Tinted amateur films?

[Joerg Polzfusz]

Hi!

Back in era of silent films, it was very common to have tinted b&w-prints. Night scenes became tinted in blue etc..

But what about films shot by amateurs? Dr5.us offered sepia tinting as an option (when still in business). And less than three years ago, Klaus Schreier, a German experimental movie maker, tried DIY-tinting his TriX-Super8-films (see https://www.filmkorn.org/s-w-film-colorieren-ein-versuch-mit-colorvir/?s=Colorvir# ).

So, how common was this for amateurs back in the 1920s and on? There might have been labs offering this as a special service (like later dr5.us).

 

[Frank Wylie]

Well, the formulas and chemicals were freely available at the time, so it's certainly possible if not common.

Many amateur film making publications had articles on the very subject along with how to build homemade racks and tanks, as well as drying racks.

I must say though that in 40 years I have seen very few "home movies" that took advantage of this process.  Most of the few I have seen were from very wealthy families, and in 35mm, so they probably had a pro lab do the work.

That doesn't mean there aren't any out there; I just haven't seen them...

[Frederick Knauf]

Eastman Cine-Positive Tinted stocks began being offered close to 1920 and by 1920 all seventeen variations of color were being produced and sold.  These stocks came tinted from the Kodak factory and the elements of tint change in a movie occurred at scene changes where the nitrate base could be spliced using similar techniques to how formal negatives were being cut and spliced to composite the movie. What a task to manufacture those wonderful tinted movies!

My records only indicate that these were sold in 35mm.  16mm was still considered a home movie format back then, but they could have been sold by Kodak but not from the Motion Picture business of Kodak.  My records focus on Motion Picture code histories.

By the end of the 1920's, only seven of the seventeen were still in existence when they were renamed Eastman Sonochrome Positive (same emulsion as code 1301) and Eastman Sonochrome Fine Grain Positive film (same emulsion as code 1302), the new name given during the conversion of sound film "talkies" and to show that the films would work well with sound striping and reading in theaters.  Four of the seven colors (a yellow-orange, a yellow, a blue-violet, and a red-magenta) were made on a cellulose diacetate base, and these were also tinted in the base manufacturing factory at Kodak not in dying of the processed film or during processing.

Fred Knauf

Eastman Kodak Co.

[Frank Wylie]

There is a lot of information out there on all aspects of color in early cinema.

https://domitor.org/research/test-research-post-1/

Just one example...

[Joerg Polzfusz]

Thanks, Frank, but all the information out there focuses on professional movies that have been shown in cinemas. There’s little to no information an amateur home movies.

[Frank Wylie]

Joerg,

No, it's "out there" just not in a convenient, one-stop form.  The above book is just a good book on samples of tinting, toning, stencil and other color methods from commercial cinema.

The closest thing I can think of is Alan Kattelle's "Home Movies: A History of the American Industry, 1897 - 1979", but it's been so long ago since I read it, I cannot remember if it had any information on tints and tones in home movies.

The information you seek is scattered throughout the literature of Amateur and Home movie magazines from the mid 1920's to present, but you'll have to actually search for it and compile it if you really want to see it.

Libraries that have actual archives of magazines and books are more fruitful than endless search engine queries, but you might find a few articles at The Media History Digital Library.

https://www.mediahistoryproject.org/

Specifically:  https://www.mediahistoryproject.org/collections/non-theatrical/

Anyway, sounds like a good book just waiting to be written! 

Maybe you could take it on?

In any event, good luck with your research.

Frank

Edit:  Here's an example -- https://www.mediahistoryproject.org/reader.php?id=amateurmoviemake31amat

Edited May 17, 2023 by Frank Wylie

[Ludwig Hagelstein]

This is a fantastic resource for info (and samples) about many historic color process, curated by Prof. Flueckinger from Zurich Uni. I highly recommend browsing through the site. It will leave you in awe. Also there were many combinations of tinting and toning together, to create multi color images. 

https://filmcolors.org