In 2019 we visited a collection of costumes from Hollywood's golden age including pieces from Technicolor films. We were excited to see how our footage compares to original footage of the same costumes!
Filming was a challenge due to mixed color lighting that wouldnt have been the case on the original movies.
This outfit was worn by Betty Davis in 'the Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'. At 80 years old the dress has lost some of its luster, but when filmed in Optical Radiance it still shows the true neutral fabrics with subtle pinkish color details seen in the original film that are completely lost on modern cameras as seen in the unmodified camera example.
This outfit was worn by Tyrone Power in 1941's Blood & Sand, thats what the sign said at least. The closest match we could find in the film is on the right. At almost 80 years old the gold texturing has faded but the light red fabric still comes through in Optical Radiance, showing texture details in the jacket that are lost in an orange haze on the unmodified camera.
This outfit was worn by Esther Williams in the spectacular climax of 1953's Easy To Love. With Optical Radiance the vivid pink suit, with shades of red and glittering jewelery still shines through as it did in the film even after 66 years and in less then desirable lighting conditions.
This outfit is the infamous curtain dress worn by Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind. While the standard camera sees a dress faded from 80 years of age, in Optical Radiance the dress appears as seen in the film with deep overlapping green fabrics and golden yellow ropes with hints of red shadowing. Optical Radiance even picks up the blue sunlight hitting the back wall where the unmodified camera only sees more of the same brownish color. Both shots used the same model camera and exposure settings.
This outfit was worn by Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind. After 80 years, the dress still holds its deep red hues and glittering jewels, but in Optical Radiance there are almost twice as many shades of red, giving more depth and color resolution to the image.
In comparison the image from the unmodified camera looks posterized, with less color variation and definition in the dress and the background. Which version would you rather have a character named Scarlet wear? Both shots used the same model camera and exposure settings.
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