Honoring Technicolor — The Innovation That Transformed Cinema Forever

If you’re familiar with films like Singing In The Rain (1952),¹ The Red Shoes (1948),² or The Wizard of Oz (1939)³, or heard Emma Stone’s Oscar acceptance speech in 2024, you may have heard of Technicolor⁴ but aren’t exactly sure of what it is. The process gripped Hollywood for decades, allowing audiences to see cinema in a whole new way — in color.

Around one thousand films⁵ were made using Technicolor, making it the go-to process during the 1930s to the mid-1950s. Many of those films are now considered to be cult classics. This was a time of creative freedom. Technicolor was a major technological advancement, paving the way for incredible growth in Hollywood and pushing creatives to think outside of the black-and-white box.

“Technicolor’s Debut” — How Early Color Changed Hollywood Forever

There have been many technological advancements made since the birth of cinema in 1895. The first two decades consisted of silent films, which entertained audiences but did not leave room for creative expression. The year 1908 brought the first attempt at colorized film. Kinemacolor⁶ was a process that only allowed for two colors to be added to film strips. While it was still exciting, audiences and artists wanted access to the whole color spectrum.

It took until 1915 to find a proper replacement for Kinemacolor. The invention of Technicolor unlocked unimaginable success. MIT professors Dr. Herbert Kalmus and Dr. Daniel Comstock and engineering prodigy W. Burton Westcott created their engineering firm, KCW⁷ — which later became Technicolor Inc. in 1921 — and made it their mission to bring full color to cinema. The success was so widespread that the Golden Age of Hollywood is directly associated with Technicolor.

Breaking Down The Complex Process Behind Cinema’s First Colors

Modern audiences look back at the era and admire the look and feel that came along with the time, but are unsure how it was achieved. Technicolor is a process that brought color into the theaters. KCW worked on the technique⁸ from 1916 and it was perfected in 1932. The original technique started as a beam-splitting optical cube that would expose three separate film strips, one for red, one for blue, and one for green.

The film strips were positioned to capture the light simultaneously, then were developed separately, printed, and then passed through the appropriate colored dyes. After all of that, the three strips were laminated together to create the singular film strip that would be projected in theaters.

Later on, they updated the process with a singular tri-pack color negative film that would be exposed during filming. The strips then got dyed with their set color and superimposed on a final emulsion, giving us the final product.

It took a long time to perfect the process, as cameras only produced one strip of negative rather than the multiple strips that the process required. Because of this, making films with Technicolor was very expensive. The color commonly turned out not as intended, meaning a film’s production team would need to spend more money on reprinting.

Not only were there difficulties with the cameras, but the studio also had to be filled with very bright and very hot lights. The studio would often be around one hundred degrees because the film required such strong lighting setups.

KCW developed a camera to hold the necessary amount of film, three-strip Technicolor, to advance the company. The necessary printers took up entire rooms, as that was the most efficient way to transfer the color in a timely manner. While the whole process was expensive and rather troublesome, the struggles were worth the reward, as we now have incredibly beautiful and vibrant films to look back on.

The first film to be released in Technicolor was a Disney short called Flowers and Trees (1932).⁹ The eight-minute animated short, directed by Burt Gillett, began the reign of Technicolor, earning an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Cartoon. However, the first feature film didn’t come out until 3 years after the technique was perfected. Becky Sharp (1935),¹⁰ directed by Rouben Mamoulian, also took home awards, including Best Color Film and Best Foreign Film at the Venice Film Festival the same year.

“Technicolor’s Golden Age” — How It Transformed Hollywood

One film that helped Technicolor reach the level of success that it did was Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1939).¹¹ This, directed by William Cottrell, was the first full-length animated film in English, so while it was an impressive feat, audiences wanted to see Technicolor used in a live-action film. This is when The Wizard of Oz was created.

Victor Fleming’s film, released in 1939, showed how magical Technicolor was. With it being released during the Great Depression, audiences were able to escape the gloomy life outside the theater for two hours. The film even shows Dorothy leaving what audiences associated with their reality, as she steps outside of her Kansas home to the rainbow scenery of the Land of Oz.

The original audiences of The Wizard of Oz had an overall very positive experience¹² with the film. Many people were blown away by the film’s use of Technicolor, and it was quickly deemed a beloved classic. Meanwhile, other viewers thought the film was blatantly copying the magic of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There was also discussion about the modern twist the film adapted, instead of sticking with the original text, The Marvelous Land of Oz,¹³ written by L. Frank Baum and published in 1904.

No matter how many debates there were, seeing the contrast that The Wizard of Oz provided left audiences in awe. People could not get enough of the feeling Technicolor provided. It wasn’t just the audience that was feeling the effects of the process, but also film crews. Being able to work in color opened thousands of doors for people. Now, films are able to express emotions through a film’s color palette.

Access to such a convenient tool made the possibilities seem endless. Films were made specifically around what colors would be the most exciting to see on screen. For example. Dorothy’s slippers were originally supposed to be silver,¹⁴ but because of the success of Technicolor, we have the iconic ruby slippers.

Color has since been one of the biggest tools filmmakers utilize to convey emotion in their work. Film theorists have studied the use of color in films for decades, proving that each color triggers a collective emotional experience¹⁵ for the audience. Red symbolizes passion, danger, and power; green is associated with nature and corruption; blue means melancholy and isolation.

Another film that proved to be very exciting in color is The Red Shoes (1948), directed by the dynamic duo Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell. The film, following Vicky Page, a fierce dancer with striking red hair and bright red ballet slippers, feels like it’s on fire. As her character is torn between her career and her love, she becomes a clear symbol for passion.

One film that did an amazing job with color theory is Gone With The Wind (1939),¹⁶ directed by Victor Fleming. This was the first color film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, and for good reason. Analysts have done many deep dives into the use of color in the film, as it proved just how useful color can be in terms of storytelling.

One example of this color usage was in the costume choices.¹⁷ Vivian Leigh’s character, Scarlett O’Hara, is seen in very monochromatic looks, with each color pushing the necessary emotion in the scenes. The costumes helped drive the film’s success, but the film is simply just visually stunning. The success of this film helped set an industry standard. The majority of the films following Gone With The Wind set out to achieve the same look as the award winner.

For just under two decades after the release of Gone With The Wind, Technicolor was met with tough competition. While Technicolor demanded severe filming conditions and excessive spending, other companies admired what was now capable and decided to try to craft a more economical approach to colored film.

“Keeping The Color Alive” — Technicolor’s Transformation In Contemporary Cinema

While Technicolor held a special place in the hearts of thousands, there needed to be better ways to achieve the same look. Eastmancolor by Kodak¹⁸ posed as a main threat. The company knew that if they wanted to stay relevant, they had to think ahead, which meant visiting the past.

Technicolor began converting films that were shot on other brands of film to their own film, allowing shot films to be converted into color, like Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)¹⁹ and Pearl Harbor (2001).²⁰ This is how the company was able to stay alive for so long, allowing their bulky technology to be condensed down to something much more accessible for film companies.

Technicolor’s dye-transfer process worked for a while, but unfortunately, they fell behind the times. As technology became more advanced, there was less reason to outsource a company like Technicolor. However, the company saved itself again with their silver retention process²¹ in the 80s. The film that popularized this aesthetic was Warren Beatty’s Reds (1981).²²

Silver retention allowed for films to achieve an even more specific look. The special process meant skipping the bleaching function, meaning silver would remain visible on the film. Since then, more modern films have utilized Technicolor for LUTS, also known as a Look Up Table — color grading presets that can be applied to footage so it fits the desired aesthetic.

Filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Greta Gerwig, and Ty West have utilized Technicolor’s LUTs to help the color in their films truly pop. In fact, Gerwig worked alongside Technicolor to create an LUT specific to the vision she had for Barbie (2023),²³ appropriately named Technobarbie.

This increased the vibrancy needed for Barbieland. The use of the LUT helped showcase the difference between the real world and Barbieland, making our reality seem much less thrilling than the world audiences dream of. This is incredibly similar to Fleming’s goals for The Wizard of Oz, starting the film in sepia and then transitioning to the magical world of Oz.

“The End Of An Era” — What Technicolor’s Closure Means For Cinema

Unfortunately, LUTs have not been the saving grace Technicolor needed to survive in the 21st century. From the company’s struggles²⁴ advancing along with film strikes and COVID, it was clear that there was not much else that could be done. At the end of February, the company began sharing their financial challenges with employees and consumers. Everyone involved is now preparing for a mass layoff.

As Technicolor was the home to more than just LUTs and old machinery, animators, marketers, video game developers, visual effects artists, and more are now being impacted. Thousands are unsure where to go from here. The VFX artists who are now quickly facing unemployment are trying to find work. Hollywood is working hard to support artists more than ever, but that doesn’t guarantee an easy road ahead.

Threats like Artificial Intelligence create shaky futures for many artists. Not just those in Hollywood but creatives all over the world are now facing the uncertainty of their futures. While there has been some progress made with protecting artists’ rights, there is no denying this will be a long struggle.

While Technicolor has been able to keep up with the ever-evolving nature of the film world, it is hard to deny that the company has been struggling for some time. However, you cannot say goodbye to such a household name without recognizing their efforts and triumphs. Without Technicolor, the beginning of color film would have had a very different history.

Many mourn the company that has inspired so many. From revolutionizing the theater experience with The Wizard of Oz to the pastel dream world we love in Barbie, there is a great deal of praise that needs to be given. While audiences may not notice the closure, creatives around the world will feel its absence. Technicolor’s impact is not one that will be forgotten.

Footnotes

1. Kelly, Gene. Singing In The Rain. MGM, 1952. ↩︎
2. Pressburger, Emeric. Powell, Michael. The Red Shoes. The Archer, 1948. ↩︎
3. Fleming, Victor. The Wizard of Oz. MGM, 1939. ↩︎
4. Technicolor. (2025). Technicolor is born. ↩︎
5. Parkinson, David. 10 great Technicolor films | BFI. BFI. August 5, 2021. ↩︎
6. Timeline of Historical Colors in Photography and Film. Filmcolors. 2025. ↩︎
7. Technicolor. (2025). Technicolor is born. ↩︎
8. Technicolor. Britannica. March 19, 2025. ↩︎
9. Gillett, Burt. Flowers and Trees. Disney, 1932. ↩︎
10. Mamoulian, Rouben. Becky Sharp. RKO Pictures, 1935. ↩︎
11. Cottrell, William. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Disney, 1937. ↩︎
12. King, Susan. How did ‘Wizard of Oz’ fare on its 1939 release?. Los Angeles Times. March 11, 2013. ↩︎
13. Harper Collins. (2025). The Marvelous Land of Oz. ↩︎
14. Lintelman, Ryan. The Technicolor World of Oz. American History. June 7, 2010. ↩︎
15. How Filmmakers Use Color To Set The Mood Of A Film. Digital Synopsis. (2025). ↩︎
16. Fleming, Victor. Gone With The Wind. MGM, 1939. ↩︎
17. Migliaccio, Rossella. Color Analysis in Gone with the Wind. Rossella Migliaccio Magazine. November 14, 2017. ↩︎
18. Eastman Color. Filmcolors. (2025). ↩︎
19. Ford Coppola, Francis. Apocalypse Now Redux. Paramount Pictures, 2001. ↩︎
20. Bay, Michael. Pearl Harbor. Touchstone Pictures, 2001. ↩︎
21. Technicolor introduces the new silver-retention process of Warren Beatty’s ‘Reds’. Technicolor. (2025). ↩︎
22. Beatty, Warren. Reds. JRS Productions, 1981. ↩︎
23. Gerwig, Greta. Barbie. Warner Brothers, 2023. ↩︎
24. Giardina, Carolyn. Behind The “Sickening” Collapse of Technicolor. Variety. March 4, 2025. ↩︎