DISCUSSING BOOKS
Colour and Light
The author presents and comments
on several key statements from the book About colour by
Nikola Tanhofer. The first statement refers to the distinction
between the coloured film — film in colour, and the conclusion
that although colour is the most powerful way of expressing
completeness, it is often disregarded. Since making
films is a team work, if there is no communication between
the director, cameraman, art director and costume designer
the colouristic wholeness of the film remains a mere coincidence
resulting with a coloured film.
In the film in
colour, on the other hand, colour is as important as
the script or the actors; it is one of the layers of the
storytelling, as in the film Shouts and Whispers.
The second statement refers to the composition and the
harmony of colours. Theoretical knowledge of the physiology
of sight open the door to the possibility of acquiring
sense for the composition and harmony of colours. Colour
is light, the third theses states, of key importance for
the cameraman since light is his medium. Until the end
of the 60’s colour on film existed solely as the colour
of the set design and costumes, and films were lit with
a white light (the light produced by the colour heated
at the temperature to which film emulsion was sensitive).
Ever since then the term white light exists
only as a point of reference for changes in the colour
of lighting. Light was equalled with stage and costume
design. When Tanhofer introduced the approach to colour
as light in his teaching at the beginning of the 70’s,
his approach was considered quite avant-garde. Questioning
Tanhofer’s theses’ the author concludes that colour, due
to the dynamism and agility of light, and with the help
of modern technology, transcends space and acquires a time
dimension. The last thesis that the author comments on
refers to the question of the reproduction of colour.
The
chapter of Tanhofer’s book with the same title deals with
practical shooting themes. The author points out that the
problem area of the temperature of colour and the use of
conversion filters contains a series of incorrect, arbitrary
and superficial assumptions. Tanhofer’s book presents these
problems and their solutions in a distinct and distinguishable
manner so that it could be considered an almost indispensable
manual for cameramen.
Boris Popoviæ |
