Color film was built for white people. Here's what it did to dark skin.

Summary

The script explores the historical and ongoing biases in color film and digital photography, highlighting how the 'Shirley card'—used for color calibration—was originally designed with a white ideal in mind, neglecting darker skin tones. It traces the evolution of film technology from the 1940s through the 1990s, showcasing efforts by companies like Kodak and Philips to address these issues. Despite advancements, the bias towards lighter skin tones persists, both in technology and culture, underlining the need for more inclusive design in digital media and technology.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Shirley card, used in color film development from the 1940s to the 1990s, was based on a light skin tone, which influenced color accuracy in photos.
• 😀 The term 'Shirley card' likely originates from the first person pictured on these cards, who was probably named Shirley.
• 😀 The color film process involves stacked chemicals sensitive to different light colors, with the film’s color balance influenced by the absence of chemicals for darker skin tones.
• 😀 The film industry’s chemistry was originally designed for a lighter-skinned consumer market, which led to color inaccuracies for people with darker skin tones.
• 😀 In the 1970s, complaints from industries like furniture and chocolate makers highlighted film’s inability to render dark tones, prompting Kodak to begin addressing this issue.
• 😀 Global markets required a shift from a default 'whiteness' in technology, leading to changes in film technology to accommodate more diverse skin tones.
• 😀 In the 1990s, Philips developed a camera system with two computer chips that balanced lighter and darker skin tones individually, used by high-profile clients like Oprah Winfrey and BET.
• 😀 Kodak’s product line expanded to include different Shirley cards for Black, Latino, and multiracial communities, reflecting growing awareness of diverse skin tones.
• 😀 Kodak’s Gold Max marketing campaign emphasized its film’s improved dynamic range, acknowledging the importance of more accurate color reproduction.
• 😀 Despite advancements in film and digital sensors with broader dynamic ranges, technology still defaults to calibrating for lighter skin tones, perpetuating a bias in color technology.
• 😀 In 2009, a cultural bias towards lighter skin was revealed in facial recognition technology, where a system failed to track a Black person but worked fine with a white person.
• 😀 The issue of color bias in technology underscores that if Black people had developed color film, different factors might have been prioritized, challenging the notion that technology is neutral and unbiased.

Q & A

What is the Shirley card, and what role did it play in color film development?

The Shirley card was a reference standard used by the film industry to calibrate color film. It featured a light-skinned woman, and the accuracy of color in photographs processed with that film was based on her skin tone. This standard was used from the 1940s to the 1990s.

Why was the Shirley card named after a person, and who was she?

Shirley was likely the name of the first person pictured on the card. Over time, the name Shirley came to represent all individuals depicted on these cards, which were used to calibrate color balance in photography.

What problem did the design of color film chemistry initially overlook?

Color film chemistry was designed to cater to a lighter-skinned market, which led to the exclusion of chemical compounds necessary for accurately rendering reddish, yellow, and brown skin tones, thus disadvantaging people with darker skin tones.

How did companies like Kodak begin to address issues with color balance in the 1970s?

In the 1970s, Kodak responded to complaints from industries such as furniture makers and chocolate manufacturers who noted that Kodak film could not accurately capture darker shades of wood and chocolate. This led to the recognition that film needed to be adjusted for a wider range of skin tones and colors.

What technological advances were made in the 1990s to better capture diverse skin tones?

In the 1990s, a team at Philips developed a camera system that used two computer chips to separately balance lighter and darker skin tones. This advancement was notably adopted by Oprah Winfrey and Black Entertainment Television.

What was the significance of the introduction of the Black, Latino, and Multiracial Shirley cards?

These new Shirley cards were introduced to reflect a broader range of skin tones and ethnic backgrounds, acknowledging the increasing diversity in the film and television industries, as well as the global market.

How did Kodak market their Gold Max film in relation to color accuracy?

Kodak's Gold Max film was marketed as offering improved dynamic range and truer colors, emphasizing that it could capture a wider spectrum of colors and accurately render both light and dark skin tones.

How do modern digital camera sensors handle color calibration?

Modern digital camera sensors still tend to calibrate automatically to the lightest area of the frame, which may not always represent a diverse range of skin tones or accurately depict darker skin tones, reflecting the lingering bias towards lighter skin in technology.

What happened with HP’s facial recognition technology in 2009, and what did it reveal?

In 2009, HP’s facial recognition software failed to follow a Black woman properly, highlighting a cultural bias in technology. The system had difficulty recognizing her face, revealing that the technology was still skewed toward lighter skin tones.

What is the larger cultural issue regarding technology and skin tone?

The larger issue is that many technologies, both in the past and present, still carry an inherent bias towards lighter skin tones. This bias impacts how technologies are developed and used, often making them less inclusive of people with darker skin.