Advances In Cinema Tech Overcoming a Strange Racial Divide

barlevg writes "Since the birth of film, shooting subjects of darker complexion has been a technical challenge: light meters, film emulsions, tone and color models, and the dynamic range of the film itself were all calibrated for light skin, resulting in dark skin appearing ashy and washed-out. Historically, filmmakers have used workarounds involving "a variety of gels, scrims and filters." But now we live in the age of digital filmmaking, and as film critic Ann Hornaday describes in the Washington Post, and as is showcased in recent films such as "12 Years a Slave," "Mother of George" and "Black Nativity," a collection of innovators have set to work developing techniques in lighting, shooting and post-processing designed to counteract century-old technological biases as old as the medium itself."

Comments

hilarious

[slashmydots]

Anyone else remember when HP's webcam face login program refused to recognize black people and it had to be recalled and altered? This totally reminds me of that. Classic HP.

Re:hilarious

[obarthelemy]

Oh my. I remember Better of Ted's "the good news is: our security system is NOT racist, because it doesn't see blacks" episode, but never had an inkling it was based in reality.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/better-off-ted-racial-sensitivity,71599/

Re:For real?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most Bollywood films don't have very good lighting....