This terrific article/vlog makes me really want to make a movie in B/W.
http://flavorwire.com/181969/10-modern-movies-that-are-better-in-black-and-white
http://flavorwire.com/181969/10-modern-movies-that-are-better-in-black-and-white
cinematography Better in B/W
- Thread starter Cracker Funk
- Start date
I did some research a while back but abandoned it. Here are just two
examples that I still had in my notes:
Steven Soderberg
Oceans Thirteen - $115,886,856
The Good German - $1,308,000 (black and white)
Ocean's Twelve - $125,531,634
Solaris - $14,970,038
Full Frontal - $2,512,846
Ocean's Eleven - $183,417,150
Traffic - $124,107,476
Erin Brockovich $125,548,685
Coen Brothers
The Ladykillers - $39,692,139
Intolerable Cruelty - $35,327,628
The Man Who Wasn't There - $7,494,849 (black and white)
O Brother, Where Art Thou - $45,506,619
The Big Lebowski - $17,498,804
Fargo - $24,567,751
Can't really say if black and white was the determining factor,
but it sure is interesting.
examples that I still had in my notes:
Steven Soderberg
Oceans Thirteen - $115,886,856
The Good German - $1,308,000 (black and white)
Ocean's Twelve - $125,531,634
Solaris - $14,970,038
Full Frontal - $2,512,846
Ocean's Eleven - $183,417,150
Traffic - $124,107,476
Erin Brockovich $125,548,685
Coen Brothers
The Ladykillers - $39,692,139
Intolerable Cruelty - $35,327,628
The Man Who Wasn't There - $7,494,849 (black and white)
O Brother, Where Art Thou - $45,506,619
The Big Lebowski - $17,498,804
Fargo - $24,567,751
Can't really say if black and white was the determining factor,
but it sure is interesting.
It's there in Black and white. Pardon the pun...
It may confirm that an audience is less likely to sit down and watch a B&W movie as they are one in colour.
But, an interesting question, would the audience flock to see "Hangover" if it was in B&W?
It doesn't necessarily merit any such use of B&W, but still, by a moviegoer it will be bracketed as B&W. (Clerks comes to mind)
I don't believe it would reach the same heights in the Box Office, there's a tolerance for B&W that will still inevitably turn viewers away, but it wouldn't be far shy if I was to make an educated guess...
What about Sin City? Is far form being black and white in it's entierty, but it is a major part of it.
I think is about visual stmulation.
Black and white might be "plain" for some people, meaning that it needs a more stilized look to reach a wider audience.
Transformers in black and white, might look "cooler" than The king's speech.
I think is about visual stmulation.
Black and white might be "plain" for some people, meaning that it needs a more stilized look to reach a wider audience.
Transformers in black and white, might look "cooler" than The king's speech.
I think the "far from" was the important key. If that
movie had been entirely in B&W... who knows?
You may be right. But it sure seems in general that audiences
do not care to see a movie in black and white no matter how
much cooler in might look.
There hasn't been a financially successful B&W movie since 2005's
"Good Luck, and Good Night". And before that 1994's "Clerks" and
maybe, "Ed Wood". But that was Tim Burton's lowest grossing movie
by far.
Alice in Wonderland - $334,191,110
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - $52,898,073
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - $206,459,076
Big Fish - $66,432,867
Planet of the Apes - $180,011,740
Sleepy Hollow - $101,068,340
Mars Attacks! - $37,771,017
Ed Wood - $5,828,466 (black and white)
Batman Returns - $162,831,698
Edward Scissorhands - $53,976,987
Batman - $251,188,924
Beetle Juice - $73,326,666
Pee Wee's Big Adventure - $40,940,662
Make a B&W film for your fellow filmmakers who appreciate such things. Make a Color film for the "commercial" audience at large. 
(or do both like Wings of Desire)
(or do both like Wings of Desire)
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I like color better always have. I think one thing they can work on is getting the colors to look better on these new HDTVs the color does not look as good to me as the older tube tvs used to have. Not sure why. I think the plasma tvs colors look best but they need a dark room for the set since it is a dim lit. I think the new LED tvs look good but not quite as good as Plasma but I like the brightness of the LED so I would pick LED HDTV. LCD does not look as good to me as plasma or LED.
I do like how the Red cameras footage looks I think the colors and image really looks great. I also love how film looks and believe that it is really great but I do like how the Red does not have grain on Blueray that could be an advantage. The 5d mark II looks good to me but I would prefer Red camera or a nice film camera for the look of it.
I think black and white when used in the right films can be good but I do wish the kevin smith movie Clearks was shot in color.
I think black and white is good for showing a flash back to the past. For instance in World War II flash backs or a horror movie or something like that.
I do like how the Red cameras footage looks I think the colors and image really looks great. I also love how film looks and believe that it is really great but I do like how the Red does not have grain on Blueray that could be an advantage. The 5d mark II looks good to me but I would prefer Red camera or a nice film camera for the look of it.
I think black and white when used in the right films can be good but I do wish the kevin smith movie Clearks was shot in color.
I think black and white is good for showing a flash back to the past. For instance in World War II flash backs or a horror movie or something like that.
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