ABSTRACT

The history of colour processes cannot disregard the history of amateur cinema; on the contrary, a combined perspective foregrounds the strategic role that amateur filmmaking has played in technological research into chromatic reproduction processes, since colour films (Kodacolor, Dufaycolor, Kodachrome, Agfacolor) were first developed and released in the small-gauge versions employed by amateurs (9.5mm, 16mm, and 8mm), and only at a later stage in the 35mm version used by professionals. This contribution aims to evaluate the implementation procedures and the social uses of colour in Italian amateur cinema through the analyses of the discourses on colour in the how-to literature on amateur colour cinematography, and of the practices of colour in a sample of private collections of Italian home movies dating back from the 1920s to the 1960s.

KEYWORDS

colour, amateur cinema, Italy, home movies, small gauge

The 1920s was a decade of pivotal technological changes in the history of cinema and moving images, marked by the introduction of sound and the launch of small-gauge film stocks. These were more lightweight and less expensive compared with the standard 35mm gauge, and their introduction marks the beginning of amateur cinema practice.

The firxst gauge with a large-scale diffusion was the 9.5mm with central perforation. This was called Pathé-Baby and was marketed by the French company Pathé in 1922. It later became an extremely popular gauge in Europe at least until after World War II. Following the launch of Pathé-Baby, in 1923, a rival gauge was developed in the United States, the Eastman Kodak Company's 16mm, a new direct-reversal safety film. In 1932, with the aim of acquiring a larger market share and as a consequence of the 1929 economic crisis, which reduced the propensity to spend money for leisure activities, Kodak launched 8mm stock that was less expensive but also had a lower resolution than 16mm.