19904 “TECHNICOLOR FOR INDUSTRIAL FILMS” 1940 TECHNICOLOR PROCESS PROMOTIONAL FILM

Made in 1940 by 20th Century Fox for Technicolor to promote their patented dye color process, “Technicolor for Industrial Films” presents a stunning look at the quality of these motion picture prints. This version is from a 16mm original and was used to promote the format to, in particular, the advertising industry as well as the industrial and educational market. The film begins with shots of steam locomotives (1:59) operating in what appears to be Los Angeles. At 2:09 a huge Coca-cola truck rumbles by the camera. At 2:14 oil wells are shown. At 2:29 a parrot is given as an example of something attractive and colorful in nature… and then the film transitions to show various products that are well known by their packaging. Some of the products shown in the film include Heinz rice flakes, Jell-O, Campbell’s Soup, Ivory Soap and Aunt Jemima pancake batter. At 4:00 a bottle of Heinz vinegar is shown. At 4:25 bars of soap and shades of lipstick are shown in vivid color. At 4:45 makeup / cosmetics are shown. At 5:00 an African-American maid helps an Anglo woman get dressed with focus on the color of her outfit. At 5:20 beautiful packages of cigarettes are shown including Camels, Chesterfield’s, Old Gold and Pall Mall. At 5:44 the dramatic nature of color is shown with a romantic scene. At 6:12 salads are assembled with red tomatoes and green lettuce, and at 6:29 beautiful flap jacks are shown with maple syrup poured over them. At 6:43 alcoholic drinks are poured — looks like whiskey. At 7:17 color varieties of carpeting are shown and their color attributes discussed. At 7:47 linoleum floors are shown that are “vivid and alive”. At 8:22 the work of background artists and art directors is described, in making an industrial film these people are vital to making scenes “pop”.

Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.

It was the second major color process, after Britain’s Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952. Technicolor became known and celebrated for its highly saturated color, and was initially most commonly used for filming musicals such as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Down Argentine Way (1940), costume pictures such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Gone with the Wind (1939), and animated films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Gulliver’s Travels (1939), and Fantasia (1940). As the technology matured it was also used for less spectacular dramas and comedies. Occasionally, even a film noir—such as Leave Her to Heaven (1945) or Niagara (1953)—was filmed in Technicolor.

“Technicolor” is the trademark for a series of color motion picture processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation (a subsidiary of Technicolor, Inc.), now a division of the French company Technicolor SA. The Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation was founded in Boston in 1914 (incorporated in Maine in 1915) by Herbert Kalmus, Daniel Frost Comstock, and W. Burton Wescott. The “Tech” in the company’s name was inspired by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where both Kalmus and Comstock received their undergraduate degrees and were later instructors. Technicolor, Inc. was chartered in Delaware in 1921. Most of Technicolor’s early patents were taken out by Comstock and Wescott, while Kalmus served primarily as the company’s president and chief executive officer.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

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