The art of sound pictures (1930)

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CHAPTER XII COLOR AND THE WRITER The first part of this discussion of color is technical. On first thought, it may seem to have little bearing upon the problems of the motion picture writer. But it now seems safe to predict that within a comparatively short time color will become one of the major considerations in purchase and production of motion picture stories. This development was forecast a few years ago in an article by one of the writers, from which the following excerpt may be quoted. Effective use of colour is now made, very frequently, by expert theatrical producers; though without any basis other than personal experience and native emotional sensitivity to colour. Large motion picture theatres, such as the two or three newest in New York City, make lavish use of coloured lights at nearly all times during the performance. I have been unable to discover any particular system or plan in the selection or timing of colours; but even this promiscuous and often astounding use of coloured light produces a very obvious increase in the pleasure and emotional responsiveness of an extremely heterogeneous and cosmopohtan audience. In this respect, of course, the black-and-white motion picture has not yet begun to realize its emotional possibilities. If the film action is obvious and melodramatic, the plot may arouse sufficient excitement to obscure the complete flattening out of esthetic background tone and the tremendous loss in emotional stimulation due to elimination of such stirring colour stimuli as the red lips of the heroine, the sparkling blue of sea or lake, and the flowerlike hues of women’s costumes at a pictured ball or dance. The producers probably do not realize all the emotional ammunition they are 259