swiss National Science Foundation. Since 2016, the team of the research project ERC Advanced Grant FilmColors has been collecting and adding written sources. All the members of the two research projects on film colors, both led by Barbara Flueckiger, have been capturing photographs of historical film prints since 2017.
Please report errors or suggestions.
Follow the links “Access detailed information ›” to access the currently available detail pages for individual processes. These pages contain an image gallery, a short description, a bibliography of original papers and secondary sources connected to extended quotes from these sources, downloads of seminal papers and links. We are updating these detail pages on a regular basis.
In June 2015, the European Research Council awarded the prestigious Advanced Grant to Barbara Flueckiger for her new research project FilmColors. Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Aesthetics, see press release of the University of Zurich and information on the University of Zurich’s website.
Subscribe to the blog to receive all the news: https://blog.filmcolors.org/ (check out sidebar on individual entries for the “follow” button).
Contributions to the Timeline of Historical Film Colors
“It would not have been possible to collect all the data and the corresponding images without the support from many individuals and institutions.Thank you so much for your contribution, I am very grateful.”
Barbara Flueckiger
Experts, scholars, institutions | Sponsors, supporters, patrons of the crowdfunding campaign, April 23 to July 21, 2012
April 23 to July 21, 2012, $11,175 raised
*Note: Several donors prefer to remain anonymous.
Project Leader and Principal Investigator:
Prof. Dr. Barbara Flueckiger, baflueckiger@gmail.com
Team:
Research Management:
Dr. Evelyn Echle, Scientific Research Manager evelyn.echle@uzh.ch
Software Development:
BSc Gaudenz Halter, Software Development Color Film Analyses, video annotation und crowdsourcing platform VIAN, in collaboration with Visualization and MultiMedia Lab of Prof. Dr. Renato Pajarola, University of Zurich, (Enrique G. Paredes, PhD; Rafael Ballester-Ripoll, PhD) since 07.2017
BSc Noyan Evirgen, Software Development, in collaboration with Visualization and MultiMedia Lab von Prof. Dr. Renato Pajarola, Universität Zürich (Enrique G. Paredes, PhD; Rafael Ballester-Ripoll, PhD), 03.2017–01.2018
Assistants Film Analyses:
BA Manuel Joller, BA Ursina Früh, BA/MA Valentina Romero
Project Leader:
Prof. Dr. Barbara Flueckiger, baflueckiger@gmail.com
Team:
MA Noemi Daugaard, PhD Candidate, noemi_daugaard@access.uzh.ch
MA Josephine Diecke, PhD Candidate, josephine.diecke@uzh.ch
Data Management Timeline of Historical Film Colors:
MA Sabrina Züger, BA Manuel Joller, BA Jamie-Lee Moser, MA Meredith Stalder, MA Valentina Romero
Financing the Timeline of Historical Film Colors?
The development of the project started in fall 2011 with stage 1. Each stage necessitated a different financing scheme. We are now in stage 3 and are looking for additional funding by private sponsors. Please use the Stripe interface to pay conveniently online or transfer your financial contribution directly to
Account IBAN CH2509000000604877146
Account holder: Barbara Flueckiger, CH-8005 Zurich, Switzerland
SWIFT Code / BIC: P O F I C H B E X X X
Bank: PostFinance AG, Mingerstrasse 20, CH-3030 Bern, Switzerland
Clearing Nummer: 09000
Read more about the financial background of the project on filmcolors.org.
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The author has exercised the greatest care in seeking all necessary permissions to publish the material on this website. Please contact the author immediately and directly should anything infringe a copyright nonetheless.
E-mail to Barbara Flueckiger, founder and project leader of Timeline of Historical Film Colors
Thank you very much for your financial contribution! Each sponsor receives a credit on the acknowledgement page: http://zauberklang.ch/acknowledgements.html
Thank you very much for your financial contribution! Each sponsor receives a credit on the acknowledgement page: http://zauberklang.ch/acknowledgements.html
1938 – 1958
Additive 3 color: Line screen (réseau), 16 mm, reversal
Louis Dufay, T. Thorne Baker and Charles Bonamico (Dufay-Chromex)
(see detail page on Dufaycolor)
(see detail page on Dufaycolor)
Klein, Adrian Bernhard = Cornwell-Clyne (1940): Colour Cinematography. Boston: American Photographic Pub. Co.. 2nd revised edition, pp. 193-195. View Quote
“Instructions.—The camera should be threaded in the usual way, but the shiny side of Dufaycolor must face the lens. There is a metal band around the spool to protect the film from unwanted light during loading. Do not remove this until the last possible moment. But do not forget to remove it. Loading and unloading should be carried out in a shaded place.
Colour Filter.—No filter is required for daylight photography. Filters are supplied by Dufay-Chromex Ltd., for various types of filament lamps.
Lighting.—To obtain the best colour pictures the light should be behind the photographer. However, side-lighting is often quite successful. A lens hood should always be used. Colour pictures taken against the light are rarely successful. Brilliant sunshine gives brilliant colours and hard shadows.
When sun is obscured open up one stop (e.g. from//8 tof/s-6). Slight over-exposure is preferable to under-exposure. When in doubt between two apertures use the larger.
Soft light gives soft colours. Less exposure gives deeper colours and hard contrast. More exposure gives light colours and less contrast.
Exposure.—Correct exposure is, needless to say, essential.
A reliable exposure meter should be used, such as the Weston, Model 819. A general indication of the exposures required is contained in Table 32, page 193.
The following (Table 33) are the speed factors [footnote 1: These factors do not apply to 35-mm. cine film, the speed of which is Weston 2.] for Dufaycolor reversal film given by the makers of the more commonly known still and cine exposure meters:
It is advisable to use a 3-in. projection lens. Do not use too much light. A powerful projector is only needed when it is required to show a picture several feet wide.”
(Klein, Adrian Bernhard = Cornwell-Clyne (1940): Colour Cinematography. Boston: American Photographic Pub. Co.. 2nd revised edition, pp. 193-195.)
Timeline of Historical Film Colors by Barbara Flueckiger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
