[Tig] re: color names: Musical vocabulary references

[Alexis Hurkman]

Beyond the terminology, I think there are many analogies to be drawn  
between audio and color in post.

When speaking with a friend who's a post-production mixer, he was  
discussing how the goal of a mix is to clean up and emphasize the  
most important sound in the scene (usually someone's voice) and then  
mix and adjust the qualities of all other audio relative to that.  
Which is an interesting way to look at primary and secondary  
corrections to emphasize and deemphasize the color of subjects in a  
scene.

I also think the mixing concept of dynamic range is also directly  
analogous to the contrast ratio in color work.

I think it's great fun, and somewhat instructive, to compare  
disciplines like this.

-Alexis

__________________________________________________________
www.alexisvanhurkman.com | postproduction | 310-525-0388


On Jan 26, 2007, at 3:20 PM, Steve Hullfish wrote:

> I think the terms that musicians and colorists use are actually  
> very similar. Tone is certainly a word musicians use. Whether  
> something has a dark tone or a light tone (as opposed to pitch.)  
> Also, "coloring" is certainly a musical term. "I liked how you  
> colored that note." Musicians certainly also use contrast to create  
> more interesting compositions, though that usage of the word is  
> quite different in meaning.  The use of "warm" and "cool" tones of  
> course would also make perfect sense to any musician. Also, think  
> of the terms "hot" and "bottom" (bass or shadows). You can also  
> "dirty up" your sound, just like you can "dirty up" an image to add  
> some texture.
>
> As color and music are two very emotionally rooted art forms, the  
> language to describe them are definitely intertwined. And the need  
> to have ways to express yourself to collaborators is also  
> important, so the better your "vocabulary" the easier it is to  
> express yourself to your colleagues.
>
> Steve Hullfish
> Verascope Pictures
>
> On Jan 26, 2007, at 1:53 PM, Rob Lingelbach wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi Alexis,   well, not specifically acier, but many other color  
>> names that when I hear them
>> from clients I do a synaptic search for the definition of  
>> whichever modifier was used.
>> I think "warmer" and "cooler" are to color correction what "lower"  
>> and "higher" are to a
>> musical instrument; the terms at times are too general, and one  
>> needs a wider vocabulary to express the nuances of tone (or in the  
>> case of music, timbre).
>>
>> regards
>> Rob
>> --
>> Rob Lingelbach
>> http://www.colorist.org/robhome.html
>>