TO CARRY OUT PARTICULAR POSTPRODUCTION TASKS FOR NO PAY FOR A PERIOD

AS THEY HAVE UNDERGONE ALL KINDS OF NEEDED COMPROMISES AND ASSAULTS

THE ABOVE.

WHEN PHOTOGRAPHY IS FINISHED EVEN THOSE OF US WHO WORK

SO OUR SENSIBILITIES ARE ACUTELY BRUISED WHEN WE SEE "OUR CHILDREN"

THE CAMERA AND THE PROJECTOR AT 24 FPS.

BY TRANSFERRING THE FILM

TO TAPE AND DROPPING THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE OR TWO OF THOSE FRAMES

TO ACHIEVE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, EXACTLY THE RIGHT PACE.

MANY HOURS

FILMS ARE PHOTOGRAPHED IN DIFFERENT ASPECT RATIOS (OR FRAME SIZES)

WHICH VARY FROM A FRAME THE SIZE OF 1 UNIT HIGH TO 1.33 UNITS WIDE

TO THE WIDE

SCREEN CONSISTING OF PROPORTIONS OF 1 TO 2.35 UNITS.

A SHOT MADE OF A CANOE, WOULD IN WIDE SCREEN, FOR INSTANCE,

CONTAIN

IN WHAT IS, IN OUR OPINION AND THAT OF ALMOST ALL CRITICS, INFERIOR

THERE ARE THOSE, WHO STAND TO PROFIT FROM THE COMPUTER

OF

THE DIRECTORS GUILD HAVE NEVER MADE A BLACK AND WHITE FILM AND

MAY NEVER HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.

MR. ROGER MAYER, PRESIDENT

OF TURNER ENTERTAINMENT, WAS GENTLEMAN ENOUGH RECENTLY, TO PUBLICLY

OFFERED TO YOU IN THE LIGHT NOT ONLY OF MERIT BUT OF MOTIVATION.

LAST SUMMER OUR GUILD PRESIDENT GILBERT CATES ASKED ME TO TO CHAIR

A PART OF THAT REPORT WHICH OUTLINES OUR PHILOSOPHY ON THE SUBJECT

THE ADVICE NOR THE CONSENT OF THE ARTISTS WHO CREATED

THESE IMAGES IN THE FIRST PLACE, CONSTITUTES IN THE

WORDS OF JOHN HUSTON, "AS GREAT AN IMPERTINENCE AS

FOR SOMEONE TO WASH FLESH TONES ON A DA VINCI DRAWING.

CASES, BLACK-AND-WHITE WAS CHOSEN AND COLOR SPECIFICALLY REJECTED

THE REAL POINT TO BE ADDRESSED IS THAT IF FILMS WERE

MADE IN BLACK-AND-WHITE (FOR WHATEVER REASON), THEIR

CREATORS DESIGNED THEM TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES AND POSSIBILITIES AS WELL AS THE

THE LIMITATIONS OFFERED BY BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY.

"COLORIZATION" SIMPLY UNDERMINES THESE VALUES AND INTENTIONS.

APPEARANCE OF ANY WORK OF ART DOES NOT REST WITH THE

READER, THE LISTENER, THE VIEWER OR THE AUDIENCE.

IT RESTS WITH THE ARTIST.

IT IS PERHAPS THE MOST

BASIC RIGHT OF THE ARTIST,

AND ONE THAT THE DIRECTORS GUILD,

AS YOU KNOW, HAS FOUGHT FOR BY MEANS OF MANY PUBLIC

DEBATES AND THROUGH MANY CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS.

BUT THERE IS AN EQUALLY COMPELLING REASON THAT WE

BELIEVE THAT THE GUILD SHOULD OPPOSE "COLORIZATION".

HISTORY, THE VANDALISM OF OUR COMMON PAST, NOT MERELY

AS IT RELATES TO FILM, BUT AS IT AFFECTS SOCIETY'S

PERCEPTION OF ITSELF.

"COLORIZATION" IS A RE-WRITING

OF HISTORY, WHICH WE BELIEVE TO BE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS.

WE BELIEVE THAT THE DIRECTORS GUILD SHOULD SUPPORT THE

NOTION THAT NO CIVILIZATION WORTHY OF THE NAME CAN AFFORD

TO PROMULGATE LIES ABOUT ITSELF.

IF WE DO NOT PRESERVE WITH FIDELITY IMAGES OF HOW WE

ONCE VIEWED OURSELVES, WE INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD

THAT WE WILL ARRIVE AT A DISTORTED UNDERSTANDING

OF WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT THAT WAY."

"BUT," SAY THE "COLOROIDS", IGNORING US, "MANY BLACK AND WHITE

FILMS WERE NOT MADE BY CHOICE BUT BY STUDIO FIAT AND MANY DIRECTORS

WOULD HAVE WANTED COLOR IF THEY HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO USE IT."

PUTTING ASIDE THE QUESTION WHETHER ANY PROFESSIONAL WOULD STILL

HAVE A JOB AFTER MISAPPLYING SUCH COLORS, THE REASON THAT THE PALETTE,

WAS OR IS, LIMITED TO BLACK AND WHITE, MAY BE HISTORICALLY INTERESTING

NOW TO THE QUESTION OF WHY ANYONE SHOULD CARE, PARTICULARLY THE

INTELLECTUAL LEADERS AND LAWMAKERS OF OUR SOCIETY.

LET ME OFFER

SOME REASONS.

NO ART (INCLUDING FILM ART) IS CREATED IN A SOCIAL

VACUUM.

OUR ARTISTS HAVE BEEN FORMED AND INFORMED BY OUR CULTURE,

THE CULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES, LIKE THAT OF MOST OTHER COUNTRIES,

(OF WHICH ART IS AN IMPORTANT INGREDIENT) IS PRESERVED.

"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE" BY HIMSELF BUT WAS NURTURED BY THE CULTURAL

HERITAGE WHICH

PRECEDED AND ENCOURAGED HIM.

THAT WORK,

THEREFORE,

IN ONE SENSE, BELONGS TO THE WHOLE NATION.