Page 16 - RD_March_2013.pdf

TINTING AND TONING

An even better effect was possible by
toning the emulsion as well as using a
tinted base. The toning process Chem-
ically replaces the black-and-white silver
image with a transparent color, resulting
in blacks or grays, becoming colored.
Some time back, I donated a film on
citrus growing in Mildura c.1925, to the
NFSA.
This was the most effective use of tinting
and toning that I had come across; the
green foliage of the tree was
reproduced by the green toned
emulsion, whilst the orange tinted film
Above: Tinted and Toned image. Film base is tinted pink, base give the fruit and the trees realistic
emulsion is toned blue. (Source: Internet) colors.
Over time many of the classic features from the 1920s which were originally released on tinted stock,
have been re-issued and simply printed as black and white. Many of the 16mm films from the old
Kodascope Film Library were printed onto tinted film stock, generally sepia, these occasionally surface
on the collectors' market.

HAND COLORING AND PATHÉCOLOR

A system which did produce realistic color was Pathécolor. This system initially involved hand coloring
of the individual film frames. This was a 'simple' process of applying different colors to the various
areas of the black and white projection print, the end result gave a good representation of a full color
image.

Pathé had a great deal of success with this system, and
soon developed a semi-mechanised process utilising a
stencil for the application of each of the [up to five
different] colors to be applied.

Each color required its own stencil; the stencil was
produced using a mechanical pantograph device, by which
a skilled operator would trace the individual frames
projected onto a small screen one at a time. The other
end of the device would move a cutter over the area of
the piece of film to be use as the stencil, cutting away the
area where the particular color was to be applied.

Left: Two adjacent frames from a Pathécolor film. Note
the splice between scenes - this occurs at every change of
scene, suggesting each color segment was handled
individually.