Appendix 1

9 Color Timing and Color
Grading
Color Timing Film
“Color timing” is the process of color correcting fi lm in printing. “Color grading” is a term used to
describe color adjustments made in digital imaging. Either way, the process involves multiple steps,
starting in the camera with the exposure. Determining what aperture setting to use affects the light
values and quality of the darks and lights as well as the amount of color in the lighter areas. Filters
are also often used, especially on fi lm cameras, to alter the color and give a baseline correction based
on the quality and color of the light used on the set and the type of fi lm stock.
The production designers among us might well argue that the real fi rst step in color grading is choosing
the colors of the design in the fi rst place. This is a valid point to make. The production designer
needs to be in sync with the director, colorist, and the cinematographer, or the end result may well
be highly polished garbage. Case in point: When shooting The Wizard of Oz, the ruby slippers were
originally supposed to be silver, but were changed to ruby red by the production designer (who
worked for Technicolor) because they would look killer on Technicolor, and generally fi t the look of
the production design. Never mind that silver slippers walking on a road of gold bricks was meant
to be a powerful metaphor for nineteenth century economical policies in America. Metaphor out; eye
candy in, and one of the great American icons was born.
Varying Red, Green, and Blue
Film has historically been color corrected in fi lm printing by varying the amount or red, green, and
blue light being passed through the original fi lm to the print stock. Normally, a “chip chart” is shot
at the head of the camera roll and/or light setup as a reference. The printer light is split into its color
components by dichotic mirrors, the same system used for splitting the color image in three-chip
CCD cameras. The value of the colored-light intensity is controlled by shutters and is quantifi ed on
a scale of one to fi fty, with twenty-fi ve being “normal.” The red, green, and blue values are listed in
133