Digital Color Technologies

Color grading, restoration, archives and criticism

Abstract

In “Digital Color Technologies: Color Grading, Restoration, Archives and Criticism,” Jennifer O’Meara zooms in on film aesthetics and film color by exploring the trends brought by the new post-production color technologies. The lesson plan, designed for a 2-hour class period, covers the unit of “digital data, archives, and aesthetics” in a Digital Theory and Practice course. The lesson facilitates students to approach film and digital color analysis through a critical lens and can be adapted for a variety of critical media studies, visual studies, and digital studies courses. During the lesson, the instructor will offer an hour-long lecture, covering topics of analog and digital color grading, racial dynamics of color technologies, black-and-white media, digital restorations and color analysis tools, and digital color appreciation. After the lesson, students are expected to complete a practical task of creating a color palette, which will become part of their digital portfolio.