Anticipation is building for the release of Wicked, but some fans are already expressing concerns over a significant issue.
Film production involves numerous complex elements, and a single major issue can cause delays or problems for the entire project.
It’s remarkable that films are completed at all given these challenges.
Typically, a good narrative, strong performances, and impressive costume and set designs are expected to satisfy audiences.
However, in the case of Jon M. Chu’s forthcoming Wicked, that assumption might not hold true.
Despite only a couple of trailers being available, one aspect that has disappointed fans in comparison to its inspiration, The Wizard of Oz, is the color grading.
Fans have taken to social media to voice their disappointment, noting that the film seems less vibrant and lively than the original, even though modern technology provides ample tools to set the perfect atmosphere in films.
One Twitter user expressed: “I know modern films are afraid of color, but how do you adapt WICKED, a musical based on The Wizard of Oz, a marvel of technicolor film, & make it THIS bland & muddy?
“This is your source material and yet, instead of embracing it, you actively eschew the LIFE of it all.”
Another user sharply observed: “You really don’t see just how drab wicked’s coloring is until you turn up the saturation yourself like omg the whole marketing for this movie is pink and green whys it so dreary looking.”
Another person commented: “Honestly amazing that modern filmmakers can take literally any source material, including a technicolor triumph like Wicked was based on, and turn its palette so washed out and blah.
“Underexposed, undersaturated, poorly lit film and tv shows are truly a plague upon our screens.”
But what exactly is technicolor?
Technicolor refers to a series of processes developed to produce color in motion pictures, although it is more often associated with its vivid end results than the methods used.
Films produced in technicolor are renowned for their bright, bold, and saturated hues and were prominent in some of the most celebrated films during Hollywood’s Golden Age, from the 1910s to the 1960s.
However, those hoping for a resurgence of this technique might be disappointed, as the process has not been used for decades due to its complexity, high cost, and logistical challenges.
In response to critiques of Wicked, one user on Threads discussed the obsolescence of the technicolor method.
They explained: “We actually physically cannot do technicolor film anymore! The materials needed to do technicolor are not made anymore.
“There are ways to recreate that classic technicolor look digitally, to varying success. In 2016, The Love Witch (found on Night Flight!) attempted to do this.
“I appreciated what they were trying to do, I don’t know if I would say it was super successful though.”
Let’s hope Wicked still manages to be an outstanding film, even if its colors don’t capture the same vibrancy as The Wizard of Oz.