American Cinematographer - May 1988 - 12

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Color(ization) of Money

My profession

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patent law

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is not without its lighter moments. For
instance a few months ago, an inventor
came into my office with a device which
looked very much like a harmonica stand;
he explained that actually it was a sand¬
wich holder for executives forced to eat on
the run.
I've also seen devices which
would enable one to smoke in one's sleep,

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FOR CLOSE-UP WORK

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and others which would facilitate reading
while driving.
But last week I encountered the

topper of them all: a gentleman from Atlan¬
ta who claimed he was going to revolutio¬
nize the way we look at movies. Fie said that
his invention was going to do for "coloriza-

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upbeat rhythm. "Picture The Sound of Mu¬
sic, but with Julie Andrews singing Whitesnake and

Springsteen instead of Rogers

and Flammerstein. It would make the film

elaborated: "In time, this technology could
be applied to almost ANY form of art. We

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would have used sound if he had it. Besides,
folks go to movies to be entertained, not
to read."

"Whitewashing" - A process
which adds happy endings to films that
previously ended tragically. "Just imagine

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nounced: "empty-visation") for updating old
movie soundtracks with a livelier, more

developed is a computer program for re¬
processing pre-existing movies which picks
up where colorizing leaves off. The pro¬
gram - "MacMovie" - involves five new
ways for computer assisted viewers to
enhance and update tired old movies, in
much the same way as a tailor might narrow
or broaden an out of date tie or lapel.
As the clever computer whiz
gave "MacMovie" a test drive right there in
my office, I watched - slack jawed - and
marvelled at the hocus-pocus of 21st cen¬
tury science.
What follows are descriptions of
what I saw, accompanied by the inventor's
sales pitch for each computerized gyration.
See if you wouldn't have been impressed, too.
"Auralization"
A process for
adding dialogue to silent films. "Chaplin

how much better

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The ladies will love it."
"Actionization" - A process
which adds car chases to dramas which are
otherwise static. "My Dinner With Andre
meets The Dukes ofHazzard. You don't have
to be a genius to appreciate burning rubber
and crunching metal!"
"Mtvzation" - A process (pro¬

more

Named Desire would have been if Blanche

GREAT

and the computer
Richard Gere is
carrying TFIEM off at the end of the movie.

tion" what Ferrari did for the wheel.
What the man claimed he had

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THE

their yearbook photo,
makes it appear as if

us

a

movie A Streetcar

DuBois got a facelift and liposuction and
started a new career as an aerobics
instructor."
"Catharsisization" - Or "per¬
sonalization"

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A

for substituting one

computerized technique

face for another in a pre¬
existing film. "For fifty bucks, a client sends
May 1988

accessible to today's kids."
And the gentleman from

Atlanta

could make The Last

Elaine's, and

even

Supper take place at
make it The Last Lunch. Or

Picasso's Blue Period could become his
Green Period, if that's your preference. I

why repaint your living room to
match your art collection when the reverse
is so much easier?"
I contemplated this for a mo¬
mean,

ment. Just last week I had

Maybe the

repainted my den.

man had a point.
-Les Firestein

New York, NY

Captain Power
It was with great interest that I
read your article concerning "Captain Power
and the Soldiers of The Future'.' Peter
Benison and his crew did an outstanding job
in shooting one of the most complex shows
ever

attempted.

It should be pointed out that
"the transfer house" referred to in your
article was indeed Motion Picture Video of

Toronto. Not

only did our colorist Ross Cole
transfer every foot of "Captain Power',' Mo¬
tion Picture Video also handled all off-line
editing, Artstar Computer graphics, on-line
editing, and all of the electronic effects for
the show. In all, we transferred over 500,000
feet of 35mm neg for this series.

We are extremely proud
contribution to this pioneering step in

of our
broad-
American Cinematographer - May 1988

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