What emotions can bleach bypass convey?

[Richard Swearinger]

Bleach bypass is one of those processing strategies that seems to be loved by every generation of filmmakers, but I'm wondering what it can be used for beyond making the audience feel a character's sadness and/or fear?

 

What unexpected emotions can it be used to convey—what reaction can it evoke from the audience? How have you used it to create other moods? Would there be a humorous use of bleach bypass?

 

And finally, is it best used for the whole picture or is it more effective when used in just a few scenes?

[David Mullen ASC]

Three Kings used bleach-bypass for some scenes and it was humorous in a very bleak, dark way. I could imagine a movie in the style of Monty Python and the Holy Grail going for that look while being funny, but its not really a case of the bleach-bypass being funny other than to convey a miserable situation in a comedic movie. Another example of a movie that could have used bleach-bypass and worked as a comedy is Whitnail and I though it didnt.